1999 DODGE DURANGO Complaints

OIL AND ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. PULLED OVER TO CHECK OIL, AND OIL WAS VERY LOW. HAD JUST CHANGED OIL TWO WEEKS AGO. CONSUMER NOTICED A LOUD NOISE COMING FROM UNDER ENGINE WHEN ACCELERATING, BUT NOT AT ALL TIMES. ANOTHER TIME WHILE DRIVING ON PARKWAY VEHICLE DIED, CONSUMER CAME CLOSE TO HAVING AN ACCIDENT. DEALER SAID IGNITION COIL WENT BAD. *AK THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON BECAUSE OIL AND FILTER WERE NOT CHANGED REGULARLY. THE CATALYTIC CONVERTOR WAS DAMAGED BUT THE DEALER COULD NOT FIX IT DUE TO NATIONAL BACK ORDER. *YH

SAFETY LOCKOUT USED TO KEEP THE VEHICLE IN PARK (UNTIL BRAKE PEDAL IS DEPRESSED) FAILED. GEAR LEVER WAS ACCIDENTLY ENGAGED AND THE VEHICLE DROVE INTO A STRUCTURE. MINOR DAMAGE OCCURED - BUT IT JUST MISSED 2 KIDS AND A WOMAN.*AK

BEGINNING IN JANUARY OF 2000 OF BRAKES HAVE MALFUNCTIONED. WE HAVE EXPERIENCED OUR BRAKES NOT WORKING AT ALL CAUSING US TO RUN THROUGH RED LIGHTS AND PAST STOP SIGNS. OUR BACK BRAKES HAVE LOCKED UP ON US ON MULTIPLE OCCASSIONS CAUSING US TO HAVE TO SWERVE TO AVOID CAUSING WRECKS. ON MULTIPLE OCCASSIONS WE HAVE LEFT BLACK SKID MARKS ON PAVEMENT DUE TO BACK BRAKES LOCKING UP. THESE BREAKING PROBLEMS HAVE HAPPENED AT SPEEDS VARYING FROM 5 MILES PER HOUR TO 65 MILES PER HOUR. THIS VEHICLE HAS BEEN IN FOR REPAIR ON THE BRAKES ON 7 SEPERATE OCCASSIONS WITH REPAIRS RANGING FROM CLEANING AND ADJUSTMENTS TO CHANGING OF CALIPERS. ON 1/14/200 THE DX WAS BRAKES DIRTY AND NEEDED ADJUSTED. ON 2/3/00 DX CALIPERS NOT WORKING. 3/23/00 CALIPERS REPLACED. ON 11/10/2000 BRAKES WERE CLEANED AND ADJUSTED. WE PICKED UP OUR VEHICLE TODAY 1/13/01 FOR REPAIR ON BRAKES. WE COMPLAINED THAT AGAIN BRAKES ARE LOCKING UP AND FAILING. THE BRAKES WERE AGAIN CLEANED AND ADJUSTED PER TECHNICIAN. FROM THE DATE OF PURCHASE OUR REAR LATCH HAS NOT LOCKED. 1/14/2000 DX REAR LOCK ASSY FAILURE. 2/3/00 ASSEMBLY REPLACED. 3/23/00 THE DX WAS ACCUATOR . 10/17/2000 ACCUATOR REPLACED. 1/13/01 TECHNICIAN MADE ANOTHER INTERNAL REPAIR IN AC/HEATER SYSTEM. ON 10/17/2000 WE NOTIFIED BERRY MOTOR THAT WE WERE SMELLING OUR FIRECRACKER SMELL AND SMELL NOTICABLE WHEN AIR CONDITIONING ON BECAUSE IT WOULD BRING SMELL INTO VEHICLE. NO DX NOTED AT THAT TIME. 11/10/2000 VEHICLE IN FOR OVERHEATING PROBLEMS. DX. GASKET LEAKING. WE RECENTLY EXPERIENCED OVERHEATING AGAIN. TODAY'S (1/13/01) DX THERMASTAT FAILURE AND WARPED THERMASTAT HOUSING. WE HAVE MANY THINGS GO WRONG WITH THIS VEHICLE; HOWEVER, OUR BIGGEST CONCERN IS THE BRAKE MALFUNCTIONING. WE HAVE BEEN TOLD BY THE DEALERSHIP THAT THE NEW ANTI-LOCK BRAKES OUR MADE OUT OF A NEW MATERIAL WHICH IS EFFECTED BY DIRT. THEY STATE THAT WHEN THESE BRAKES GET DIRTY, IT WILL CAUSE THEM TO NOT FUNCTION CORRECTLY. *AK

THE DODGE DURANGO WAS PURCHASED IN OCT'1999. HEADING EAST ON I-20 WHEN WE HEARD A CLICKING SOUND FROM THE FRONT END OF SUV. THE CLICKING GOT LOUDER. AS WE TRIED TO ACCELERATE TO EXIT THE S.C. HIGHWAY, THE CLICKING TURNED INTO A RATTLE AND THE SUV BEGAN TO STALL AND EVENTUALLY QUIT. WE HAD THREE CHILDREN ON BOARD (19 MONTHS, 30 MONTHS, & 7 YRS). AFTER WAITING APPROX 3 HRS FOR FAMILY TO ARRIVE FROM GA, WE HAD THE SUV TOWED TO AUGUSTA DODGE. THEIR INITIAL FINDINGS WERE THAT JIFFY LUBE DIDN'T REPLACE THE OIL AFTER THE OIL CHANGE WE'D RECEIVED JUST BEFORE GETTING ON THE HWY. DODGE THEN SAID WE HAD A HOLE IN OUR ENGINE. NEITHER PROVED TO BE TRUE. NATIONWIDE INSURANCE CONCLUDED THAT THE PROBLEM WAS MECHANICAL. DODGE ADMITTED THAT THEY HAVE 40 1999 V-8 ENGINES BACKLOGGED IN ATLANTA ALONE. WE'VE DISCOVERED VIA MECHANICS THAT DODGE'S V-6 & V-8 ENGINES ARE GUMMING UP, RESULTING IN A NEED FOR VALVE JOBS, ETC. THIS CONFIRMED JIFFY LUBE'S OBSERVATION THAT THE OIL SEEMED TO BE GUMMING UP. SUGGESTING A PROBLEM W/ OIL PUMP. *AK

THERMOSTAT NEEDLE WOULD MOVE ALL WAY UP IN RED, AND VEHICLE OVERHEATED. VEHICLE HAD TO BE TOWED TO DEALER, AND DEALERSHIP WAS AWARE OF PROBLEM.*AK

VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN A FRONTAL COLLISION IN WHICH BOTH AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. VEHICLE WAS CONSIDERED TOTALED BY INSURANCE AGENCY. DEALER CONTACTED. FEEL FREE TO PROVIDE ANY FURTHER DETAILS ON THIS MATTER. *AK

THE VEHICLE HAS EXPERIENCED SEVERAL INSTANCES OF ELECTRICAL SYSTEM FAILURES, THE BATTERY HAS BEEN REPLACED ON TWO OCCASIONS, THE INSTRUMENT PANEL AND GAUGES SPIKE AND ARE ERRATIC, CONSUMER WAS TOLD BY THE DEALERSHIP ON ONE REPAIR THAT THERE WAS AN OPEN CIRCUIT CAUSING THE PROBLEM, HOWEVER AFTER REPAIR THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM CONTINUED TO EXPERIENCE PROBLEMS. *MJS

TRANSMISSION WAS LEAKING AND SLIPPING. DEALER HAS REPAIRED VEHICLE SEVERAL TIMES. *AK

TREAD SEPARATION FROM THE CARCUSS AND SUDDEN LOSS OF AIR AND VEHICLE CONTROL. *AK (DOT NUMBER: MN60 K60V TIRESIZE: 10.5R15LT)

AFTER REPAIR OF CRUISE CONTROL BRAKE SWITCH THE CRUISE CONTROL BEGAN TO ACCELERATE VERY QUICKLY AND WOULD NOT DISENGAGE AFTER HITTING THE BRAKE PEDAL. NLM