Component

POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:UNIVERSAL JOINT

258 NHTSA complaints about power train:driveline:universal joint issues across 29 makes and 122 models.

The power train:driveline:universal joint is one of the standardized component categories NHTSA uses to classify consumer safety complaints. Across the public complaint database, it accounts for 258 filings from 29 manufacturers and 122 distinct vehicle models, a footprint large enough that defect engineers can isolate part-family patterns across different platforms that share the same supplier or the same federal motor vehicle safety standard.

Among filings citing this component, owners have reported 5 crashes, 4 fires, 4 injuries, and 0 fatalities. The most complained-about vehicle in this category is the DODGE DAKOTA with 13 filings, followed by JEEP CHEROKEE and FORD F-150. These severity counters are what separates a nuisance complaint trend from a pattern NHTSA is likely to escalate into a Preliminary Evaluation.

Component-level analysis is how the Office of Defects Investigation spots cross-manufacturer supplier issues — the same airbag inflator, the same takata-style ignition switch, the same brake hose material — before they become industry-wide recalls. When you see a single component accumulating large complaint volume across several unrelated nameplates, that is usually a signature of a shared supplier or a shared federal standard being stressed by real-world conditions. Use the affected-vehicles table below to see whether the pattern is concentrated on a handful of models or distributed evenly, and cross-reference each model's full recall and investigation history before drawing conclusions about any one nameplate.

258
Complaints
122
Models Affected
5
Crashes
4
Fires
0
Deaths

Most Affected Vehicles

# Vehicle Complaints
1 DODGE DAKOTA 13
2 JEEP CHEROKEE 12
3 FORD F-150 11
4 DODGE RAM 2500 11
5 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 11
6 DODGE RAM 9
7 FORD EXPLORER 7
8 DODGE DURANGO 7
9 CHEVROLET BLAZER 7
10 CHEVROLET S10 6
11 VOLVO 770 5
12 DODGE RAM 1500 5
13 CHEVROLET TAHOE 5
14 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN 5
15 GMC SIERRA 4
16 FORD F-250 4
17 NISSAN FRONTIER 3
18 LAND ROVER DISCOVERY II 3
19 JEEP WRANGLER 3
20 GMC JIMMY 3
21 FORD RANGER 3
22 FORD F150 3
23 DODGE CARAVAN 3
24 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500 3
25 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT 2
26 SUBARU OUTBACK 2
27 PLYMOUTH VOYAGER 2
28 KIA SORENTO 2
29 JEEP LIBERTY 2
30 JEEP LAREDO 2

Recent Complaints

1999 MERCEDES-BENZ E320

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 MERCEDES-BENZ E320. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH, THE CONTACT FELT A VIBRATION COMING FROM THE VEHICLE AND THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER SIDE CURTAIN AIR BAGS AND FRONT DR

2010 FORD F-150

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 FORD F-150. WHILE DRIVING 15-20 MPH AROUND A CORNER OR OVER A BUMP IN THE ROAD, THE CONTACT HEARD AN ABNORMAL POPPING NOISE IN THE STEERING COLUMN. THERE WERE NO WARNING IN

2013 BMW 535XI

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 BMW 535XI. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH, A CLICKING NOISE WAS PRESENT COMING FROM THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE. AFTER PARKING THE VEHICLE, IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT OIL WAS

2003 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500

THE 2003 SILVERADO 1500 SHORT BED PU U-JOINTS KEEP GOING OUT. HAVE REPLACED THEM ATLEAST 6 TIMES. PU HAD 30,000 WHEN PURCHASED IN 2006. THERE HAS TO BE SOMETHING IN THE BUILD OF THE PU THAT IS CAUSI

2010 NISSAN ROGUE

THE DETAILS OF THIS COMPLAINT ARE FILED UNDER NHTSA COMPLAINT #10614462. ON 7/16/2014 THE UJOINT ON MY 2010 NISSAN ROGUE SHEARED OFF THE DRIVESHAFT DROPPING THE DRIVESHAFT AND PULLING OUT THE SHIF

2004 SUBARU OUTBACK

2004 SUBARU OUTBACK. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO UNIVERSAL JOINT FAILURE. CONSUMER ALSO SEEKS REIMBURSEMENT OF REPAIRS. *SMD THE CONSUMER STATED THE FAILURE OF THE UNIVERSAL JOINT CAUSED SIGNIFIC

2007 TOYOTA SEQUOIA

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 TOYOTA SEQUOIA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN DRIVING OVER A BUMP, THE VEHICLE WOULD MAKE AN UNUSUAL CLUNKING NOISE FROM FRONT DRIVERS SIDE, NEAR THE FUEL LINE. THE VEHICLE

2005 NISSAN MURANO

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 NISSAN MURANO. WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED THE FUEL SENSOR BECAME DEFECTIVE AND THE UNIVERSAL JOINTS WERE COVERED WITH RUST. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FUEL SENSOR DISPLAYED

2008 DODGE RAM 3500

ONE OF MY TIE ROD ENDS JUST DISINTEGRATED WHILE I WAS UNDERWAY ON SMOOTH SURFACE, RESULTING IN LOSS OF STEERING. I COULD HAVE ROLLED THE VEHICLE. THIS IS THE SECOND TIE ROD END TO GO ON THIS VEHICLE

2004 DODGE DAKOTA

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 DODGE DAKOTA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE STEERING LOCKS WHILE DRIVING. HE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER THREE DIFFERENT TIMES AND THEY REPLACED THE POWER STEERING PUMP,

2008 DODGE RAM 2500 Crash

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 DODGE RAM 2500. WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH, THE DRIVER'S SIDE U-JOINT AXLE FAILED, WHICH JAMMED THE STEERING WHEEL TO THE RIGHT. THE CONTACT CRASHED THE VEHICLE INTO A TELEPHONE

2002 CHEVROLET TAHOE

I JUST BOUGHT A TRUCK FROM A USED CAR DEALER, WHO SAID NOTHING WAS WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE. THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THE HEATING AND COOLING. WHEN I TURN OFF THE A/C IT STILL BLOWS AIR OUT OF THE VENTS,

2004 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN. THE SPEEDOMETER MALFUNCTIONED AND DOES NOT OPERATE AT ALL. THE REPAIR SHOP COULD NOT DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE AND NO REPAIRS WERE MADE. AT 4

2005 BMW R1200 GS

ON MY BMW R1200GS, I NOTICED OIL LEAKING FROM THE FINAL DRIVE. IT TURNS OUT THAT THE SEAL WAS ONLY AN INDICATION THAT THE DRIVE WAS FAILING. THE DEALER CONFIRMED THIS AND HAS REPLACED THE FINAL DRIVE

2004 DODGE RAM 2500

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 DODGE RAM 2500. WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH, THE CONTACT HEARD A NOISE COMING FROM THE FRONT DRIVER SIDE OF THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE APART AND STATED THAT THE CA

2003 CHRYSLER TOWN AND COUNTRY

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHRYSLER TOWN AND COUNTRY. WHILE DRIVING 5 MPH, THE UNIVERSAL JOINTS MADE A LOUD NOISE AND THEN FAILED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE O2 SENSOR FAILED APPROXIMATELY TEN MONT

2001 CHEVROLET CHEVROLET

NUMEROUS THINGS HAVE GONE WRONG WITH MY 2001 MONTE CARLO. 5 OR 6 TIMES THE DEALERSHIP HAS REPAIRED THE DRIVER SIDE AIRBAG WHERE IT CONTINUALLY POPS OUT. I AM REALLY CONCERNED WHEN IT MIGHT EXPLODE W/O

2007 GMC ACADIA

ON JULY 5TH 2007 MY FAMILY AND I WERE TRAVELING IN OUR RECENTLY PURCHASED 2007 GMC ACADIA WHILE ON VACATION IN FENWICK, DE. AND AS WE WERE TRAVELING THROUGH AN INTERSECTION OUR VEHICLE EXPERIENCE A MA

2005 NISSAN FRONTIER

2005 NISSAN FRONTIER WITH ENGINEERING DEFECTS CUSTOMER STATES THAT THE UNIVERSAL JOINT IS SUBJECT TO FAIL DUE TO RUST. **CC THE CONSUMER STATED THE MANUFACTURER MUST HAVE RECOGNIZED THE PROBLEM, BECA

2005 NISSAN FRONTIER

POORLY DESIGNED U-JOINT TO FRONT IN 4 WHEEL DRIVE. ,U-JOINT HAS NO GREASE FITTING WILL RUST AND DISINTERESTED. MANUFACTURER HAS ADDED FITTING TO REPLACE PART. HOWEVER, ORIGINAL COULD FAIL AND BRING VE

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints involve power train:driveline:universal joint issues?
The NHTSA has received 258 complaints about power train:driveline:universal joint problems across 122 vehicle models from 29 manufacturers.
How dangerous are power train:driveline:universal joint defects?
POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:UNIVERSAL JOINT issues have been linked to 5 crashes, 4 fires, 4 injuries, and 0 deaths according to NHTSA complaint data.
Which vehicles have the most power train:driveline:universal joint problems?
The most complained-about vehicle for power train:driveline:universal joint issues is the DODGE DAKOTA with 13 complaints.
Where does PlainCars get its safety data?
All vehicle safety data comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) complaints database, which collects reports from vehicle owners about safety-related defects.

Data Sources

Vehicle complaint data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) complaints database. Includes consumer-reported safety issues filed with NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Severity counts cross-reference NHTSA FARS (Fatality Analysis Reporting System) for fatal incidents where a corresponding FARS record exists.

Component categories are standardized by NHTSA. Crash-test ratings where shown are drawn from the NHTSA New Car Assessment Program (NCAP). Complaint counts, crash reports, fire reports, and fatality data reflect consumer-submitted reports and may not represent all incidents.

Disclaimer: This data is for informational purposes only and should not be used as the sole basis for vehicle purchase decisions. NHTSA complaint data is self-reported by consumers and has not been verified or investigated. A high complaint count does not necessarily indicate a defect. Always consult a qualified mechanic and check official NHTSA recall notices before making safety-related decisions.

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