2003 DODGE DURANGO Complaints

TRANSMISSION DISENGAGES WHEN ACCELERATING. DEALER REP COULDN'T FIND ANYTHING WRONG AND SAID THEY HAD NOT RECEIVED ANY SERVICE BULLETINS REGARDING THE PROBLEM. *JB

DT: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING AN INDICATOR LIGHT CAME ON. ALSO, THE VEHICLE MADE A LOUD NOISE. THE ENGINE LOCKED. WAS THEN ABLE TO PULL OFF THE ROAD WITHOUT INCIDENT AND CHECKED THE MOTOR. THE VEHICLE WAS THEN TOWED A DEALERSHIP , WHO DETERMINED THAT THE DEFECT WAS THE OIL PICKUP IN THE ENGINE, THAT CAUSED IT TO LOCK. THE DEALERSHIP TOLD THE CONTACT THAT THE ENGINE WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN IN A REPAIR SHOP FOR 4 MONTHS. *AK

DT: ON SEPTEMBER 18, 2005 ONE OF THE TWO STRAPS THAT HELD THE GAS TANK BECAME UNHOOKED. THE CONSUMER TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER AND THEY SAID THEY HAVE NEVER SEEN THIS HAPPEN. CONTACTED CHRYSLER, THEY WERE NOT CONCERNED WITH THIS PROBLEM. THIS HAPPENED ON A SMOOTH PAVED ROAD, IT WAS NOT BUMPY, NO RAIN NOR SNOW. HEARD THE STRAP SCRAPPING ON THE HIGHWAY AND SAW IT DRAGGING UNDER THE VEHICLE. THE CONSUMER HAD A MECHANIC INSTALL IT AND CHRYSLER TO MAKE SURE IT WAS DONE CORRECTLY. *AK *JB

I OWN A 2003 DODGE DURANGO, WITH 62,501 MILES ON IT. I RECENTLY FAILED STATE INSPECTION DUE TO BAD BALL JOINTS. IF CHRYSLER KNOWS THEY HAVE PREMATURELY FAILING BALL JOINTS THEY SHOULD ISSUE A RECALL. NOW I WILL HAVE TO TRY AND COVER A $800 BILL MYSELF. *JB

FRONT SUSPENSION - DRIVE TRAIN - LOCKS - AXLE - POWER STEERING PUMP VEHICLE HAS HAD CONSISTENT FRONT END GRINDING NOISE SINCE 30,000 KM'S. BALL JOINTS HAVE BEEN REPLACED, FRONT AXLE SPYDER GEARS HAVE BEEN REPLACED. PREVIOUS 1998 DURANGO HAD SAME PROBLEM - FIX WAS FRONT WHEEL BEARINGS. 2003 DURANGO - DEALER SAYS THAT IT DOESN'T REQUIRE REPLACEMENT. NOISE AND GRINDING ONLY HAPPEN AT SLOW SPEED TURNS LEFT OR RIGHT. FROM STOP TO LIGHT ACCELERATION TO HARD LEFT OR RIGHT TURN, NEW NOISE FROM REAR AXLE - LIMITED SLIP UNIT NOW GETTING LOUDER. AXLE OIL AND LIMITED SLIP ADDITIVE HAVE BEEN REPLACED WITH FACTORY CHRYSLER OIL ADDITIVE. INDICATIVE OF SAME PROBLEM WITH 1998 DURANGO THAT I HAD, WHEN REAR AXLE PINION BEARING WAS HEAVILY SCORED. IN THAT INCIDENT THE SAME MAINTENANCE WAS DONE, BUT REPAIR WAS OUT OF WARRANTY BY 3,000 KM'S AND CHRYSLER ONLY PAID 50% OF REPAIR OF $700.00. OIL CHANGES ON COMPLETE DRIVETRAIN WAS $590.00 (4X4 WITH SKID PLATES). THIS APPEARS TO BE A METAL FATIGUE PROBLEM IN COMBINATION WITH ENGINEERING SPECIFICATIONS THAT ARE TOO WIDE IN TOLERANCES, WHICH ALLOWS FAILURE OF COMPONENTS TO COMPOUND PROBLEMS AND CREATE LONGER TERM DAMAGING RESULTS. EVER SINCE DODGE TRUCKS WENT TO MAINTENANCE FREE FRONT AXLE BEARINGS (YOU CAN'T PACK BEARINGS WITH GREASE), POOR LIMITED SLIP TOLERANCES IN REAR AXLE, AND TRANSFER CASE THAT'S ELECTRONICALLY OPERATED, THE DRIVETRAIN AND FRONT SUSPENSION COMPONENTS HAVE EXCESSIVE LOADS AND POOR QUALITY COMPONENTS. BOTH DURANGOS THAT I'VE OWNED HAVE HAD 5 WHEEL ALIGNMENTS (CONSTANT PULLING TO THE LEFT) AND NO OFF ROAD DRIVING. STRICTLY HIGHWAY AND CITY DRIVING. I PURCHASED FACTORY EXTENDED WARRANTY ON 2003 DURANGO WHICH I HIGHLY RECOMMEND. SO FAR, OUT OF POCKET EXPENSES HAVE BEEN MINIMAL, BUT DURANGO SPENDS TOO MUCH TIME IN THE SHOP AND IS VERY INCONVENIENT TO HAVE SERVICED CONSTANTLY. NEVER HAD ISSUES WITH WARRANTY PARTS OR DEALER NOT DOING WARRANTY RECALL WORK. *JB

SLUDGE BUILD UP OCCURRED IN THE DODGE DURANGO.*MR THE DEALER INFORMED THE CONSUMER THAT THERE WAS SLUDGE IN THE ENGINE AND THAT IT WAS AS A RESULT OF NEGLECT WHICH THEN VOIDED THE WARRANTY. THE CONSUMER EXPLAINED THAT THE VEHICLE OIL HAD BEEN CHANGED NUMEROUS TIME BY NON-DEALER MECHANIC. THE DEALER NOR MANUFACTURER PROVIDED ANY FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE. THE CONSUMER HAD THE ENGINE REPLACED BY A LOCAL REPAIR FACILITY. THE CONSUMER'S VEHICLE WAS MAKING NOISE IN THE FRONT END. *NM

I PURCHASED A 2003 DODGE DURANGO. WITHIN 20 MINUTES OF COMPLETION MY 1ST TIRE BLEW OUT. THE DEALER (CLEAR LAKE DODGE, HOUSTON, TEXAS) REPLACED THE TIRE FREE OF CHARGE. AT APPROXIMATELY 12K ON A TRIP TO NEW ORLEANS MY RIGHT FRONT TIRE BLEW OUT AND I ALMOST LOST CONTROL OF VEHICLE. MY YOUNGEST SON SUFFERS FROM ASTHMA AND HAD AN ASTHMA ATTACK ON I-10 TO NEW ORLEANS. I CALMED HIM DOWN WITH NO MEDICATION (NEBULIZER REQUIRES ELECTRICITY). WHEN I RETURNED TO HOUSTON, I CONTACTED DISCOUNT TIRE WHICH WARRANTIES GOODYEAR TIRES AND WAS INFORMED THAT I HAD JUMPED A CURB CAUSING DAMAGE TO MY TIRES. I PURCHASED MY 3RD TIRE ALONG WITH ROAD HAZARD BECAUSE ALL REPRESENTATIVES BLAMED MY DRIVING HABITS ON ME, EVEN THOUGH I HAVE NEVER EXPERIENCED THESE PROBLEMS BEFORE. MY VEHICLE NOW HAS OVER 50K MILES AND ALL OF MY TIRES ARE WEARING. THE BELT IS SHOWING ON ALL 4 TIRES. I AM SEEKING ARBITRATION. *JB

DT: CONTACT STATED THE DRIVER'S SEAT BELT LOCKED AND JAMMED. THIS WAS AN ONGOING PROBLEM FOR 3 WEEKS. DEALER SAID THEY COULD NOT SERVICE IT. CHRYSLER WAS GOING TO SEND HER SOME PAPERS, AND SHE COULD TAKE THE PAPERS TO THE DEALER AND THEY WOULD FIX VEHICLE. THIS WAS ON JULY 28, 2005, AND SHOULD RECEIVE THE PAPERS ANY DAY.*AK

DT: THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 DODGE DURANGO. HIS VEHICLE STALLS WHILE IDLING AND AT LOW SPEEDS. TOOK VEHICLE TO THE DEALER, BUT SINCE THE PROBLEM IS INTERMITTENT DEALER CAN'T FIGURE OUT THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM. THE DEALER TRIED TO SEE IF THE PROBLEM WOULD OCCUR, BUT PROBLEM DIDN'T OCCUR FOR ABOUT SIX MONTHS. THE TECHNICIAN INDICATED THAT HE HAD NEVER HEARD OF THIS PROBLEM.*AK IN JUNE 2005 THE SERVICE REP SAID THAT DODGE WAS AWARE OF IDLE/STALLING PROBLEMS AND MAY BE WORKING ON ENGINE TRANSMISSION SOFTWARE FIX ON ENGINE PERFORMANCE COMPUTER. *SB *NM

I TOOK MY VEHICLE IN TO THE DEALER FOR AN OIL CHANGE AND WAS TOLD THERE IS METAL IN THE DIFFERENTIAL AND MY WARRANTY HAD EXPIRED, THE DIFFERENTIAL HAD COMPONENTS IN IT THAT CAME APART AND SHATTERED THEY HAVE TO BE REPLACED THE MECHANIC STILL HAS THE VEHICLE AND I BELIEVE I CAN GET THE OLD PARTS