2001 DODGE Durango

WHILE ACCELERATING ON THE FREEWAY AFTER FILLING W/GAS AND CHECKING OIL THE CHECK GAUGE LIGHT CAME ON. OIL PRESSURE AT ZERO. PULLED OFF FREEWAY, OIL OKAY, ENGINE NOT HOT. DROVE ONE BLOCK TO PLACE IN SAFE PLACEENGINE DIED, NO NOISES AT ALL. LIKE SOMEONE TURNED KEY OFF. CHRYSLER SAYS THE OIL SCREEN CLOGGED WITH SLUDGE, POOR MAINTENANCE. HAVE YET TO FIND RECEIPTS EXCEPT STICKER ON WINDOW. VEHICLE HAS BEEN MAINTAINED. HAS EXTENDED 75000 MILE WARRANTY ON IT AT A COST OF 2089.00

The Service manager at Piedmont Chrysler in Anderson, SC ( Jim Pierce) told me that there is several bolts that came loose in the transmission case and fell into the clutches. We both called DaimlerChrysler for assistace on this and was completely blown off and told that because I was the second owner of this vehicle that they would not assist. Jim assured me that nothing that I did could have caused this problem. This vehicle is garage kept and hardly ever driven. I have asked SEVERAL times for the corporate number so I may call them. They tell me I can go no further. Please help me as I have found on websites and on yours that they do have several problems with standing behind there mistakes.

The oil pressure bottomed out do to a sludge buildup that clogged the screen in the oil pan. This happened at highway speed and was undetected because the check gauges bell never sounded. I pulled over as soon as I noticed the check engine light was on. Chrysler proclaimed since I didn’t have records of oil changes (I did them myself) they would refuse to pay for any repairs.

The engine (4.7L V8 SMPI OHV) began to have a soft knocking noise, within a few hours the knocking became very loud. I took the vehicle into the mechanic within 24 hours. The mechanic told me a new engine was needed. This was absolutely outrageous, the cost would be about $3000.00 to replace the current engine with a rebuilt engine. I am not hard on my vehicles, i do not accelerate quickly, speed, or haul anything, i have regular maintence, and oil changes on my vehicle, so I was very suprised I would have to replace the engine with less than 65,000 miles.

The door locks started ramdomly locking and unlocking. locking the doors with the keys inside one time. THis went on for year before finale resolution.THe transmission acts like its slipping. Started around 28000 miles but shop would not recognize the problem and to this day it is not fixed. I’ve had it in the shop 3-4 times now and shop just recognized it could be a slipping transmission. Schedule to be back in shop 7/24/03My tires started coming apart on the inside. the metal cords breaking and coming through the rubber. The tire shop stated I couldn’t claim warranty even though I had over 50% tread because it was a road hazard. Several month later I had two more have “road hazards” the metal belts are breaking. Les Schwab noted two of my tires had failed with over 50% tread. I ended up just buying all new tires.

See failures

Paint on plastic grill is peeling off.I called the dealer that I bought it from and the salesman said there was a 3yr. 36,000 mile warranty on it. I asked him about the 5 yr. warranty, like on the GMC and Chevy paint jobs and he didn\’t know anything about that. Does the Lemon Law on paint jobs apply to all manufacturer\’s? There is a passage in my warranty book about it, but it only talks about metal that has been painted. No other paint is peeling off.

Our seatbelts don’t lock or stop you from going forward when the brakes are applied at any speed. I was told by the dealership that my daughter ‘didn’t weigh enough to stop the seatbelts’ and that after the service manager pulled on them multiple times they finally locked for a second, so, in their mind they worked just fine. My daughter is 4 and weighs 40 lbs. and sits in a booster seat. My husband took the car in to the same dealership and was told that the seatbelts in the middle seat (where our children are) DON’T work and that the far back seat one does not work either, the rest don’t work well enough and should all be replaced. Then he said that it wasn’t under warranty so we have to foot the $700 bill! I called Chrysler HQ and told them the situation, they called the dealership and agreed to pay for the seatbelts to be replaced in the second row only, and even then they would only pay for the parts, we still had to pay for the labor. I feel we shouldn’t have to pay anything at all! We bought the car used, but were told everything worked great, and we never noticed the seatbelt situation for almost 2 years, as our children have always been in carseats that are anchored to the floor of the car and flat out don’t move! As soon as our daughter moved to the booster, which is not attached in any way, we noticed that the seatbelts didn’t lock.

On my way to the dealership for the recall on the ball joints, my oil pressure dropped suddenly, the engine light came on and then the car died. All in the matter of a few minutes. I had it towed to the dealership and they claimed the engine wasn’t properly maintained so I had it towed to a local mechanic and was able to have a used engine installed. The mechanic informed me he did not believe the engine failed due to lack of maintenance.

Oil pressure dropped, car stalled on major interstate. We had the car towed to our family mechanic. He could not repair because the dealer would not release parts. We had the car towed to the dealer and they told us that there was sludge in the engine and it needed a new engine. The engine has been replaced, but the car now runs very hot and they haven’t been able to solve this problem yet (i’m sure sludge is building up again because of this). Our hands were tied and had to have this repaired at the dealer. Because of the mileage, the car was not covered under warranty. Chrysler representative would not even give us the time of day

My son drove home and told me the check gauge light came on and the car started making loud sounds. When he got home, I started the car and drove it up the driveway. The check gauge light came on and the oil pressure gauge dropped to zero. We call the dealership the next morning and brought it down. They called back and told us that the engine would have to be taken apart to tell what the problem was and that it probably wouldn\’t be covered under the extended warranty. They told us it could cost as much as $6,000.00 to repair. I thought something sounded fishy, so came home and typed in oil sludge to search the internet and guess what came up?? Daimler Chrysler Durango!!I guess we were lucky that the engine didn\’t cease on us like other complaints that I\’ve read. I hate to be blunt, but does some one actually have to die for this problem to be taken seriously???

My dodge engine which I have been keeping regular maintanence on, has out of the blue died. The dealer says there is a sludge buildup inside and I will need a new engine. This issue just came out of the blue, I had no indication of any problem. I keep a regular cycle of oil changes but in this situation that did not seem to help at all.

My check engine light came on so I took the vehicle to be scanned the code came back was p1740. The diagnostic sheet went onto explain that the condition was caused by the transmission valve body pressure boost valve cover plate and the chrysler has revised the plate with a larger size oraface to deal with the problem. When I contacted customer service I was rudely informed that a technical service bullitin was issued but this was not a design flaw as I suggested that it was my problem and that chrysler was not assisting in the repair. I purchased the vehicle brand new and have had no other problems with it but to tell me and orafice that was designed too small is not a design flaw is rediculous.

July 2003 – Air conditioning lost it\’s cool after a 7 hour drive to the beach. We arrived to our beach house, unpacked and rested for about 30 minutes. We got back in the Durango, to discover the a/c no longerhad any coldness. A shop in Raleigh, NC inspected the vehicle later that week, to find no cause for the loss of cold air. They re-filled the coolant, and said if it happened again to contact my local dealer. November 2003/52,481mi – Air lost it\’s cool again. We left the Durango at Marietta Dodge in Marietta, GA. the Thanksgiving holiday for an inspection and repair. They found a tiny pin hole in the rear air line. They said it showed no sign of leakage, but they couldn\’t find anything else, so they replaced it. Total cost of repair #1 – $631.76 April 2004/56,686mi – Air lost it\’s cool again. We took it back to Marietta Dodge. This time, they said the evaporator was \"leaking badly\". So they replaced it.Total cost of repair #2 – $829.19 May 2004/60,627mi – Air lost it\’s cool again. We took it back to Marietta Dodge. This time they said the compressor, and drier needed to be replaced. The told me the cst would be around $700+. I told them I wanted a refund on all prior work, or would pay nothing on this repair since the previous repair seemed to be guesses. We agreed on a nominal $100 \"warranty – deductable\" charge.Total cost of repair #3 – $100.00 As of now (6/3/2004), so far, so good.

I heard about upper control arm failure. I had mine checked my mechanic stated right side upper showed signs of wear & should be replaced. Waiting to see if recall is forthcoming.Noticed power steering was hard to turn also a rattle in thesteering wheel if shook side to side fastly (Cause worn steering column and box).Light selector switch burned out. had to replace the switchmodule.

I currently own a 2001 Durango with 19,700 miles on it. Although this vehicle only has 19,700 miles the valves constantly rattle no matter how expensive the gas, or how many times I use injectore cleaner or how much octane booster I use. The rattle gets so bad during a steep climb that I am frighten that I will loose a pushrod or something. It sounds like an airplane breaking up in a bad storm. After reading my manual, I discovered that this is not good for the engine, but what can I do. I keep searching for the perfect fuel that will stop the rattling, but with no success yet.Please send me info on similar compaints if they exist.

I bought my 2001 Dodge Durango at the end of June 2006. Alllooked fine. On the 5th of September during routine maintenance I noticed the paint bubbling around the hood stops on the front core support. I scraped the paint away, and to my horror I found rust! A very large amount of rust.Looking back to the summer when I bought the it was dry and the truck ( for lack of a better word ) looked perfect. So I explored further, and I’m starting to freak out!!!! The whole underside, the inner fenders, the pinch welds, and the rocker panels are rusted , so bad that the pinch welds and the rear hatch at the bottom are bubbling the paint. I’m really freaking out! I just paid $16,000.00 for this truck and its starting to rust, Why? Now it is the monsoon season and its wet, and the rust had been covered up. Now the rust was active again. Since this is a 2001 I contacted Chrysler, and in not so many words they told me to get lost that it wasn’t covered.I have since then done a lot of research. What I have found is alarming!!!! I have looked at appx.150 durangos in the home area, and over 125 of them are rusted in the same places. A factory defect???????????????????????????What are my options and what can I do??heeeeeeeeeeeeeeellllllllllllllpppppppppppppppppp!!!!

Faulty automatic transmission and computer controls

Durango orginal started stalling and then Check Engine light came on and stayed on steady. Went to dealer an was suggested PCM was bad no parts available (power control module). Parts ordered. New parts installed same problem when leaving dealership. On closer inspection technican found rear heat inline pump had failed internally and had pumped antifreeze through wiring harness which inturn wrecked cruise control, PCM, heating and cooling controls. Antifreeze is corrsive to copper wiring and we do not know how far the antifreeze traveled in the different wiring harness modules. Dodge has offered to replace original failed inline rear heat pump but will not pay labor $216.00District manager has offered to give 12 month or 12,000 mile warranty but will not give a longer warranty on electricall harness even though he has determined this will fix problem. but not removed the corrosive from the electrical harness. Tech working problem has see the same problem before at same dealership on Durango’s

Dash board lights go out. Cannot drive vehicle safely at night as cannot see the console. Since December of 2002, has needed repairs 5 times. It is now going in for a 6th repair. Reostat in headlight switch replaced, numerous times replacing fuses, disconnection of the EVS system that activates the lights, headlight dimmer switch replaced (twice), replaced the instrument cluster(junction block?)..to be continued.

Aside from the seat belt and axle problems, my biggest problem is the low mileage engine problem caused by “sludge buildup” on the oil pan. I was in the 39th month of a 39 month lease when this occurred: oil pressure dropped to 0, engine noises. Dealer, DaimlerChrysler will offer no assistance. There are hundreds of accounts of this on the internet including the NHTSA website and a feature article on this specific problem on Consumer Affairs website. DC claims that there are no defective gaskets or other parts causing this problem and that ONLY cause could be negligence or “bad oil”

ABS system fails in rear with quick short stops, causing the truck to skid several feet. This happens at any speed. Have had dealer look at it and tell me nothing is wrong several times over the last year. Had independent mechanic look at it and was told that there was nothing they could fix. It must be how that ABS system works with that vehicle.

About 35,000 miles I had the adjusters repaired on the passenger front of vehicle. Around 60,000 miles the adjusters failed and the seat will jerk forward about an inch while doing any acceleration, then slide back about an inch. Somewhere around 70,000 miles the front drivers seat started rocking back and forth, like it was not bolted to the floor boards properly. I have power seats. I took my Durango in to have it looked at, at the dealership. I was told that they have seen a couple of vehicles with this same problem recently, and I was lucky mine would only cost 1,300 dollars to repair. Other bigger vehicles cost more. Is there a recall on this problem, and why is it happening so often in my vehicle, when it should not happen at all. Why so much money? Why is a safety factor not part of warranty. I have always had power seats, This is the first time they ever failed. Not once, but twice.

4.7L V8 SMPI OHV I bought a 2001 Dodge Durango Sports with 93000 miles. The car was just like new. After a few days while I was driving on a highway the engine stopped sudenly. I called my mechanic and checked the engine. The engine was completely failed and need to be replaced. I have never seen in my life, an engine is failing completely like this.I have one request for the chrysler/dodge company ,please don\’t cheat the customers like this.If the your engine is failed very early it is their resposibility to replace the engine free of cost. Instead of that you escape saying \’poor maintenance\’ of the car. I have spent $8500 for replacing the engine.Actualty this company has to reimburse this money because it is their mistake.

S10 appropriate handling re toyota throttle control problem owner of a 2001 dodge durango slt experience similar problem. *kb the consumer stated he experienced a series of un-commanded rpm surges while in and out of cruise control. the surge would be as much as 800 rpm and almost resulted in an accident more than once. it took the dealer five service calls to finally discover the problem. the discovery happened only after the check engine light stayed on long enough for the service department to download an error code from the powertrain control module (pcm). the surge was caused by a failing and/or failed throttle position sensor (tps). the tps recently failed again, but this time the surges did not exceed 300 rpm before the source of the failure was confirmed. as in the initial failure, and even though the tps was suspect, the service department was not able to identify the problem until the check engine light came on. the consumer believed the pcm was not programmed to detect a failing tps. as a result, the pcm continued to react to spurious signals from the tps, resulting in un-commanded rpm increase which continued until a hard failure of the tps was detected. *jb

2001 dodge durango customer stated that it is a clicking noise inside the vehicle and that the doors lock and unlock by themselves automatically**cc the problem was identified as being the electric locking switch on one or more of the doors. the problem manifested when the lock switch became wet and then it would short out the electric switch. the consumer was told he could neutralize the electric lock system by removing the appropriate fuse in the left dashboard fuse panel. *jb

Consumer experienced the engine light illuminating, shaking when braking at high speeds, steering noises and shifter popping in place. *ph also, consumer experienced noise in the rear end and transmission not shifting properly. dealer said the check engine light illuminated for no reason at all and was reset. consumer went to a different dealer and put a new computer because it's a small sensor in the emission control. engine light came on again and consumer brought vehicle to a dealer and said that it was safe to drive. consumer went to a different dealer because she wasn't comfortable with the opinion from the previous dealer. consumer was told by the dealer that it was the torque converter and it will take a week and a half to repair vehicle. in addition, consumer is experiencing problems with air conditioner. *la

Brake line broke/air bag clock spring/power steering rack/rear suspension,leaf springs/rust. *tr

In the past year my entire electrical system has gone haywire. first my passengers all lost their ability to use window controls, only the driver has control, but every once in a while it will work, pretty random. then my left headlight went out. not the bulb, the entire headlamp stopped working, and if i switch to my high beams the right one won't work. and now my read passenger break light won't come on. also after i turn off my car completely, once in a while about 30 seconds later the radio will come back on by itself! we cannot figure out how to fix any of it. we've tried everything! all of this happens while car is in motion, parked and stationary ## #vpic# 1 - check digit (9th position) does not calculate properly #vpic#

Due to my current location, there is no dealership in the middle east that can perform the required maintenance to complete the recall. once i am located back in conus, i'll be able to get the vehicle to the manafacturer to have them complete the recall.

I had a fire start in my ride from a electrical wiring that located under the middle seat front .it burnt my seats floor n person items .me n my son 5 yes old was getting out at walmart when this happened. had 2 guy help put out the fire. now i have no radio in lights dash lights cig lighter for phone charger .

Tl* the contact owns a 2001 dodge durango. the contact stated that the front driver and passenger seats independently moved forward and backward while driving. the vehicle was taken to the dealer (dependable dodge, located at 21415 rosco blvd, canoga park, ca 91304) where the vehicle was diagnosed, but the cause of the failure could not be determined. the dealer stated that the seat track assembly was deteriorated. the vehicle was not repaired because the part was not available. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 8.

Tl* the contact owns a 2001 dodge durango. while driving various speeds and making a right turn, the vehicle pulled to the right and a cracking sound was heard from the front suspension. the contact indicated that the cracking noise was caused by faulty ball joints. in addition, the brake lights would not illuminate and the light bulb and socket was replaced on several different occasions. also, the plenum gasket leaked oil from the engine, which caused the engine to lose power. the cause of the failures was not diagnosed. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 134,000.

The right rear brake locks up. this problem has been reported for dakotas and durangos for multiple years. why have you not issued a recall and made them fix this? google it and you seethat this is ann ongoing problem for the last 23 year models. how many accidents and deaths have been caused by this problem, while you sit on your hands? do you take money from the auto makers to look the other way? the rearend (housing, differential, backing plates, shoes, drums, brke hardware and proportioning valve have all been replced and the shoes still lockup. you have to backup and hit the brakes hard, sometimes several times, before it "pops" and releases. the "pop is a sure sign that the design is flawed, causing the shoes to not reseat properly when the brakes are applied and you come to a full stop. please don't try to say you know nothing about it, when it is googled by thousands of people and know one knows what else to do. even a fool would know there is a design flaw. you ask when this happened below. this happens every day, you ask what speed, from a dead stop to a any speed, but it release eventually after driving for a distance. very dangerous on gravel, wet or snow covered roads.

Tl* the contact owned a 2001 dodge durango. while driving 5 mph, the contact's vehicle was struck on the front driver side by the door and quarter panel by another vehicle. all the air bags failed to deploy and the driver's seat belt failed to engage. there were no warning indicators illuminated. a police report was filed. the contact sustained injuries to the nose, head, lips, left and right legs, and both arms. medical attention was received. the vehicle was towed and destroyed. the manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. the vin and failure mileage were unknown. updated 02/07/2017*ct updated 09/05/2017*js *cn

Tl* the contact owned a 2001 dodge durango. the contact stated that while driving about 30 mph and failing to stop for a stop light, the vehicle t-boned another vehicle driving at an unknown mph. the seat belt failed to retract causing the contact to hit the windshield. the air bags also failed to deploy. the air bags did not deploy. the contact sustained a concussion and bruises on her chest and her abdomen. the contact was transported to the emergency room in an ambulance. a police report number: z-z0 was filed. the other vehicle involved did have air bags deploy but there was no further information. the vehicle was totaled and was towed to a impound lot. a dealer was not contacted. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was approximately 230,000. *ln the consumer provided photos. *tr

As i am driving my blinkers and radio stopped working randomly . causing safety issues while on the road . this happens while in motion and on the road

While i love my 2001 dodge durango rt, there are a couple of serious problems / safety issues the vehicle has. number one is the passenger front seat is very loose and rocks back and forth during acceleration and braking which could cause severe injuries if the vehicle was in a wreck, whiplash etc. in doing my research the average fix that the dealers will do costs between 600-800.00 which is to replace the motor assembly. there are links on various forum for instructions to fix yourself for about 40.00 orovoodmg a better fix that the dealers will not provide, but it is complicated and very labor intensive. my number one concern is to be safe and have safe passengers! to be able to bring this into dodge and get this permanently fixed at no cost to me. there are untold amounts of dodge durango owners out there with this same issue, which dodge currently will not recall. the other two issues are incredibly defective ball joints. since dodge recalled these trucks for the ball joints many including mine previous to me buying it, we're brought in for recall repair in 2006. please note the suspension components company called "moog" fixed this dodge engineering problem for this year make and model with their own specially designed ball joint. as far as the brakes go this a very heavy suv, in which if one needs to stop quickly and the brakes fail or skid the wheels due to lock up this again like the seats is a very important safety issue that dodge needs to correct. i have faith that dodge will take care of more consumer issues than ford ever will.

My whole tire came off, literally separated from axle.. does not pick up speed.. been in the shop several times. and shakes. i had my 2 year old grandson with me when this happened coming out of drive thru.. after i paid the truck off it was downhill from there.

2001 dodge durango. consumer writes in regards to ball joint failure during an auto accident. *ld the consumer requested information concerning recalled ball joint failure that may have been the cause of an accident.*js

Tl* the contact owns a 2001 dodge durango. while driving 5 mph, the vehicle made an unusual noise when making a turn and the check engine indicator illuminated. the vehicle was not taken to a dealer or independent mechanic. the vehicle was not repaired and the manufacturer was not contacted. the failure mileage was 195,922.

I purchaced a 2001 d0dge durango used about a mpnth ago and already i was driving to town and the driver side wheel felt like it was wobling and had a roar. pulled over didnt see anything , so went on home took it to gateway and was told it was the ball joint. now im paying payment on a vehicle i cant drive.

Tl* the contact owns a 2001 dodge durango. while in park and attempting to turn off the vehicle, a noise emitted from the vehicle. upon inspection, the contact noticed that the abs motor remained on. the contact unplugged the harness that was connected to the module in order to shut the motor off. in addition, while the vehicle was in park, the abs and brake warning lights illuminated. the failure recurred on numerous occasions. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 115,470.

I purchased the vehicle on 7/11/16 and the same day the tire blew due to the upper ball joint which does have a recall. mine was completely disintegrated, but supposedly the recall was closed as it was to have been serviced already. either it wasn't serviced or there is still an issue. i contacted nhtsa and they put me through to dodge who spoke with me about there only being one open recall on it and i told her about the ball joint and she told me they would cover the repair and tow and sent a tow truck and towed it to motor village but did not tell them that they would be covering the ball joint work so they told me to have dodge contact them in the morning. when i did contact dodge, the first rep couldn't get through and so she opened a case. i then called motor village to get the service admin's phone number to give to dodge and when i contacted dodge the 2nd time, i was informed that now they would not be covering it and that they are sorry for the misunderstanding. they also won't be towing it back either and i do not have money to do so as i am facing eviction and just purchased that car to get ready to move and now i have no idea what to do. i would not have sent it to dodge if they didn't represent they would fix the ball joint and now all i have from them is an apology for the misunderstanding and no way to fix or get my car that i just purchased out.

One day i was out shopping parked my car got out tried to lock doors they would lock unless i manually did it. the next day i noticed my headlights, inside lights, windshield wipers, and volume control on staring wheel would not work. that same day when i started my car it started great as always but there was a clicking noise on the driver side by the front wheel. i took it to midas they diagnosed it and fixed it, 3 days later my car did the same thing he told me to take it to the dodge dealer. i've tried they wont call back! now there is a red security light that came on and wont go off even when the car engine is off. after 4 days of my car being parked with the security light on my car is now dead. i've read online that its a alarm system and i need a key to program it. i bought my car used from the dealer and did not receive an alarm key, alarm key pad or even a spare key fir my car. i see a lot of reviews online about this issue, this has been going on for 1 month or longer now. i believe its a factory issue. im still going to contact the dealer and get an appointment to get y car fixed.

Tl* the contact owns a 2001 dodge durango. the contact stated that while turning the steering wheel in either direction, an abnormal noise was present coming from the front drivers side of the vehicle. the vehicle was taken to a dealer who diagnosed that the driver side ball joints needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was unknown. the vin was not available.

Tl* the contact owns a 2001 dodge durango. while driving 55 mph, an unknown liquid splashed onto the windshield before the thermostat gauge indicated that the vehicle was overheating. the contact pulled over and observed under the hood that the coolant was low. the coolant was refilled, but the failure recurred intermittently. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the fan clutch, electric fan, radiator cap, serpentine belt, and thermostat were replaced. the remedy failed to repair the vehicle. the cause of the failure was not found. the manufacturer was not notified. the failure mileage was 212,282.

Driving down the road and all of the sudden all lights interior and exterior are blinking off and on like in rapid succession. i have a seizure disorder and strobe/flickering lights are a trigger. this is extremely dangerous. along with further investigation myself and my mechanic figured out it is the ctm which is not uncommon because there are hundreds of complaints about this and i've already dumped hundreds of dollars into this repair!

Intake or exhaust valve fell out of # 2 cylinder .faulty valve seats according to the engine company, the original chrysler design presses the valve seats into the cylinder heads. the problem results when the powdered metal the valve seats are made of expands, causing it to drop into contact with the valve and pistons, which leads to catastrophic failure. in this process the seat breaks into many pieces causing deterioration of the piston, cylinder wall, valve and cylinder head. http://www.torquenews.com/397/two-fatal-flaws-ruining-chrysler-engines-catastrophic-breakdowns

I purchased this vehicle new december 2000. when driving approximately 30mph the driver and passenger seats move up and down motion, when car stops, the seats come at rest. the passenger seat is worse than drivers side. the air bag warning light dings & illuminates and then go back off..

I worked for a tire shop in wal-mart and on 08/09/15 a 2001 dodge durango came in for tires. the vehicle placard called for 225/75/15 extra load tires and my management approved for us to put a standard load 235/75/15 tire (brand is dextero made by giti, i didn't select it on the tire selection due to it wasn't listed) on the vehicle. it was directly against company policy and unsafe to put an improper tire on that vehicle. this is the third tire that they put on this vehicle. i wasn't involved in the other two but this last one on sunday they wanted me to install said tire. i refused to do knowing that it was against our policy and i did not want to put the customer in an unsafe position. they forced another technician to do the work then proceeded to terminate me the next day on 08/10/15. the customer is in current possession of the vehicle that has improper tires against what the vehicle required from the manufacturer.

Tl* the contact owns a 2001 dodge durango. while driving approximately 20 mph, the front driver side power seat independently shifted forward in a rocking motion whenever coming to a complete stop. the seat would reset to the correct position after resuming normal operation. the vehicle was not repaired. in addition, the air bag warning light illuminated and the air bag clock spring was replaced. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 90,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2001 dodge durango. while driving at approximately 40 mph, the vehicle shook. when the steering wheel was turned in either direction, there was an abnormal grinding noise coming from the front wheels. the failure recurred continuously. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the front ball joints failed and needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the vin was not included in nhtsa campaign number: 04v596000 (suspension). the approximate failure mileage was 195,000.

Car idles fast when in park. rpm needles also reacts. when driving car appears as if transmission isn't working. upon acceleration the car appears as if it's about to stop. when it does accelerate it reacts very sluggish.. thought tranny was bad, but was informed tranny. took in for a tune-up, was told only spark plugs may need replaced. did online research to discover several others having same trouble. on-line feedback suggested possible tps problem or needed to replace idle speed control module. my husband and i are both on fixed incomes and don't have money to pay for "it could be". we need a definite answer to our trouble so we can properly repair it. we use this vehicle to transport our grandkids in as well as use it for vacations. please help!!! we need an answer asap. *tr

Headlights, overhead dome, instrument lights all flash on and off when headlights are turned on which is impossible to drive at night without serious being a serious major safety hazard. checked forum for dodge products, there is also a service bulletin in your database there are many complaints of people with the same malfunction, and mechanics told everyone same thing power train or body control module (bcm). *tr

Clunking when turning. *tr

The engine continue to leak oil near the head gasket and there is water coming out of the tail pipe and continue to leak coolant. can not drive long distance without loosing the coolant. had to be towed off the freeway due to this happening. i was told need possible new engine and this is problem with dodge engine. *tr

This vehicle and just about every other durango and similar make dodge from 2001 to 2005 has a blower relay and harness under the dash that overheats. it melts the plastic causes smoke in the vehicle and can cause a fire. chrysler has a fix for it for about $100.00 just for the part not including labor which is about 2 hours. when it happened to me the relay had fallen out of its place in the blower and landed on my wife's burning her foot. why should the consumer have to pay for a defect that can cause injury or if someone panics and accident there has to be thousands and thousands of these vehicles with the same problem. i decided to look in the junk yards for this problem and turns out every vehicle in this year range has the exact problem.not a couple every one of them. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2001 dodge durango. while driving approximately 65 mph, the electronic door locking mechanism automatically unlocked and locked the vehicle. additionally, the shift lever became difficult to shift out of park. the failure recurred on multiple occasions. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed that an unknown part needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 33,500.

The other driver was at a stop and i was driving between 50 and 55 mph on the highway. the other driver pulled out infront of me from my left to right. as we impacted my air bag did not deploy but the passenger's air bag did deploy. i was the only person in my car. i struck him with such force that the vehicle i was driving was forced off the road and then was stopped by a tree. after 2 hits the driver's side air bag still did not deploy. the vehicle was deemed a total loss. *tr

Prior to the hub freezing up the suv was making a squeaky noise in the front end this later turned into a clunking noise and the car would sway when ever there were lane changes especially noticeable at hwy speeds 55 to 65 mph and driving over the lane marker caps on the freeway. this then developed into a metal to metal grinding noise from the front end prior to the wheel assembly right front passenger side separating inverting underside car chassis. *tr

While driving my 2001 dodge durango my dash lights and exterior lights flash on and off.this problem also happens when the vehicle is parked and unattended. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2001 dodge durango. the contact stated that while stopped at a traffic light, the vehicle accelerated forward at 30 mph without warning. the failure recurred on fifteen occasions. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 159,000.

Purchased used from dodge dealer. front electric seats (driver and passenger) rock with every movement. checked recalls list and manufacturer has never addressed this problem. i didn't know that other owners had this problem until reading complaints. current mileage 117,000. did not notify mfr. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2001 dodge durango. while driving at unknown speeds, the doors would lock and unlock independently. when the vehicle was parked, the doors would unlock even after the lock had been engaged. the vehicle was taken to a dealer for diagnostic testing, but was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified. the failure mileage was 136,000. the rear passenger door appeared to be permanently locked. the consumer also stated the transmission was slipping. the vehicle would move slow, when the accelerator was applied. updated 11/10/14. *jb

Tl* the contact owns a 2001 dodge durango. the contact stated that while driving 40mph, a loud knocking and metal sound emitted as the engine stalled without warning. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. the technician diagnosed that the engine to failed and needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the approximate failure and current mileage was 160,000. .... updated 08/05/14 *bf updated 08/18/2014 *js

While driving on the freeway my headlights started flickering" on and off as well as my dashboard lights..when i applied the brakes they also seem to blink on/off . i exited the expressway fearing the car would shut off and cause crash..now i fear driving after dark. it has happened several times again but short distance from my home ,i turned the a/c/off and the light failure seems to stop..i googled my problem and it seems a dodge problem still unresolved.my car has less than 50,000 miles n never had problems except for brakes..after reading most of complaints i feel it is a defective electrical factory problem . *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2001 dodge durango. the contact stated that the abs system failed and had a defective sensor. the vehicle was not inspected by an independent mechanic or dealer. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the issue. the approximate failure mileage was 57,000.

The power front seats after time come loose in the 20001 durango and move back and forth on the tracks. seems like they are moving more and more every day. i read so many other complaints on this web site. another problem which is common is the wiring burning up connected to the resistor pack on the blower motor. i read stories about how people have to replace the blower motor, resistor pack and plug at the end of the harness. the manufacture should have used thicker wire to handle the current draw for the motor that is installed in the vehicle in the first place. i have been using the original motor for 2 years now i just don't have any speed control now, but the motor is fine. the resistor pack is also fine just need to replace one or all of the wire that are burnt up. *tr

Going to a friends house & as i turned on her street i noticed her driving past me going the opposite way. we both put on our brakes and came to a complete stop. i put the vehicle in reverse & started to back up a few feet so i would have enough room to turn around. i heard a giant "clung" & thought "what the heck was that..?" i put the car back into drive and turned my wheels to the left to complete the maneuver. the car was in forward motion traveling 1-2 mph for appx. 3 seconds when suddenly the nose dipped down & tilted to the left. this brought the vehicle to an instant & abrupt stop. i looked over at my friend & she shrugged her shoulders like "what's going on?" i tried again to go forward but the car wouldn't move. my friend started honked her horn at me- put her hand up indicating "stop" & was shaking her head no no no... i put the car in park & got out to take a look. the right front wheel was normal but the one on the driver's side was completely sideways sitting at an appx. 45 degree angle. (instead of @12 it was like 8 o'clock)the left front "nose" of the vehicle was almost sitting on the ground. it was clear the vehicle could not be driven. called for a tow truck. when it got there, the tow truck driver said that he has been towing for many years & he had never seen this happen- nor should it have ever happened. he expressed concern stating that had i been traveling at a high rate of speed (i.e., on the freeway) the vehicle would have undoubtedly flipped & rolled and i probably wouldn't be standing there talking to him... it took him quite some time to figure out how to pull the car up onto the car carrier (using the wench) without the wheel snapping off. he ended up using a sledge hammer & wedge to pound this "pizza pan" looking thing under the tire to slide on. it resembled one of those casters you place under the legs to move furniture on. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2001 dodge durango. the contact stated that while stopped at a traffic stop, the headlights and all of the lights on the dashboard stopped illuminating. the vehicle had not been repaired. the failure and current mileage was 173,000.

Bought vehicle about 1 month ago and my horn and cruise control were working at time of purchase. took car home and went out the next day and found out that horn didn't work after almost getting into and accident, so now i no longer have a horn or cruise control on my car. *tr

I was driving down the road with 2 of my kids.. i started to smell antifreeze going into my car, all of a sudden there was smoke bursting out of my car. we replaced the thermostat 3 different times with in 3 months, the radiator house burst. and no lights came on.. the oil pressure also dropped. took it to shop to have it fixed, cracked head gaskets and blown motor, now we are with out a car.... sad because i will never buy another dodge. we were also never notifies about the recall about the ball joints and paid cash for them to be replaced. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2001 dodge durango. the contact stated that the front passenger's side tire was becoming prematurely worn due to defective tie rods. the vehicle was taken to a mechanic, who inspected the vehicle and advised that there was excessive wear in the upper and lower ball joints that had separated from the tie rod. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the issue, who stated there was a recall for the failure but the contact's the vin was not included in nhtsa campaign number: 04v596000 (suspension). the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 124,127. updated 3/13/13 *cn

Tl* the contact owns a 2001 dodge durango. the contact stated that the motor for the heater blew hot air and he smelled melting wires. the vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was confirmed that the resister, the wiring harness, and the blower motor had failed and needed to be replaced. the contact personally repaired the vehicle by replacing the resister, the wiring harness and the blower motor. the manufacturer was not contacted. the failure mileage was approximately 100,000. the current mileage was approximately 130,000. the vin was unavailable.

When turning into a church parking lot for a wedding. the durango was struck from behind (at about 40 mph) and the driver seat broke and i was laid back unable to reach the brake pedal or steering wheel. the durango traveled approx 20 feet before hitting a parked jeep. the passenger and i both received injuries and currently under care. dodge needs to do a recall on the faulty parts in the driver electric seats that are causing the rocking back and forth causing the mounting brackets to fail and brake. i have seen not posts of deaths occurring but it is just a matter of time before it does. we were very lucky. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2001 dodge durango. the contact stated that while driving at different speeds, both driver and passenger seats were not stationary and would move out of place. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for a diagnostic testing. the technician stated the electric motor needed to be replaced for both seats. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 120,000 and the current mileage was 165,000.

While driving my vehicle at 30 mph, it shut off without warning. the vehicle had half a tank of gas, new alternator, and new battery. i was crossing an intersection when the incident occurred. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2001 dodge durango. the contact stated that the instrument panel failed, which would illuminate and power off sporadically. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer for inspection or repairs. the manufacturer was notified and stated that there were no recalls for the vehicle. the failure mileage was 92,000.

When stopping the seats jolts forward. when going the seats jolts backwards. *tr

While crossing an intersection my vehicle shut down without warning. *tr

The power drivers seat shifts in position when accelerating from a stop or when a rapid deceleration is required to stop short. the power seat does not move along the seat tracks, but shifts front to rear or laterally while in the same position on the seat tracks. after researching the problem i have found this has come to be known at the durango "rocking chair" problem. it is quite disconcerting when it happens and causes the driver to momentarily lose concentration while driving. this is a safety hazard. i believe this to be a design and/or manufacturing defect that will only get worse with time, inevitably resulting in a collision. *tr

Car just stops and doesn't give you any warning, loose steering and brakes makeing it hard to get tothe side of the road. having to take off battery cables and remove relays and replace hoping that it will start for you. i'm afaird to take any where thinking i will get stranded. *tt

Whe i drive the durango it starts out fine. when i am driving at a highway speed the oil pressure is fine, but when i slow down or come to a complete stop the oil pressue is at the line right above the 0. i have read many complaints about the sludge that the engine makes. i have 4 kids and i don't need anything to happen to this vehicle to break down. i also hear a ticking sound when i first start the engine and then it goes away. i don't have the money to pour into this vehicle! if there are so many complaints and the mechanics know about it why isn't there a recall! very dangerous situation for anyone to be in. *tt

2001 durango passenger seat just started sliding freely back and forth on the track. the vehicle has electric seats. definately a safety concern and it appears that there is a flaw in the design from the posts i have been reading. *tr

The headlights on my 2001 dodge durango blink on and off when they are turned on. this problem renders the vehicle inoperable to drive at night. i read on the internet that thousands of other drivers have also experienced this problem. it has something to do with the central timer module. dodge should be made to issue a vehicle recall to fix this unsafe blinking headlight problem. *tr

The passenger seat slides up and down on the track. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2001 dodge durango. the contact stated that while driving 50 mph in rainy weather, the vehicle swerved several times. the contact applied the brake and lost control of the vehicle, entering the oncoming traffic lane and crashing head-on into another vehicle. the contact stated that the front driver side air bag did not deploy. the contact sustained injuries to the back. the vehicle was destroyed. the failure mileage was 1,000. the vin was not available.

Airbag light comes on when steering wheel is turned to the left. horn becomes inop. when steering wheel is returned to the right, airbag light goes out. horn operates again. suspect fault with the clockspring. *kb

Tl* the contact owns a 2001 dodge durango. the contact stated that the vehicle could be shifted out of park even when the brake pedal was not depressed. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer and the contact was informed that a pin within the gear shift mechanism was bent. the vehicle was repaired, but the failure continued. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure and offered no assistance. the failure mileage was 87,000. updated 01/10/12*lj

I was driving my 2001 dodge durango to work one day when it died at an intersection. i tried to start it for about three minutes before it finally turned back on. i got to my destination, then on the way back it stalled out three more times in a row. i managed to get it to a safe parking lot. that weekend i went to get it with my wife following me, and made it home safely, where it sat in my driveway until i could replace the fuel pump. then, on november 16, 2011, i was driving to work when it stalled out again. obviously it wasn't the fuel pump, and after doing more research and calling the local dodge dealer i found out that it was probably the pcm (powertrain control module). apparently there has been a big problem with dodge durango's and dakota's stalling out due to malfunctions of the pcm. *tr

Upper ball joints clunking noise over every bump. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2001 dodge durango. the contact stated that she heard a loud clunking and grinding noise coming from the vehicle and felt vibration when she accelerated. also, the check engine warning light was illuminated and there was an evap control system leak. neither the dealer nor the manufacturer were notified of the failure. the vehicle was taken to a private mechanic who informed the contact that the drive shaft failed and needed to be replaced. no repairs were performed. the current mileage was 131,000 and the approximate failure mileage was 127,000.

The power seats, will not lock in place, and slide back and forth in the track, when starting to drive or stopping. *tr

My power locks are constantly locking and unlocking by themselves while driving, also while car is off. *tr

My front passenger seat is not engaging on the seat track, it slides forward & back with the motion of the vehicle. i am concerned for the safety of my kids, or anyone for that matter, riding in the front seat even though they are 12 & 16!!!! they can easily slam into the dash board with their legs or worse with any speed. i have researched and read about many other dodge durango owners experiencing the same exact issue. this is a huge saefty issue!!! please help! *tt

Tl* the contact owns a 2001 dodge durango, the contact stated that upon starting the vehicle and activating the air conditioner, only hot air would blow from the vents. the vehicle was taken to an independent repair shop and the contact was informed that the evaporator failed. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure but offered no assistance. the failure mileage was unknown. overheats when it is over 85 degrees and coolant evaporator keeps going out. updated 10/26/2011 *ln *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2001 dodge durango. the contact was driving 40 mph with the cruise control activated when the air bag warning lamp illuminated, the horn became inoperable and the cruise control would not deactivate. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the clock spring would need to be replaced. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure who did not offer any assistance. the vehicle was repaired. the failure mileage was 66,000 and the current mileage was 66,500. updated 9/20/11 *cn updated 10/26/11.* jb

Tl* the contact owns a 2001 dodge durango. while driving approximately 65 mph the contact noticed the air conditioner would only function on high. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. the contact inspected the blower motor resistor and noticed the wiring harness melted onto the resistor. the resistor was replaced ten times. the failure continued to occur. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 30,000.

Vehicle would give off a warning light for the abs system intermittently. while driving approximately at a speed of 55 mph, the light came on. the driver need to apply normal braking action for traffic. vehicle pulled slightly to the right. driver corrected, then vehicle went into an uncontrolled slide where rear of vehicle slid to left of driver until vehicle was turned 180 degrees opposite original direction, and proceeded to slide off hwy coming to rest in field. vehicle stayed upright and incurred no obvious damage. driver drove vehicle approx. 5-6 miles after that without incident and abs light was out during that remaining time. vehicle towed to repair shop. repair technician ran codes from the vehicle computer and ascertained that both the the abs module and speed sensor of rear wheel needed replacement. original parts should be available for inspection. *kb

A/c control panel burned out...smoke came through dash directly behind ac control unit. smell of burning wires..i pulled to the side of road and turned off vehicle.. pulled panel away from a/c control and unplugged the ac control unit..took to dealer had to replace ac control panel and fuse was blown in fuse box. *tr

Headlights flashing: high beam to low beam, windshield wipers not working, variety of warning lights coming on and off during driving:security, low wiper fluid, service 4wd, engine light, interior lights coming on during driving, i am told it is the central timing module and have spoken with many having same prob. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2001 dodge durango. the contact stated was driving at 10 mph and below in inclement weather, the lights, windshield wipers and door locks failed. the vehicle was then towed to the dealer and they advised that the failure could have been caused by a fuse. after having the fuse replaced, the failure recurred a short while later. the vehicle was taken back to the dealer and they advised him that there was a failure with one of the computer components but they were not sure of the repair. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2001 dodge durango. the contact was driving approximately 30-50 mph when the vehicle suddenly stalled. the security, check gauges and check engine warning lights were illuminate on the instrumental panel. the vehicle was then inspected by a dealer and they advised that then failure could have been caused by the fuel pump, battery or ignition switch. all of which were repaired to no avail. the failure would recur on an intermittent basis. the contact stated that the dealer was unable to diagnose the exact cause of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was approximately 128,000. the vin was unavailable.

I have a 2001 dodge durango and the interior panel and exterior lights flicker intermittently. i can also hear a relay switch click when the lights flash on and off. it is dangerous as i cannot drive at night.

Was driving on an on ramp of a bridge. the back of the truck came around to the front and then crashed into the side of the bridge. the truck crashed and turned over. air bags never deployed. *tr

The headlights, interior lights and windshield wipers will flicker on an off intermittently. this can occur many times in a row or not for days. it happens when it is rain, dry, warm or cold. i can find no common denominator to what causes the issue. a search on the internet finds many other incidents of this for the 2001 dodge durango. *tr

2001 dodge durango r/t has melted wiring located at the front blower fan resistor connection. the melted wiring and connector were producing an extremely bad burning odor when the blower fan stopped working except on the high setting. the fan will not be used until repairs are made. apparently this is a known issue because my local dealer sells a replacement pigtail which they say they replace to resolve the problem. this indeed a fire hazard and should be recalled as a manufacturer defect. my local dealer advised there is no recall at this time. *tr

I have a 2001 dodge durango. both front seats are loose and have just about caused an accident on a couple of occasions because everytime i brake, the seats shift forward. based on what i've seen online with complaints and forums, this is extremely common with dodge seats. why won't they do a recall on something that is so widespread and is a major safety issue? *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2001 dodge durango. the contact stated that while driving approximately 30 mph, he noticed that the oil pressure gauge suddenly dropped to 0. he then took the vehicle to an independent mechanic who inspected it and informed the contact that he needed to replace the oil sending unit, the pump, and the oil pan screen. the vehicle was repaired. the failure mileage was approximately 103,000. the vin was unavailable.

Both the driver and passenger seats have become loose - sliding forward and backward when accelerating and braking. this problem has been occurring for over a year and is constant - the seats are no longer firmly attached to the vehicle. this is an extremely common failure on these vehicles caused by defective or sub-standard parts used in the seat structure. *tr

The pin that holds the brake peddle arm to the master cylinder broke off causing me to slam into the driver in front of me. causing $3,483.77 damages to my car and about $1,000 to the other vehicle. i was very lucky that no one was injured or killed in the accident had this happened on the highway at speed.

Tl - the contact owns a 2001 dodge durango. while traveling 20 mph the contacts vehicle was struck in the front end by a nearby vehicle, however none of the airbags in the contacts vehicle had deployed. none one was injured and the vehicle has not been diagnosed. the current and failure mileages were 116000. bml

While driving 2001 dodge durango will shut off if foot is token off the gas pedal. will also shut off during turns in major traffic, causing an accident. truck will also shut off within 5 min of idling. i have had the idle valve control replaced, fuel pump, battery, tps sensor, fuel cleaned etc. it doesn't throw any codes and mechanics don't know what the problem is. please help! this is becoming dangerous, especially with small children in the vehicle. *tr

I own a 2001 dodge durango. the horn has failed completely. the cruise control has failed completely. the airbag light remains illuminated on the dashboard (along with several other icons), and now i'm finding out that in the event of an accident, the driver's side air bag will also fail. i am told that this is due to a failed "clock spring" and it affects every control located within the steering wheel. this part is on nationwide backorder and i was told today that 1,400 are backordered. several dealers have told me they have no idea of when (or actually if) this part will be coming in. i understand that dodge dakotas were recalled for this very reason, however there was no recall on the dodge durango. i am now driving a car with no horn, no cruise control and no driver's side airbag. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2001 dodge durango. the contact stated that while driving 65 mph the vehicle stalled; yet, it also made it difficult to slow down. the contact was able to avoid other vehicles on the highway and drive onto the side of the road to bring the vehicle to a complete stop. the contact looked underneath the hood and noticed that the computer was hot and displayed a warning indicator "no bus" which means that the computer was having a communications error. after the vehicle cooled down the vehicle restarted and the contact drove the vehicle home. the contact stated that the pcm also malfunctioned and caused the vehicle to shut off. the contact stated that the pcm failed previously. on two occasions the failure nearly caused a crash to occur. the contact viewed numerous complaints regarding the pcm and stated the manufacturer should be responsible for the repairs since this was a wide spread issue. the failure mileage was 137,000.

Since 2007, have had many problems with overheating. one time to the point it warped both heads and had to have the engine rebuilt. have replaced water pump, radiator, thermostat (3 times), clutch fan. when the heads warped, the upper radiator hose sheared apart and i saw no check engine light (cel) and the temperature gauge never went above half-way. personally i think it's just a bad design. the upper radiator hose contains the radiator cap, and it's still not the highest point in the "closed" system, thusly there is always air which never purges into the overflow tank. everytime i check radiator fluid their is none in the upper radiator hose. the fluid has to be going somewhere, although i never see any under the vehicle. i have read in internet forums of many people having this same issue. it's not year specific, nor is it engine model specific. there is an underlying issue that dodge isn't addressing, or has kept from the general public to avoid having to replace 500,000 engines. i love my vehicle. i love the way it drives as well as it's appearance. this is quite an annoyance. it has depleted what little savings my family has to insure that our daily-driver of a vehicle will be getting us from point a to point b. we have refrained from taking this vehicle on any type of trip outside our metro area for this reason alone. *tr

I was driving home from work one night, it was raining, when my headlights, wipers, and dashboard just went out. i pulled over in a parking lot, shut off the engine waiting a couple of minutes and turned it back on and they still wouldn't work. i can not drive my car at night or when it is raining, or even lock my doors. they tried replacing the ignition switch and still no lights. *tr

Air bag light is always on and the horn does not work , cause a bad clock spring . *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2001 dodge durango. the contact stated the four wheel drive selector switch would not engage the transfer case. this would cause the vehicle to roll away unexpectedly if the switch was not engaged. the dealer advised reprogramming the transfer case control module. although there was a recall for the failure (nhtsa campaign id number 01v077000: power train: automatic transmission: lever and linkage: column shift) the manufacturer advised his vin was not included. the failure mileage was 58,000 and current mileage 81,000.

Lights flicker when driving, also loss of intermittent wiper, loss keyless entry, loss interior lights, loss of rear window wiper, loss power door locks. car can not be driven during rain or at night. disconnected battery to reset cmt and all worked fine until lights were turned on. once again light will flickerand again loss the operation of intermittent wipers, interior dome lights, rear window wiper, power locks, keyless remote entry, and door locks. the first time this happened was on or about 4/09/10 then reset cmt (disconnected battery)on 4/22/10. test drive resulted in problem returning on 4/22/10. *tr

2001 dodge durango with recall for the ignition/park interlock system. *kb in 2008 the consumer scheduled an appointment to have the recall performed regarding the ignition/park interlock system. on february 16, 2010, the ignition malfunctioned. the key would not go completely in the ignition, therefore, he was unable to start or move the vehicle. the vehicle was towed to the dealership. the consumer was then informed that the ignition tumbler could not be repaired because one of the metal bars in the tumbler had jammed in the locked position and that a new tumbler was needed. the consumer was certain that the malfunction of the tumbler was caused by the repair to the ignition/park interlock system. *jb

I had a complaint for investigation on a durango. the following is from the nhtsa notification of case change (all times are gmt-0500) project: nhtsa hotline center case: comments from odi web user case number: [xxx] date: 02/26/2010 time: 16:06:15 creation date: 02/22/2010 creation time: 14:19:39 description: entered on 02/26/2010 at 16:06:15 est (gmt-0500) by b.kearse: then.... notification of case escalation (all times are gmt-0500) project: nhtsa hotline center case: comments from odi web user case number: [xxx] escalation: none status: closed date: 2010-02-26 time: 16:06:15 creation date: 2010-02-22 creation time: 14:19:39 description: entered on 02/26/2010 at 16:06:15 est (gmt-0500) by b.kearse: the case went for further investigation and with the same time mark....it was closed. no one investigated this. no one cares. people are dying from the nhtsa's negligence. everyone take note that the nhtsa has been informed of this potentially deadly defect! *tr

S10 appropriate handling re toyota throttle control problem owner of a 2001 dodge durango slt experience similar problem. *kb the consumer stated he experienced a series of un-commanded rpm surges while in and out of cruise control. the surge would be as much as 800 rpm and almost resulted in an accident more than once. it took the dealer five service calls to finally discover the problem. the discovery happened only after the check engine light stayed on long enough for the service department to download an error code from the powertrain control module (pcm). the surge was caused by a failing and/or failed throttle position sensor (tps). the tps recently failed again, but this time the surges did not exceed 300 rpm before the source of the failure was confirmed. as in the initial failure, and even though the tps was suspect, the service department was not able to identify the problem until the check engine light came on. the consumer believed the pcm was not programmed to detect a failing tps. as a result, the pcm continued to react to spurious signals from the tps, resulting in un-commanded rpm increase which continued until a hard failure of the tps was detected. *jb

2001 durango had headlight and windshield wiper failure at night in the rain at 60 miles an hour. the central timing module went out. we couldn't see to drive and oncoming drivers couldn't see us. its was like being blindfolded. you cant navigate the highway without having the ability to see.the nhtsa was notified, and they told me that unless an investigator finds a trend, they cant issue a recall. upon looking at their website i have found over 100 complaints for this... which to me is a trend. i guess someone has to die before this will be taken seriously. i called the dodge corp. office and they are aware of the issue but until the nhtsa makes them recall, they wont. shame on dodge and the nhtsa for not fixing the defect. this is not an inconvenience defect, this is a safety defect. if you have problems with your lights,wipers, electrical system please post complaint so that the nhtsa will finally see a trend. this potentially fatal defect must be recognized! please involve your local media if you get no response with the nhtsa. the time for bailouts to the car company's' is over if they aren't required to manufacture a safe product! the nhtsa said they receive over 500 complaints a day. with that many complaints could they be missing this defect trend? it is time to check into the electrical,transmission, and seat belt issues that dodge is having. the nhtsa should be doing all they can to avoid innocent deaths from the neglect of greedy car manufacturers. driving without windshield wipers or headlights=death! *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2001 dodge durango. the contact stated that the interior and exterior lights would suddenly flash on and off at times. the central timing module and the alarm would also shut off whenever she tried to open the door after locking it with the key. most of the failures occurred whenever it rained which led her to believe that water was also entering into the vehicle and caused the failure. on february 5, 2010, while driving in the rain, the headlights began to flash and then they shut completely off. the headlights and windshield wipers were no longer functioning while she was driving at various speeds. she was able to drive onto the emergency lane and determine that various electrical components were non-functional. she called several dealerships and was led to believe that the failure was normal. she called the manufacturer and a representative told her that there were no recalls regarding the problem so they could not assist her. the vehicle had not been repaired to-date. the current mileage was approximately 164,204. the failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

Have a loud humming sound comes from the front starts about 30mph and gets louder as speed is increased. also have a continuous chime while driving in forward or reverse. i have taken it to many mechanics including dealers and they say there's nothing they can do. *tr

Multiple replacement needed of upper & lower ball joints, sway bar, currently experiencing front end bed spring noise - sounds like junk, told the front lower ball joint is lose again. also the heating elements in the front driver;s seat went out -cost to repair over 700.00! vehicle is a 2001 dodge durango 4 x 4. only 86,000 miles original owner. this vehicle meticulously maintained and serviced, but despite that constantly having front suspension repairs and brakes. *tr

I had my 2001 dodge durango inspected to get my license plates renewed and was told the ball joints were bad and needed to be replaced. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2001 dodge durango. while driving the gear selector began slipping from 2-wheel drive to 4-wheel drive without intention. after parking she smelled a burning odor from the vehicle. moments later she was informed by her neighbor that the front end of the vehicle was smoking. the fire department was called to extinguish the fire. she was advised that the fire was caused by an electrical failure. the current and failure mileages were 160000.

2001 dodge durango engine blew on hwy while my daughter age 12 were going to missoula. *tr

2001 durango 5.9 r/t, head lights, interior lights, doors locks intermittently worked and then failed. the solution was to replace the ignition switch and the central timer module ( body control module). the module was then reprogrammed. according to the mechanic this is a common problem and was the subject of a recalled in latter year models. this is extremely dangerous when driving a night and the head lights go out. *tr

Failure of the dash lighting, parking lights, interior lights and taillights. *tr

I was driving and all of sudden the horn started to blow, wipers and lights came on. i smelled a burn odor, radio stopped working. i have no headlights or interior lights. took it to mechanic, the repair will require taking the dashboard out to get to a computer that may be burned out. only a dealer can do the repair work which will cost over a thousand dollars in just labor cost. i understand from the mechanic that this may be a common problem in the dodge durango. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2001 dodge durango. while driving at any speed, the contact noticed excessive heat underneath the floorboard and in the engine. she also smelled sulfur inside the passenger compartment. the vehicle was taken to the dealer and they stated that the catalytic converter was failing. the vehicle was not repaired and the failure persists. the contact feels that the computer system in the vehicle is malfunctioning, and causes raw fuel to flow through the cylinders. over time, this could have caused the catalytic converter to fail. the contact filed a complaint with the manufacturer and was advised to take the vehicle to the dealer for further inspection. she was provided a list of dealers to call that has special equipment to remedy the failure. when she arrived at the dealer, the equipment was unavailable for testing. the failure mileage was 72,000 and current mileage was 83,267.

Whenever the contact drives the vehicle he noticed that the steering wheel clicks. the vehicle has not been diagnosed by the dealership, and the contact did not notice any differecnes beforehand. the current and failure mileage is 88000. bml. updated 10/06/09. *lj the inermediate steeering shaft and tie rods were replaced. the brakes had to be replaced several times. the resistor inside the blower motor had to be replaced in order for the fan to defrost the windshield. updated 10/08/09

I have a 2001 durango that has key/ignition problems sometimes when i put the key in it will not turn the ignition. i thought maybe it was the key so i went to the dealer to order a new key. the service adviser told me that they had a lot of problems with that and to put the key in the ignition and pop it as hard as i could and the key would go in. that did work. but, is this causing any other problems? *tr

Key will not turn when put in ignition; after a google search found many dodge vehicles have this problem. per the auto forums - put key in ignition and tapped key on right hand side while in ignition (i guess to push key in further) and then the key would work to start durango. have to do this every time. *tr

I have a 2001 dodge durango with 103,000 miles and the transmission has been replaced 3 times. again it's bad, the computer is bad again (replaced twice) and now the air bag light is flashing............ i ended up buying a cheap car to drive since i could not afford to fix this truck, not to mention 10 miles to gallon....... this truck is a complete piece of [email protected]#$% and i would not recommend anyone buy a dodge, they should go out of business selling the cars they do... *tr

When i drive my durango above 40 miles an hour i get a loud humming noise about 50 decibels coming from the front in i checked my hub its not that it sound like its from the axle. *tr

Electrical**** check engine light came on codes stated that o2 sensors needed to be replaced.. i replaced them about 2 weeks later check engine light came back on. after another diagnostic test states that o2 sensor needs to be replaced. driving in rush hour traffic it stalled. made it to dealership states that the p/s switch leaked into the wiring harness and shorted out 02 sensors and possibly other sensors. and if not wiring harness is not replaced it could spark fire cost of repair 3k. *tr

I have a durango (2001) that has had the transmission replaced 3 times in two and a half years. i have had the transmissions serviced and kept all records but the transmission fails everytime within a year of replacement. *tr

I had a recall completed on 2/20/09. prior to recall i was not experiencing any issues w/ my vehicle. since the recall i have noticed that my vehicle is doing the exact thing they were supposed to have corrected in the recall. the recall was for the shift interlock lever to keep the vehicle from being able to be taken out of park w/out the vehicle running. at this point the vehicle is easy to steal & presents a risk to anyone who might be in the area if it does come out of park when i am not in the vehicle. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2001 dodge durango. an independent mechanic informed the contact that the upper ball joints and swing arms failed and needed to be replaced. the dealer replaced the upper ball joints according to nhtsa campaign id number 04v596000 (suspension:front:control arm:upper ball joint); however, it was discovered that the lower ball joints were also faulty. the failure mileage was 90,000 and current mileage was 130,000.

Vehicle is 2001 dodge durango r/t 5.9. 26,000 miles. front end ball joints needed replacing. calipers froze/locked on both front wheels. overheating occurred twice on front calipers. needed out of pocket money for repairs. air conditioning broken. *tr

The blower resistor motor has failed multiple times on this vehicle. dealerships have told us it is a design flaw and should be recalled. causes the air conditioner/heater to only work on high or not at all. costly repairs for consumers, many consumers have this issue with the 2001 dodge durango. could be a safety issue as the defrost does not work when this issue occurs; especially bad during a snow storm. *tr

I was driving at night and all of a sudden my headlights and interior lights started blinking off and on. it became more and more frequent and other drivers were annoyed as it looked like i was flashing them. eventually i had to shut my lights off, at night! the central timing module failed and caused this. it has happened to hundreds of other durango drivers and is a known issue. why hasn't a recall been introduced on something that is potentially fatal? *tr

Air bags did not deploy in direct front end collision, bumper, grille, fan and motor were pushed back but airbags did not deploy. worried that i have been driving a vehicle for 4 years with faulty airbags. hurt knee,wrist, back and hand. *tr

I bought a 2001 dodge durango at haar toyota. when i went to get a sticker there i watched and the guy didn't check the vehicle thoroughlythat night the passenger tire looked low i kicked the tire and it moved. brought vehicle to dealer two days later they put a new steering rack and drivers ball joint in vehicle. 5days later i had vehicle checked by my mechanic he said passenger side ball joint was bad. brought vehicle back to dealer they say it is fine will not fix because nothing wrong. what should i do my warranty is only 30 days of which i have about 1 week left. my contention is that the original sticker should never have passed if performed correctly. *tr

Dodge has a issue with their motors building up with sludge regardless of how often the oil is changed. the motor looses oil pressure immediately and motor is now bad and needs to be replaced. this is a known issue that dodge has and they have known about this problem. i am disabled and i was alone driving when this happened. i had pulled over immediately and had the vehicle hauled home on a trailer later that night. in the mean time i had no choice but to walk 3 miles to get home which took me hours.... this affected my medical problems and i was down in bed for a week after this happened. it had a big effect on my medical problems. *tr

2001 dodge durango. in 2007 my front driver's window went 1/2 way down and wouldn't go back up. i had to replace the regulator w/ the motor. at an expense of about $200. the mechanic says this is a huge problem he sees w/ this vehicle. in 2008 the same window is out again and so are my back two windows now. i can hear my front pass. window doing the same so i have stopped using all windows. this is a costly thing replacing every window once a year. why cant they make an effective part that if replaced will last. you shouldn't have to do this every year. please check into this malfunction. i see dodge durangos windows taped up all over town. obviously other's are experiencing this same problem. *tr

2001 durango dodge in accident prior to purchase sellers report said no accidents. *tr

My 2001 durango caught fire while in park. it happened just after having a little trouble with the lights behind dashboard / fuse blown . the place repairing my truck said that i have a short in the electrical cluster that controls lighting behind dash. i have seen other similar complaints one at carcomplaints.com. *tr

Known daimler chrysler issue (engine failure after low oil pressure) has occurred. engine failure du to sludge. engine showed decrease in oil pressure, when checking the oil noticed sludge on oil cap. when contacting dealership they stated i had to replace the engine. $8000 is the total estimated cost. they also stated this is a well known issue and that it comes up very frequently. mechanics have stated that they are still waiting for a recall to be issued as there have been reported deaths and injuries. i had my 5 children with me and was left in the middle of the woods with no cell reception and the temps getting to below 0. vehicle only has 102000 miles on it and should have lasted longer. contacted dodge with the customer support explaining that it was too bad i bought a dodge! there are not enough complaints about the engine! i have searched the internet and found hundreds of complaints. recall this engine! *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2001 dodge durango. the wiring harness that connects to the blower motor resister burned and no longer works. while driving at an unknown speed, the vehicle filled up with smoke and the contact smelled something burning. the wiring harness was replaced twice within two years. the dealer stated that the parts for the heater were unavailable and would possibly remain this way until january 16, 2009. the failure mileage was 133,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2001 dodge durango. the contact stated that there was an issue with her driver's side window. it would roll down, but not back up. the dealer replaced the driver's side window regulator in september of 2008 at the cost of $431.89. however, in december of 2008, the passenger and driver's side second row windows both experienced the same failures. she did not take the vehicle back to the dealer. the manufacturer has not been notified. the current mileage was 99,748 and failure mileage was 93,515.

I have a 2001 durango that was just totaled with heavy front end damage. not one of the air bags deployed in this accident. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2001 dodge durango. while driving 60 mph, the contact swerved to avoid a deer and the vehicle rolled over nine times. she was knocked unconscious and does not remember much about the crash. the air bags failed to deploy. the owner of the vehicle sustained a broken elbow and both the owner and the passenger sustained minor cuts and bruises. a police report was filed. the contact believes that due to the severity of the crash, the air bags should have deployed. the vehicle was considered to be destroyed. the current and failure mileages were 89,000.

My daughter was driving my wife and grandson home from an errand. she was on the 202 e bound, getting ready to take the alma school exit, when a blow out occurred. the dodge durango (2001) rolled several times. my daughter was only slightly injured and my grandson was not injured. the car is totaled. *tr

Every year when i go to get my 2001 dodge durango inspected i first have to replace two front tires due to excessive inside wear. then i get told all 4 ball joints are no good. i have had to replace all 4 ball joints three times in three years while putting only about 20000 miles on this vehicle yearly. it is a 500.00 a month car payment that i am afraid to take my three children in. why has this vehicle not been dealt with in a harsher manner. the complaints online are numerous and extremely serious in nature. how many people have to die from poor engineering. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2001 dodge durango. while driving 45 mph, the contact crashed the vehicle head on into a tree. none of the air bags deployed. the vehicle has not been diagnosed by a dealer and the contact did not notice any differences beforehand. the current and failure mileages were 45,000. updated 10-29-08 *bf the consumer stated there was a large tree in the road. the consumer suffered injuries. updated 10/30/08. *jb

Tl*the contact owns a 2001 dodge durango. the contact was able to shift gears without applying pressure to the brake pedal. six months ago, he received a recall notice for nhtsa campaign id number 07v555000 (power train:automatic transmission:lever and linkage:column shift) and had the vehicle repaired for free by the dealer. immediately after the repair, the failure recurred. the manufacturer and the mechanic stated that the contact would have to pay for any further repairs. the current mileage was 102,000 and failure mileage was 58,000. updated 10/07/08. *lj updated 10/09/08. *jb

I bought it in march 2008 with approx 75,000 miles. after a couple months it started to get loud and the air wouldn't be as hot when not in motion. every time you start it up or accelerate it sounds like loud exhaust. i took it in to be read on computer and said it was my clutch fan. i have now purchased three in the past two months and the problem will not go away. i was told today to try buying one that goes in a different direction but no difference. problem still exists and computer still reads no other problem. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2001 dodge durango. while parked in the driveway with the engine shut off, the vehicle began to smoke. the contact extinguished the fire and had the vehicle towed to a dealer. she discovered that the vehicle was included in nhtsa campaign id number 06v339000 (electrical system). the dealer installed a cap to prevent additional fluid from contaminating the connector, which caused the fire. almost one year later, the failure recurred. the contact also experienced failures with the head gaskets. while the vehicle was at a repair shop, the mechanic checked the fluids with the engine running. the mechanic opened the driver's door and observed a large amount of smoke and flames inside the passenger compartment. after the fire was extinguished, it was discovered that the cause of the failure was the same plug that set the driver's seat on fire a year earlier. the contact stated that the repair should be included in the recall because she believes it was not properly repaired the first time. the failure mileage was 110,000 and current mileage was 150,000.

Tl the contact owns a 2001 dodge durango. while the contact was driving he noticed that the air bag light had appeared on the dashboard of his vehicle and that the horn had stop functioning. the vehicle was taken to the dealership where the contact was informed that the clock spring needed to be replaced. the contact did not notice any differences beforehand and the current mileage is 50000, failure mileage was at 48000. bml

Seats have play slide back and forth. they don't hold in place. they slide on rails. *tr

Passenger seats and driver seat on 2 2001 dodge durango do not hold on rails they have play and slide back and forth each time you accelerate or brake. its a safety hazard .it slams your knees into the dash board. complained several times to dodge corp filed complaint case#17864244. *tr

Engine overheats with out cause changed thermostat, flushed radiator changed fans etc et. *tr

Driving lights went on and off while driving at night. when serviced found out about recall #57272 for 2003 dodge durangos. they have a body control module issue on this year model. mine is a 2001 durango that has the exact same issue and dodge will not help with anything because it is out of the recall year. while searching on the internet it seems there are other years that have the same issue. dodge customer service was very poor when asked to assist in this regard. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2001 dodge durango. the contact can switch gears without first engaging the brake. the consumer repaired the power train: automatic transmission lever and linkage column shift per nhtsa campaign id number 07v555000 (power train:automatic transmission:lever and linkage:column shift). immediately after the repair, the failure recurred. the dealer stated that because the vehicle was previously repaired according to the recall, the contact would be responsible for any additional repairs. the vehicle also began overheating repeatedly. the dealer replaced the water pump, thermostat, coolant tube, fan clutch, and the control box; however, the failure still persists. the failure and current mileages were 102,000. updated 08/08/08 *bf updated 08/12/08

My car was squeaking for a couple of weeks and then the wheel fell off and the repair shop had to fix the ball joint and said i needed the other side done too. 2 weeks later i had the other side fixed. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2001 dodge durango. the contact stated that the electric shift transfer case does not fully engage into gear when the transfer case selector switch is moved; therefore, the vehicle ends up in the neutral position. the dealer stated that his vin was not included in nhtsa campaign id number 01v077000 (power train:automatic transmission:lever and linkage:column shift). the contact would be responsible for the repair costs. the vehicle has not been repaired and the manufacturer failed to assist. the failure and current mileages were 93,000.

After purchasing my durango used from a local dealer i immediately began having issues with the transmission slipping out of gear while going up passes, passing car, towing etc. i took it back to the dealer and they stated that the transmission had been over filled causing this. i then drove it again and it still happened. in researching my durango i found that it already had its tranny replaced at 60k miles by the previous owner. i also have the gear shift lever that will come out of gear without the brake being pressed, but i see they actually recalled that particular item so it will soon be fixed. i also have rear and passenger window that stopped rolling up or down by their controls but still operate with driver controls. and last but not least my engine service light came on right before a trip stating that i had a coolant leak. i had just washed my durango so i reset the light and it hasn't came back on again. what did happen though is as soon as i reset the light my service 4wd light came on and will not clear. does dodge actually recall the annoying things too or do they wait until it becomes a problem that actually kills someone before anyone takes notice? hello toyota here we come tire of all the tranny issues with american cars. *tr

Power locks, headlights, dome lights, intermittent wipers, and rear wiper all flicker and then fail to work. also, there is a buzzing and ticking sound coming from under the engine fuse box even with the vehicle turned off! i unplugged the negative lead on the battery. the problem came right back! *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2001 dodge durango. while driving 55 mph, the contact attempted raise the front driver side window, but it jammed and fell back into the door. the window would not function afterwards. the same failure occurred on the front passenger side window and two rear windows. the manufacturer stated that this was a common failure. they further stated that the regulator needed to be replaced at the contact's expense. the contact placed screwdrivers in the windows to hold them up, and the vehicle has not been repaired. the failure mileage was approximately 80,000 and current mileage was 108,000. updated 06/09/08 *bf

My drivers bucket seat rocks back and forth due to a broken bracket or rail. i have seen several mentions of the exact same condition of other 1999 to 2001 dodge durango owners and chrysler denies hearing of other instances of this exact same condition. i hope all the other people that have posted this exact same problem on the internet are reporting to you as well because this seems to be a very common occurrence. the service centers are asking for $600 to $900 to fix this. *tr

Electric fan,steering;rack and pinion; control arm; lower ball joints, front drive shaft, front bearings. replaced drive shaft,left wheel bearing. i bought it in 2006 w/125,000 miles. drive shaft went out at 135,000 and steering at 146,000. i still owe money on it and it sits parked because i cant afford the rest of the repairs. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2001 dodge durango. while driving at any speed, but mostly during take off, the vehicle makes popping and clunking noises. the dealer stated that the vehicle had been previously repaired under nhtsa campaign id number 04v596000 (suspension:front:control arm:upper ball joint); however, the contact disagrees. the current mileage was 167,230 and failure mileage was 167,030.

Tl*the contact owns a 2001 dodge durango. the contact received a recall notice for nhtsa campaign id number 07v555000 (power train:automatic transmission:lever and linkage:column shift) on march 1, 2008. the vehicle was taken to the dealer on march 5, 2008 for the recall repair; however, the vehicle continues to shift out of the park position. when placed into drive, the vehicle will shift into neutral. the dealer stated that they performed the repair correctly and will charge $80 to diagnose what they suggest is a new failure. the manufacturer took a report, but was unable to assist any further. the current and failure mileages were unknown.

My 2001 dodge durango started having problems with interior lights, dash lights, intermittent wipers, door locks not operating, the 4-wheel drive light on, and headlights not working. checked all fuses and all were good. disconnected/reconnected battery and all returned to normal. two days later, while my 16 y/o son was driving the vehicle, the interior and dash lights (later to learn the headlights) were flickering on and off. i took it for a test ride and all seemed normal for first few miles, when suddenly the dash lights and headlights started to flicker rapidly. a few seconds later the headlights went out completely for approximately 5-7 seconds and came back on. the headlights went out again as i was pulling off the road for approximately 7-10 seconds with intermittent interior dash lights flickering. i turned the vehicle off, removed the negative battery terminal for approximately 3 minutes and again all returned to "normal". this ¿defect¿ is well known on the internet with the cause being the central timer module (ctm) and all local dodge dealers i contacted are well aware of the cause and the fix (avg. cost from local dealers $690.00) yet there is no recall for this anomaly. why? headlights turning off while driving¿am i the only person who sees a safety problem here? also, according to the people at chrysler¿s 1-800 customer service center, this is only affecting a small number of vehicles. so what. my thoughts are: one vehicle is enough, and if this is really a true statement from chrysler, it shouldn't cost the corporation that much to fix those ¿few¿ vehicles. my concern continues with the belief that both chrysler and the nhtsa know about this failure - which is obviously a safety issue - and neither have taken any positive action for an immediate recall. this situation also leaves me with one haunting question: does it really take a death before anyone takes action??? btw: what does the ¿s¿ in nhtsa stand for again? *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2001 dodge durango. the contact received a recall notice in march of 2007 for the front ball joints. she immediately had the vehicle repaired. when she took her vehicle to the dealer for an alignment, they stated that the upper and lower ball joints (which were repaired less than a year ago under recall) needed to be repaired again. she feels that her vehicle was repaired with the same defected component. the vehicle was repaired. the recall number was unknown. the current mileage was 126,000 and failure mileage was 80,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2001 dodge durango. the contact noticed smoke rising from under the dashboard before it caught fire. the fire department extinguished the fire. the vehicle was inspected by a chrysler investigator, but they would not disclose the cause of the fire. the interior of the vehicle sustained damage. there were no injuries. the current and failure mileages were 74,750.

Brake line broke/air bag clock spring/power steering rack/rear suspension,leaf springs/rust. *tr

We are able to switch into reverse without having your foot on the brake. we are careful to make sure it isn't accidentally changed into reverse while in forward motion. *tr

When i bought the truck i put on a new set of tires and had the alignment done at a fire stone on 8/16-21/2008. the fire stone told me my ball joints were going out. and they said the good news is that they are under recall. i took it to the dealer they looked up the vin. # and charged me little over $60.00. in the end they told me that the service was done already and told me the miles that it was done at. at that time i still had 20,000 miles to go before i hit that amount. the shop manager told me that "someone must have put the wrong miles in because we check it and there done that is why we are charging you a fee. so i went to another dealer and asked them. they looked up the vin.# and said "this service has already been done and if they take it in it will just cost me another $60.00." i contacted chrysler and told them my story and asked them about all the wear and tear that these bad ball joints are causing. they said that the service was done and there is nothing that they can do. 1year later and 1 set of tires, on 5/20/07 i looked myself under the truck and looked for what the fire stone manager told me to look at. just to find that the service had never been done. the reason i did this, because fire stone would not replace the tires due too poor upkeep. i had moved to pineville la when all this took place. i went in to a dealer there and told them my story and asked if they would look at the pictures that i took. they said yes and they said the service had not been done ,so the check into it and the dealer (west side in illinois had it in the computer as done on there site.) they put in the wrong vin# . the dealer in la did the recall, but i am out $60.00 , 1 set of tires, cost and work of the lower ball joints (due to upper ball joints going out) and all that time running around. what should i do ? a lawyer cost too much! and now i have the recall on the steering column gear shift blocker. *tr

We have had intermittent electrical problems in the dashboard of our 2001 durango, especially when cold. devices stop working at random while driving, such as radio, turn signals, heater fan, etc. turning car off and back on seems to "reset" the system and restore electrical function, but loss of turn signals while driving is dangerous, and who knows what other components will fail? we have heard this complaint from other dodge owners. dealers are unaware and cannot diagnose the problem.*cn

I have recently been having trouble with my transmission slipping. i will step on the gas and it revs up to high rpm before engaging the next gear. if that doesn't work, i just have to limp along until it decides to automatically shift which could be within a few minutes or longer. i've had the transmission replaced, but the problem still persists. my mechanic is at a loss at what it could possibly be. this problem (and him working on it) has lasted many months. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2001 dodge durango. the gear shifter will shift automatically without the brake pedal being depressed. the failure occurred immediately after the vehicle was repaired for nhtsa campaign id number 07v555000 (power train:automatic transmission:lever and linkage:column shift) and chrysler recall number g28. the dealer and manufacturer stated that nothing could be done and advised her to call nhtsa. the failure and current mileages were 148,000. updated 02/14/08. *lj

Tl*the contact owns a 2001 dodge durango. the middle row driver and passenger side seat belt harness is malfunctioning. the latch opens on its own when those seats are occupied. the dealer stated that the vehicle was out of warranty. the current mileage was 100,946 and failure mileage was 99,000. updated 10-08-08 *bf updated 10/08/08. *jb

Tl*the contact owns a 2001 dodge durango. the headlights, wipers, and power door locks malfunctioned intermittently. after the vehicle was turned off and restarted, the headlights, wipers and power door locks would function properly; however, the interior lights would flicker. the dealer stated that the central timer module needed to be replaced. no repairs were made. the current and failure mileages were 87,000. updated 03/05/08. *lj

My 2001 dodge durango headlights, taillights, and dash lights blink intermittently and the dealer does not admit there is a problem, but after researching online found other owners complaining about the same problem. is this not a dangerous situation for drivers who may need their lights to work dependably? how does one get the manufacturer to investigate this situation? *tr

The cruise control in my 2001 dodge durango accelerates and brakes constantly. since it is out of warranty, i will have to pay for repairs since there was not a recall that i am aware of. *jb

Very frustrating intermittent problem with rpm fluctuating up and down when i have not, and i repeat not, moved my foot down onto the accelerator. happens more often when cruise control is in use. service engine light comes on then disappears. very scary, have almost crashed a few times when vehicle accelerates rapidly. worst thing is the problem can't always be reproduced for anyone to believe me!!!!! *tr

Dealer has failed to repair unused wiring connector on recall. it has been at least three months that the dealer said it ordered part and it never came in. i have not been contacted. *tr

I have a 2001 durango. i have always been up to date with tuneups and fluid changes. within the past few months i've been having transmission trouble. more and more it has been slipping. i'm afraid i'm heading for a large repair bill. did i mention it has only 63000 miles on it. i'm dumping it before it gets any worse. *jb

The abs and parking brake lights on the control panel stay on after starting the vehicle. i have been told the abs control module needs to be replaced and that if not the brakes hydraulics could brake and cause brake failure. this is not a common repair and should be looked into as a recall for brake failure. *jb

Tl*the contact owns a 2001 dodge durango. while driving 50 mph, the driver side front window would not roll up. the mechanic stated that the window was off track and he replaced the tracking. the failure has occurred three times. the contact stated that the driver side front seat would not lock when the vehicle stopped. the dealer stated that the driver's seat tracking failed. as of september 11, 2007, the dealer had not repaired the vehicle. the vin, engine size, and number of cylinders were unavailable. the failure mileage was 100,000 and current mileage was 108,000.

My vehicle is 6 years old, about 2 months ago i noticed my car began vibrating really badly and my tires were wearing flat on the drivers side. i took my durango to the 76 service station and they inspected my vehicle and i was told that my right front wheel bearing was worn, my front ball joints were worn and the sway bar bushings were worn very badly as well as the upper control arms were bad. i have only seen recalls on the vehicles with 4x4 but i think the 4x2 models need to also be inspected. this is not normal wear for a vehicle only being 6 years old and driven only 14,280 a year. i cant afford to pay the 1500 dollars that was quoted to have it fixed, so now it sits unless it has to be used, because i am afraid that my front tire is going to fall off. *jb

Tl*the contact owns a 2001 dodge durango. while driving 45 mph, the contact heard a thumping noise. the vehicle veered to the right and rolled over. the contact felt that the cause of crash was the drive shaft. the vehicle was destroyed. the driver sustained serious injuries. a police report was filed. the manufacturer and dealer have not inspected the vehicle to determine the cause of failure. the current and failure mileages were 115,000. the consumer stated the air bags did not deploy. updated 09/11/07 *tr

2001 dodge durango check gauge and oil light came on when riding on the highway due to faulty oil pump. **cw the consumer stated the engine was ticking and making a loud noise. the consumer stated that because the problem was not detected when she first took the vehicle to the dealer, it now needs a new engine. the consumer was informed the problem was fixed, however in may 2007, the consumer noticed the idle was off and when the consumer would come to a stop, the vehicle would not idle down. when the consumer applied the accelerator there was a noise coming from the transmission. the consumer was told there was nothing wrong with the vehicle, however when the vehicle was returned to her, she noticed the idle was fixed. the vehicle has been to the dealer on 4 separated occasions for engine related issues. *jb

Tl*the contact owns a 2001 dodge durango. the contact stated that the horn works intermittently and the headlights failed. while driving approximately 60 mph in dry conditions, the vehicle stalled. the vehicle is experiencing electrical failure that causes all of the electrical components to indicate incorrect information. presently, the dealer is unable to determine the cause of failure. the engine size was unknown. the current and failure mileages were 56,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2001 dodge durango. while driving 65 mph on 04/06/2007 the engine failed. the vehicle would not restart and was towed to the dealer. the oil was changed at the required mileage; however, the mechanic stated that the motor was beyond it's limit with oil and caused the engine to seize up. before the engine failed the oil pressure gauge was illuminated. the current mileage was 69,000, and the failure mileage was unknown. the engine was replaced and the owner has possession of the old engine.

2001 dodge durango customer stated that it is a clicking noise inside the vehicle and that the doors lock and unlock by themselves automatically**cc the problem was identified as being the electric locking switch on one or more of the doors. the problem manifested when the lock switch became wet and then it would short out the electric switch. the consumer was told he could neutralize the electric lock system by removing the appropriate fuse in the left dashboard fuse panel. *jb

Tl* the contact owns a 2001 dodge durango suv. there was a loud clicking noise in the front end and the steering wheel pulled. the dealer stated that there was a recall on the ball joints. however, it didn't apply to this vehicle. also, the front and lower arm ball joints were worn out and could be repaired at cost to the contact. the contact was aware of the safety risk involved and observed related complaints. the current and failure mileage were 50,000. *ak

Transmission failure after 6 years. my transmission temperature light came on and i was not able to accelerate over 5-10 mph. i was told by the dealer that my warranty had expired and it was over the mileage. however, i would have to pay $6,000 to have everything fixed. these were the issues: - transmission re-haul ($4,150) - catalytic converter ($1,100) - differential service ($500) *jb this is absolutely ridiculous to pay $6,000 for transmission services after 6 years old.

Tl*- the contact stated that while driving the 2001 dodge durango with 55000 failure mileage) at 45 mph the vehicle lost power without any warning, then the check engine light appeared on the dashboard. the contact temporarily lost control of the vehicle, and had to maneuver to the side of the road. the vehicle hesitated twice before it restarted. the vehicle was towed to a dealer, who determined with a diagnostic test that the vehicle was in need of another transmission. *ak

Tl* - the contact called regarding the 2001 dodge durango. the contact stated that the electric door locks automatically opened. the contact believed that the failure was due to the moist air in the state where he resided. the contact took the vehicle to a dealer and was told the lock switch cylinder needed to be replaced. the failure mileage was 20,000. *ak updated 03/30/07. *jb

Tilt wheel has caused short in steering column has caused the indicators and all electrical in the column to eventually quit completely. believe it is from the wiring harness being too short when manufactured, when tilted continuously. *nm

Tl* - the contact has a 2001 dodge durango. the contact received safety recall (06v339000 - f42) on electrical system. there is nothing currently wrong with the contacts car. the contact has been trying since october 1, schedule the safety repair. the contact has made and showed up for three appointments and was told that the part that needed to be replaced for the safety recall is not available.

Tl* - the contact has a 2001 dodge durango with and odometer reading of 150000. the vehicle had safety recall 1f637489-f42 unused wiring connector under the front bench seat, which caused a fire in the vehicle damaging the seat and the carpet. the contact had the safety recall repaired at the dealer's expense, however, the dealer refused to pay for the damage that was done to the contacts carpet and bench seat. the contact would like to know if she has any recourse to recover the damage to her caused by the safety recall to her front carpet and bench seat. the contact does not currently have any pictures, but she does have the receipts for the repair work. *nm updated 02/22/07.*jb

I bought my 2001 dodge durango sport in november 2000. over the course of the past six years i have had to have so many repairs and replacements of parts, brakes, tires, electrical fuses & resistors done that i can honestly say that i will never buy another dodge vehicle again. the biggest concerns to me have been around brakes needing replacement three times, upper ball joints replaced due to recall, lower ball joints exhibiting excessive wear as well (but not being able to get daimler/chrysler to fix them because it isn't covered under my warranty or the recall notices) and abs & brake lights on the dashboard showing up intermittently. i had to have the power steering line replaced completely due to it rusting through and continuously leaking steering fluid. the dealership replaced my steering fluid and told me it would be fine to drive until the part came in. they said they would call me as soon as the part arrived. two weeks later i had to chase them down to get an answer as to whether or not the part had arrived and was told i would need to wait another week to bring the durango in for repairs. just recently my check engine light came on, i drove straight to the dealership to ask them to look at it and they asked me if the car was bucking or stalling. i said no and they told me it was nothing to worry about then. i tried to make an appointment, but couldn't even be seen for a week and a half. i asked for a loaner vehicle and they said that chrysler doesn't provide those, but they could certainly get me a rental...why bother buying from a company that doesn't offer even minimal things to their customers? *jb

Abs and brake warning lights illuminate intermittently while driving disabling abs feature. taken to dealer for check and revealed defective abs module. vehicle is 2001 dodge durango with approximately 50,000 miles on it in excellent condition. *nm

Dt*: the contact stated while turning the wheel to either side regardless of speed, there was a creaking noise in the steering column. this was accompanied by a vibration in the steering wheel, and the vehicle pulling to the right. the vehicle was taken to a service dealer, who determined that the upper control arm needed replacement due to wear. there was a nhtsa recall # 04v596000, which pertains to the upper ball joint on the front suspension. the vehicle was not included in the recall due to the vin.

After being adamant about the maintenance on my truck, the oil pressure dropped and my engine locked. needed to be replaced, was told it was "gunked" up and pieces were in it. *nm

I have a 2001 dodge durango slt, my problems with the transmission started with 17000 miles on vehicle. the four wheel drive system light came on and the valve in the 4wd system was replaced and after that(about 26000+ miles) the transmission light would come on after driving over 60 miles and come to the first stop. when i would go to take off again there is a loss of power and light stays on until you stop vehicle and let it cool down (about 2 hours) then the light goes off and power restored. i have taken to dealer several times with light on and off to have it checked but they find nothing wrong and just reset the light. my family and i have not done a lot of long distant traveling in the past 2 years so (last time was going on vacation and light came on while getting gas) i am worried that the next time we leave on vacation or travel my family will be broke down and even worse cause a crash on highway. thank you. *nm

I noticed a small leak coming from my durango. it appeared to be power steering fluid. due to bad weather, i was unable to check into the situation further. the next day the leak was much worse. the power steering reservoir was empty. i filled it up and drove it about 5 miles and checked it again. it was empty. there are two lines between the power steering pump and pinion. the leak is coming from the pressure side of the two lines. failure of power steering may cause someone to lose control of the vehicle causing an accident. there is a rubber islolator between the pressure line and return line. it appears to be the same problem that was on the '98 durango's brake line issue. the pressure line rusted under the rubber isolator causing the leak of steering fluid. the pressure line must be replaced. i have the old pressure line. *nm

Dt*: the contact stated the vehicle caught fire while parked in the driveway. the fire department was called and determined the fire originated from under the driver's seat and was of an electrical nature. there were no problems with the vehicle prior to the incident. the dealership was not notified but the contact planned to. the vehicle was totaled and a police report was taken.

Dt*: the contact stated the air bag light illuminated while driving any speed over bumpy roads or while turning the wheel all the way to one side or the other. this was accompanied by a warning tone from the vehicle. the vehicle was not taken in for service.

After the check engine warning light went on and was addressed by a local authorized mechanic, the vehicle warning tones begin sounding continuously, the remote radio controls stopped functioning and the rear wiper would go on intermittently. the vehicle was brought back to the same mechanic who performed a computer diagnostic but could find no issues. after which all vehicle lights began flashing when the headlights are turned on. *nm

I have had my dodge for three years and since then several things had to be replaced on it. i had to have my transmission rebuilt due to the coolant failure. the sensor stopped working and over heated the engine burnt up the transmission. the motor in the driver window burnt out and had to e replaced. the dodge stop cranking so we had to replace the fuel pump. we are now having problems with the cooling fan on the engine that has burnt out as well. i am very displeased with my truck and will never buy another dodge again. all these things happened in a year. man i hate this truck. *nm

The blower motor resistor, for the ac/heat on my 2001 dodge durango slt 4wd, has failed twice, since i have owned the vehicle. a service garage performed a test of the system and wanted to replace the blower, but the dealer claimed this was a common problem with this model and replaced the resistor, at a much lower cost. upon review of dodge durango online forums, this appears to be an issue for many dodge durango owners. appears to be either a defect in the system or design defect. please investigate. *jb

2001 dodge durango upper ball joints were corroded. *ts the consumer received a recall letter after she had already experienced the failure. with only 64,000 miles on the vehicle, the engine failed. *jb

1. not sure if its transmission or what, while driving, periodically feels like transmission bumps very hard like it was taken out of gear then put back in while rpm's were high, also feels that the overdrive slips while engaging, which the engagement point is set to low,ie below 40 mph. 2. while driving and holding the throttle steady at cruise speed, or at take off from stop, when you press on the gas pedal nothing happens, as you press a little farther, it all of a sudden is as if you floored the accelerator. the durango has been in for service 4 times so far and the dealer has not been able to duplicate nor have the problems been fixed. the vehicle is currently under warranty. *jb

Dt*: the contact stated that when the vehicle slows to a stop, the oil pressure gauge drops to zero. when the vehicle's speed increased, the gauge would rise. the vehicle was taken to a service dealer, where the dealer determined that the vehicle was operating normally.*ak

When we opened the doors to the durango, there was smoke inside and a burning odor. fortunately there was no fire. the lights and the radio in the vehicle did not work. we got the car home and disconnected the battery. durango was towed to dealership and repaired at our cost. the dealership found a short in the harness (for the heated seats, which we do not have) under the seat. *nm

Failure on dodge durango 2001 air conditioning. i have talked to 4 other people who own a dodge durango older models and i noticed that all of our problems are the same; the air conditioning is not working properly. i myself brought my 2001 dodge durango to the dealer many times more then 10 times. every time is the same story nothing is wrong with the air .the air conditioning doesn't work when the car is not in motion or if it is i have to go faster than 50 miles per hour just to get a nice breeze. *jb

In the early morning hours of 5/27 the right front lower wheel bearing of my 2001 dodge durango suddenly separated without warning causing the wheel to come loose from the vehicle. the caused the durango to veer to the right and crash into two parked cars. the wheel, axle, bearing, rack and pinion and associated parts are being replaced. old part will be saved. *jb

Driving 70 mph on interstate with my two small children with me, without warning i lost power and all gauges went to 0. fortunately, i was able to make it to the emergency lane. i shut the vehicle off waited a few moments and tried to restart. the engine would not start, all lights on the panel were on, windows, radio, seats, and locks worked. i had the vehicle towed to a dealership where it still sits. unable to locate problem at this time. finding on forums that it is a pcm issue and seems to be more prevalent than the vendor admits. *nm

Oil pressure dropped, check engine light came on, pulled on & checked oil - ok. then lights came on again & durango stalled as we were pulling over on the interstate. towed to service center, sludge in engine, new engine $6000. regular oil changed were performed, should not have had sludge in engine. i have learned that there are hundreds of durango owners have had to pay thousands of dollars of unjustified charges because of dodge's failure to admit that the engines of some durangos develop sludge when you check the following websites you'll immediately see the pattern: consumeraffairs.com, nhtsa.gov, carsurvey.org, or simply google "oil pressure durango" or "durango sludge". *jb

Dt*: the contact stated a recall letter was received for the upper ball joints, #04v596000. the contact performed the recall work prior to the recall and sent in the paperwork available. the manufacturer requested the original receipt. the contact did not have a receipt and was denied reimbursement. also, since purchase, the abs jerks and the vehicle swerves when stopping at any speed. the dealership determined this was how the vehicle was manufactured and no repair was available.

Rear leaf springs break and cause vehicle to sway. possible roll over condition. *jb

2001 dodge durango keeps going through heater cores. i have replaced two myself 1 month apart. my check engine light is on engine again like both past times. i hope this is not the 3rd. also the mechanics said that it had been replaced before i owned it. this is $600 a pop + $100 air condition charge. *nm

Dt*: the contact stated while pulling out of a parking lot, the vehicle made a loud pop. the rear end locked up. the vehicle was towed to the contact's house and has not been seen by a mechanic.

Hello, i am the owner of a 2001 dodge durango slt 4x4 which i purchased new in february of 2001. it now has 63,000 miles on it and i have been very good about maintaining this vehicle. on 1-15-06 as i approached an intersection that is at the bottom of a slight downhill grade i was traveling about 30-35 mph. as i went to apply my brakes the brake pedal immediately went soft because of the anti-lock brakes activating. the pavement was dry and i did not initially hit the brakes any harder than normal. i kept firm pressure on the brake pedal thinking that the brakes would come back as they have in the past during similar situations. however this time the brakes never came back and i ended up rear-ending the vehicle stopped at the intersection. i had plenty of time to stop and the pavement was dry so. the closer i got to the stopped vehicle the more pressure i applied to the pedal but every time the anti-lock mechanism would compensate for the additional pressure and negate it. the incident took a very long time to happen. i think the last 3 seconds i was under 10 mph but still the brakes could not stop the vehicle. i have checked my brake fluid level and inspected my front brakes and could not find any problems. there is still one more thing that i do not understand. this durango is supposed to be only rear anti-lock brakes yet i lost most of my braking ability to my front brakes. there was only minor damage to the vehicle i hit but because of what happened i have to think it could have been much worse. the most disturbing aspect of this whole situation is that as i got close to the stopped vehicle in front of me i was not going very fast yet the truck continued forward for several seconds until i hit the vehicle in front of me. also very disturbing is why did i loose power to my front brakes??? there is no question in my mind that this accident was caused by some kind of glitch in the ant-lock braking system of my dodge durango. *jb

Back window driver side window rack (regulator,cable system) default and window is inoperable called 3 repair shops and was told that with in 3-5 years this system is breaking down. the window is currently and completely in between the door. *jb

Dt*: the contact stated there was a rubbing noise coming from the rear of the vehicle. an independent repair shop determined the rear leaf spring broke. the driver side was repaired and then a year later, the passenger side broke and it was repaired.

I purchased a used 2001 dodge durango with goodyear wrangler rts p265/70r16 tires, the suv had approx. 42,000 miles . shortly after purchase, one front tire began to lose air and wobble. after inspection by the dealer who sold me the car, i was told that it appeared the belt was broken and the full-size spare was used to replace the tire. this second tire seems to be "doing" the same thing. in addition, i now have a rear tire that has a "flat spot" and cooresponding sidewall bulge on it. the car (and i presume, orginal manufacturer equipment tires) have approx. 50,000 miles on them. i wrote to goodyear, via website, about this condition, but no one has responded. *nm

Abs braking failure - the brakes slowed the car from 40 to about 15 mph. then the car did not slow down anymore even with the brake pedal depressed all the way. abs engaged once and then released and brakes would not engage again. no skid marks, just crashed into the car in front causing damage to both vehicles. this was a normal braking situation with plenty of distance to stop. *jb

At times of high acceleration (passing), the vehicle transmission seems to slip into neutral. i remove my foot from the gas and re-apply more slowly the transmission seems to re-engage and accelerate. this has happened several times. i reported it to a dealership that could find no problem. most recently, i has some additional transmission problems and they found a bad torque converter (different dealership). they felt this should take care of the other problem too. i thought it had until it just happened again. *nm

Dt: the contact stated the rear differential clutch pack retainer clips broke, causing damage to the rear differential. he took the vehicle to a dealer, who confirmed the damage. this was not covered by warranty. the vehicle is currently being repaired by the contact himself. *ak

Dt: the contact has been experiencing problems with the steering and front end while driving vehicle. the vehicle has been taken to the dealership three times since may 2005. while driving on a two lane road the vehicle started making a noise, then it veered to the left. this resulted in an accident. upon impact, the air bags did deploy.*ak

Our 2001 dodge durango made a strange knocking noise in the engine and suddenly lost oil pressure. the engine then seized up and we are now told we need a new engine in the vehicle. we were told by the dealership that the cause was excessive sludge in the engine. we have done regular oil changes and routine maintenance on the vehicle. the durango has only 80,00 miles on it. we have a 1993 chevrolet truck which has 183,000 miles on it . we have also done routine maintenance and regular oil changes on it and it is still running well. we also have a 1993 jeep wrangler which has 170,000 miles on it. it is also running well. we are suspect that there must be a major flaw in the design of the dodge durango engine as we have since heard of similar stories from many other dodge durango owners. *jb

Adhering to the recall notice we received on our 2001 dodge durango, we took it in to have the upper ball joints replaced. three months later we took the car back for its routine oil change. at that time we were told the lower ball joints were now in need of repair. given the recall on the upper ball joints and the many complaints that have been placed on this subject, we find it hard to believe that this is an unrelated problem. the recall should be modified to include the lower ball joints as well. *nm

I have been with this vehicle in the shop every time you turn around. currently we were driving down the road and smoke came from the vents. it was a fire which they are still trying to find where the short is. also the convertor for the air conditioner is bad and had to be replaced. because of the short the battery was replaced two times because of the burning it up, the spring broke when i hit a bump and my daughters neck was wrenched. every other day the vehicle won't start, the locks won't work after having them redone by clio chrysler, the windows won't go up and down, the car has a bad steering rack which we reported to you quite some time ago (2 different dealerships evaluated and reported this), the ball joints were bad, the car creaks currently underneath as though it is going to fall in to pieces. the alternator had to be replaced, the sensors all were going bad at different times, so every other day the car won't run. the one cost us a mint in gasoline because the car would just drink the gas and shoot out black smoke. this is a 2000 vehicle from problems dating from day one of purchase. the vehicle. *nm

2001 dodge durango developed problems with the transmission.***no answer required***. *mr the vehicle shifted rough and the transmission sounded like it was slipping. the vehicle was taken to a repair facility were it was scanned for codes. the codes indicated that the governor solenoid was the problem. although it was replaced the transmission still performed poorly. *nm

Drivers side front brake caliper seized while driving on highway. vehicle pulled strongly to the left. we were able to stop the vehicle safely. the corresponding wheel and tire were extremely hot from the friction of the dragging brake. vehicle was brought to a chrysler dealer for service. the dealer replace the brake caliper at our expense. the vehicle had 22,700 miles on it at the time of the incident. old part was left at dealer and is probably not available.

Dt: on september 21, 2001 underneath the console in the front seat row the wiring harness caught on fire. it was an electrical fire. one could see the smoke coming from the plastic piece. there was no forewarning. the vehicle was off, and there were no keys in the ignition. the vehicle was sitting for thirty minutes. contacted the dealer, they said insurance company should be notified. *ak

My son shifted the vehicle out of park with the engine running and the brake not pressed. the car rolled but we were able to stop it. *jb

Tire separation after only about 10,000 miles. was driving around 65 miles an hour and there was a sudden vibration from the front end. *nm

Dt: the contact states received a recall letter on 8-17-05 regarding the upper ball joint on 2001 dodge durango. she called and set up an appointment, and they told her they do not have any parts because there is a backorder. she thinks the recall should be fixed in a timely manner. she reported having problems with the brakes, and her husband told her this might have something to do with the recall because the front end may be wearing out the brakes. the steering wheel jumped around in her hand when she applied the brakes.*ak

Dt: dodge, durango: the brake do not have to be applied to place vehicle into gear or switch gear positions. there is similar to a recall. but this is chrysler town and country but not durango. no repairs or corrections at this time. has not been to a dealer or repair service at this time. has not contacted daimler/chrysler. consumer wanted to file complaint because vehicle was not included in the recall.*ak

On the evening of august 28, 2005 while driving down the indiana toll road near michigan city, in., my 2001 dodge durango suddenly started to loose power, shortly after that we smelled something burning. it was at that point we discovered the rear differential had been smoking and as we were slowing down we could hear clunking coming from the rear-end. that night the durango was towed to michigan city, and the next day it was towed to my local dodge dealership lochmandy motors in elkhart, in for repair. after several days and inspection from an independent inspector from hired by insurance company, it was determined that the carrier bearing in the rear-end failed and caused the rear axle to be damaged beyond repair. the entire rear axle had to be replaced for a total cost of $1795.60. my 2001 dodge durango only has 59736 miles on it, but none the repairs were covered by the warranty not to mention the towing costs. both the dealership and the independent inspector agreed that the carrier bearing breaking was a manufactures defect. i feel all costs for the repair and towing of my dodge durango should be paid for by daimler chrysler. *nm

I have a 2001 dodge durango r/t that has had severe problems with the front end. i know that the upper ball joints have been replaced at least three times. two of which are from my local dealer and i just received a notice that they want it done again. i also know that my lower ball joints are shot and is definitely a complication of the upper ball joint problems due to the fact that they are on the same pivot point. also my upper and lower control arm bushings are seizing up and causing not only a substantial amount of noise but a severe amount of wheel hop while at high rates of speed on the highway. while cornering and hitting the expansion joint of a bridge or other highway bump the truck seems to want to bounce from lane to lane. i also had a drivers side front shock break in half while on the highway last week. i contacted daimler chrysler about these problems and they didn't seem the bit least worried about it. i asked if there was any consumer complaint program or any follow up procedure that i could be involved with and he was quick to say no. he also instructed me that i could do one of two things, i could have the ball joints changed for the fourth time or get ride of the vehicle. i asked him if this was dodges since on the whole problem by off loading the vehicle onto another unsuspecting person and he didn't say anything. he just repeated himself. i am a aircraft mechanic by trade and i can tell you right now that the faa and the ntsb would have grounded every aircraft that was affected in a situation like this. i don't know why there is such a double standard with the automobile industry. i drive around my family in this vehicle to include my 5 month old son and it scares me to death just reading the stories online that other people have been involved with. i hope it hasn't happened but what is it going to take to get this resolved with dodge, (multiple deaths with this $30,000 lemon) thank you mike audas. *nm

Dt: when put foot on the brake to shift vehicle into gear it doesn't go into gear, it just rolls and will stop. has to play with it until it catches or pulls the emergency brake. started out slowly then it became worse. this started on june 30, 2005. it makes a clump when putting it into reverse. *ak

I have a 2001 dodge durango rt i purchased from a dealer off lease with 26k miles and have had nothing but problems w/the transmission. was told several times after them hooking it up to a computer nothing is wrong w/it however the transmission continues to slip mostly on the highway in cruise. the rpms surge from 1 1/2 to almost 3 rpms and you can feel it slipping. it has since been in the transmission shop 5 times and is still not fixed first they said they replaced all the solenoids then this last time valves but it is still doing it. i feel when you pay 20k for a vehicle w/only 26k miles you should not have problems like this. i hope if more people voice their concerns maybe a recall will be in the very near future. this is not right and it took daimler chrysler years to recall the ball joints i hope something happens w/the transmissions. there's obviously a huge problem here!!!!!*jb

2001 durango unsafe to drive while in 4 wheel drive.*mr the problem was not with the transfer case. the problem was that the vehicle had two different differentails on it. *nm

Dt: the consumer was complaining that after recall #04v596000 was fixed. the vehicle had to be realigned. consumer was upset that he had to pay for alignment. the manufacturer should have paid for this, and it should be included in the recall expenses. the recall was on the upper ball joints on both sides of the front suspension. the owner had the recall fixed on 7-27-05. the consumer did not have enough money to pay the extra charge. he will have this fixed and go back to a mechanic for another realigned. the consumer was going to do this at a later date. called the manufacturer, and they said that the realignment wasn't something that they were concering. they were only concerned with the recall. *ak

The automatic shifter would slip out of gear. it states that it is in drive but when foot applied to gas vehicle doesn't move like in neutral gear. taken to dealership nothing done. the vehicle has only 45,000 and needs a new transmission which will cost 1,500 to 2,000 for a rebuilt. this is unbelievable for a vehicle with so few miles. not only did i pay over $30,000 for this vehicle now i have to spend money that i do not have to repair a transmission that should have done this in the first place and it seems like your dealers don't want to deal with the problem or at least help with fixing it in the first place. this vehicle was taken several times and all that was done was putting transmission fluid in and then when warranty was up i was told that there was a problem and that i would have to pay for it. i will never buy another dodge in my life time or will i ever refer anyone to a dodge dealer. *nm

Dt: consumer states: she has a dodge durango that was recalled for the ball joints. the recall number was not available. she received the recall letter around 1-05. the dealer does not have the parts. he name was put on a waiting list in 1-05 for the parts. she still has not heard anything. she has contacted the dealer again and they tell her the part has not come in yet. they could not offer her a loaner to use until the parts were in. *nm

2001 dodge durango upper ball joint failure. the national highway traffic safety administration recomemded on 10 dec 05 that daimlerchrysler recall this vehicle. on 05 jul 05 i talked with charlene with the recall department, she tranfered me to heather with the warrentys departmet who inturn transfered me to joe, joe stated that he has the final say in what chrysler does and has denied the claim. this is a safety issue, luckly my son and i had just left the interstate.

Dt :took vehicle to dealer omni friday to have greased and freon replaced. dealer said it has a bad fan clutch , and a part on crank case cover, he replaced it with a totally different part, it would not accelerate. they would not give me the old part back. dealership said it was a manufacturing problem . contacted the manufacturer, and they say it was a dealer's problem. the light for 4 wheel high stayed on all the time *ak

Dt: rack and pinion had to be replaced. caller believed they should not have to pay for it. dealer replaced leaking rack and pinion and the line power of the steering. manufacturer has not been contacted yet.*ak

2001 dodge durango seat belts won't stayed latched in back seats,motor gives itself gas while driving or parked,transmission will not be in any gear when you've put it in drive and then it will jerk and finally go and it has also changed gears while driving i called dodge and they said that it's all ready been taken in on that recall

We have regular oil changes on our 2001 dodge durango with 67,000 miles. about two week ago the oil gauge would show normal oil pressure and than would show no oil pressure at all. we had a vehicle serviced and was told that it was the oil sending unit. two weeks later we it replaced again. next we were told that we needed an engine flush and that would solve our problem. we told it a dodge dealer and had a bilstein engine done on it. after the engine flush we were told to bring it back around 500 miles and change the oil again. we drove it two blocks and had to return to the dealer. the oil gauge was doing the same thing and the engine was knocking. we were told by the dealership that there was probably oil sludge in the oil pan and leave it. we left it with the dealer and now we are being told that we need a new engine. i feel that there is a problem with dodge and their oil sludge issue. i find out that there are my others with this issue and are being told that they did not take of their vehicles.

Dt: contact owns a 2001 dodge durango slt, and she is having problems with driver's side rear wheel . there are only two lugs:nuts left holding on the tire, and the stem keeps breaking off. she is unable to drive the vehicle because it is unsafe.*ak

Dt: windows cables keep breaking in dodge, 2001 durango. have been with dodge, and the warranty covered the first incident. the cable broke again, and the warranty expired. dodge will not pay to have the windows fixed. no prior warning to cable breakage.*ak *sb

Dt: without warning the check engine light came on and oil pressure dropped, vehicle made a noise like a ticking sound. truck was taken to dealer, who said he would check it out, and if the engine was bad it will have to be replaced at owner's expense. manufacturer has not been contacted yet. caller said there was a good possibility that the problem was an oil sludge. *ak

Dt: the differential on the front of the 2001 durango was different than the one in the rear. this was causing a hazard for driving. it entailed the changing on one rear end. vehicle was bought at an auction. it had a manufacturer's defect. the consumer has been in contact with chrysler, and chrysler repaired the defect. consumer had to pay the bill for that. the consumer noticed this when they tried to put the durango into 4 wheel drive, and it started erratically. the front differential was the correct one, but the rear was not the correct one. the front differential is 396 and the back was a 355 from the factory.*ak the consumer stated chrysler sent a check for the repairs. updated 11/16/05. *jb

I was having problems with my 2001 durango coming to a complete stop when applying the brakes at certain times. i was told by the dealership to replace the brake pads, which i did. the next day, the drivers front wheel started smoking, assuming it was due to the new pads, the truck continued to be driven. a day or two later, it got so bad that the left side caliper seized up and got so hot it started a fire. i then had complete replacement of front roters, calipers and pads. about 6 months later the left side caliper started hanging up and smoking. the rotor, caliper and pads were inspected and found to be in working order. the rotors and pads were cleaned and test driven applying the brakes very hard. after that, things seemed to be working fine. it is now about 6 months later and about a year after the original incident and the left caliper is hanging up again. the brakes on this vehicle have cost me nearly $2,000 up to this point and it looks like it's going to be costing me more $$$ to get it repaired. i have never had such a problem with any vehicle i've ever owned. after my lease is up on my durango, i will never buy another dodge ever again.

The inboard surface of both brake rotors began to flake off and wear thin. the inboard brake pad retainer clips were bent and rusted or gone. you could feel the pulsation of the untrue rotors when applying the brakes. 43,000 miles on the odometer.*ak

The consumer was involved in two frontal collisions. upon impact, the air bags failed to deploy. the cause had not been determined at this time. *ak the first incident occured on a slight snow covered road. the consumer lost control of the vehicle which resulted in front and side damage and the vehicle was backed against the concrete barrier. the second incident occured while the vehicle was in motion and the consumer lost control whenthe vehicle was driven over a small ice patch. the consumer had run into a light pole and completely damaged the middle front of the vehicle. the consumer was informed of recall# 04v596000, which may have been the cause of both incidents. *sc

The lower ball joints wear out prematurely. dealer has already replaced the upper ball joints under the recall that was issued. *ak

A recall for the upper ball joints was issued. however, the dealer stated the part was on national back order. consumer has been waiting since december 2004.*ak

Dodge durango 2001 upper ball joints and air bag defect. vehicle involved in an accident. *bf the consumer received the ball joint recall notice after the ball joint failed resulting in an accident. the front end of the consumer's vehicle crashing into a concrete protection barrier. the driver's air bag did not deploy and as a result he hit his head against the windshield. the consumer contacted the dealer about the ball joint recall but was told that the part was not available. the day of the consumer's appoint to have the ball joint replaced the consumer lost control of the vehicle and hit a light pole. once again the air bags did not deploy which caused the driver to hit her chest on the steering wheel and head against the windshield. *nm

I have a 2001 dodge durango that has prematue wearing of tie rods and bushings. i tried contacting my dealership and they will not cover this because of 60,000miles. i started noticeing problems at 7,000 miles when my tires started to wear premature. i took the car back to the dealer and they just realined the vehicle. i am on my third set of tires already. brakes plus won't realign the car because everything is so worn out. please advise me, i have to fix this and nobody will cover the costs. what do i do.???*ak

Vehicle steadily accelerated without applying the acceleration pedal. when taken to get serviced the cause could not be determined.*ak

I have a dodge durango 2001. i notice that the water pump is in the middle of the electric wires and when the water pump broke the water ruins the electric wires and they have to be changed because it starts to short circuit and the water can go to the motor and the motor can die. *ak

While the vehicle was being sericed for the upper ball joints on the nhtsa recall, the lower ball joints were were defective.*ak

Dealer flatly refused to service the vehicle for upper ball joints nhtsa recall 04v396000, since consumer did not purchase the vehicle there, and the parts were available only for their customers.*ak

Brought vehicle to dealer for upper ball joint recall and was informed that the lower ball joints were also bad. dealer said they could replace them at a considerable cost to vehicle owner. obviously equally as defective as the upper ball joints and should also be covered by a recall.*ak

The check engine light came on. consumer took the vehicle in to be checked and emission flow sensor was replaced, however, the check engine light was still on.*ak

While driving a loud clanking noise came from the rear of the vehicle. driver took vehicle to dealer, and mechanic determined that left and right rear lower ball joints needed to be replaced due to corrosion. *ak

Consumer received a recall notice for the ball joints on the dodge durango. however, consumer has contacted the dealer a total of three times, and they have yet to repair the vehicle due to lack of parts. *ak

After taking the vehicle into the dealer, the consumer was told the ball joints were not defective and did not need to be replaced. after taking the vehicle into another dealer, they found the defect and replaced the ball joints. nhtsa ball joint recall 04v596000. *jb

During a routine inspection, the dealership informed the consumer of the loose upper/lower ball joints. the dealership did not resolve the problem. please provide more information. *jb

A recall for the upper ball joints was issued, however, dealer stated that the parts were not available this had been going on for two months. *ak recall campaign; the consumer stated that she has had lifetime brakes installed on her vehicle twice. 4wd shaft was replaced twice. *tc

The plastic wheel cap that covers the hub keeps separating from the wheel. i've had three replaced under warranty, the tires hadn't even been removed from the vehicle. they are expensive to replace. poor wheel design prevents the caps to snap back into place when they are removed, ie...to balance tires.*ak

We received a recall notice concerning the front end problems on the dodge durango but it does not include the 2 wheel drive after 100,000 miles. we are 11,000 outside this notice but have not been able to drive our vehicle due to this problem. there are no restrictions on the 4x4. this seems pretty biased on the part of the dodge corporation. why the descrepencyi????????? *ak

Nhtsa recall campaign 04v596000; daimler chrysler issued an upper ball joint recall. this vehicle was included in the recall, but when taken to dealer for inspection it was found that the lower ball joints needed to be replaced, otherwise the wheels could fall off. *ak

While the upper ball joints were being replaced under a manufacturer's recall dealer informed the consumer that both lower ball joints needed to be replaced.*ak

Consumer received recall 04v596000 concerning ball joint wear. however, consumer has been waiting for sometime, almost one month, and was being told there were no parts. *ak

The vehicle rear differential was replaced at 60000 miles because it made noise. *nm while the rear differential was being replaced the dealer informed the consumer that both the upper and lower ball joints were bad. the consuemr requested reimbursement for the ball joints since they were recalled. *nm

The front end wobbled/shimmied while driving. the mechanic indicated that the front wheels were completely loose because the upper ball joints were worn out. a recall was issued on this make/model and year, however, this vehicle was not included in the recall. *ak

No parts were available for recall campaign 04v596000 concerning upper ball joints. hanover, dodge, 717-637-1101. *ak

Safety improvement campaign 04 v 596 000/ball joint wear: the consumer stated the dealer broke one of the lug nuts on the right front wheel while performing the safety repairs and they wanted to charge the consumer for repairing the broken lug nut. *jb

Not sure exactly when the last failure was because i don't travel "all" the time... but when i do... sometimes the emergency flashers come on by themselves and cannot be turned off. this is not good while traveling down the interstate highways. the flasher switch does not work any longer and the flashers cannot be turned off. i hear clicking noises under the dash and have even tried pullling fuses... you cannot turn the emergency flashers off. my destination is about 250 miles away and when this does happens, they may continue to flash all night long resulting in the battery being dead the next day. i have a feeling this happens even when i don't travel because sometimes when i want to go somewhere the battery is dead and the truck has been sitting in my garage all night.this is obviously an electrical problem that could eventually result in a fire or death...*ak the dealer "maxwell dodge" in austin texas is "special" and does not have to adhere to any "laws". they do not want to fix the upper ball joints on my 2001 durango either unless i can leave it there "until they get around to it". they won't make an "appointment" for the 2 hour repair needed and insist that i bring it there and leave it until they ready to give it back. what a scam! i hope that you will review this matter and correct these issues with the unethical dealers that manufacturers continue to allow distribution and support of thier products.. thanks, [xxx] 2001 dodge durango r/t 4x4 5.9 liter vin: [xxx]. *ak updated 07/24/2012 *js information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6)

The hubs also became defective once the ball joints were defective. this should be brought to the manufacturer's attention.*ak recall campaign . nhtsa campaign id number : 04v596000 front:control arm:upper ball joint. *tc

Once the ball joints become defective the hub assembly becomes defective. consumer had to replace the hub assembly. *ak recall campaign . nhtsa campaign id number : 04v596000 front:control arm:upper ball joint. *tc

During a recent state inspection on my 2001 dodge durango it was found that one of my upper and both lower ball joints were worn extensively and that the vehicle failed inspection.*ak i was scheduled for a recall replacement for the uppers as per the recal, however after contacting dodge, i was told that the lower ball joint damage are unrelated to the recall. i feel that the failure and defect in the upper ball joints are the proximate cause of the lower ball joint failure, and that the recall should be modified to include both the upper and lower ball joints.

Nhtsa campaign 04v596000; daimler chrysler issued an upper ball joint recall. this vehicle is included in the recall, but when taken in for repair, results showed that the lower ball joints need to be replaced as well. dealer will repair at owner's expense. *nm

Recall campaign: the consumer received a recall notice regarding defective front suspension and made an appointment with the dealer. the day before the scheduled appointment the rep called stating that the parts were not available. *nm *jb

While driving at any speed intermittently consumer can feel the vehicle slip in/out of gears. dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem. *ak

Vehicle is experiencing problems with the seat belts. the seat belts in the second and third rows are having difficulty gripping and latching. if the vehicle comes to an abrupt stop the belts will not hold the passenger in position. owner contacted the dealership and the manufacturer. both told the owner that vehicle was out of warranty and there was nothing they will do to assist the owner. provide further details. *nm. chrysler was not fully cooperative when the first seat belt failed at the end of warranty. they fixed the problem after owner appealed to dealership owner. ha dhe not stepped in chrysler would not have fixed the seat belt. chrysler told consumer that they will contact the dealership, but owner would have to pay a diagnostic fee to have the other five seat belts examined. whenowner attempted to relay the serious ness of this safety issue, and the need for chrysler to make repairs, chrysler labeled the owner as a having a record of a trouble maker. owner felt that chrysler must be compelled to take safety issues, such as seat belts, seriously. *ak

While driving 25 mph, the vehicle would makes a humming noise and the vehicle would pull to the right when braking. vehicle was taken to a repair shop. the mechanic informed the consumer that both upper and lower ball joints needed to be replaced. the dealer was notified. the dealer informed that their vehicle did not fall under the recall. *nm

The auto shop informed the consumer that the front passenger side wheel lug nut was loose. please provided more information. *jb

The dealership is not able to perform the upper ball joint wear recall within a reasonable time. the next available appointment is 4-6 months because they are only performing 2 recall repairs per day. *ak

Nhtsa campaign 04v596000/ball joint wear. owner received notification from the manufacturer on january 5, 2005 on the upper ball joint recall. owner has contacted the dealer and the manufacturer asking why was it taking so long to get the parts for the recall. owner was put on a waiting list for three weeks. ak the dealer told the consumer that they can not meet the demands of all the recalls. *tc

Nhtsa campaign 04v596000; daimler chrysler issued an upper ball joint recall. this vehicle is included in the recall, but there are no parts available in order to make the repair. *jb

Nhtsa campaign 04v596000; daimler chrysler issued an upper ball joint recall. this vehicle was included in the recall, but there were no appointments until may, which could be dangerous for consumer to operate the vehicle.*ak

Consumer received recall 04v596000 concerning ball joint wear. however, the dealership told consumer that the manufacturer stated that they were only to replace the ball joints, but consumer will have to pay for the alignment. *ak

Nhtsa campaign 04v596000; daimler chrysler issued an upper ball joint recall. this vehicle was included in the recall, but when taken to the dealer for repairs results showed that the lower ball joints needed to be replaced as well. dealer will repair at consumer's expense.*ak the consumer has attempted to contact the manufacturer for four days but only gets an answering machine. *nm

Nhtsa recall 04v596000; concerning upper ball joint wear. the dealer refused to honor the recall without an explanation. *ak *sc *jb

"nhtsa recall campaign 04v596000" concerning ball joint wear. owner received notification from the manufacturer about this recall. owner later notified the local dodge dealership, and was told that parts needed for the repair were on back order, and there was no estimated time for arrival. also, owner contacted the manufacturer, and was also informed of the same. *ak

I have been hearing about dodge durrango recalls for years 00-03 and i have a 2001. i have recently on december 2 went to get new tires and an alignment when i was notified that my ball joints on all 4 wheels were bad, along with a lower ball joint on the front passenger side. i don't feel that customers of daimler chrysler should have to pay for this. i, for one don't have the money to give out to replace this problem right away especially around christmas. daimler chrysler should replace them because they have a defective product.

The consumer stated the rotors failed prematurely. determined. please provide additional information. *jb

I was driving on a highway offramp at approximately 45 mph. the steering wheel locked for approx 3 seconds. it then unlocked allowing me to regain control of the vehicle. the steering continued to lock and unlock periodically. the cause was the power steering pump. however, this incident was different from the normal situation where power steering fails because the steering was also substantially affected at speed and not just when the vehicle is at a virtual standstill. my mileage is approx 65000.*ak

While applying the brake pedal, the vehicle vibrated uncontrollably and the failed to stop completely. the mechanic informed the consumer that the rotors needed to be replaced. please provide further details. *jb

Complaint received via e-mail. my wife was driving when she heard a bizarre noise coming from the front wheel of the truck. she immediately started driving towards the dealership, but the wheel for unknown reason broke at the hub and separated from the truck, causing her to skid while making a left turn in the intersection. fortunately, my wife and children were not injured. *ak

I recently had new tires put on my durango and was going to have a alignment done. at that time i was informed that my right upper ball joint and right tie rod needed to be replaced due to excessive wear. this seems to be happening to most of the dodge light trucks and suv's and is obviously a defect in the product. i did not have the repair done at the time. it is to costly to buy both tires and have to do the repairs at the same time especially around christmas. i feel that this is the responsibility of dodge to correct the obviously defective equipment.*ak

Vehicle kept pulling to the right, and the tires kept wearing from the outside. the ball joints had to be replaced.*ak....consumer claimed dealer mever checked the alignment. insisted that consume rhad to buy new tires before dealer would align the vehicle. *ak

Consumer heard a clicking noise and experienced a shaking steering wheel at low speeds and turns, making the ability to control vehicle uneasy. took vehicle to dealer for check up, and results showed that the vehicle needed the upper ball joints replaced.*ak

Failed front end ball joints. *jb

While the vehicle was parked and running in the driveway consumer's two-year old child was able to shift the vehicle out of park into drive. vehicle commenced to roll. then, 8 years old child was able to shift the vehicle into reverse. consumer was able to stop the vehicle while it was rolling backward into the garage. consumer sustained injuries to her left side while trying to get into the vehicle while it was in motion. dealer was not notified. *ak

The steering in my 2001 durango has been very loose and difficult to control especially over rough roads since about 30,000 miles. about a year ago when there was approximately 45,000 miles on it, there started to be very loud noises coming from the front wheels. i took it to the dealership and was told i needed new brake pads but nothing was mentioned about the ball joints. i had a mechanic look at the brakes and was told they were fine, but that the upper and lower ball joints seemed unusually worn. when i heard of the recall december 10, 2004 for the upper ball joints, i took my vehicle in to be checked. they verified that the upper ball joints were "almost gone" and replaced them according to the recall. however, they then informed me that the lower ball joints were just as bad and needed to be replaced "very soon". i asked if the vehicle was still just as unsafe as when i brought it in, and was told "yes". my concern and question then is why are the lower ball joints not included in the recall? does it not make sense that when one half of a suspension's moving part fails, that it puts undue stress on the opposing part, causing it to fail as well? also, if the repair of the upper ball joint did not make my vehicle safe, then what is the purpose of the recall?*ak

I have a 2001 dodge durango. it was making a squeaking noise around the driver side front tires. i took in to my local dealer. they kept my car for 4 days and replaced the sway bar bushings and the suspension. they then told me that it didn't rectify the problem; therefore, they would keep an open ticket on this and if anything came up similar to my problem they would notify me. well, the noise has gotten worse, and we have seen numerous things on the news about the upper ball joints. my husband then called them, and they said they had no such problem, and no open tickets or record of my brining in the car. i have 2 children and numerous nieces and nephews who are with me. i am afraid that something might happen. i don't feel this is right when you pay a fortune for a car. i think it should be safe. *jb

Driver side front fluid leaks when brakes. front caliper brass o-ring leaks. replaced with correct size o-rings and bleed system. *bf

I often smell a burned wire smell when i get into my 2001 dodge durango. recently i got in and started the vehicle and the service 4 wheel drive light came on. i took it to a dealer and they said two modules where burned up. 4 wheel drive tranfer case module and the timing module. i dont understand how these modules on a new vehicle would just burn up and the wiring smell still cannot be explained. i was trying to visit your site to see if i am the only one with these problems. i will list the number of times i smelled this burned wiring smell. *ak

When we purchased new tires on 11/29/04, we were informed that the front lower ball joints are worn out and ready to break. we were told that these need to be replaced asap.*ak

The clock spring has failed in my 2001 dodge durango 4wd. the air bag light stays on, the steering wheel radio controls are inoperable, the cruise control is inoperable, and the horn is inoperable. sounds like the same issue that was a recall on the minivans yet local dealers want me to pay for the repair.*ak

Dodge dealer indicated that both upper and lower ball joints on both front tires needed to be replaced due to premature wear. he stated the car is dangerous to drive because the wheels could fall off. my car has always had problems with its wheels. i have replaced the rotors twice and had to by tires sooner than i should have due to premature and uneven wear even though i had my tires rotated and realigned frequently. when we first purchased the car in made really strange noises at the front wheels. we took it in to the dealership to get fixed. the car jumpy when i go over rough areas of a road. it seems to bounce in all different directions. i have to be very conscious when going over uneven roads or i might loss control of the steering. i feel that dodge should cover the cost of repairing the ball joints. i feel it is a manufacturers defect. none of my other cars have ever had this problem and i have a ford ranger with 210,000 miles on it and it is used for off road driving.*ak

Consumer stated the window motor on the passenger side has gone out. the window will not go up or down. she stated she could hear the motor making a noise, but nothing happened. this started last week some time. she took the vehicle to the dealer for this problem and was told that they have been having a lot of problems with the window motors on these vehicles. *jb

While driving at any speed the horn honked and the head lights flashed off and on without warning. please provide additional information. *jb

While the vehicle was running, the consumer noticed that the gear would engaged without applying the brakes. the driver was concerned and drove it to the dealer for inspection. the mechanic informed the driver that the vehicle was operating as designed. *jb *sc

While driving 5 mph driveshaft fell out. vehicle was towed to the dealer, who determined that the pin, which holds the driveshaft in, broke. the part available for analysis.*ak

At 55,000 miles i had to replace my rack and pinion and ball joints. i replaced my brake pads and rotors last year and have just been told that i need to replace them again. my vehicle is used for local highway driving.*ak

I have had to replace the rotors three times and also had them resurfaced 3 times in 3 years. now i have been told the ball joints are in very bad shape and must be replaced right away. i have owned other dodge vehicles through-out the years and i'm very disappointed with this one. *nm

Creaking, clicking noisy front end since 4/2004. repaired on 4/16/2004 at flemington dodge car & truck country. it is now 10/9/2004 and the same noises are starting again, very noisy. i am taking it back to the dealer again but this needs to be resolved with an appropriate final resolution. it costs me $151.90 to fix this each time and a car rental is required. also, it has only been 3.5 months since the last time it was repaired for the same problem. *nm

We purchased the car on december 1 2000 and it was back at the dealer on dec 2 2000, for over heating. then again on 4-05-01 for over heating, and again on 8-30-01 for the same, and again on 10-16-01 for the same. then 12 more times after the last date listed. there has been 2 new engines put into this car. the dealer has paid for the repairs every time but one. the last time this happened i was crossing two lanes of on comming traffic when my car died, i had my 3 kids in the car. we were able to role out of the intersection before being hit. we are trying to get a buy back from chrysler. please help. if you have any info that will help in this process we would love to know about it. thanks for your help.*ak

2nd alignement in 6 months. mechanic showed deteriorated ball joints and play. unable to correct alignement issues due to severly worn ball joint components. worn tires due to condition.*ak

For the (3) third time since we purchased this vehicle in 05/2002, the window regulator has failed. the window regulator is a big part that fits inside the door and makes the window go up and down. this is the third occasion when it has broken causing the window to slide down into the door. it costs approx. $250-$300 to get this repaired every time. we are not doing anything extraordinary to warrant this kind of defect in this part. please investigate this problem asap!!! *jb

Driving 2001 dodge durango with 36,000 miles on i-295 n in new jersey going 45-55mph - steering suddenly failed - car wildely went to left slamming into guard rail. *ak

My 2001 dodge durango has had a popping noise on the front end for some time. i recently had time to disassemble the front end and found that my upper ball joints were excessively worn. i researched the internet to see if dodge had a recall. i also e-mailed dodge and they responded that it is under investigation. upper ball joints, if engineered correctly, should last over 100,000 miles. the popping noise has been active since ~ 50,000 miles and i currently have 89,000 miles. i called a local dodge service department and they quoted me $390.00 to repair one upper ball joint, which will require an alignment as well. upper ball joints cost ~ $45.00 at any parts dealer and alignments ~ $60.00. i do not think that dodge should charge consumers for their faulty engineering. a recall should be in effect, before someone gets hurt or killed caused by a faulty engineered ball joint.*ak

This is a chronic ongoing problem that has never been resolved. the front end of my durango will not stay aligned for even a week. it is so bad that it pulls so hard to one side, that it becomes undrivable and extremely unsafe. i took it to the dealer, who charged me a lot of money, to continuously tell me they have realigned it and as soon as i leave the parking lot it starts pulling. they try to tell me it is just the road grade. it is not! *jb

The child placed the vehicle into gear. there were no keys ,the vehicle was not running and the vehicle rolled back. *jb

The consumer was driving the vehicle when it struck another vehicle head on and the air bag did not deploy. *jb

#1-3 incidents of front brake calipers locking up causing significant steering and control problems, required the replacement of the front hub bearings as a result at the owners expense; #2-left upper ball joint required replacement to maintain safety of vehicle (right side beginning to make the same sound); #3-multiple incidents (at least 5) of cel coming on within last 9 months-the last (8/20/04) indicates that the fuel pump, gas tank, and other components will need to be replaced as the gas tank becomes concave after the vehicle runs for 15-30 minutes leading to a possible explosion. *jb

Front upper ball joints are wearing out prematurely. as a result, vehicle was unable to pass inspection, unless replaced. *ak *tc

Failed transmission on 2001 dodge durango.*mr while driving the transmission failed without warning. the consumer indicated that all regular maintenance was performed on the vehicle and felt that this failure should not have occurred. the vehicle was taken to a transmission specialist who installed a reconditioned transmission and torque converter. the consumer has another dodge truck which also experienced transmission failure. the consumer requested reimbursement for the cost of the new transmission. *nm *jb

I was attempting to make a left turn to enter a parking ramp at work when unexpectedly i was unable to control my vehicle, as a result i collided with a concrete wall.*ak i had some digital pictures taken as the police would not come to file a report on private propery. the vehicle sustained major damage and i'm convinced this is related to a poor design/weak parts used in the steering linkage/suspension system.

I was turning a corner going less 10 miles an hour,when i heard a pop, like a flat tire would make ,and then the car shifted to the left driver side. the wheel had broke off where the ball joints meet. the tire was sitting under the left side of the frame. the complete damage and repaired parts to the vehicle, was the upper and lower ball joints, two boots and an alignment was done. the vehicle was towed back to the dealership(spradley motors),where they got approval from the warranty to fix and replace. i don't know if part is available. *jb

Ball joints defective. *ak

On april 26, 2004 i arrived at a business meeting and parked my 2001 r/t durango, and set my alarm with the keyless entry. from my client's office i noticed whitish/gray smoke and observed that the smoke was billowing from under the hood of my truck! i rushed outside.upon arriving in the parking lot i was stopped by the police and fire department from approaching my durango as they were afraid it might explode.the flames were already four feet above the hood.the fire took my engine, bumpers, lights, hood, fender, left front tire & severally damaged the car directly in front of mine & slightly damaged the car to the left corner. state farm's investigation determined that the failure was caused by the ignition of power steering fluid onto hot surfaces of the exhaust system with the fire extending upward and outward, causing the damage present" which was the total loss of my vehicle. i filed a special investigation report with chrysler and they sent me back a letter stating that my claim was denied. in other words nothing was done by chrysler to correct the failure although state farm is in subrogation as they found several technical service bulletins # 19-005-03 and 19-009-00 that they feel pertained to this event.the third party fire investigator informed me that this happened before, and that the person that chrysler sent to inspect vehicle was not a licensed fire inspector, and that mr. pitt (chrysler's rep.) was not qualified to determine the cause of the fire.i wrote a letter to the president of chrysler and the director of customer service. a month later received a call from them stating again that my claim was denied, and that they would not tell me what they determined caused the fire on recommendation from their legal staff.i replied it sounded like they were trying to hide something, and he told me that he would refer my claim back to the special investigation unit, and i am still waiting for a returned call. the last contact was 7/15/2004. *ak

While driving 70 mph front end shook violently. dealer stated that upper ball joints wore out completely. *ak *ts

When the consumer took the vehicle for a routine maintenance, the mechanic informed the consumer that the lower ball joints needed to be replaced due to corrosion. please fill in additional information. *jb

While driving 12 mph front passenger side outer tie rod snapped. dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem.*ak

(1) events leading up to the failure, while driving on a 20 mile dirt mountain road with very little grade at a slow speed of 10 to 20 miles an hour. ac was not on!. 2) failure and its consequences, overheating for unknown reason. the engine would not stay cool and ended up using our 4 gallons drinking water to keep it cool. consequence, the heads on the truck warped due to failure of the head gasket. *ak (3) what was done to correct the failure; i.e, parts repaired or replaced (and if old part is available) a dealer service mechanic inspected the vehicle the next day. exhaust gases were detected in the coolant water. this was due to a head gasket failure. after the heads were removed and sent to a head shop for inspection and removal of components it was discovered the heads were warped. the mechanic contacted a dodge dealer and he was advised the head part numbers were changed due to a known issue with the current heads. new heads are on order at this time and other components will be inspected over the next 2 days. the expense and inconvenience of this failure is costing me approximately $5000.00 over the next 7 days of not having a vehicle. the vehicle was never driven to excusive heating. the temperature was only running .25% hotter than normal with loss of power and water over flowing from over flow bottle. the temperature gage was only showing just below ¾ scale and normal operating temperature is just below ½ of the gage. the vehicle overheated approximately 32 times before i could get help on the other end of the dirt road. out side temp in the canyon was no more than 85 degrees.

Front upper ball joints wore out prematurely. *ak *sc

While driving 10 mph, the right front wheel fell off the vehicle. the consumer had the vehicle towed to the dealership for inspection. the mechanic informed the owner that the upper ball joint had failed. the consumer will have the mechanic fix the upper ball joint. *jb *sc *jb

Pe 03-032, front suspension/upper ball joints: while getting a front end alignment consumer found that the upper and lower ball joints wore out. *ak *nm

Consumer heard a noise coming from the front while driving at any speed. upon inspection by the dealership consumer was informed that lower ball joints needed to be replaced. *ak

Pe 03 032/ front suspension upper ball joint failure: while driving 20-25 mph the upper and lower ball joints on the right side broke. the condition caused a vehicle accident in which the vehicle struck a speed sign and a telephone pole. the consumer was transported by ambulance to the local hospital for a concussion and minor bruises. the manufacturer was notified.the manufacturer informed consumer that they were going to send out an investigator concerning these issues. *jb *sc *jb

The upper ball joints wore prematurely. the consumer was concerned that the vehicle's wheel would separate while driving. *nm *sc *jb

Car fan blower for a/c & heat just stopped at 61,000 miles. car is only 2001. loaded durango in excellent shape. hard to believe this is a common problem. dealer said this was common. talked to many people said it was not a common problem. *ak

Window regulator, plastic piece that allows the window to move up and down, has broken twice within the last year. *ak

My 2001 durango has had the rotors go bad and the ball joints (both of which cost me money). the vehicle has 55000 miles on it and is driven 95% of the time on the interstate system. although i like the vehicle, i think the mft should pay for the replacement. i also, think it is time for a recall. i am hard pressed to buy another dodge ( i own two) knowing that they don't care about my safety!*ak

My wife and i own a 2001 dodge durango slt. great car but very dangerous and remarkably obvious design flaw in the front rotors. we currently have 30,000 miles on or durango and i 'm getting ready to put the third set of rotors on the front end. the first changed set was put on after only 9200 miles. of course at the dealership you get the blah, blah about how it is a normal wear and tear item. which i agree it is;however, it is not normal today or yesterday for any rotor on any vehicle to warp so badly after only 8000 miles of use. rotors warp from excessive heat buildup-> that is a fact. i did further research through various dodge dealerships. of the five respective dealerships contacted all five agreed that the rotors are undersized and are pre-maturely wearing on all dodge durangos, but they couldn't do anything about. when i changed the rotors after only 8000 miles i was fairly surprised to see almost no wear on the front brake pads. regardless of this small amount of wear i decided to replace the front pads with new high end ceramic pads which help with reducing heat by helping dissipate heat through the ceramic media. at 17,000 miles warped rotors on the front end again, ceramic pads looked great. i do not pull a boat/ rv or anything else on my vehicle. i live in flat corn country not colorado with excessive mountains that would put strain on the braking system. brakes are the single most important part on any vehicle, and when they are undersized and don't dissipate heat correctly they will warp everytime. there is no doubt that this is a dangerous situation that is not isolated and is prevalent with every 2001 durango. i hope i'm not wasting my fingers time and that this has some impact on dodge, so that they may right this wrong and get recall performed before someone or more people are killed and injured from this condition. *jb

A/c failed - evaporator box needs to be replaced - labor costs are astronomical!! i have been told that this is a very common problem in this model as well as the dodge intrepid. *ak

Loud squeaking under the front end, and the vehicle would become very unstable after hitting a bump in the road. the vehicle would actually bounce in different directions after hitting a large bump. turning the wheel there was a popping noise in the wheel and steering wheel. at 41,000 miles, both of the front upper ball joints had to be replaced for "excessive wear". the dealership told me that most ball joints don't look this bad until you've hit well over 100k. we do not go 4-wheeling in our durango, we do not drive recklessly. this vehicle is owned by an amputee who usually only drives it on the highway. this cost us over $1,000 to fix, as chrysler would not help. this is a known issue, and chrysler has not issued a tsb or recall on it because supposedly not enough people have complained. *ak

The vehicle failed pennsylvania state inspection. the technician indicated that the vehicle's upper ball joints neede dto be repalced. please provide any additional information. *nm

While driving and applying the brakes vehicle lurched forward. vehicle has had this problem for over a year. vehicle was involved in one collision, and was being sued. there were no injuries or fatalities. *ak

Durango orginal started stalling and then check engine light came on and stayed on steady. went to dealer an was suggested pcm was bad no parts available (power control module). parts ordered. new parts installed same problem when leaving dealership. on closer inspection technican found rear heat inline pump had failed internally and had pumped antifreeze through wiring harness which inturn wrecked cruise control, pcm, heating and cooling controls. antifreeze is corrsive to copper wiring and we do not know how far the antifreeze traveled in the different wiring harness modules. dodge has offered to replace original failed inline rear heat pump but will not pay labor $216.00 district manager has offered to give 12 month or 12,000 mile warranty but will not give a longer warranty on electricall harness even though he has determined this will fix problem. but not removed the corrosive from the electrical harness. tech working problem has see the same problem before at same dealership on durango's

When applying the brakes vehicle pulsated/vibrated. consumer drove vehicle to the dealer for inspection, and mechanic determined that brake pads and rotors needed to be replaced due to corrosion. *ak *nm

While driving 70 mph vehicle vibrated. consumer was able to maintain control of the vehicle, and drove it to the dealer for inspection. mechanic informed determined that the upper and lower ball joints needed to be replaced. *ak

Rt. front wheel noise and locked-up turning into parking lot. pulled forward turning to left and wheel freed. drove 30 miles on highway to dealership without incident. dealer found rt. front wheel hub bearings wore out and dangerously affecting safety of wheel. vehicle with 53,000 miles and in shop on extended warranty x3 for control arm/suspension replacements/ rear wheel brake cylinder leaks and repairs and now rt. front wheel hub bearings.chrysler no help. lucky to have forsight to buy extended warranty. now with lack of trust of vehicle. *ak

Engine light came on. codes listed were p1757 and p1762. governor pressure solenoid and governor pressure sensor. engine rpms race to over 3000 before finally shifting. feels like the engine is going to blow. *nm

The dash lights started going off and on without warning. i pulled over when i realized the taillights were not working. a fire had started in the taillight socket on the driver's side. the fire department responed within 3 minutes, but the fire still did $8,000 in damage and took the dealer 10 weeks to fix. the cause was unknown, but the entire rear wiring harness had to be replaced.*ak

Backing out of driveway. turned steering wheel to the right and the front end dropped. the right front tire came away from the control arm at the upper ball joint. *ak

A squeaking noise was heard from under the front of the vehicle when turning. while driving on the a bumpy freeway vehicle pulled to the left when it went over a bump. vehicle was taken to a dealership, who indicated that the front upper ball joints had prematurely worn out which caused the front tires to wear. *ak

I had to replace the upper ball joint in my vehicle. i was told that there is an ongoing investigation regarding the upper ball joints in 2000-02 models. i noticed a noise when i hit the brakes or a rough spot in the road. i took my vehicle in for service and had to pay $272.00 to have these replaced. *la

The ignition switch overheated and melted, causing the ignition to malfunction. *ak

Consumer stated that transmission indicator light kept going off and on. consumer took vehicle to the dealer, who told consumer that they had to insert a plate in order to make the light stay off. also, after vehicle was worked on the cruise control light came on and stayed on. while driving on the freeway all the lights came on, consumer applied brakes, and they grabbed. when consumer finally was able to apply brakes they almost threw her passenger through the windshield. however, passenger did not go through the windshield because he was wearing a seat belt. consumer indicated that dealer told her that this incident may have been caused by the transmission fluid that they put into vehicle. *ak

I heard about upper control arm failure. i had mine checked my mechanic stated right side upper showed signs of wear & should be replaced. waiting to see if recall is forthcoming. noticed power steering was hard to turn also a rattle in the steering wheel if shook side to side fastly (cause worn steering column and box). light selector switch burned out. had to replace the switch module.

About 35,000 miles i had the adjusters repaired on the passenger front of vehicle. around 60,000 miles the adjusters failed and the seat will jerk forward about an inch while doing any acceleration, then slide back about an inch. somewhere around 70,000 miles the front drivers seat started rocking back and forth, like it was not bolted to the floor boards properly. i have power seats. i took my durango in to have it looked at, at the dealership. i was told that they have seen a couple of vehicles with this same problem recently, and i was lucky mine would only cost 1,300 dollars to repair. other bigger vehicles cost more. is there a recall on this problem, and why is it happening so often in my vehicle, when it should not happen at all. why so much money? why is a safety factor not part of warranty. i have always had power seats, this is the first time they ever failed. not once, but twice.

After a tire blow out, i went to retrieve the spare only to find that it was gone. the spare in this vehicle is located under the rear of the vehicle, and is suspended by a cable that lowers from the trunk. when i check for the spare, i only found a 4 inch section of cable with a frayed end. it appears the cable had broken and the spare, with the alloy wheel, must have dropped to the ground at some point. i had no indication that this had happened, and could have caused an accident if someone behind me had hit the spare after it broke loose.

Oil pressure dropped, car stalled on major interstate. we had the car towed to our family mechanic. he could not repair because the dealer would not release parts. we had the car towed to the dealer and they told us that there was sludge in the engine and it needed a new engine. the engine has been replaced, but the car now runs very hot and they haven't been able to solve this problem yet (i'm sure sludge is building up again because of this). our hands were tied and had to have this repaired at the dealer. because of the mileage, the car was not covered under warranty. chrysler representative would not even give us the time of day

Upper ball joint failed at 35000 miles. *ak

Consumer experienced the engine light illuminating, shaking when braking at high speeds, steering noises and shifter popping in place. *ph also, consumer experienced noise in the rear end and transmission not shifting properly. dealer said the check engine light illuminated for no reason at all and was reset. consumer went to a different dealer and put a new computer because it's a small sensor in the emission control. engine light came on again and consumer brought vehicle to a dealer and said that it was safe to drive. consumer went to a different dealer because she wasn't comfortable with the opinion from the previous dealer. consumer was told by the dealer that it was the torque converter and it will take a week and a half to repair vehicle. in addition, consumer is experiencing problems with air conditioner. *la

While driving driver hit a pot hole and the front right tire popped off due to a broken upper right ball joint.*ak

In march of 2001 i bought a 2001 dodge durango 4x4 the first year was great , then despite the fact that i took my vehicle in evey 3000 mi. for whatever was manufacturer recommended maintenance , and the dealers 27 point inspection, the front brakes were suddenly completely shot and cost in excess of $450 to repair last june i believe , right after getting serviced and a front end alignment ,i drove to work , attempted to shut off vehicle, and it refused the engine sped up , the lights flashed , the gauges went wild, and it finally died. day after day they cept telling me they didnt know what the problem was ,after a week of being worked on the dealership informed me the starter had "gone" and it would be 24 to 48 hours before they could get one about the same time the front end started to make a strange grinding noise while backing up while turning....they still havent figured out this one.....but im wondering if it is a balljoint issue also after several of the regularly schedueled services i complained that there was fluid left on my driveway. i was told that it was run off from the frame of some of the old oil,....now after it is out of warranty,they finally found the leak....the power steering rack is leaking oh and i almost forgot, when i first got this vehicle, the left rear brake light didnt always work...after 4 or 5 attempts to get it repaired , i had a mechanic friend of mine look it over ...in less than 5 minutes he told me the contacts in the housing were defective ....i got the dealership to check into it and they replaced it and it has been fine ever since this vehicle has always had its manufacturers recommended services at the interval required , it was very expensive to buy , and to maintain, it only has 40,000 mi. on it , and looks great, but appearntly it is a money pitt and death trap all rolled into one!!

I have a 2001 dodge durango. on sunday april 4,2004 i hit a small pothole on the road and almost lost control of my vehicle and hit another car. it felt like the front end was going to fall off. i took the car to a dodge dealer here in provo utah. the upper and lower ball joints had to be replaced. the service department told me they were worn and were in bad shape.i have 48000 miles on my vehicle. this could have caused a serious crash. i won't say accident for both chryler and the government know of the problem and refuse to address the problem. get off your ass before someone gets killed!*ak

My ball joints and right contol arm have gone out again. on 12-6-02 i took my car into the dealership and they replaced my ignition switch and right control arm and hub bearings. no i have the same problem again and they do not want to help me with my problem. i just drive in the city. my ro # is 262789. it was a done at valencia dodge.*ak

Engine siezed and had to be replaced. oil pressure gauge dropped to zero so we changed out the oil pump and discovered sludge build up although the oil had been changed regularly. about 2 months later the engine locked completely. the sludge problem had clogged access to the front two pistons and eventually the locked completely.*ak

Vehicle makes horrible noises when making turns, or going over uneven road surfaces. feels and sounds. as if front end is going to fall off vehicle skips lanes slightly when hitting any kind of bump. vehicle has gone to dealer multiple times for same problems, which ends up with the sealer greasing up the suspension and finding nothing wrong. i feel uncomfortable driving the car knowing there is a slight chance that the wheel may fall off. *ak

Transmission will not shift into reverse. was told that the rear planitary gear is broken and need a new trans. car is only 3 years old with 55,000 miles. chrysler is looking into it to see if they will cover all or part of the repairs as the warranty expired at 36,000 miles.

A fire started under the center seat on passenger's side of the vehicle while driving at 25 mph. there were flames and heavy smoke. the vehicle was taken to the dealer. the cause of fire was unknown. *ak

As i was going down a counry road, for some unknown reason i lost control of my durango, went off the road and ran into a dirt/rock embankment. when pulling my durango back up on the road, found my tire was flat and the rim had split in half. in half like if you were holding it up on it's edge (not lying it down) and cut it in half. when i took it to the dealer ship and they had a representitive come out they said there was nothing they could do!!! i've talked to many people and mechanics and they said they have never seen anything like that. it's as almost as it was welded wrong. the crysler corp. would not help me in any way. i had to turn it into my insurance company. i still believe that there was something wrong with my durango. whether it be a faulty rim or possibly the ball joints. i've now been reading more and more about these durango and am still not satisfied with the crysler corp. s decision.*ak

While driving 5 mph consumer noticed vehicle pulling to the right. consumer stopped the vehicle, got out to inspect it, and noticed the right wheel separated from the control arm. vehicle was towed to a mechanic who determined that both control arms failed.*ak

I saw on t.v. that the dodge durango's were having problems with the lower front ball joint. my dealer, nethaway's, checked the ball joint's on my vehicle and they are abnormally worn for a vehicle with 63125 miles. i informed dodge of this problem, and received no assistance in correcting the same. *jb

Consumer complained about a ball joint problem. the tires are wearing out unevenly, and a wheel alignment is impossible until the ball joints have been replaced. *ak

Front end shook and pulled to the right when braking. this was due to the upper and lower ball joint being worn out. they needed to be replaced, per the dealership. *ak

I would like to file a claim regarding my 2001 dodge durango 4x4. i have experienced problems with the upper and lower ball joints on my durango. both the upper and lower ball joints were so worn out the truck would not go down the highway straight. the ball joints were both located on the passenger side. i have since had them replaced. the truck had only 59,000 miles on it. i feel this is premature wear and is a faulty design. i have seen the investigation on tv and feel this should be a recalled item. it has affected alot of vehicles from 1998-2003, why has no one forced a recall yet? this is clearly a safety issue, if the front wheels fly off, or you cant keep the vehicle going in a straight line, it is a safety issue and dodge should be forced to correct it immediatly.*ak

151 old farm rd. leominster, ma 01453 march 26, 2004 daimler-chrysler corporation po box 610207 port huron, mi 48061-0207 dear sirs: my father always told me, 'never buy a chrysler product.' however, a couple of years ago when looking for a mid-size suv with a third row i was tempted by the dodge durango. however, i kept hearing my father's voice, 'never buy&..' 'but' i thought, 'that was the 1950's. you don't see blue smoke pouring from the exhaust pipe of chrysler products anymore. surely in the 21st century chrysler products can compete with anything on the market. right?' so i relented and bought my first chrysler product"a well-styled dodge durango. i would prove my father wrong. well-----? after only 60,000 miles and a $2,000 repair bill i am now telling my sons, 'never buy a chrysler product.' what happened? at 60,000 miles i took my durango into my dealer for routine service and a state inspection. please try to imagine my shock when i got a phone call from the service manager informing me that the ball joints on my car were so dangerously worn, the car would not pass inspection. if i did not get it repaired they would have to red-flag the car because it was too dangerous to have on the highway. now really, who would want to drive a car that unsafe? i was relieved that the mechanic discovered it and possibly prevented a horrible accident. i had it fixed. totally worn out ball joints at only 60,000 miles? and that is when i heard my father's voice again, 'never buy a chrysler product.' sincerely, ian bothwell cc: national highway traffic safety administration. *ak

When driving at an undetermined speed oil light appeared on the dashboard, and then the vehicle stalled. consumer was able to drift to the side of the road. consumer restarted the vehicle, and drove it to dealership for inspection. the mechanic cleaned the oil trap and the problem cleared. *ak

When turning left or right front end of the makes a noise. consumer states that front wheel has play in it. can push the wheel in about three inches and outward three inches. driver believes itis related to the ball joints. *ak *nm

The consumer heard a noise coming from the front of the vehicle. the consumer was informed that the lower ball joints needed to be replaced per inspection of the dealership. *ak *sc *jb

While the consumer was driving down the highway, the ball joints broke, making it hard to steer vehicle. the consumer pulled to the shoulder, called a tow truck and had the vehicle towed to the dealer for repairs. the warranty expired and the consumer had to pay $1100.00 for repairs. *ak the front wheel(s) had come unattached while attempting to make a turn. *sc *jb

On january 2, 2004 an independent shop replaced the upper ball joints at the consumer's expense. *ak the consumer was informed that the wheel was about to fall off. *sc *jb

The vehicle's rotors warped prematurely. as a result the owner had to replace them every 8,000 miles the cause has yet to be determined. please provide any additional information. *nm

Premature wear on both front ball joints. right side upper and lower wore prematurely. left upper wore prematurely. seals were intact. vehicle has 40k miles. dodge durango 2001. *jb

Consumer had a tire blowout. took vehicle to dealer to have the tire repaired. mechanic repaired the tire, and determined that upper and lower ball joints on both sides needed replacement. *ak

The consumer had problems with the ball joints. the owner has already replaced the ball joints once and now they need replacing again. this vehicle was purchased new and had less than 30,000 miles. provide further details. *jb

Problems with lower ball joints, shocks, lower control arms, etc. *ph the front-end began to fail. the lower ball joints had degraded. the vehicle had to go back in for repairs due to the noise in the front-end, the repair shop assumed that the shocks were bad and replaced them which did not correct the noise. the lower control arms had to be replaced. the vehicle continued to experience problems. the consumer was informed that the upper control arms had to be replaced as well as the right side hub bearing. the window's plastic casing inside of the window completely broke in two pieces. the plastic was brittle. the consumer requested reimbursement for all the expenses incurred. the consumer also experienced unspecified problems with his 2000 dodge durango. *sc

While driving, the consumer says the front end felt loose. the upper ball were replaced but the steering wheel is hard to turn. please provide further details.

Owner of a 2001 durango slt & 2004 durango ltd. the 2001 durango had excessive wear on the ball joints at about 40k miles which required replacement in order to pass safety inspection. (front wheels were loose). the manufacturer did not cover the cost of replacement parts or labor.

When making a sharp left turn there is a popping noise in the front end. consumer feels it may be related to ball joint failure. *ak

Have replaced upper ball joints in our durango 4 times since purchasing it june 2001. *ak

When turning either direction the vehicle's front end produces a knocking noise. the cause has yet to be determined. please provide additional information.

When shifting gears vehicle produces a loud knocking noise. *ak

While making right hand turns consumer heard a loud noise coming from the front end. dealer informed consumer that the problem pertained to front upper ball joint failure. *ak

Rt frt upper ball joint failed @ 29,357 miles on 12/13/03. as of this date-3/4/04 left frt upper ball joint is failing & needs to be replaced. *jb

At any speed consumer can hear a clanking sound coming from the front end of the vehicle. also, when turning corners there is a clanking sound coming from the wheel area.*ak

We noticed a squeaking in the front-end while our 2001 dodge durango was under warranty. took to dodge dealership in brownfield, texas, and mechanic could not duplicate the sound. said we probably were hearing vibrations from cd's in the side-door pockets. car now has 60k miles, and over last 10k miles or so, have noticed four things 1) front end making popping sound, like a joint pop on your ankle or something and 2) when turning sharply, vehicle bounces like the wheel was out of round, 3) uneven wear on front tires, especially on left side, and 4) vehicle less stable when hitting bumps as steering tends to move back and forth. tried to get a mechanic to check last weekend in lubbock, but could not get vehicle into shop due to their workload. family member told us that durango's were on the news about what appears to be the same problem. we will be scheduling a visit with a dealership. i hope we don't lose a tire, as we are minimum of 30 miles from a dealership. the consumer took vehicle to a dealership and was informed that the upper and the upper control bushing needed to be replaced because they were worn. the next day after part were replaced there is still a popping and squeaking noise in the front end of the truck.

At 32120 miles dealership replaced all four ball joints, 10 months later, mechanic determined the need to replace all four ball joints again. *ak

There was a knocking noise that sounded like something was loose in the front end of the vehicle. the noise mostly occurred when vehicle went over a bump in the road. dealership performed a diagnostic test, but no failure code was found. *ak

I have a 2001 dodge durango. after seeing a report on the ball joints on tv i took my vehicle in to be checked. good thing i did because the right ball joint was about to break and had to be replaced. the left ball joint has some wear but was not replaced at this time. there is a definite problem and it needs to be addressed. *jb

When braking vehicle pulled to the right. vehicle was taken to an independent repair shop where the mechanic could not resolve the problem. also, vehicle was taken to the dealer, who found no problem. vehicle was aligned, balanced, and the tires were changed. *ak

Ball joints wore out at 45000 miles.*ak

Left upper ball joint needs to be replaced. *ak

When making a left turn heard a knocking noise from the front end. dealership serviced vehicle several times, but was unable to locate the cause of the noise. *ak

Bad ball joints on 2001 dodge duango

In january of this year, i was drivng my 2001 durango home from work and heard a "clunky" noise. thinking i had a flat tire, i stopped and looked and saw nothing. when i got home, my husband drove it around the block and thought it was the brakes. the next morning, he drove to mckinney dodge (about 10 miles on the freeway) and as he got off the freeway and pulled into their parking lot, the drivers side wheel turned completely sideways and broke, causing the vehicle to fall down on that side. i pulled into the parking lot a few minutes later and saw my vehicle with the wheel turned outwards and front end down on top of it. they fixed this under the extended warranty. this also caused the mag wheel to bend and the tire not to hold air, so we had to pay another $50 to have that fixed before we could even drive it. the service man had called me at work and told me how fortunate we were that my husband was not still on the freeway when this happened. the dodge dealership told us this was a very uncommon occurrence. i now feel that we were deceived by dodge trying to cover up this problem and worry about our daughter and grandchildren in their new 2003 durango. there should be a recall immediately and the problems should be corrected before people are killed. our durango had about 39,400 miles on it at the time.*ak

Consumer took vehicle to an independent repair shop for regular maintenance, and mechanic determined that lower and upper ball joints needed to be replaced at consumer's expense.*ak

While driving at 40 mph, the consumer heard a clanking sound coming from the front end. the vehicle has been to the dealer three times for this problem. the consumer felt that the ball joints wore out. the dealer examined the vehicle, but could not diagnose what was causing the noise. *ak the engine light had come on, the vacuum hose leaked, and there was a knocking noise in the rear compartment. it was later found that the rear door latch rattled due to internal damage. *sc *jb

Letter regarding daimler chrysler "investigation" with ball joints on the dodge durango suv and dakota pickup trucks. *ph the consumer experienced a problem with the ball joints on his vehicle. *jb

Vehicle makes noise when turning wheels. mechanic says ball joint is bad.

While driving on highway the front end started grinding. two miles down the road the left front wheel locked up and vehicle went into a skid. after safely maneuvering to the emergency lane the driver got out and found that the wheel had completely colapsed and would not turn at all. the vehicle was towed to a dodge dealership and upon inspection, it was found that the bearing had disintegrated. the inner ring of the inside bearing had seized to the spindle. the only thing holding the wheel on was the brake caliper. after replacing the drivers side assembly the dealership checked the passenger side and found it to be loose as well. it would have soon done the same thing. this vehicle only has 60k miles on it and this should not have happened. fortunately the driver was able to control the vehicle safely off the road, however it could have resulted in a roll over or worse, death. *ak

During a vehicle inspection it was found that the upper ball joints on the right side had to be replaced due to premature wear. *ak

When either turning the steering wheel to the right or left there would be a grinding or crunching noise coming from the front. noise could be heard when backing up or going forward. vehicle had not been taken to dealership to be checked out.*ak

While making a right or left turn with 4-wheel drive engaged steering wheel would become hard, binding or would lose power completely. *ak

2001 dodge durango; ball joint needed replacement at 27,000 miles.

Jan. 28, 2004 driving home from work in my 2001 dodge durango when my front seat was smoking and caught on fire. a short circuit on the connector under seat same thing that the 2001 dodge rams were recalled for.*ak

While making right hand turns consumer heard a clicking noise. took vehicle to two different dealerships at least 6 times. one dealership replaced the clock spring twice. the other dealership replaced the clock spring once. however, problem was not resolved. each time the mechanics indicated that clicking noise problem could not be heard or located. vehicle had been test driven by the mechanics with consumer in vehicle.*ak

The upper ball joints on my 2001 dodge durango failed and needed to be replaced at an expense of over $800.00. luckily for me and my family it was not a catastrophic failure when we were driving the vechile!! it was reported to the dealer who informed me it was happening alot to other owners and that no recall has been issued so there was nothing they could do.what, do several hundred people need to die first before anyone recognizes and fixes this problem!!?? this vechile only has less than 47,000 miles it at the time of repair and it is absolutely ridiculous that nothing has been done about this problem!!*ak

I bought my dodge durango in october 2002. i heard a clunking noise & felt like someone hit me from behind when i would stop. had checked at pontiac dealership where i bought it, they said there were no problems. i saw cbs news story on durangos and realized that the ball joints may be the issue with my vehicle, it still makes the same clunking noise, and i still feel the vehicle push forward when i am stopping my vehicle. on february 14th of this year, i was driving and lost my brakes, found out that the cylinders were bad. i will put this down as an incident, but the noise is still ongoing, and so far i haven't had an incident & would like to prevent one.

While driving 45 mph the tie rod on the front passenger side snapped. this caused the consumer to hit a guard rail. the consumer had the vehicle towed. please provide any additional information. *nm

Transmission will not engage while shifting the gears. consumer was able to drive the vehicle to the dealer for inspection, and mechanic determined that transmission needed to be replaced. *ak *mr

Clock spring failure-same sceanario as current nhtsa investigation involving daimler chrysler mini-vans. failure resulted in a non-warranty covered expense of $219.42 in parts and labor to replace clock spring.*ak

Consumer complained about upper and lower ball joints failure. this problem was diagnosed when the consumer took the vehicle to the dealer for an inspection. *ak the brake bulb light was replaced and the front shocks were replaced. *jb

While steering and turning a corner the steering wheel jerked. the driver was able to drive the vehicle to the dealer for analysis. the mechanic could not duplicate the problem. *nm

While driving 30 mph the consumer heard a loud bang and the vehicle collapsed on the driver side. the vehicle was towed to the dealer who informed the consumer that the upper ball joint wore out (pe 03-032 front susp upper ball joint). *nm ea03-023

I was sitting at a stop sign, the car in front of me pulled out into the path of an oncoming car. it swerved to avoid hitting her and his wheels locked to the right and his car turned onto the road i was on and he hit me almost head on at about 30 to 35 miles per hour. my steering rack in penion was broken, my radiator, radiator core, fan, both fan housings, grill, front left lights, driving lights, bumper, transmission line, and damage to inside of dashboard where my daughter's knees hit. airbags did not deploy!!*ak

Consumer read an article in the local newspaper about a nhtsa investigation of the air bag clock spring for a different model of vehicle. consumer wanted nhtsa to be aware that there were other vehicles experiencing the same problem. air bag light illuminated, and would not turn off. vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined that air bag clock spring had to be replaced. *ak

Front ball joint failure under normal driving conditions in the 2001 dodge durango vehicles. reported cases of failure causing accidents. manufacture problem, can't be corrected. ball joints can be replaced but it will fail agian. also dash lights fail without warning. several times brake lights and blinkers not working. pull fuse out- not blown. put back in and they work again for awhile. also, middle seat, seat belt not retracting properly for passengers. risk of bodily injury or death to passengers with all above cases.

Intermittently vehicle will not go into the proper gear. for example, consumer will place the gear into reverse and press the accelerator,but vehicle will go forward. vehicle was taken to the dealer, who informed the consumer that this was normal. *ak

While driving 35 mph vehicle was involved in a collision. upon impact neither of the frontal air bags deployed. no injuries were reported. *ak *nm

When applying brakes for a normal stop brake pedal pulsates and vehicle does not stop reliably.*ak

While parked, the vehicle's front end collapsed. the dealer stated the ball joints fell off the vehicle. please provide additional information. *jb ea03-023

My durango is always serviced when needed. oil is changed every 3000 miles or 3 months which ever comes first. last time it was taken to the dealership for service everything checked out ok. all of a sudden after 2,000 the transmission goes out. i called daimler chrysler to ask if it had a warranty they responded that the warranty was for 36,000 miles or 3 years. i have taken it to 2 mechanics and they have both said that i need a new transmission. when my durango was connected to the computer to see what the problem was it only indicated that it needed the speed sensors replaced, i did that and it still has the same problem. it shifts into 1st and 2nd gear but not into 3rd gear.

While driving steering wheel became loose. dealership informed the consumer that the problem was due to defective front upper ball joints. mechanic could not resolve the problem.*ak

While driving consumer heard a loud squeaking noise coming from the right rear ball joint. the dealerships mechanic was notified, but did not resolve the problem. *ak *nm

While driving on this day i slip on some snow and my 2001 durango lost control unexpectedly and slammed into a tree truck was towed to auto body shop and i was told that the ball joints on both sides of the vehicle where shot at 30000 miles and needed to be replaced immediately you guys please give me some feedback on this situation because chrysler daimler would not give me any information besides that the the ball joints on these vehicles are under investigation thank you very much michael nelson. *cb

The vehicle on this occasion started knocking and the check gauges light appeared. it stated i needed oil when i recently had an oil change. it then cut off. i took the vehicle to the dealer to find out that i needed a new engine supposedly due to sludge build up. i have had all oil changes and services performed. i even went as far as to have the 30,000 mile service done. previous problems include replacement of an air bag, rear window problems, air conditioner not working, noises while in reverse when parking, all in all also getting stuck in 4-hi. all in all they told me they would not replace my engine even with my chrysler warranty. the vehicle only has 42,000 miles. also had new ignition switch installed due to speedometer failure. *la

While driving 15 mph consumer heard a popping noise coming from underneath the vehicle. consumer took vehicle to the dealer for analysis, and mechanic noticed that the bushings of lower control arm needed to be replaced. *ak

Had to have upper ball joint replaced on my 2001 durango with 40,000 miles on it! his is way to early for such a vital part with the all the extreme risk involved with its failure. i heard their was problems with this part and my vehicle was starting to pull. i took it to a dealer and he would not even look at it to tell me if it was safe without charging me $80.00. bell tire repaired the vehicle after finding the fault during there front end inspection. *ak

Premature failure of ball joints on 2001 dodge durango costing approximately $700 in repairs. *la

I hit a car in front of me driving to work. the driver in front of me had already hit the car in front of him, when i realized that he had come to a complete stop, i wad driving about 30 miles per hr and hit my brakes, my durango slid and hit the car. i totaled the entire back end of the car i hit, and currently the damage to my truck is still climbing. my concern is that the impact was pretty hard and the damage is major, not including the driver i hit was complaining of neck, knee and back injuries. my concern is that my air bag did not deploy. luckily i was alone and my older children were not in the front seat. i substained minor injuries, however the policewoman who arrived at the seen was quite surprised that the air bag did not deploy and suggested that i look into to why. *cb

Known daimler chrysler issue (engine failure after low oil pressure) has occurred on my vehicle. i am in the 39 month of a 39 month lease and out of warranty. dealer wants me to pay for a new motor which will cost between $5000 and $8000. *cb

Transmission tends to slip, blowers for the front panel air and heat have not worked for almost a year. i went to a local tire store to have rims put on my durango and to get an alignment. the dealer would not let me leave unless i agreed to leave the suv there for immediate repairs to the bearings ball joint to the driver side front tire. he stated he had never seen a case that bad i he was surprised the suv had not flip over and the whole wheel had not come off. they are a good dependable company. a lady that works there was going to get a durango, but after i came in she change her mind and got a ford. now my suv is known as the infamous durango that would not make it home. they made bets that i would not make it home that afternoon without the bearing going out. i had them replaced myself the next day and an alignment still does help the pulling to the right. i have had 2 alignment within 3 months. *cb

My vehicle is pulling to the right ,i took it to curtis hughes doge,manteca, california.thought it would be a simple alignment.when i called for my vehicle they told me it needed the suspention ball joints replaced. they were on back order it would take about a week to get them in. i called back within the week the parts were in. i took my dodge durango in, later that afternoon, i phoned to see if the vehicle was ready to be picked up i was told there is a problem with the trucks steering. it was originally said to cost $885.00 for the ball joint repair job. the price has now shot up to $1800.00 for repairs. the truck only has 48000 miles on it. i am now told that these repairs are not under warranty. this is safety issue for me. my vehicle is usedto transport children daily,and it is unfair that i should have to pay these fee and very coincidental that the truck suddenly is having major problems immediately after the 36000 mile warranty has passed. around christmas 2003 there was a report on the news about recalling dodge durangos. this one needs to be recalled and fixed correctly and not at my expense. .

While the vehicle was being serviced, the dealership noticed ball joints wore out and needed replacement. *ak the ball joints were worn excessively and defective per dealer. *sc *jb

I have a 2001 dodge durango with a nudge over 50,000 miles. when i recently moved to va from fl i had to start getting vehicle inspections to get plates. i took my truck to a chevy dealer for the safety inspection and they said it was unsafe as the upper right ball joint was in horrible shape. i had heard some very loud popping when i turned the wheel and sometimes after turning, but never gave it much thought. i took the truck to a dodge dealer for the same inspection because i thought the chevy dealer may have just wanted to make some money on me. the dodge dealer replaced a few bulbs and said it was road ready, "safe." the other day my steering felt somewhat bound when i was driving so i pulled over to look and i was astonished to see that the chevy dealer was right. so is dodge willing to let someone die after a state mandated safety inspection to save a few dollars? *la

While driving the consumer heard a loud noise coming from the front end. the dealer determined that the ball joints wore out prematurely. the dealer replaced the upper arm and the ball joints. *nm

Front upper ball joints replaced on 2001 dodge durango (46,000 miles), and axel wheel bearings also replaced.*ak

Problems with vehicle's ball joints.*mr the consumer was told the front ball joints were worn out. *jb *nm

When driving over bumps vehicle shook. consumer took the vehicle to the dealership. mechanic noticed that the upper ball joint was wearing out prematurely. *ak

Pe 03-032, front suspension/upper ball joint failure: the upper ball joints wore out at 38,000 miles. *ak both right and left side were replaced. *sc *jb

A technician serviced the truck. the technician inspected the brakes and noticed that the brake rotors were fine but the brake pads were pitted. the vehicle has less then 30,000 miles on it. *nlm

The rack assembly and tie rod were wearing prematurely. as a result the vehicle's tires wobbled uncontrollably. *nlm the left inner tie rod end was bad and 1/4 play caused the vehicle to wonder all over the road. at different speeds, the left wheel would shake badly. the rack assembly was replaced to correct the problem. *sc *jb

The consumer took the vehicle in for inspection. the mechanic noticed that the front upper ball joints were wearing prematurely. the owner will have the dealership fix the upper ball joints. please provide any further details. *ph

I own a 2001 dodge durango and the upper and lower ball joints have gone bad on this vechicle under 40,000 miles. it is causing vehicle to sway right.*ak

2001 durango r/t. second failure of transmission (11/26/03) @ 35000 miles. handled by different dealerships and no one knows exactly why or how transmission is failing. rpm tachometer races between 100 - 800 rpm during driving conditions including load, light load, flat terrain, and occasionally down hill when driving of speeds greater than 45 mph in drive and overdrive. excessively hard clung when shifting between 1st and 2nd and between 2nd and 1st. 1st failure (2/6/02) was before pcm and transmission flash recalls @ 20000 miles. service manager insisted that this was a normal thing and his jeep did the same thing. after much convincing that i would prefer the opinion of a tech instead did they take the vehicle for repair. vehicle was kept for an additional week than what was promised for delivery. vehicle was kept in garage for the 2 weeks and when picked up all personal items, electronics, tire jack, etc was missing (~ $2700 worth) and accusing me of leaving my doors unlocked (did not quite understand his point and aurguement since it sat in the dealerships garage for the 2 week duration). since ... transmission does not always go into park and occasionally drive, verbally told not a big deal by dealership service manager due to the transmission being flashed. noticed vehicle surging with rpm increase after driving a while. oh, by the way, yea, the ball joints needed replaced at ~18000 miles too (10/2002)!*ak

Vehicle failed state inspection due to premature wear of upper and lower ball joints. prior to the inspection, the vehicle was serviced several times for front end noise by the dealership.*ak

Had to replace upper & lower ball joints in my 2001 durango after replacing prematurely worn out tires, dealer said it would cost close to $1,000 since i am 1,000 miles over my warranty. also had to replace power steering pump at a cost of $600 don't know if this is a result of the defective ball joints however. *ak

We have a 2001 dodge durango slt plus with the v-8 4.7 engine that has had a stalling or stuttering problem with the engine ever since we bought. several dealerships have looked at it and none of them have been able to fix the problem. i even brought it to the attention of the regional mgr at chrysler -mike oliver 443-745-8496. my wife is scared to death one day she is going to pull out into traffic with our children in the car and the vehicle will stall causing an accident.*ak

I was having difficulty making turns. i felt like my front left tire was going to come off when i would make turns. i immediately took my vehicle to my dealership. i was told that my left ball joint was bad and adviced not to drive my vehicle until i had the problem fixed. i was also told the part i needed was on a national backorder and they were unsure when it would be available. i was told that the problem i have with my vehicle is under investigation.*ak

Had to have upper ball joint and control arm bushing replaced. *ak

My 2001 dodge durango has been "clanking" in the front end for several months. after taking it to several mechanics and 2 dodge dealers, the problem has finally been diagnosed - bad control arm and lower ball joints. much to my dismay, this repair will cost over a thousand dollars. this vehicle only has miles on it, we are conservative drivers and try our best to maintain our cars. had this been the only problem with this vehicle i might not have contacted you - as it turns out, we have had problem after problem with this car, since becoming owners feb. 2002. i have been informed by our local dealer, chrysler customer service and several internet sites that this part has been faulty on many vehicles, and my car is not alone. as a result of dodge owners everywhere having similar problems, i have learned that this part may be deemed faulty and a recall may ensue as a result. i feel that this car is too "young" to be experiencing such major mechanical problems, and support a recall notice. apparently the joints separate and the wheel can "fall off" while the vehicle is in operation.....how dangerous! *ak

The owner was having problems while driving the vehicle. the vehicle was taken to the dealership. the mechanic informed the consumer, that the front upper ball joints were wearing prematurely. please provide additional information. *jb

I own a 2001 dodge durango. in 2002 i had to have the whole power steering rack and pump replaced. n september of this year i was informed the ball joints are bad. apparently they have prematurely worn out.*ak

The vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection of front end noise. the mechanic determined the front upper ball joints on the passenger side needed to be replaced. please provide vehicle identification number upon receipt of this complaint. *jb *ph

While driving 2001 dodge durango on a straight-away, up hill, the front wheels suddenly veered to the left, and driver lost control of truck, hitting telephone pole head-on, and totalling vehicle. *ak

The front suspension ball joint wore out prematurely on my 2001 dodge durango. *la

Car surges at about 55 mph. four dealers have looked at it and claim they do not understand it. *la

Transmission clunk at low speeds when automatic transmission shifts from second to third.

The upper ball joints wore out prematurely (pe 03-032, front suspension/upper ball joints). *ak the front end popped while making turns. *nm

With 51,000 miles on my 2001 dodge durango, i had to have the left front ball joints replaced at my expense. after speaking with an independent mechanic, he claimed that this premature wear is possible but not likely. *la

While driving at low speeds a loud grinding and thumping noises could be heard. the dealer determined that the upper ball joints were worn out and replaced the right upper control arm assembly. *ak the consumer stated with out having read the newspaper they would not have been aware of the problem. *cb *jb

2001 dodge durango has repeated transmission failures. over drive will engage by itself causing temperature light to come on after a period of time. i have spent over a 1000.00 form 6/2003 to 11/2003 for the same problem. *la

2001 dodge durango 35,000 miles purchased new from dealer defective ball- joint problem. *la

My durango is all over the road on bumpy surfaces and if you happen to hit a bump on a corner, it jumps across the road. the dealer put on new front shocks, but it did not correct the problem. i have not had a chance to return it again. *la

Front suspension, ball joint assembly wore out prematurely... before 30,000 miles.*ak

The upper ball joints were replaced due to premature wear. this caused the vehicle to shake while driving. *ak *jb

Have a 2001 durango with 48,000 miles. having ball joint problems as well. checked them and appear worn. will replace them before something bad happens. should last a lot longer than 48,000. *la

Dealer replaced upper and lower ball joints at 40,000 milles. *ak

We have a 2001 dodge durango and it has 52,953 miles on it and needs to have the front ball joints replaced. our mechanic tried to order the ball joints for this vehicle and they are on back order. the ball joints should not be going out on a vehicle with this low of miles. it is our primary vehicle and we have to drive it as is because the ball joints are on back order. *la

Consumer took vehicle to dealer for an oil change, and it was noticed that the ball joints on the right front wheel were in need of replacement.*ak *mr

Pe 03-032, front suspension/upper ball joint: the upper ball joint wore out prematurely. *ak the problem was noticed during maintenance. *scc *jb

Replacement of left upper ball joint, control arm and left outer tie rod at 47,000 due to premature wear. *la

Consumer was unable to start vehicle because key was stuck in the lock position in the ignition. the vehicle was towed. *ak

Steering is spongy and easily affected by road conditions. example: driving over an expansion joint in the road that is not perfectly perpendicular to direction of traffic will cause the steering wheel to turn, sending the vehicle off track. at highway speeds, the vehicle has actually changed lanes as a result of this phenomenon. while having the vehicle serviced, i have mentioned this every time to the service writer. upon completion of service i was told the same thing every time: this is normal steering for a durango. we noticed this shortly after the vehicle was purchased from redwood city dodge, in redwood city, ca. they also serviced the vehicle and told us the same thing as swift dodge. it's all hogwash: the vehicle isn't safe as this "failure" occurs every time the vehicle is driven. *la

Upon having the tires replaced, the dealership noticed that the front left upper ball joint was defective and needed to be replaced. the dealership was unable to replace the part due to a 800 back order. *ak *scc *jb

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 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

While driving at any speed automatic transmission doesn't shift properly, and makes loud noise. dealer notified. consumer had extended warranty. dealer won't take vehicle any more to dealer since he can't find anything wrong.*ak

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

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

When the steering wheel was turned there was a clicking noise. the consumer was told by the dealer that all four ball joints, upper and lower were bad. this vehicle always knocked. the dealer checked out the problem, but couldn't duplicate it. *ak the part had not been replaced. the consumer heard on the news a recall was in the making, but the dealer stated that they were unaware of any recall . *scc *jb

We purchased our 2001 dodge durango in dec. 2000. in march 2001, my husband returned to the fullerton dealership in ca to have the vehicle looked at due to prob. with the steering wheel on the freeway, when he hit bumps. they could not find a problem wtih the vehicle, advised him that it was just due to the los angeles freeways. we have taken the car in on several occasions due to it feeling wobly and unstable, we have been told time and time that we need wheel alingments. also, we were experiencing a prob. with the brakes reverbrating, only to be informed that it was part of the anti-lock brake system. yesterday, i was driving home and nearly hit a pedestrian and several vehichles because i lost control of the vehicle, the steering wheel was "off-center" and i was not able to control it. when i made a turn, specifically, left the steering wheel felt like it was skidding or hydroplanning. i recently had tires put ont he vehicle and a wheel alignment. it feels like my wheel on the left (driver's) side is going to fall off. i am having the vehicle towed to the dealer today. *ak

Consumer stated while traveling noticed vehicle would not change out of gear due to transmission slipping. *ak

2001 dodge durango, had routine visit to firestone tire to get new tires for the vehicle. the mechanic advised us that the vehicle needed both upper front ball joints, upper control arm remove and replace, control upper one side also lower control arm remove and replace ball joint, lower, both. he advised that on such a new vehicle this is a very uncommon occurence. he said he was unable to get the parts to repair, if he could he gave estimate to us $968.78 vehicle has not had an accident since its diagnosis. *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.

Advised by mechanic that ball joints are no good. *la

Passenger side front suspension failed.*ak

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

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

Consumer called complaining about having electrical problems with the integrated seats. children could not un lock the latches on the seats. also, windshield wiper motor went bad on a stormy day. dealer was contacted, and stated there was nothing that they could do.*ak

Vehicle has been pulling very hard right. i took the vehicle in for front end alignment and was told it couldn't be performed because of bad ball joints. the vehicle has only 44,000 miles on it and it appears there is a major problem with these ball joints as they are on back order all over the country.*ak

I had to prematurely replace the right upper ball joint and control arm on my 2001 dodge durango. the vehicle only had 42,000 miles on it when they were replaced. sounds like it was a good idea that i listened to the rattle and had it fixed before something tragic happened. *ak

2001 durango, 52000.00 miles had to replace ball joints at a cost of $587.00

Prior to 30,000 miles the 2001 dodge durango began to shake in the front end. the vehicle was taken back to the dealership where we were told that the brakes pads were like new but the rotors were warped significantly and could not be cut down to stop the shake. we were told that the problem is due to the heat not being able to be released from the brakes in the durango. this is our second durango and we did not experience such a problem with the first one. by reading articles and complaints by other dodge durango and dakota owners, this seems to be an all too common problem. it is my understanding that this repair/service is not covered under warranty. it is my belief that the problem resides with defective rotors put on these vehicles and these vehicles should be recalled for this problem due to the unsafe nature in which these brakes systems are wearing. *ph

While driving 35 mph the consumer lost control of the vehicle and was involved in a front end collision. upon impact none of the airbags deployed. *ak *nlm

Left rear leaf spring broke at 35mph after hitting minor chuckhole. upon impact with chuckhole, i heard loud pop and noise under vehicle. again i stress that this was a very minor chuckhole. the leaf spring could have been defective in some manor.

Ball joint had to be replaced. *jb

The brakes are ineffective when going from light braking to heavy braking for a panic stop without fully releasing the pedal first. the brakes will not grab enough for the abs to engage and give the impression that they have glazed over, despite full body weight on break pedal. the front pads have been changed twice, the rotors turned and brake fluid bleed. the condition can be repeated with both cold and hot brakes by slowing the vehicle down from 60 mph to 40 mph in 4-5 seconds then, without releasing the pedal, immediately attempt a full stop. symptom was demonstrated for dodge dealer service technician. they contacted dodge 'star' for support and was informed that 'this is a normal operating characteristic of the braking system due to pressure equalization in the master cylinder'. i have notified daimlerchrysler (file # 11617536) of my concern and am filing this complaint to bring larger attention to this potentially deadly condition. considering this engineering design, how safe is this 2.5 ton vehicle when fully loaded to 6400 gvwr or when towing?*ak

Right rear leaf spring broken at rear eye where shackle bolt goes through. no abusive action which should have caused breakage.

We own a 2001 dodge durango, no longer undfer warranty; however, it has been in for service for shaking and no one was able to find the problem. i do believe it is the ball joint problem. what is the manufacturer going to do about this to compensate the owners of these premature wearing of the ball joints? is there going to be a recall? also, what risk am i taking driving the durango the way it is? we have 3 year old son.*ak

Premature upper ball joint failure on 2001 dodge durango at approx 25,000 miles. i am a certified master school bus tech and became aware there is an investigation after reading a trade magazine. i thought i should report this. thank goodness it made a squeaking noise causing me to check the suspension and find the problem. i can see where this failure could be catastrophic to someone who does not pay attention to the warning signs. the vehicle was repaired properly and has been fine since. however, i feel there is a defect in the ball joints and they should be checked for cause of failure so a design / manufacturing upgrade can be implemented. a recall probably would be in order. this is not only an unfair expense for vehicle owners who's warranties have expired, but a safety hazard as well.

The brake system on my 2001 durango consistently has given me problems even after two changes on the pads. my durango only has 30,000 miles on it and i keep it up to date according to the manufacture. the paint job on the vehicle which was brand new has faded near the fender walls and the door jams. i love this vehicle but am disappointed with the quality of the most important things in a vehicle; overall appearance.*ak

Owner says the brake pedal has a delay, causing the vehicle to have extended stopping distance. consumer has made contact with the dealership. please provide any additional information. *ph

Consumer stated that while driving at 65 mph an 18 wheeler came toward her lane. consumer pressed the brakes to avoid the 18 wheeler and lost control of vehicle. vehicle rolled and flipped down an embankment, and the air bags did not deploy. consumer and two passengers were rushed to a hospital, where the consumer sustained back injuries. passenger sustained no injuries. *ak

Failure of upper ball joints on a 2001 dodge durango.*ak

Consumer called complaining about steering track rod. while driving at 40 mph vehicle started stalling, and could not control the vehicle.dealer was contacted, and stated that the problem was with the steering track rod, and that the vehicle failed mechanically. manufacturer was contacted, and stated that there was nothing they could do.*ak

I own a 2001 dodge durango that is in e.xcellent condition with approximately 50k miles. the clockspring that sits in the steering column has gone bad causing the airbag light to remain on rendering the airbag useless. it first started a couple of months ago only when turning the steering wheel to the right but has progessively gotten worse, to the point that it is on all of the time. *ak

One day while driving with my window down i heard squeaks when driving over small bumps, brought to the dealership and found out that my right front upper ball joint worn out and needs to replace ball joint/upper control arm and align front end ($500). my car was at 37000 mi!!! *nlm

Consumer brought vehicle in for routine oil change service. mechanic diagnosed excessive wear of the front suspension ball joints. failure of joints may result in wheel separation.

Consumer stated that the front upper ball joints have worn out completely. vehicle is in a repair shop at this moment for upper ball joint repairs.*ak

Vehicle stalls when going down a hill in four wheel low. this happened in winter causing passenger and i to spin out of control and crash into snow bank. dealer has looked at 4 times, replacing several parts and doing a complete tune up. chrysler has sent a tech up to look at it as well. the dealer nor chrysler can figure this out now they are claiming it is normal for the vehicle to do this. we have tested other dodge durangos and chysler vehicles in the same place and none of them do this. *ak

Leased 2001 dodge durango. 39k miles. driving down the road - no previous problems - "check gauges" light came on, oil pressure gauge dropped immediately from the middle to below the "l". within 30 seconds, it went back up to the middle. no further episodes that day. next day, intended to take to dealership to have it checked, drove less than 2 miles, "check gauges" light on again, oil pressure gauge again dropped, then engine shut off completely, while on highway. came to stop, turned key to off, then attempted to restart, no go. had car towed to sptg dodge, they claim engine seized and that there is oil sludge present. need to supply copies of all oil changes in order to see if they will replace the engine or not. since friday (today is monday) have found 100's of web sites reporting the exact same issues that i have/had. this car only has 39k miles and is less than 3 yrs old - what does this say about the quality of the chrysler/dodge product?*ak

Consumer noticed a pulsation from the front end of the vehicle. it was discovered the rotors were warped. *ak also the blower motor only worked on high. *jb

Consumer called complaining about the upper ball joints. also indicated that he is aware of the investigation that dodge has on the durangos. *ph

Consumer stated that while driving and without warning ball joints are wearing. dealer notified. *ak

When driving at normal speed on a straight way steering wheel suddenly turned right without movement from the driver. as a result, vehicle hit a light pole. *ak

While making a right turn main rear leaf spring broke. dealership indicated that although this was a common problem the cause had not yet been determined. also with the keys in the ignition, but not engaged , consumer was able to put vehicle in gear without the brake pedal being depressed. *ak

Consumer stated the vehicle was taken in for a routine inspection. the mechanic stated the upper ball joints were so bad that the vehicle was unsafe to drive. *ph the service dealer (g&g tire) warned the consumer that the upper left ball joint was worn then the consumer informed the dealer who actually replaced the part. *scc *jb

Consumer stated that the upper ball joints wore out. also while driving the vehicle pulls to the right and the faster the vehicle is moving the harder it pulls. *ph *ts

Consumer states that the upper ball joint is wearing out prematurely. dealer notified.*ak

*akconsumer states that the upper ball joint is failing. dealer notified.

Consumer states that the front suspension ball joint is wearing out prematurely. dealer notified.*ak

Lost control of 2001 dodge durango on broken arrow expressway between harvard and lewis , heading west there has been several times that this has happened, not all at the same location. i feel there is a problem with my dodge, and the road at this location is extremely bad. i called the highway dept. left a message but never heard back.

Severe pulsating occurs whenever brakes are applied.

While driving 65 mph the vehicle began to slow down. the consumer pulled to the side of the road and checked under the hood but didn't see anything that could have caused the problem. the consumer re-enter the vehicle and when he attempted to start the vehicle it only mad a click sound. the vehicle was towed to a technician who indicated the engine seized. *ak *cb *nlm

The control arm and ball joint experienced premature wear. *ak. the dealer refused to replace under warranty. the spark plugs were replaced. *jb

Control arms/ball joints on both sides of the front of the vehicle wore out prematurely. this includes both sets of upper and lower control arms/ball joints.

I have 2001 dodge durango and recently heard noises in the front end ,and the vehicle seems to skip across the road when going over bumps. in addition, the right side tires both front and back are wearing on the outside. the left side is wearing normally. while going over bumps, the steering wheel at times, is almost thrown out of your hands. vehicle also seems to be riding very rough than when first purchased. dealer inspected front end and claimed there were no problems.*ak

Vehicle lugs:nuts were too tight, causing the lug:nuts to snap off. dealer nhotified. *ak

Front upper ball joint wore out pemature causing very unsafe driving--had to replace. *ph

I have a 2001 dodge durango, and over the last few months i have noticed a problem with my front end. approx. 3-4 weeks ago i brought my truck into ntb for this to be checked. they sold me on new front brakes and rotors, front-end alignment, and tire rotation. this did not fix the issue. so last week, i brought the truck into pep boys, and was told that they thought the rack and pinion steering was bad, but needed to bring it into a dodge dealer. today i brought my truck into the local dodge dealer, and was told that it was my upper and lower ball joints. my vehicle only has 45,000, and every person i have spoken with has told me that this should have lasted for at least 100,000 miles. this should be another testament to an issue with the durango ball joints. i would also like to add that both the dealer and manufacture were not forthcoming with any information about the pending investigation, and very elusive when questioned.*ak

I have a 2001 dodge durango that had the upper control arm and lower ball joints wore out prematurely. the vehicle has 50599 miles. took the vehicle in to repair the a/c blower. the dealer called to tell me during the test drive, they heard popping noises in the front end. they checked the ball joints and control arms and found them to be out of tolerance and needed to be replaced. question why the took a "test drive" to check the a/c blower. i suspect they knew there was a problem with the ball joints and control arms on this model and wanted to have it corrected.*ak

Front suspension has wobble. front tires showed sign of wear on the outside edge within 18k miles. performed an alignment at 24000 miles. front end of the durango still has steering wheel wobble at 60 mph at 40k miles. issue seems similar to nhtsa action number pe03032. have not had the front end suspension looked at, and the car is out of warranty.*ak

On occasion when i am turning sharp the front suspension will pop. i have heard this sound ever since the vehicle was purchased (new). the service facility at the dodge dealer was unable to find anything wrong.*ak

Front wheel fell (from the ball joints to the tire) off our 2001 dodge durango causing the vehicle to crash into a curb. appeared to be faulty ball joint (area), chrysler investigated and said it wasn't faulty equipment. this seems to be a cover-up on chryslers part. people in my family could have died. the air bags did not deploy during this accident.*ak ea03-023

Consumer stated vehicle was out of alignment. vehicle was serviced, technician noticed ball joints needed to be replaced. *ak

Consumer states that shifter can be moved without pushing on the brake.*ak

Failure of upper ball-joint on passenger side of 2001 dodge durango.*ak

When the consumer turned the vehicle left or right, there was a noise which came from the front wheels. the dealer replaced the front hub bearings and re-torqued the upper and lower control arms. *ak *jb

Consumer states while traveling at 60 mph, consumer hit a dip in the road, lost control of vehicle, and hit a wall. upon impact, none of the air bags went off. *ak both airbags deployed tow truck driver informed consumer that the tie rod end failed to cause such accident. *ts

Front tires started wearing excessivey on the outer edge with less than 2000 miles on vehicle accompanied by hard pulling to the right. vehicle has been to taken to two different dealers with minimal results. it was first diagnosed as an alingment problem, dealer supposedly aligned vehicle to factory specs. the second visit i was told the spring isolators were misaligned (realigned isolators and front end). "complaints about service and continuos problems addressed to service manager". i was offered a free oil change as compensation. third visit was to different dealer who identified the problem as worn right front upper ball joint (replaced parts). vehicle was taken in again recently at 36000 miles with excessive tire wear and uncontrollable pull to the right. dealer stated that the goodyear ls tires were the problem since they are only a 30,000 mile tire and cross rotated the lt. and rt. front tires as a fix. i immediately followed up with a visit to the local goodyear dealer and the first suggestion was i get a front end alignment and told me that the goodyear tires on the vehicle are 40,000 mile plus. all problems have all occured during the warranty period. additionally i called chrysler to inquire about noted problems and was told they had not received any complaints or history of front end problems with durangos. i did request to start a customer problem file and expressed my concern about both dealerships reluctance to provide quality service for warranty work. finally, when driving over a bump at any speed vehicle is hard to control, the vehicle will becomes very unstable and bounces to left or right.

Noise in front left suspension of our 2001 durango with only 25,000 miles. took to dealer, first they said they were replacing tie-rod then they replaced the ball joint. @ weeks after the repair, car making same noise.*ak

40,000 miles and the ball joints are completely worn out. also had to put a new steering rack on. ball joints make popping sound and steering is jumpy causing the vehicle to veer in unpredictable directions. chrysler won't stand behind and wants $$$ to fix. doesn't seem that ball joints should wear so quickly. *ak

Upper ball joint failure caused premature wear of all 4 tires, which needed replacement, per mechanic.*ak

Premature failure of steering column at 39,000 miles. steering column noise necessitated replacement of steering column.*ak

The upper and lower ball joints failed at only 33966 miles. the consumer had read of many other deranges having the same problem. the dealer replaced the upper joints but not the lower joints. *ph *ak *jb

The consumer stated that when the brakes were applied the vehicle experienced extended stopping distance when on a dry pavement. this occurred twice in a two month period. the antilock brakes didn't engage. *ak *cb *nlm

When the brakes are applied quickly and hard, pedal will only go half way as if something is blocking them and the brakes did not grab. they seemed to glide or slide as if glazed no matter how much pressure is applied. however when you take your foot off of the brakes and press them again,the brakes will grab hard causing the wheels to lock up. this has happened a couple of times with an accident resulting one time. no injuries but a lot of messed up nerves as my family was with me. after some research and the ability to repeat on command, i've decided to file a complaint in hopes that dodge will issue some sort of recall for a thorough inspection and repair. this is very dangerous and makes the durango a danger to drive knowing i may or may not lock up the brakes causing loss of control even though i have abs and anti-skid differential. please investigate and reply. my insurance company is supposedly investigating for me but i have not heard a word. please advise me on the best course of action. thank you.*ak

Intermittently brakes lock up while driving causing steering wheel and vehicle to shudder excessively, almost resulting in a collision.*ak

Consumer stated that while driving and without warning the engine blew, causing the consumer to pullover. dealer notified.*ak

Windshield glass contains ripples in the operators line of sight causing an obstructed view. we recently purchased this vehicle. *jb

Upper and lower ball jointproblems. vehicle was taken in to the dealer, and she was told that she should not be driving the vehicle. manufacturer was contacted, and stated that they had no other complaints but they were willing to split the charges.*ak

Both rear leaf spring assemblies broke. *jb *scc *jb

When the brakes were depressed suddenly or hard they would not hold and the vehicle would skid. the abs drums were warped but the pads were not worn per the dealership. *nlm. *ak

The vehicle experienced the same defect as nhtsa recall # 03v-078000 which was related to the steering column electrical connection. the consumers vehicle was not included in the recall due to vin. *nlm

While traveling on the highway and without prior warning vehicle was overheating and clogged up. dealer was aware of problem. please fill in additional information. *ak

A faulty wiring harness caused the turn signals and hazard lights to out without warning. *nlm *scc *jb

Gen 3 seat belt buckle. i have a concern about this seat belt buckle. if this buckle is so safe why did they stop putting it in the front of my vehicle? children ride in the back and can easily unhook them selves and causing a hazard. aren't we suppose to do all we can to keep our children safe. i pride my self on how tight i put my car seats in and know i find out the buckle use to secure the seats aren't safe enough to keep in the front. my son can barely reach the buckle while he is in his booster and unhooked himself very easy. my son has a hard time usually with things that he has to push in. if i would have known this about my durango i wouldn't have wasted $34,000 on a vehicle that won't keep my child safe. what can i do to replace these buckles? please help! i don't want to have to trade my car in over a seat belt buckle. *nlm

Rough idle. the vehicle idles low causing a very rough idle. does not happen when defrost or a/c is used because they automatically bump idle up. spent many many hours at dealer with them admitting a problem but unable to fix the problem. does not idle like a 30,000 dollar vehicle. dodge has lost a future customer. *jb

The vehicle was involved in a front end collision traveling approximately 30 mph. neither the driver nor passenger air bags deployed. *nlm

When the consumer attempted to apply the brakes the pedal went to the floor and the vehicle experienced extended stopping distance. *nlm

The vehicles right rear wheel lug nuts came off which caused the wheel to disconnect from the vehicle while driving. *nlm

The vehicle was taken in for repairs due to an accident. the mechanic working on the vehicle called the consumer and stated there was an engine problem not related to the accident. the engine had to be replaced. *jb

Sudden acceleration.

I would like to file a complaint regarding front bakes and rotors on a 2001 dodge durango. the vehicle has approximately. 23500 miles and the rotors are in pretty bad shape. when i apply the brakes i get a pretty bad vibration in the pedal and the vehicle does not stop very well. i spoke with chrysler and they informed me the rotors and brakes were considered wear parts and were not covered by the warranty. i have done some investigating and found this appears to be a common problem. i would like to file a complaint so that maybe chrysler will try to rectify this problem. *jb

Wife drove forward into a parking space. shifted to reverse (automatic electronic transmission) and backed up to straighten vehicle. shifted to drive. applied gas, and vehicle continued in reverse. backed into curb and mailbox, shifted into 2nd. vehicle continued in reverse, shifted into 1st. vehicle continued in reverse, shut motor off and restarted vehicle. everything back to normal. dealer tested vehicle and could find no fault. comment on invoice was "npf road tested checked with drb no codes 185 ly, long lic#2069. scc *nlm **dimsii ivoq entry posted after 12/12/02 cut-over to artemis*746430

2001 dodge durango has engine failure. daimler chrysler will not cover the costs to have a new engine put in my vehicle. oil sludge problem and they are saying it's due to lack of maintenance. the vehicle has 26,000 miles and i have emails and complaints from hundreds of other individuals with the same complaints.

The airbags failed to deploy, when the vehicle hit a tree.*jb

While driving at 45 mph consumer was involved in a head on collision, airbags did not deploy. dealer contacted. please provide additional information. ts *dt

Gear shift moves into gear without depressing the brake pedal. gear shift lever sticks out past steering wheel in front of ac and radio controls and is easly knocked into gear.

I own a 2001 dodge durango rt in which i have been complaining to the service department of the dealership since taking ownership of the vehicle in october 22, 2001 that the steering was not aligned or did not feel right to drive. they claimed everything was ok. on january 23, 2003 i went in for routine oilchange and check up with the same complaint. now they say that the truck is not drivable and needs a new rack and pinion. can you check if this is a continuos complaint about these trucks.

The air condition blow out hot air not cold air causing problem. dealership is aware of problem. ts

The consumer stated that he had more than one complaint about the vehicle. the dashboard panel peel and the debre is hazardous material. ts

Ts

The air condition will not blow out cool air. please fill in additional information dealer is aware of the problem. ts

While traveling on the highway without prior warning. the vehicle will stall and vibrate and will not restart. please fill in additional information dealer is aware of the problem. ts

Consumer states having problems with ignition switch as other key can start her engine . dealer was contacted. mr

Ash tray poorly located. no light in or around the ash tray.

Consumer stated that when they use the turn signal the hazards lights would come on causing a distraction to the consumer. dealer notified. mr

Consumer state while five year old child was pass through front to back seat with vehicle running child pants leg pull gear shift into drive causing vehicle to run into garage without depressing the brake pedal. please provide further information. ts

When the gear shift lever was in drive it blocked the controls for the rear wiper and fan controls. the dealer has been notified. *mr *nlm

Consumer states, vehicle will vibrate when applying the brakes. dealer was notified and replaced the front pads twice. consumer believes, the rotors are the problem.*jb

While at a stop light another vehicle hit consumer in the rear, both passenger's side and driver's side seatbacks fell backwards. since the incident passenger's side seat does not work properly, seat won't come all the way up. *ak there were 2 injuries.*jb

Computer didn't recognize the switch to start vehicle. dealer has been notified ,and they changed electronic shift transport case, and the problem is still reoccurring.*ak *jb

Having problem with reverse gear. the consumer was unable to place the vehicle in reverse. dealer notified.*ak the consumer stated when the gear was placed in reverse, the vehicle did not move, it only revved. the gear had to be placed into park and then reverse to get the vehicle to move. the vehicle also went into neutral on its own while the consumer was driving. *jb *nm

When engine is on and in park, consumer is able to move into any gear without pressing the brakes. *ak consumer called chrysler corporation to complain. they would not take the complaint. consumer advised consumer to be careful not to accidentally hit the gear shift when the vehicle was on. *jg

Key was in ignition while engine was turned off and child shifted vehicle out of park into drive without depressing brakes, causing vehicle to roll. please provide further information.*ak

Gear shift mechanism engages without pressing foot on brake. a small child was able to put into gear. consumer feels this is very dangerous. *ak *scc

Consumer's vehicle was struck on driver's door and forced into a unity pole. upon impact, neither air bag deployed. dealer was notified. *ak *tt driver sustained minor injuries. *tt

Intermittently, radio will go out, electric door locks and power windows will not work. dealer cannot find cause. *ak dealer found the ignition switch was bad and had it replaced. *slc

Windshield wipers suddenly stopped working while driving in heavy rain. vehicle at dealership at this time.*akwith the windsheild wipers inoperable, making it impossible to exit off the road. the dealer informed consumer the problem is with the ignition switch. it was replaced. *jg

While depressing brake pedal, backing vehicle out, it started to travel fast due to gas pedal and brake pedal being too close to each other please provide further information.*ak

After vehicle sits for a while and when starting, it makes a loud noise. does not have full acceleration power. will not pull. took to dealer, and dealer indicated problem was the fan. *ak dealer has replaced the air conditioner compressor and added insulation between the firewall and air conditioner, however noises and lack of power still exists. *slc

Consumer was involved in collision due to rusted front axle. as a result, front axle completely broke off the tire. *ak

Transmission slips out of gear while driving 35-40 mph, when in reverse it will shift to neutral. dealer replaced transmission range sensor, tcm and quicklearn. on 30 april 2002 at 5 mph transmission slipped from drive to neutral.*jb