WASHINGTON - Bowing to pressure from federal safety regulators, DaimlerChrysler AG said Friday it is recalling 600,000 Dodge Durango SUVs and Dakota pickup trucks because of a defect that can cause their wheels to fall off.
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The recall affects vehicles from the 2000-2003 model years. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recommended the recall after a 16-month investigation revealed that the vehicles' upper ball joints could fail. If that happens, the suspension can collapse and a wheel can fall off.
DaimlerChrysler also is extending the warranty to 10 years or 100,000 miles on the suspension upper ball joints on an additional 400,000 Durango sport utility vehicles and Dakota pickups from model years 2000 to 2003.
On Thursday, after word spread that NHTSA was requesting a recall, DaimlerChrysler acknowledged a problem with the ball joints but didn't believe it warranted a safety recall. DaimlerChrysler says there have been no reported injuries due to the defect that have been substantiated by the company. There also are no injuries due to ball joint failures listed in NHTSA's files.
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