AT APPROXIMATELY 40,000 MILES I HAD TO HAVE THE BALL JOINTS REPLACED ON MY 1998 DODGE DAKOTA. MY MECHANIC ADVISED ME THAT BEFORE CHANGE THE BALL JOINTS THAT I SHOULD TAKE MY VEHICLE TO MY LOCAL DODGE DEALERSHIP AND SEE IF THEY WOULD COVER THE COST. THEY RESPONDED BY TELLING ME THAT MY BALL JOINTS WERE FINE. THE REASON I WENT TO MY MECHANIC WAS BECAUSE I HAD HAD MY VEHICLE ALIGNED FOUR TIMES IN THE FIRST 30,000 MILE AND MY TRUCK STILL PULLED TO ONE SIDE. THAT WAS WHEN I WENT TO AN UNBIASED PARTY TO TELL WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS. I HAD THIS REPAIR WORK DONE IN LATE 2002 OR EARLY 2003. *AK