1998 DODGE DURANGO Complaints

VEHICLE WAS IN PARK W/EMERGENCY BRAKE ON. WHEN PUTTING BOAT ON TRAILER TRANSFER CASE POPPED INTO NEUTRAL CAUSING CAR TO ROLL INTO WATER. TRANSFER CASE HAD POPPED INTO N BEFORE, BUT WAS NOT REPEATABLE.

UPPER AND LOWER BALL JOINTS ON BOTH SIDES WERE SO WORN OUT THAT THEY WOULD FAIL THE STATE SAFETY INSPECTION IN SPITE OF REGULAR GREASING. THEY WERE REPLACED ONLY AFTER GOING TO THREE DODGE DEALERS.

2 REAR GOODYEAR WRANGLER TR/S TIRES P235/75R15 WERE EXPERIENCING TREAD SEPARATION, CONSUMER FEELS TIRES SHOULD NOT HAVE WORN THE WAY THEY DID AND REPLACED TIRES WITH ANOTHER BRAND. *SLC

USUALLY DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPPED ABOUT 60 MPH TRANSMISSION WILL KEEP SLIPPING. CONSUMER HAS BEEN AT DEALER 3 TIMES, AND CANNOT DETERMINE CAUSE. *AK

I CAN NOT KEEP TIRES ON FRONT END FROM WEARING UNEVENLY, THEY KEEP CUPPING ON OUTER EDGES. CHRYLER CORP HAS REPLACED MY FRONT TIRES 3 TIMES, LOWER CONTROL ARMS TWICE, & RT. UPPER BALL JOINT ONCE. NOW ALL 4 TIRES ARE OUT OF ROUND AND CAUSES A BAD VIBRATION IN THE VEHICLE. THIS IS ALL CAUSED BY THE SUSPENION PARTS BEING DEFECTED AND CHRYSLER CORP. WILL NOT REPLACE THE TIRES OR CORRECT THE SITUATION WITH ME.

I STOPPED AT A SERVICE STATION TO HAVE THE AIR CHECKED. WHEN HE PUT AIR IN THE TIRE, IT WAS LEAKING MORE. THE TIRE REPAIR STATION TOOK THE TIRE OFF THE RIM AND NOTICED THAT THE TIRE WAS SPLITTING FROM THE INSIDE OUT. HE SAID HE HAS NEVER SEEN THAT HAPPEN BEFORE....SPLITTING FROM THE INSIDE OUT. THE TIRE IS NO GOOD ANYMORE AND I STILL HAVE A LOT OF TREAD LEFT ON IT. HE TOOK MY SPARE OFF, FROM UNDER THE VEHICLE AND NOTICED THAT IT HAS BEEN HOT AND MELTED THE RUBBER FROM THE EXHAUST. I HAVE SMELLED RUBBER BEFORE BUT THOUGHT THAT WAS FROM THE AIR CONDITIONER THAT I HAVE BEEN HAVING SO MUCH TROUBLE WITH SINCE I BOUGHT THE VEHICLE. IT HAS CAUSED AN ELECTRICAL SHORTAGE BEFORE. THE AIR CONDITIONER IS LEAKING FREON AND EVERY FEW MONTHS, I HAVE TO GO HAVE IT FILLED. CAN'T FIND THE LEAK AND HAVE TAKEN IT TO 4-6 DIFFERENT DEALERS FOR THE PROBLEM. WHEN RUNNING THE AIR CONDITIONER, MOISTURE RUNS DOWN THE SIDES OF THE DASH VENTS WITH ALL THE WINDOWS CLOSED. THE LAST DEALER I TOOK IT TOOK, TOLD ME THAT THEY CAN'T FIND THE LEAK AND BELIEVES IT IS SOMEWHERE IN THE DASH. THEY HAVE BEEN TOO BUSY AND SHORTHANDED TO GET TO IT RIGHT NOW. I HAVE ALSO COMPLAINED TO SEVERAL DEALERS ABOUT THE FLOOR BETWEEN THE DRIVERS SEAT AND PASSENGER SEAT. I LAY MY PURSE ON THERE AND WHEN I GO TO TOWN AND PICK MY PURSE UP, THE BOTTOM OF MY PURSE IS REALLY HOT. WHEN I DRIVE FOR A LONG PERIOD OF TIME, MY FOOT THAT RUNS THE GAS PEDAL GETS REALLY HOT AND SWOLLEN FROM THE HEAT COMING FROM THE SAME AREA. THE DEALERS HAVE ALL TOLD ME THAT NOTHING WAS WRONG. WHEN I FIRST BOUGHT THE VEHICLE I NOTICED A NOISE IN WHERE I THOUGHT IT WAS THE BRAKES AND TOOK IT TO THE SHOP. I FOUND OUT THAT THE SUSPENSION WAS FALLING APART AND BOLTS WERE MISSING. LUCKILY, THERE WAS NO ACCIDENT OVER THAT. MANUFACTURERS NEED TO BE MORE CAUTIOUS.( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: 31X10.50R )

WHILE DRIVING ABS LIGHT COME ON UNEXPECTEDLY AND STAYED ON. THEY COULD NOT FIND THE PROBLEM TO FIX IT CORRECTLY. *AK THE SPEEDOMETER JUMPS TO 100MPH AND FALLS TO 0 MPH INTERMITTENTLY. THE TRANSMISSION IS SLIPPING AND THE OVERDRIVE HARNESS IS STUCK. THE BRAKE PEDAL GOES TO THE FLOOR, THE DEALER REPLACED THE BRAKE COMPONENTS. THE INTERIOR LIGHTS WERE INOPERABLE, THE DEALER FOUND A FAULTY MODULE. THE POWER DOOR LOCKS WERE INOPERABLE, THE DEALER FOUND A FAULTY MODULE. THE REAR SEAT WOULDN'T FOLD UP. THE CONSUMER HEARD A RATTLING NOISE COMING FROM THE LEFT FRONT WHEEL AREA. THE RIGHT REAR PANEL CAME LOOSE. MOTOR OIL WAS FOUND IN THE MASTER CYLINDER. *SLC

IN JULY I STARTED NOTICING A LOOSE CLUNKY FEELING FROM THE FRONT END. I BROUGHT IT TOO TUFFY AUTO SERVICE IN SAGINAW, MI. THEY SAID THE FRONT(LEFT AND RIGHT) BEARINGS WERE BAD. AND ALSO A LEFT IDLER ARM. THIS IS NOT A PROBLEM THAT SHOULD HAPPEN TO A VEHICLE WITH ONLY 65,000 MILES. WHAT CAN OR SHOULD I DO.

IN MARCH OF 2000 I BROUGHT THE CAR TO THE DEALER COMPLAINING OF A LOOSE FRONT END. THEY TOLD ME THE UPPER AND LOWER BALL JOINTS WERE BAD AND THAT I SHOULD HAVE THEM REPLACED. I ASKED IF THAT WAS DANGEROUS AND THEY SAID IT WAS. I WANTED A SECOND OPINION. I WENT TO TUFFY AUTO SERVICE IN WALLED LAKE MI, THEY SAID THE DEALER WAS USING A SCARE METHOD TO GET THE WORK DONE. THEY DID INFORM ME THAT THE LOWER BALL JOINTS WERE BAD AND THAT IT WAS TOO EARLY FOR THEM TO NEED REPLACING. THEY SAID THAT DURANGOS HAVE HAD ALLOT OF PROBLEMS WITH BALL JOINTS AND THAT DODGE KNOWS IT. I PROCEDED TO HAVE THEM REPLACED AT TUFFY FOR A MUCH LOWER PRICE THAN THE DEALER WANTED AND WITH A MUCH BETTER AFTER MAKRET PART. THE SHOCKS ON THE CAR WERE ALSO REPLACED AT THAT TIME, ALSO TOO EARLY .

VEHICLE WAS RUNNING BUT IT WAS IN PARK. VEHICLE SLIPPED INTO REVERSE AND STARTED TO BACK UP. CONSUMER JUMPED INTO THE VEHICLE AND PUT THE BRAKES ON.*AK