2004 DODGE DURANGO Complaints

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 DODGE DURANGO. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE ATTEMPTING TO START THE VEHICLE, THE VEHICLE MADE A LOUD UNUSUAL NOISE AND FAILED TO START. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 86,000.

I AM ADDING MY 2004 DODGE DURANGO SLT 5.7 HEMI TO THE GROWING LIST OF THOSE WITH BLOWN ENGINES. LIKE MANY ON THIS SITE MINE WAS WELL TAKEN CARE OF WITH MAINTENANCE PERFORMED AT REGULAR INTERVALS. I BOUGHT IT BRAND NEW AND WAS THE PRIMARY DRIVER FOR NINE YEARS. BESIDES THE RECALL FOR THE ELECTRICAL PANEL, THE ONLY PROBLEM I HAD WITH IT WAS DECREASED RELIABILITY OF THE AIR CONDITIONER AND THE ENGINE STALLING IN THE RAIN. THE FIRST TIME THE ENGINE IDLED POORLY IN THE RAIN WAS AROUND 2009. IT SEEMED TO BE INTERMITTENT AND ANYONE I SPOKE TO ABOUT IT SAID THAT WATER COULD NOT GET IN THE ENGINE AND IT CHECKED OUT FINE. I TRULY ENJOYED DRIVING THIS VEHICLE AND PLANNED TO DRIVE IT UNTIL IT FELL APART, WHICH CAME SOONER THAN EXPECTED. I DROVE FROM FLORIDA TO OHIO AND BACK DEC 2012 AND HAD NO ISSUES AT ALL. ON JULY 12, 2013 I DROVE TO WORK AND HOME WITH A PERFECTLY PERFORMING DURANGO. ON JULY 13, 2013 IT RAINED HEAVILY FOR SEVERAL HOURS AND I STAYED HOME ALL DAY. THE NEXT MORNING WHEN I WENT OUT TO GO TO WORK IT WOULD NOT START. WHEN I TRIED TO START IT ONLY CLICKED AND WOULD NOT TURN OVER. AFTER SEVERAL HOURS OF RESEARCH, A NEW BATTERY, STARTER, AND IGNITION FUSE, WE FINALLY TURNED THE ENGINE MANUALLY TO GET IT STARTED. THAT'S WHEN THE KNOCKING ENGINE WAS REVEALED. THE WATER ENTERING THE ENGINE DURING THE HEAVY RAIN CAUSED THE ENGINE TO HYDRA LOCK AND THAT IS WHY IT WOULD NOT START. I AM TRULY AMAZED AFTER MY RESEARCH ON THIS SITE AND OTHERS THAT THERE HAVE BEEN HUNDREDS OF OTHER 2004 DURANGOS THAT THIS HAS HAPPENED TO THAT CLEARLY PROVES THAT THIS WAS A DEFECT IN THE YEAR MODEL. THE OLDER MODELS LAST FOR 200,000 TO 300,000 MILES. MY HUSBAND HAS A RAM TRUCK WITH 175,000 MILES AND STILL RUNS FINE. I WOULD TRULY HOPE THE COMPANY WOULD RECOGNIZE THIS AND OFFER SOME TYPE OF REIMBURSEMENT TO THE OWNERS OF THESE VEHICLES. THIS INCIDENT CAUSED ME MUCH EMOTIONAL AND FINANCIAL STRAIN. *TR

IT STARTED WITH WHAT I THOUGHT WAS JUST AN EGR PROBLEM ABOUT TWO YEARS AGO, AND I REPLACED IT. IT KEPT DYING, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT WAS RAINING PRETTY GOOD, AND I THOUGHT SOMETHING WAS GETTING WET. I THOUGHT IT WAS THE STARTER OR BATTERY, AND REPLACED THE BATTERY. A FEW DAYS BEFORE THE LAST INCIDENT, IT DIDN'T WANT TO START AGAIN, SO I THOUGHT I GUESSED WRONG AND WAS GOING TO REPLACE THE STARTER. MAY 3, 2013, ON THE WAY TO WORK, IT STARTED RUNNING REAL ROUGH, AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT STARTED FLASHING. IT WAS RAINING VERY HARD. I PULLED OVER, AND SMELLED BURNED OIL, AND THEN SAW A MULTICOLORED SHEEN ON THE WET, RAINY PAVEMENT. THE ENGINE DIED BEFORE I GOT THE HOOD UP. I CAN START IT, BUT IT SOUNDS LIKE SOMEONE IS INSIDE WITH A HAMMER. THE GUY THAT TOWED IT SAID IT THREW A ROD OUT THE DRIVER SIDE OF THE ENGINE, BY THE MOTOR MOUNT. IT STARTS, BUT SOUNDS LIKE SOMEONE IS INSIDE THE ENGINE WITH A HAMMER. FROM WHAT IT SOUNDS, THE ROD BROKE, AND WENT THROUGH THE SIDE OF THE ENGINE. WITH ALMOST 700 COMPLAINTS, SOMETHING SHOULD BE ABLE TO BE DONE. I OWE ALMOST $8000 ON THIS CAR, AND IT WILL COST AT LEAST HALF OF THAT TO FIX IT. IT ISN'T WORTH ANYTHING THE WAY IT IS, AND IT COSTS MORE TO FIX IT THAN IT IS PROBABLY WORTH. A SIMPLE INTERNET SEARCH BRINGS UP ALL OF THESE SAME SYMPTOMS FOR THIS 5.7L HEMI ENGINE, WITHOUT EVEN MENTIONING THE ISSUES. THERE ARE THAT MANY PROBLEMS WITH IT. IT ISN'T A SAFETY ISSUE WHEN YOU LOSE ALL POWER STEERING, BRAKES, AND POUR OUT OIL AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS IN THE RAIN? PLEASE DO SOMETHING. THANK YOU. *TR

WHEN STARTING ENGINE PISTON CONNECTING ROD BROKE, THIS IS A PROBLEM WITH THE 2004 DURANGO WITH THR 5.7 HEMI ENGINE. *TR

VEHICLE WAS RUNNING FINE UNTIL STORM CAME THROUGH DUMPING CONTINUOUS RAIN ON VEHICLE. I WENT TO MOVE THE VEHICLE LATER THAT DAY AND NOTICED STANDING WATER ON DRIVERS SIDE FLOORBOARD/CARPET. IT WAS SOAKED! I WENT TO START THE ENGINE IT DIDN'T RESPOND INITIALLY SO I TURNED IGNITION BACKWARDS (OFF DIRECTION) AND TRIED TO RESTART. AT THAT MOMENT IT STARTED VERY ROUGH AND MADE A LOUD NOISE FROM THE ENGINE AND CONTINUALLY DOES SO WHENEVER IT IS STARTED NOW. I CAN'T AND DON'T DRIVE IT. LOOKING CLOSER UNDER THE HOOD APPARENTLY WATER IS GETTING INSIDE THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT WHEN IT RAINS. THE BLACK MATERIAL LINING UNDER THE HOOD WAS SOAKED ALSO. ON THE ENGINE THERE WERE WATER DROPLETS AND MOST COMPONENTS OF THE ENGINE HAD DRIED WATER MARKS/STREAKS THROUGHOUT THE COMPARTMENT.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 DODGE DURANGO. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE TRAVELING 60 MPH, THE MOTOR SUDDENLY FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A PRIVATE MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS FOUND THAT A ROD IN THE MOTOR HAD FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED ABOUT THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 137,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 DODGE DURANGO. THE CONTACT STATED THAT UPON STARTING THE IGNITION, A LOUD NOISE EMITTED FROM THE ENGINE. THE CONTACT INSPECTED UNDER THE HOOD AND NOTICED EXCESSIVE OIL LEAKING FROM THE ENGINE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE CONTACT'S RESIDENCE AND HAD NOT BEEN DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE PROBLEM. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 98,000.

WENT TO START UP THE DURANGO TO GO TO THE DOCTORS. HEARD A LOT OF THUMPING AND SHUT IT OFF IMMEDIATELY. MY DAD HEARD THE NOISE AND CAME OVER TO LOOK AT IT. LOOKED UNDERNEATH THE DURANGO AND SAW PIECES OF THE ENGINE SITTING IN THE STREET. ALSO SAW A SMALL CHILD'S FIST SIZE HOLE IN THE ENGINE. MY DAD IS A MECHANIC SO THIS DURANGO WAS KEPT IN GOOD SHAPE, OIL CHANGED EVERY 3,000 MILES. THIS IS A MANUFACTURE FLAW THAT CHRYSLER NEEDS TO ADDRESS. *TR

MY WELL-MAINTAINED 2004 DODGE DURANGO SLT BEGAN DOING SOMETHING BIZARRE A FEW MONTHS AGO AT ABOUT 120,000 MILES. THIS HAS 4.7L V8 AND THE AWD-4HI-4LO 2-SPEED TRANSFER CASE. THE "SERVICE 4WD" AND THE TRACTION CONTROL LIGHT BEGAN FLASHING, AND IT FELT LIKE THE TRANSFER CASE WAS STUCK IN 4HI WITH THE TIRES GRABBING ON A TURN. THE SELECTOR KNOB ON THE DASH WOULD NOT FUNCTION. I BROUGHT THE TRUCK TO MY MECHANIC WHO CHECKED THE FUNCTION OF THE TRANSFER CASE MOTOR, INSPECTED THE MOTOR AND WIRING, AND CHANGED THE TRANSFER CASE FLUID AGAIN. I CALLED MY LOCAL CHRYSLER DEALER AND THEY ADVISED THAT THEY WOULD NEED TO CHANGE THE TRANSFER CASE MOTOR. THE MOTOR COSTS $1190 PLUS TWO HOURS LABOR AND TWO QUARTS OF ATF+4 FLUID. I BROUGHT THE TRUCK BACK TO MY MECHANIC AND HE SAID THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE MOTOR OR THE TRANSFER CASE OR THE DASH SELECTOR KNOB. HE SAID HE BELIEVES THIS IS A CONTROL MODULE OR PROGRAMMING ISSUE. I GOT A THIRD OPINION AT MY LOCAL LEE MYLES. THEY CONCURRED THAT THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE TRANSFER CASE MOTOR AND THERE MUST BE SOME ISSUE WITH THE COMPUTER, PROGRAMMING, OR ONE OR MORE OF THE CONTROL MODULES. THE TRUCK CONTINUES TO DO THE SAME THING. THE MALFUNCTION CONDITION EXISTS APPROXIMATELY 65% OF THE TIME. I CAN'T AFFORD TO BRING TO THE DEALER NOW AND SPEND OVER $1300 FOR A REPAIR THAT I DO NOT THINK WILL CORRECT THE PROBLEM. I HAVE READ ON MANY MESSAGE BOARDS THAT THIS SEEMS TO BE A VERY COMMON ISSUE WITH 2004-2006 DURANGOS AND CHANGING THE MOTOR, OR THE SWITCH DOES NOT HELP THE SITUATION. I ALSO NOTICE THAT AT TIMES WHEN I OPEN THE DOORS OR UNLOCK THE DOORS WITH THE KEY FOB, I CAN HEAR THE TRANSFER CASE MOTOR CYCLING. THIS SEEMS TO BE AN ELECTRICAL OR PROGRAMMING ISSUE. IT IS VERY DIFFICULT TO TURN THE WHEELS AT LOW SPEEDS WHEN THE MALFUNCTION CONDITION EXISTS AND I FEAR THIS IS STRAINING THE TRANSMISSION. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 DODGE DURANGO. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE ATTEMPTING TO START THE VEHICLE, THE VEHICLE MADE A LOUD UNUSUAL NOISE AND THE CONTACT NOTICED A HOLE IN THE ENGINE BLOCK. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 84,000. *TR