2001 DODGE DURANGO Complaints

2001 DURANGO REQUIRED RT UPPER BALL JOINT ARM, RT LOWER BALL JOINT ASSEMBLY, LET LOWER BALL JOINT ASSEMBLY, RT OUTER TIE-ROD END REPLACEMENTS AND FRONT END ALIGNMENT. 45,322 MILES CONSIDERED PREMATURE DEFECTS.*AK

WHILE DRIVING MY DURANGO ON 09/01/03, MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. THE OIL PRESSURE GUAGE BEGAN FLUCUTATING UP AND DOWN.I IMMEDIATELY DROVE HOME,@ 2 MILES, AND PARKED THE VEHICLE.ON SEPTEMBER 2, 2003, I DROVE THE DURANGO @4 MILES TO THE SRVC. DEPT. AT DARCARS. LATER THAT DAY DARCARS INFORMED ME THAT THE ENGINE WAS "SLUDGED UP" AND WAS BEYOND REPAIR.THE ENGINE HAS APPROXIMATELY 44,867 MILES ON IT. I PURCHASED IT OFF OF THE SHOW ROOM FLOOR AS A DEMO. I IMMEDIATELY CONTACTED THE MANUFACTURER, DAIMLER CHRYSLER (DAIMLER), TO COMPLAIN AND SEEK SOME TYPE OF ASSISTANCE. THE REPRESENTATIVE AT DAIMLER STATED THAT HE WOULD OPEN A FILE ON MY VEHICLE AND CONTACT DARCARS TO GET SOME ADDITIONAL INFO. DAIMLER ADVISED THAT IN ORDER FOR THEM TO DETERMINE IF THEY COULD PROVIDE ANY TYPE OF ASSISTANCE, I WOULD FIRST NEED TO PROVIDE AUTHORIZATION FOR DARCARS TO TEAR THE ENGINE APART TO DO A FURTHER DIAGNOSIS.I GAVE DARCARS VERBAL AUTHORIZATION TO PERFORM THE FURTHER DIAGNOSIS.ON 09/10/03, DARCARSADVISED THAT THEY HAD REMOVED THE VALVE COVER AND DETECTED SLUDGE DOWN IN THE ENGINE.DARCARS SAID THAT THEY DECIDED NOT TO TAKE THE ENGINE APART BECAUSE THE LABOR COST (@15 HRS WOULD BE BORNE BY ME.DARCARS ALREADY "KNEW WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS AND DID NOT SEE THE NEED TO ADD AN ADDITIONAL LABOR CHARGE TO ME ON TOP OF THE COST FOR A NEW ENGINE.AT THE INVITE OF THE DARCARS SERVICE REP I WENT TO TAKE A LOOK AT THE ENGINE.EVERYTHING ON THE ENGINE WAS INTACT.IT DID NOT APPEAR THAT THE VALVE COVER HAD EVER BEEN REMOVED.AT THIS POINT THE SERVICE REP OPENED THE OIL FILL HOLE,REMOVED A PLASTIC PIECE, AND SHOWED ME THE "BUILDUP" ON IT.HE STATED THAT THIS WAS AN INDICATION OF THE SLUDGE BUILDUP IN THE ENGINE.THE DAIMLER LOCAL REP LOOKED AT MY DURANGO AND LISTENED TO THE ENGINE AND INDICATED THAT THERE WAS NOTHING HE OR DAIMLER COULD DO FOR ME.THIS IS A "CATCH 22": A LABOR COST ON TOP OF A NEW ENGINE.WITHOUT TAKING THE ENGINE OUT, I DON'T KNOW FOR CERTAIN THAT THERE ISN'T SOME TYPE OF ENGINE DEFECT. *AK

I HAVE 35,000 MILES ON MY DURANGO AND HAVE HAD 2 TRANSMISSION REBUILDS. I HAVE ALSO HAD SHIFT LINKAGE PROBLEMS AFTER THE LAST REBUILD AND THE DEALER PERFORMED THE SHIFTING RECALL IN 2002. ALL TRANSMISSION ISSUES. I AM LOOKING FOR RESOLUTION AND A BUY BACK OF THIS VEHICLE. I DO NOT FEEL CONFIDENT ABOUT THE TRANSMISSION REBUILD AND THE OVERALL RELIABILITY OF THIS VEHICLE. I AM SEEKING THE LEMON LAW IN MY STATE BUT, I MAY NEED MORE HELP AND PRESSURE.*AK

UNSTABLE FRONT WHEELS WHEN GOING OVER (PERPENDICULAR) BRIDGE SEAMS AT POSTED HIGHWAY SPEEDS. I.E. THE VEHICLE SHIFTS ABRUPTLY AND VERTUALLY UNCONTROLLABLY AS THE FRONT WHEELS SEEM UNSTABLE. I HAVE TO CONSCIOUSLY PLAN AND BRACE FOR THE ACTION.*AK

MY CAR SUSPENSION HAS BEEN HORRIFYING SINCE THE DAY I GOT IT NEW. ONE DAY I WAS IN MY GARAGE GOING NO MORE THAN 5-8 MILES AN HOUR AND THE WHEEL FELL OFF AND CAUSED TONS OF DAMAGES TO THE CAR. IT WENT THROUGH INSURANCE AND INSURANCE SHOULD GET REIMBURSED THROUGH CHRYSLER,AS THIS IS A DEFECT. I WAS WITHOUT TRANSPORTATION FOR OVER 30 DAYS. IT COST ME OVER $1000 BECAUSE OF THAT ON TOP OF THE DEDUCTIBLE. MY COMPANY LEASES THE CAR AND WE WANT OUT OF THE LEASE AS THE SUSPENSION IS ACTING UP AGAIN. DODGE DEALERSHIP HAS DONE EVERYTHING TO MAKE A CHARADE OF THIS AND NOT ADMIT ANY WRONG. THE INCIDENT DATE BELOW IS APPROXIMATE.*AK

LOWER BALL JOINT (RT SIDE) FAILED IN A SLOW SPEED TURN CAUSING LOSS OF CONTROL, TIE ROD END FAILURE, AND IMPACT WITH LIGHT POLE.

DRIVER'S SIDE CONTROL ARM REPLACED AT 13,802 MILES. BOTH CONTROL ARMS REPLACED AT 25,700 MILES. HAD TO HAVE TIRES REPLACED DUE TO EXCESSIVE WEAR. *LA

OIL PRESSURE DROPPED AND THE CAR STARTED MAKING A LOUD NOISE. HAD THE CAR TOWED TO OUR MECHANIC. CHRYSLER WOULD NOT RELEASE OIL PUMP SO WE HAD TO HAVE THE CAR TOWED TO A DEALER (THE VEHICLE WAS NO LONGER COVERED UNDER WARRANTY, BUT WE HAD TO HAVE IT REPAIRED BY THE DEALER??????). THE TOLD US THAT THERE WAS SLUDGE IN THE ENGINE. IT COST $6000.00 TO HAVE IT REPLACE. NOW THE ENGINE OVERHEATS WHEN THE TEMPERATURE GOES ABOVE 90 DEGREES OUTSIDE. ONE DEALER SAYS I NEED A NEW RADIATOR (530.00) AND THE OTHER DEALER (THE ONE WHO DID THE ENGINE WORK) CAN'T FIND ANYTHING WRONG. *LA

WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED, ENGINE RPM DROPS AND VEHICLE ALMOST STALLS OUT COMPLETELY FOR A FEW SECONDS (AT LEASE 40 SECONDS OR MORE ON EACH OCCURRENCE) WITHOUT ANY WARNING INDICATIONS (NO WARNING LIGHTS BEING ON). PUTTING THE VEHICLE IN NEUTRAL AND COASTING IT TO THE SIDE OF THE FREEWAY WHILE PULSING (REPPING) THE GAS PEDDLE, ENGINE RUNS NORMALLY AGAIN. ALMOST GOT INTO A COUPLE OF ACCIDENTS ON THE FREEWAY!!! *LA

I CURRENTLY OWN A 2001 DODGE DURANGO. THE VEHICLE IS SERVICED ON A REGULAR BASIS. I JUST TURNED 40,000 MILES. I FELT A SLIGHT PAUSE IN THE TRANSMISSION WHEN STARTING OUT. I TOOK THE VEHICLE IN TO HAVE THE TRANSMISSION CHECKED. THE TRANSMISSION HAS TO BE REPLACED. I FILED A COMPLAINT WITH DAIMLER CHRYSLER. THEY GAVE ME THE STANDARD ANSWER. "3 YEARS OR 36,000 MILES." WE ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE. PLEASE LOOK INTO THIS TRANSMISSION ISSUE. I BELIEVE THERE IS A PART FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION WITH THE DURANGO TRANSMISSIONS. *JB