2002 DODGE DURANGO Complaints

RESISTOR THAT CONTROLS HEATER BLOWER SPEED FAILED NUMEROUS TIMES. ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR THAT CONNECTS POWER TO RESISTOR ALSO FAILED TWICE. WHEN CONNECTOR FAILED, EVIDENCE OF SIGNIFICANT ELECTRICAL ARCING BETWEEN CONTACTS AND SMOLDERING FIRE. DEALER SERVICE/PARTS CLAIMS PROBLEM MIS DUE TO ORIGINAL BLOWER MOTOR HAVING EXCESS CURRENT DRAIN, SO I REPLACED BLOWER MOTOR WITH NEW DEALER PART. PROBLEM RE-OCCURRED WITH MELTING OF CONNECTOR. FIVE RESISTORS AND TWO CONNECTORS. HIGH POTENTIAL FOR UNDER-DASHBOARD FIRE AT CONNECTION. *TR

THIS PAST WEEK (MARCH 1, 2009) AS MY FAMILY AND I WERE DRIVING TOWARDS OUR FAMILY VACATION, MY 2002 DURANGO STARTED TO MAKE SOME STRANGE NOISES AND ACTIONS. MY WIPERS BEGAN TO ACTIVATE AND WOULD NOT STOP, MY PANEL LIGHTS FLICKERED ON/OFF MAKING SOME CLICKING SOUNDS. ALL THIS OCCURRED WHILE I WAS DRIVING. WHEN I GOT A CHANCE, I TURN OFF THE CAR AND RESTARTED IT. IT STOPPED THE WIPERS FROM BEING ON BUT IT ALSO STOPPED MY ELECTRIC WINDOWS, EXTERIOR LIGHTS, INTERIOR LIGHTS, WIPERS, ALARM AND FAB FROM WORKING. THE CAR WOULD START, THE TURN SIGNALS WOULD WORK BUT ALL PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED ITEMS WOULD NOT WORK. WHEN I ARRIVED TO MY DESTINATION, MY FRIENDS AND I LOOKED AND TESTED SOME FUSES TO NO AVAIL. THE NEXT DAY WE CONTINUE TO TEST FUSES AND MODULES AND NOTICED THAT BY TAPPING A MODULE BOX NEXT TO THE LEFT DRIVER DOORS AND ADJACENT TO THE BRAKE WOULD MAKE THE INTERIOR LIGHTS ON/OFF. I PURCHASED THE PART CALLED THE 'TIME AND THEFT MODULE PART NO. 56049073AK. THE PART WAS ORDERED FROM THE DEALER, WE REPLACED IT AND IT SEEMED TO HAVE SOLVED THE PROBLEM. NOW THE INCONVENIENCE WAS TO HAVE THE KEY FAB REPROGRAMMED SO THAT IT CAN LOCK/UNLOCK THE DOORS AND ACTIVATE THE SECURITY ALARM. THIS WAS ANOTHER COST THAT CAN ONLY BE DONE AT THE DEALER. THE PURPOSE OF THIS COMPLAINT IS SO THAT OTHER DODGE DURANGO OWNERS AND THE NHTSA CAN SEE IF THIS SHOULD BE A RECALL AND FIND OUT IF ANY OTHER DRIVERS HAVE HAD SIMILAR PROBLEMS. AGAIN, MY CONCERN IS THAT LIGHTS WENT OUT, WIPERS INTERMITTENTLY ON/OFF, ETC. IF AT NIGHT, I ASSURE YOU THAT MY FRUSTRATION WOULD HAVE BEEN MUCH HIGHER. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 DODGE DURANGO. THE CONTACT WAS UNABLE TO PLACE THE VEHICLE INTO DRIVE. SHE HAD TO MANEUVER THE GEAR SHIFTER SEVERAL TIMES BEFORE THE VEHICLE WOULD SHIFT INTO THE DRIVE POSITION. THERE WERE NO WARNINGS PRIOR TO THIS FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL REPAIR SHOP AND THE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT A SOLENOID FAILED. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT HER VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN A RECALL AND NO COMPENSATION WOULD BE PROVIDED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 128,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 129,800.

NO INJURIES YET, REAR BENCH SEAT, SEAT BELTS RELEASE RANDOMLY, WILL NOT STAY LOCKED, ALL THREE DO THE SAME, ONE WORSE THAN OTHERS, IS GETTING WORSE. *TR

MY VEHICLE GETS STUCK IN PARK. THE SITUATION HAS OCCURRED ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS TO THE EXTENT OF 5 OR 6 TIMES A YEAR. THE CAR IS COMPLETELY INOPERABLE WHEN THIS HAPPENS. OUR SOLUTION, AS RECOMMENDED BY A MECHANIC, WAS TO BANG ON THE STEERING WHEEL UNTIL IT FREES ITSELF, BUT THE MOST RECENT OCCURRENCE WAS UNABLE TO BE RESOLVED IN THIS MANNER. MY VEHICLE IS OF A YEAR AND MODEL (2002 DODGE DURANGO) THAT HAS HAD A RECALL FOR THE SHIFTER LOCK SITUATION (G28), BUT DODGE HAS INFORMED ME THAT MY VEHICLE DOES NOT QUALIFY FOR REPAIR. I HAVE SEARCHED AUTOMOBILE SITES ON THE INTERNET AND A NUMBER OF FOLKS HAVE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM AS MINE EXHIBITS AND HAVE BEEN ABLE TO GET IT REPAIRED UNDER THE RECALL NOTICE, YET MINE GETS DENIED. I HAD TO HAVE THE VEHICLE TOWED TO THE DEALER THIS MORNING DUE TO THIS FAILURE AND WILL, NO DOUBT, HAVE TO PAY TO GET IT BACK, BUT I FEEL MY VEHICLE SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN THE RECALL REPAIRS AS ANNOUNCED. *TR

MY 2002 DURANGO HAS DEVELOPED PROBLEM WHERE GEAR SHIFT LEVER IS STICKING IN PARK AT INITIAL STARTUP. WILL FREE UP AFTER SEVERAL MINUTES DELAY OR IF BRAKE PEDAL IS PUMPED 3-4 TIMES. WILL NOT REPEAT UNLESS ENGINE IS OFF SEVERAL HOURS. REGULAR DAILY OCCURRENCE PAST 4 WEEKS. CURRENT MILEAGE IS 100,010 MILES. AT FIRST THOUGHT SHIFT LINKAGE FREEZING IN WINTER WEATHER BUT NOW HAVE HAD PROBLEM ON DAYS WITH EXTENDED HOURS OF TEMPS WELL ABOVE FREEZING. NO DEALER CONTACT YET. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 DODGE DURANGO. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD BECOME STUCK IN THE PARK POSITION FOR APPROXIMATELY 2-3 MINUTES. THE DEALER COULD NOT ASSIST BECAUSE THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 07V555000 (POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:LEVER AND LINKAGE:COLUMN SHIFT). THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 113,000.

2002 DODGE DURANGO THE HEATER BLOWER WIRES STARTED TO MELT, THE HEATER BLOWER RESISTOR FAILED AND THE PLUG BETWEEN THE WIRES AND RESISTOR MELTED TOGETHER. THIS IS THE SECOND TIME THIS HAS HAPPENED. FIRST TIME THE VEHICLE WAS IN WARRANTY AND THE DEALER JUST REPLACED THE RESISTOR. I WOULD HAVE TO LOOK AT MY RECORDS BUT I BELIEVE IT WAS AROUND 58,000 MILES ON THE VEHICLE. NOW THE VEHICLE HAS 80,000 MILES ON IT. AT FIRST IT SMELLED LIKE SOMETHING WAS BURYING WHEN THE BLOWER FAN WAS ON. THE HIGHER THE SETTING THE WORST THE SMELL BECAME. I HAVE REPLACED THE RESISTOR BUT LEFT THE MELTED PLUG AND WIRES BECAUSE THE DEALER WANTS $70.00 JUST FOR THE PARTS. I AM GUESSING I WILL HAVE TO REPLACE THE WIRES AND PLUG THE NEXT TIME THIS HAPPENS. I BELIEVE I HAVE ALREADY THROWN OUT THE PART BUT I WILL CHECK. THE MELTED PLUG IS ON THE VEHICLE. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 DODGE DURANGO. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED IN 2007 ACCORDING TO NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 06V339000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM). AFTERWARDS, THE HEATING UNIT FAILED TO WORK PROPERLY. THERE WERE NO FAILURES PRIOR TO THE RECALL REPAIR. THE CONTACT ALSO SMELLED A BURNING ODOR WHENEVER THE HEATING UNIT WAS ACTIVATED. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS PREVIOUSLY REPAIRED UNDER RECALL AND THEY COULD NO LONGER ASSIST. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE LESS THAN 100,500.

UPPER BALL JOINT FAILURE. LOUD NOISE AND DECREASED STEERING FUNCTION. RECALL ON 2002 DURANGO 4X4 BUT NOT ON 2002 DURANGO WITHOUT 4X4. PERHAPS SAME PARTS WERE USED IN BOTH TYPE 2002 DURANGO. RECALL SHOULD BE ON BOTH. ESTIMATE REPAIR COST $1500. *TR