2011 DODGE DURANGO Complaints

ALL GAUGES RADIO AND LIGHTS SHUT OFF AND ENGINE ACTED LIKE IT WAS OFF WHILE ACCELERATING TO SPEED

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 DODGE DURANGO. WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY, THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED A LOSS OF POWER. THE BATTERY AND CHECK ENGINE WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC (DAVE GRIMMS) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE ALTERNATOR WAS DEFECTIVE AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND THE CONTACT REFERENCED NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 14V634000(ELECTRICAL SYSTEM); HOWEVER, THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED DUE TO THE AMP BEING A 180 NOT A 160. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 94,000.

ON JUNE 14, 2017 I WAS DRIVING MY 2011 DODGE DURANGO HOME FROM WORK AND THE BATTERY LIGHT CAME ON WHILE I WAS ON A BUSY HIGHWAY. I EXITED THE HIGHWAY AND PULLED INTO A MALL PARKING LOT AND SUDDENLY THE INTERIOR TEMPERATURE OF THE CAR BECAME EXTREMELY HOT, SO HOT, I COULD NOT STAY INSIDE OF THE VEHICLE. I STARTED TO SEE AND SMELL SMOKE, SO I TURNED THE VEHICLE OFF AND OPENED THE HOOD; AS I IT OPENED THERE WAS A LARGE AMOUNT OF SMOKE AND I CLOSED IT TO SNUFF OUT ANY FIRES. I HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO MY MECHANIC AND WAS TOLD MY ALTERNATOR HAD GONE BAD. THE EXPLANATION I WAS GIVING WAS: THE SILICONE DIODES IN THE ALTERNATOR RECTIFIER BRIDGE MAY EXPERIENCE THERMAL FATIGUE DUE TO CYCLIC LOADING FROM THE ELECTRIC HYDRAULIC POWER STEERING (EHPS) SYSTEM, EVENTUALLY RESULTING IN NO OUTPUT, REDUCED OUTPUT, OR A FULLY SHORTED TO GROUND CONDITION. THESE FAILURE MODES VARY IN THEIR TIME TO FAILURE AND WARNING TO THE DRIVER. DEPENDING ON THE FAILURE MODE AND TIMING, SYSTEM VOLTAGE MAY DROP TO CRITICALLY LOW LEVELS, DISABLING SYSTEMS SUCH AS THE ANTI-LOCK BRAKE SYSTEM/ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL, ENGINE CONTROL MODULE/CENTRAL BODY CONTROLLER, OR A TOTAL VEHICLE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM SHUT DOWN (IN THE EVENT OF A SHORT TO GROUND FAILURE MODE). I EXPERIENCED A TOTAL SYSTEM SHUT DOWN. THE ALTERNATOR NOT ONLY FAILED BUT SHORTED OUT MY BATTERY, FUSES AND COMPUTER MODULE. I CALLED DODGE CORPORATE AND ONLY RECEIVED AN APOLOGY.... DODGE HAS A RECALL P60 RECALL WHICH APPLIES TO 160AMP ALTERNATOR. THIS RECALL WAS NOT APPLICABLE TO MY VEHICLE BECAUSE IT HAS A 180 OR 220 AMP ALTERNATOR BUT IF IT IS FAILING LIKE THE 160AMP ALTERNATOR THEN DODGE SHOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DEFECTIVE PART.

BURNING SMELL COMING FROM FRONT VENT AREA.NO WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON, NO CHECK ENGINE LIGHT, NOTHING. CAR IS NOT HEATING UP..THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN A POOF OF WHITE SMOKE COMES OUT FROM FRONT DASH SOMEWHERE? DO NOT KNOW EXACTLY WHERE AS I WAS DRIVING ON FREEWAY AT THE TIME. IT STOPPED WITHIN A FEW SECONDS. GOT HOME AND BUTTON TO OPEN GARAGE NOT WORKING.ALSO BLUETOOTH STOPPED WORKING. DON'T KNOW WHATS GOING ON BUT SEEMS TO BE ELECTRICAL AND UNSAFE.SMELLS LIKE WIRES BURNING

MY CAR HAS BEEN UNEXPECTEDLY BEEN SHUTTING OFF WHILE DRIVING IN THE MIDDLE OF ROADS FOR AT LEAST THE PAST TWO YEARS. MAYBE ABOUT FIVE TIMES NOW. AND NOW HAT I THINK OF IT, AT LEAST TWO OF THOSE TIMES I WAS TURNING OR ATTEMPTING TO.TOOK IT IN WHILE MY EXTENDED WARRANTY WAS VALID AND THEY SAID IT ISN'T COVERED. EVEN IF NOT, THIS IS SO DANGEROUS! IF I HADN'T OF RECOGNIZED THE PROBLEM THIS MORNING, I WOULD HAVE BEEN CREAMED BY ABOUT TEN CARS COMING MY WAY. THE FCW LIGHT COMES ON AND THE ENTIRE VEHICLE SHUTS OFF. I HAVE DONE THE CLEANING THING AND OBVIOUSLY THEY KNOW AT THE DEALERSHIP THIS IS AN ISSUE BUT I DON'T KNOW WHAT ELSE TO DO. IS IT GOING TO TAKE SOMEONE BEING PLOWED INTO IN ORDER FOR THEM TO HAVE TO FIX IT?

MAY 2017 MY DAUGHTER WAS DRIVING HER 2011 DODGE DURANGO WITH 68K WITH TWO KIDS IN THE CAR, THE BATTERY LIGHT CAME ON AND THEN WENT COMPLETELY DEAD SHORTLY AFTER. WE GOT IT TO AN ELECTRICAL SHOP TO FIND THE BATTERY WAS DEAD AND THE 180 AMP ALTERNATOR HAD STOPPED OPERATING. AFTER SOME RESEARCHING I FOUND A RECALL (P60) AND IT ONLY APPLIED TO 160 AMP ALTERNATOR. I CALLED CHRYSLER (CASE #31556595) TO SEE IF THEY COULD HELP AND WAS DENIED. WE HAD TO PAY FOR THE REPAIR WHICH COST ME $400.44. I FEEL THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE THAT SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN THE RECALL.

SEVERAL TIMES A WEEK WITH NO SPECIFIC TIME OF DAY, HEAT OUTSIDE, DRIVE TIME ETC., MY 2011 DODGE DURANGO WILL ACT LIKE IT WILL START AND IT WILL CONTINUE TO TURN OVER AND OVER UNTIL IT FINALLY STOPS. EVENTUALLY AFTER A FEW TRIES, IT WILL START. WE CHANGED THE BATTERY THINKING MAYBE IT WAS THAT, BUT NOTHING...I HAVE READ A FEW "COMPLAINTS" THAT HAVE HAD THE SAME THING AND THEY ARE SAYING IT IS A TIPM PROBLEM. MY VEHICLE ISN'T UNDER THE RECALL LIST, BUT IT IS WITHIN THE YEAR THEY ARE RECALLING IT.

MY VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION ON A CITY STREET WHEN IT COMPLETELY SHUT DOWN WITHOUT WARNING. THE ENGINE STALLED AND THERE WAS NO POWER TO THE VEHICLE WHATSOEVER. I WAS UNABLE TO STEER, BRAKE, PUT THE CAR IN NEUTRAL, ROLL DOWN WINDOWS, UNLOCK DOORS, OR HAVE MY HAZARD LIGHTS ON. I WAS BLOCKING TRAFFIC AND HAD NO WAY TO SIGNAL TO OTHER DRIVERS THAT MY VEHICLE WAS STALLED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD. AFTER HAVING IT TOWED TO THE DEALER, I WAS TOLD THE ALTERNATOR SHORTED OUT, WHICH IN TURN FRIED THE BATTERY AND POWERTRAIN MODULE. THE DEALER AGREED TO PAY TO REPLACE THE POWERTRAIN MODULE AT NO COST TO ME BUT THE REMAINING REPAIRS COST ME $1300. UPON DOING SOME RESEARCH I DISCOVERED THAT AS OF OCTOBER 2014 MORE THAN 435,000 VEHICLES WERE EFFECTED BY AN ALTERNATOR RECALL, INCLUDING CARS THE SAME MAKE, MODEL, AND YEAR AS MY OWN. I FOUND OTHER COMPLAINTS ONLINE OF OWNERS OF THE SAME TYPE OF CAR WHO EXPERIENCED A SIMILAR BREAKDOWN WHILE DRIVING AND THEY WERE TOLD THAT THE REPAIRS WOULD NOT BE COVERED. I CALLED CHRYSLER'S CUSTOMER SERVICE LINE AND THEY INVESTIGATED THE ISSUE BUT REFUSED TO PAY FOR THE WORK. HAVING A CAR STOP DRIVING WITHOUT WARNING WHILE IN TRAFFIC IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. KNOWING THERE ARE OTHER VEHICLES OUT THERE EXPERIENCING THE SAME ISSUE INDICATES TO ME THAT THE ALTERNATOR RECALL SHOULD BE EXTENDED TO INCLUDE ADDITIONAL CARS. I WOULD LIKE TO BE REIMBURSED FOR MY EXPENSES AND TO BE SURE THAT OTHER DRIVERS DO NOT EXPERIENCE THIS DANGEROUS SITUATION THAT COULD EASILY RESULT IN A VERY SERIOUS CAR CRASH.

ON 06/23/17 WHILE DRIVING MY 2011 DODGE DURANGO MY BATTERY LIGHT CAME ON WITH IN THE NEXT MILE I TURNED TO PULL OFF OF THE ROAD TO ENSURE EVERYTHING WAS OK MY DASH LIGHTS WENT HAYWIRE AND EXCESSIVE HEAT STARTED COMING OUT OF MY VENTS AND A BURNING SMELL STARTED THE VEHICLE SHUT OFF AND WOULD NOT DO ANYTHING OR RESTART. MY VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE AUTO REPAIR SHOP AND IT HAS BEEN DETERMINED THAT THE BATTERY IS DEAD, THE ALTERNATOR IS DEAD AND THE PCM IS FRIED..... WHILE DO SOME RESEARCH I CAME ACROSS A RECALL THE P60 RECALL FOR THE ALTERNATOR FIR THE DODGE DURANGO YEARS 2011-2014 WHICH WOULD BE THE SAME VEHICLE I HAVE OTHER THAN THE ALTERNATOR IS 160 AMPS AND MY DURANGO HAS A 220 AMP ALTERNATOR. I BELIEVE THAT THIS NEEDS TO BE INVESTIGATED TO INCLUDE THE 220 AMP ALTERNATOR UNDER THE SAME RECALL AS THE P60, BECAUSE THE VEHICLES ARE THE SAME AND IT APPEARS THAT THE ISSUE I HAD IS THE SAME AS THE 160 AMP ALTERNATOR.......

2011 DODGE DURANGO. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO VEHICLE NOT BEING REPAIRED PROPERLY BY DEALERSHIP. *LD UPDATED 06/21/2017*JS