1999 DODGE DURANGO Complaints

WHILE DRIVING CONSUMER HEARD A LOUD POPPING NOISE COMING FROM THE FRONT END. DEALERSHIPS MECHANIC DETERMINED THAT THE PROBLEM PERTAINED TOO THE UPPER AND LOWER BALL JOINTS. *AK *LA

CONSUMER COMPLAINED ABOUT A BALL JOINT PROBLEM. CONSUMER TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER FOR MAINTENANCE WHEN IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THE BALL JOINTS WERE SO BAD THAT THE WHEELS IN FRONT WERE VERY CLOSE TO COMING OFF. CONSUMER HAD VEHICLE TOWED. *AK

1999 DODGE DURANGO. THE DESIGN OF THE FRONT WHEEL HUBS ON THE NON ABS AND NOT 4 WHEEL DRIVE DURANGO IS A PROBLEM. THE NUT IS TIGHTEND CLOCKWISE BUT THE WHEEL SPINS COUNTER CLOCKWISE. THIS WILL CAUSE THE NUT TO UNSCREW ITSELF WHICH CAN LEAD TO THE WHEEL FALLING OFF. LUCKLY I CAUGHT IT JUST BEFORE THE WHEEL WAS GOING TO UNSCREW ITSELF OFF. IT WAS WITHIN 2 TURNS OF HAVING THE NUT COME OFF WHICH COULD HAVE CAUSED A MAJOR ACCIDENT. *AK

THE TIE ROD SEPERATED FROM THE VEHICLE CAUSING THE FRONT DRIVER SIDE TIRE TO TURN COMPLETELY SIDEWAYS. VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO DEALERS AND THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM IS STILL UNDETERMINED. *MR

OIL CONSUMPTION WAS IN EXCESS AFTER OIL CHANGE. CHANGED OIL AND CHECKED IT AFTER APPROXIMATELY 400 MILES AND FOUND IT WAS A QUART LOW. WATCHED IT CLOSE AND IT WAS CONSUMING OIL FAST. TOOK IT TO DEALER AND WAS TOLD THE INTAKE MANIFOLD SEAL/GASKET WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. CALLED A MECHANIC AND HE TOLD ME THAT THIS WAS A COMMON OCCURRENCE WITH THE DURANGO, HE DID ONE EVERY COUPLE OF MONTHS! EVEN THE DEALER MECHANICS SAYS THEY SAW THIS QUIET OFTEN. ONE MECHANIC TOLD ME THAT THE SEALS WERE MADE OUT OF A PAPER LIKE MATERIAL BUT NOW USED METAL TYPE SO THE PROBLEM WILL NOT RECUR! THIS IS A KNOW DEFECT IN THIS ENGINE. THERE ARE SEVERAL COMPLAINTS OF THIS NATURE WHEN I SEARCHED ON LINE. THE COST IS $675.00 + TAX. I FEEL I SHOULD BE HELPED WITH THIS KNOW ENGINEERING DEFECT. THIS IS A VERY COSTLY REPAIR! *JB

VEHICLE BEGAN MAKING AN ODD NOISE WHILE TURNING CORNERS. TOOK VEHICLE IN TO HAVE THE NOISE INSPECTED. WAS INFORMED THAT THE UPPER BALL JOINTS (BOTH) NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AND BADLY. IN FACT THE TECHNICIAN WHO INSPECTED THE VEHICLE SAID AND I QUOTE,"I WOULD NOT PUT MY CHILDREN BACK IN THIS VEHICLE UNTIL THIS IS FIXED." THE FOLLOWING DAY I SAW A REPORT ON THE NEWS ABOUT THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM WITH THESE DODGE DURANGO'S. MY PROBLEM WITH DAIMLER CHRYSLER IS THAT THERE WERE ONLY 123 COMPLAINTS ABOUT ANOTHER DODGE VEHICLE THAT WAS A HAZARD TO DRIVERS AND THEY RECALLED THEM BUT THERE HAVE BEEN OVER 400 COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS PROBLEM AND THEY ARE REFUSING TO HELP. I SPENT QUITE A BIT LESS THAN AVERAGE HAVING MINE REPLACED, IN FACT MY TOTAL COST WAS $515.50 AND FROM WHAT I HAVE READ THE AVERAGE IS AROUND $1700.00. I ALSO KNOW THAT DAIMLER CHRYSLER IS BRAGGING THAT THEY MADE $3.5 BILLION IN SALES LAST YEAR. THEY CAN AFFORD TO FIX THIS PROBLEM FOR THE DRIVERS OF THESE VEHICLES BEFORE SOMEONE GETS SERIOUSLY HURT OR KILLED. *NM

THE UPPER AND LOWER BALL JOINTS ON FRONT BOTH SIDES HAD TO BE REPLACED. THE MECHANIC THAT FIXED THEM SAID THAT I WAS LUCKY THE WHEELS HADN'T FELL OFF. I FIXED IT AT MY OWN EXPENSE OF $319.10. *JB

WHILE DRIVING ABOUT 70 MPH I HEARD A LOUD NOISE COMING FROM UNDER MY 1999 DURANGO, I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A LOCAL FIRESTONE, THEY DISCOVERED THAT THE DRIVE SHAFT HAD FELL FROM IT'S HOUSING, SO I THEN TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A TRANSMISSION SHOP, COTTMAN. THE SHOP INFORMED ME OF THE FOLLOWING, THE YOKE AND THE BOLT THAT RETAINED THE DRIVE SHAFT IN THE TRANSFER CASE HAD BROKEN OFF SOME HOW, DUE TO THIS OCCURRENCE, THE TRANSFER CASE WAS DAMAGED, BECAUSE ALL OF THE OIL LEAKED OUT. ALSO IN 2003, HAD TO HAVE THE BALL JOINTS REPLACE AND, ALSO THE ENGINE HEAD BECAUSE THE VEHICLE WAS BURNING TO MUCH OIL AND DAMAGE THE HEADS.*JB

WITH 60,000 MILE ON MY 1999 DODGE DURANGO HAD MY UPPER AND LOWER BALL JOINTS GO BAD WHICH ALSO CAUSED DAMAGE TO MY TIE ROD ENDS. THE TRUCK WAS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO KEEP ON THE ROAD. I ENDED UP HAVING TO GET THEM REPLACED BY AN OUTSIDE REPAIR SHOP TO AVOID HAVING THE SAME TYPE INSTALLED. DODGE WOULD NOT COVER THESE PARTS ON MY WARRANTY WHICH IS IN EFFECT TILL 85,000 MILES. *JB

PCM WAS FOUND TO BE BAD. THIS AFTER THE VEHICLE HAS STALLED AND COME TO A COMPLETE STOP WHILE DRIVING W/O WARNING. I HAVE TAKEN IT TO THE DEALERSHIP 4 TIMES OVER THE PAST 6+ MONTHS. THEY COULD FIND NOTHING WRONG. ON THE LAST STALL OCASSION 3/24/04, A MECHANIC WAS ABLE TO CONFIRM A BAD PCM, THIS WAS FURTHER CONFIRMED BY ME VISITING DODGETALK.COM, OTHERS HAD THIS SAME PROBLEM. CURRENTLY THE PCM IS ON BACKORDER IT SEEMS THERE IS A HUGE DEMAND FOR THIS PART. I KNOW DODGE SHOULD HAVE A RECALL ON THIS. THIS WAS JUST DANGEROUS, IT WAS THROUGH THE GRAVE OF GOD THAT ON THE 7 SEPARATE OCCASSIONS THAT THE STALLING OCCURRED THAT I NOR ANYONE ELSE WAS INJURED. STALLING IS NOT AN ACCURATE DESCRIPTION, MORE LIKE JUST STOPPED WHILE DRIVING.*AK