2000 DODGE DURANGO Complaints

I WAS DRIVING MY 2000 DODGE DURANGO ON CHRISTMAS NIGHT WHEN MY VEHICLE START MAKING A NOTICEABLE SOUND. IT SOUNDED LIKE I HAD FLAT TIRE OR SOMETHING WAS STUCK IN THE WHEEL AREA. I LOOKED AND SEARCHED UNDER THE VEHICLE BUT COULD NOT FIND THE CAUSE OF THE NOISE. MY FIANCEE, SISTER AND FRIEND WERE IN THE VEHICLE AND COULD NOT FIGURE OUT WAS WRONG. WE WERE QUITE SCARED AND DID NOT KNOW WHAT WAS WRONG. FOR THREE DAYS MY CAR MADE THE SAME UNTIL MY MECHANIC WAS AVAILABLE ON MONDAY, DECEMBER 29TH. THE NOISE WAS COMING FROM A BUSTED BALL JOINT/BEARING. IT WAS VERY NEAR OFF COLLAPSING THE WHEEL AND FRONT END. WHAT STUCK IN MY MIND WAS THE MECHANIC AT THE TIME SAID, THAT I WAS EXTREMELY FORTUNATE THAT I BROUGHT MY CAR IN WHEN I DID BECAUSE THE "WHOLE AXLE COULD HAVE BROKEN AND FALLEN OFF." I WAS QUITE SCARED AND RELIEVED, OBVIOUSLY. WELL, ALMOST $600 LATER AND I FIND OUT THAT THIS ALL COULC HAVE BEEN AVERTED BY DODGE NOTIFYING CAR OWNERS.

CONSUMER COMPLAINED ABOUT A BALL JOINT PROBLEM. CONSUMER WAS GETTING AN OIL CHANGE AND IT WAS DETERMINED THAT BALL JOINTS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. *AK

MECHANIC DETERMINED THAT UPPER BALL JOINTS WORE OUT PREMATURELY. ALSO, WHEEL BEARINGS AND THE INNER/OUTER TIE RODS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. *AK

WE BOUGHT A USED 2000 DURANGO SPORT APPROXIMATELY 5/2002 FROM THE JEEP DEALER IN ONTARIO, CALIFORNIA. THEY SAID IT WOULD HAUL OUR 19 FEET TRAVEL TRAILER. WE HAD SLOOPY STEERING ISSUES. WHEN GOING OVER A BUMP WHILE TRAVELING ON THE FREEWAY THE STEERING WOULD WOBBLE AS IF TO ALMOST LOSE CONTROL. WHEN TRAVELING ON ALL OVER PASSES WITH THE STEERING WHEEL TURNED, IT WILL LOSE TRACTION FOR A SHORT PERIOD CAUSING THE STEERING WHEEL TO TURN BY ITSELF WHICH RESULTS IN ALMOST LOSE CONTROL. WHEN YOU ARE TURNING FREEWAY "CORNERS" AT HIGHER SPEEDS IT FEELS TOP HEAVY AS IF YOU COULD ROLL OVER DUE TO INSTABILITY OF SUSPENSION & STEERING. IT MAKES CLICKING NOISES FROM THE REAR END. WE HAVE BOUGHT 2 COMPLETE SETS OF TIRES NEW TIRES AND 3 FRONT END ALIGNMENTS SINCE WE HAVE HAD THIS DURANGO. SEARS SAID THE ALIGNMENT WAS COMPLETED AS BEST AS POSSIBLE, IT WAS ALMOST OUT OF SCOPE AS IT WAS, THE CASTER AND CAMBER BEARLY MEETS THE SPECIFICATIONS. WHILE TOWING OUR WE FLIPPED AND ROLLED OUR 19FT TRAVEL TRAILER OVER, JUST ABOUT A HALF MILE FROM OUR HOME. MY HUSBAND AND 12 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER WERE NOT PHYSICALLY INJURED IN THE ROLL OVER CRASH, BUT HAVE BEEN TRAMATIZED TO THIS DAY. THE TRAILER JACKNIFED AND DISCONNECTED ITSELF OFF THE BALL AND ANTI-SWAY ARMS; RESULTING IN NO DAMAGE TO THE DRANGO. HOWEVER, THE TRAILER AND PERSONAL ITEMS INSIDE WERE A COMPLETE LOSS, NOT TO MENTION THE CRANE AND THE FLATBED TOWING. MY HUSBAND TOOK THIS DURANGO INTO A PRIVATE MECHANIC SHOP FOR AN ESTIMATE OF THE STEERING/SUSPENSION ISSUES AND WAS ADVISED TO HAVE THE RACK & PINION KNUCKLES REPLACED. WE TOOK THE DURANGO INTO MOSS BROTHERS DODGE IN SAN BERNARDINO, CALIFORNIA AND HAD THEM CHECK THE FRONT SUSPENSION AND SPECIFICALLY ASKED THEM TO CHECK THE RACK & PINION KNUCKLES ALL DUE TO STEERING ISSUES AS DESCRIBED ABOVE. THE COST WAS ABOUT $800 FOR REPLACMENT OF HUBS, BREAK MASTER CYLINDER AND FRONT END ALIGNMENT. MOST OF OUR COMPLAINTS STILL EXIST WHILE DRIVING THIS 2000 DURANGO TODAY.*AK

I HAD TO REPLACE A BALL JOINT ON A 2000 DODGE DURANGO WITH 23,000 MILES. I HAD TO TAKE IT UPON MY SELF AFTER READING THE ARTICLE IN USA TODAY.I HAVE ALSO CALL DODGE NATIONAL TWICE TO NO AVAIL.*AK

2000 DODGE DURANGO. AT ABOUT 69,000 MILES THE VEHICLE HEATER SUDDENLY WENT COLD AND THE VEHICLE OVERHEATED. I PULLED OVER AND CHECKED UNDER THE HOOD. THE VEHICLE LOST ALL ANTIFREEZE. TOWED IT HOME. THE NEXT DAY FOUND THAT A FREEZE PLUG HAD A HOLE IN IT. AFTER REPAIR, FOUND THAT THE FREEZE PLUG HAD CORROSION AND ACTUALLY RUSTED THROUGH. DEALER SAID IT WAS DUE TO LACK OF MAINTENENCE. IMPOSSIBLE, FREEZE PLUGS ARE NOT MAINTAINED AND COOLLANT HAS A LIFE OF 100,000 MILES. IN ADDITION, A FREEZE PLUG SHOULD BE GALVANIZED/ALUMINIZED TO PREVENT CORROSION. VEHICLE HAS BEEN REPAIRED. HOWEVER, BECAUSE OF THIS PROBLEM, I WONDER IF THIS IS THE REASON THAT OTHERS ARE HAVING VEHICLES BLOW UP. I BELIEVE THAT THE SLUDGE IS THE RESULT OF THE OVERHEATED OIL AND THAT IS WHY THE VEHICLES ARE BLOWING UP. NOT BECAUSE OF LACK OF OIL CHANGES. AFTER THIS PROBLEM, I HAVE FOUND THAT MY ENGINE IDLES SLIGHTLY ROUGH. THIS SEEMS LIKE A GOOD INDICATOR OF BLOWN SEALS CAUSING OIL LEAKAGE AND OF OVERLY HEATED OIL CREATING SLUDGE.*AK

WHILE CHANGING LANES AT NORMAL DRIVING SPEED, VEHICLE LUNGED TOWARDS THE SHOULDER OF THE ROAD AND NEARLY WENT OUT OF CONTROL. UPON EXAMINATION OF THE FRONT SUSPENSION, EXCESSIVELY WORN UPPER BALLS JOINTS WERE DETERMINED TO BE THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM. VEHICLE HAS ONLY 46,000 MILES ON IT. *JB

AS I WAS DRIVING, THE WHEEL OF MY 2000 DODGE DURANGO CAME OFF THE CAR AND CAUSED THE CAR TO LOSE CONTROL AND LAND IN A DITCH. MY MECHANIC SAID IT WAS THE UPPER BALL JOINT.*AK

CONSUMER TOOK VEHICLE INTO THE DEALERSHIP FOR INSPECTION, AND MECHANIC INFORMED CONSUMER THAT THE UPPER BALL JOINTS FAILED. *AK *MR

WHILE DRIVING 45 MPH REAR PASSENGER'S SIDE TIRE FELL OFF. AS A RESULT, VEHICLE LOST CONTROL AND LANDED IN A DITCH. *AK