2000 DODGE DURANGO Complaints

THE VEHICLE DRIVER'S SIDE FRONT UPPER CONTROL ARM WAS LOOSE. THE CONSUMER HAD IT REPAIRED ($106.00) AFTER FINDING OUT THAT THERE WAS NO RECALL. *AK THE VEHICLE'S ROCKER ARM FAILED. *NM

E-MAIL FM BARBARA EDENS (RX) REPORTING DEFECTIVE SUSPENSION ON VEHICLE A 2000 DODGE DURANGO SLT/ CONTROL ARMS HAVE BEEN REPLACED THREE TIMES SINCE PURCHASE OF VEHICLE. REQUEST NHTSA RECALL VEHICLE REPLY TO THE AUSTIN, TX OFC DOT #. *PH *MR *JB

UPPER AND LOWER BALL JOINTS UNUSUAL WEAR, REPLACED AT 70000 MILES. ALSO DEALER AND OIL CHANGE PLACE SAID SLUDGE IN ENGINE. I REGULARLY CHANGE MY OIL, THE INTAKE MANIFORD GASKET BLEW AND CAUSED ENGINE TO KNOCK AND HAVE SLUDGE. SPEED SENSOR IN REAR AXLE WENT BAD, CAUSING SPEEDOMETER AND ABS SYSTEM FAILURE. *AK

I PREVIOUSLY COMPLAINED ABOUT STEERING PROBLEM WITH 2000 DODGE DURANGO. I PAID NEARLY $2,000.00 IN OCTOBER 2003 TO HAVE PROBLEM FIXED. IT STILL PULLED TO THE LEFT. MECHANIC SAID THAT IT WAS BECAUSE THE TIRES WERE WORN OUT. I JUST BOUGHT NEW TIRES AND THE CAR PULLS TO THE RIGHT REAL BAD. I WENT BACK TO THE TIRE STORE THEY REPLACED THE FRONT LEFT TIRE AND I STILL HAVE PROBLEM. I AM CONCERNED FOR MY AND MY FAMILIES SAFETY. WHEN I GO OVER A BUMP OR TRAIN TRACK OR GROOVE IN THE ROAD MY CAR JUMPS TO THE LEFT. *AK

CONSUMER TOOK VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR INSPECTION, AND MECHANIC DETERMINED THAT UPPER BALL JOINTS FAILED. *AK

AUTOMATIC DOOR LOCK MECHANISM FAILURE. I HAVE HAD TWO AUTO LOCK MECHANISM FAILURES ON MY 2000 DURANGO. I BELIEVE THIS IS AN IMPORTANT SAFETY ISSUE - I CAN NOT OPEN THE DOOR - IN AN EMERGENCY THIS COULD BE CRITICAL.*AK

MY WIFE WAS TRAVELLING AT 65 MPH ON A CLEAR DAY, ON DRY PAVEMENT WHEN TRAFFIC REDUCED SPEED AHEAD OF HER. SHE SLOWED BY GRADUALLY APPLYING THE BRAKES. WHILE APPLYING ADDITIONAL BRAKE PEDAL PRESSURE, THE VEHICLE CONTINUED TO SLOW DOWN, BUT NOT AT A RATE SUFFICIENT TO PREVENT A COLLISION. THE 2000 DODGE DURANGO 4X4 IS EQUIPPED WITH ABS, WHICH DID NOT ACTUATE AT ANY TIME WHILE ATTEMPTING TO SLOW. PRIOR TO THE COLLISION, THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS PRESSING AS FIRMLY AS POSSIBLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL DODGE DEALER WHERE THE BRAKES AND ABS WERE CHECKED. THE INITIAL RESPONSE WAS THAT VEHICLES WITH ABS DO NOT STOP THE SAME AS VEHICLES WITHOUT ABS; IF PRESSURE IS GRADUALLY APPLIED, THE ANTI-LOCK FEATURE WILL NOT ACTIVATE. THE BRAKES MUST BE RELEASED AND THEN APPLIED RAPIDLY TO ACTIVATE THE ABS. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE ABS IS OPERATING PROPERLY BUT THE FRONT ROTORS WERE OUT OF ROUND. THE ROTORS WERE CAUSING THE BRAKES TO GRAB, CAUSING THE ABS TO ACTIVATE. THE FRONT BRAKE PADS WERE REPLACED WITH OEM PADS, AND THE FRONT ROTORS WERE RESURFACED. FOLLOWING REPAIRS, MY WIFE AND I TESTED THE VEHICLE TO DETERMINE WHETHER THE INITIAL CONDITION OF FAILURE COULD BE DUPLICATED. DURING THIS TEST, THE ABS WAS ACTIVATED SEVERAL TIMES. IT SHOULD BE NOTED HERE THAT THE ABS HAD NEVER BEEN ACTIVATED IN THE 14 MONTHS OF OWNERSHIP PRIOR TO THIS TEST. I HAD MY WIFE DRIVE THE VEHICLE TO DETERMINE WHETHER, UNDER SIMILAR 'SIMULATED' CONDITIONS, SHE WOULD ACTIVATE THE ABS, UNDER SUFFICIENT BRAKE PEDAL PRESSURE. SHE WAS ABLE TO ACTIVATE THE ABS EACH TIME THE GRADUAL INCREASE IN BRAKE PEDAL PRESSURE WAS APPLIED. WE BELIEVE THERE IS STILL A RELIABILITY QUESTION OF THE ABS ON THE DODGE DURANGO AND THAT THE VEHICLE MAY FAIL TO REDUCE SPEED SUFFICIENTLY TO AVOID A COLLISION UNDER CONDITIONS WHICH SHOULD POSE NO SAFETY CONCERN AND WE ARE QUESTIONING THE SAFETY OF CONTINUING TO DRIVE OUR 2000 DODGE.*AK

WHILE DRIVING, THE CONSUMER HEARD A LOUD KNOCKING SOUND IN THE FRONT END. THE DRIVER ALSO STATED THE BRAKE PRESSURE WAS NOT NORMAL. THE DRIVER PULLED OVER AND HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO THE DEALER. THE DEALER REPLACED THE BALL JOINTS, BEARINGS, ROTORS, KNUCKLES, HUBS AND AXLE. PLEASE DESCRIBE FURTHER. *JB

UPPER AND LOWER BALL JOINTS PREMATURELY WORN OUT. TRUCK HAD ONLY 40,000 MILES. *LA

WHILE DRIVING AT 40 MPH, THE WHEEL BEARING SNAPPED AND THE PASSENGER FRONT WHEEL CAME OFF. AS A RESULT, THE CONSUMER LOST CONTROL OF THE TRUCK, BUT WAS ABLE TO PULL AROUND A CORNER AND COME TO A COMPLETE STOP, AWAY FROM TRAFFIC. AS A RESULT THIS CAUSED DAMAGE TO OTHER COMPONENTS. *JB WHEN THE PART SNAPPED, THE VEHICLE HIT ANOTHER VEHICLE, THEN A VEHICLE FROM BEHIND HIT THE CONSUMER 'S VEHICLE. *SC *JB