CarComplaints.com Notes: The second generation Durango was introduced in 2004 and instantly came under fire for, well, catching on fire.

From 2004-2006 electrical overloading in the driver's side instrument panel caused numerous reports of interior fires. The interior infernos became so commonplace that Chrysler eventually issued a recall.

The problems didn't stop there, however. Owners of the recalled vehicles complained about being treated unfairly and given take-it-or-leave-it low ball settlement offers. "They offered me $2000 under NADA retail as a settlement," said one owner, "and have been rude and hostile to deal with." Nothing says awesome service like treating your customers rudely after their cars have caught on fire.

Have we mentioned all the reports of complete engine failure due to oil sludge?

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
70,203 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2004 Dodge Durango body / paint problems

body / paint problem

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2004 Dodge Durango Owner Comments

problem #13

Oct 142014

Durango

  • 140,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Rain poured through the wiper cowl and saturated the engine causing it to hydro-lock and blow a rod. This is just one of thousands of complaints about this vehicle. This is obviously a very dangerous manufacturer defect and no one is doing anything about it. Is the government waiting for more people to be killed on the highways due to this? please advise if something is being done about this. Thank you in advance for your assistance.

- Palm Bay, FL, USA

problem #12

Aug 152014

Durango

  • 123,000 miles
What can I say... Dodge clearly has a design flaw in which water from rain, ect... leaks onto engine and electrical components slowly causing the death of vehicle with a dying motor and electrical problems. Water pours onto engine right down from the windshield. Who designs this crap!!!! I used the best oils and now this is what I have as a rewards from Dodge for my maintenance.

- Smithtown, NY, USA

problem #11

Nov 292013

Durango 8-cyl

  • 120,000 miles
Water got into cylinder and bent rod. My understanding is this is a common issue with the 2004 Durango hemi due to design issue of water draining around the engine. Required rebuild or new engine. Unacceptable for a well maintained engine to have this occur, much less, repeatedly occur for many vehicles.

- Albemarle , NC, USA

problem #10

Oct 092013

Durango 8-cyl

  • 101,763 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

My truck was parked in the driveway, it was raining and then the lights started flickering without the keys being in the ignition. I tried to move the truck to the inside of the garage and the smoke came out of the hood and from under the dash. I turned the truck off and the engine remained running, we had to call the fire department because it was smoking and the keys were off. The fire department came and removed the battery and said it may be a short when it rained. The truck is in the garage I cant drive it when it rains because water goes in to the truck from the front I can actually see water leaking into the floor. I owned the truck for 3 years and never had this problem until it reached 100,000 miles.

- Aurora, IL, USA

problem #9

Jul 012013

Durango 8-cyl

  • 122,226 miles
Vehicle was running fine until storm came through dumping continuous rain on vehicle. I went to move the vehicle later that day and noticed standing water on drivers side floorboard/carpet. It was soaked! I went to start the engine it didn't respond initially so I turned ignition backwards (off direction) and tried to restart. At that moment it started very rough and made a loud noise from the engine and continually does so whenever it is started now. I can't and don't drive it. Looking closer under the hood apparently water is getting inside the engine compartment when it rains. The black material lining under the hood was soaked also. On the engine there were water droplets and most components of the engine had dried water marks/streaks throughout the compartment.

- Salem, VA, USA

problem #8

Mar 012012

Durango

  • 77,000 miles
Noticed over the past few years water when it rains that it is accumulating on top of the engine. Noticed the engine felt like it had a miss fire on a cylinder. Seal from windshield cowl is no longer making a positive seal and water is dripping down onto the top of the engine and also into the spark plugs. Using you tube there have been numerous complaints of this issue which in turn has resulted in what is called hyro-loc of the engine which is causing push rods to break and causing the engine to completely fail, as in my case pushing a rod thru the block of the engine spilling oil out on to the street. Shutting down the engine loosing all power to steer and control vehicle. Luckily I was not on a main highway traveling at 60mph as this could have been as disastrous accident.there should be some type of recall on the water problem and this engine catastrophe resulting form this problem, as of today Dodge/Chrysler has no known issue of this sort, which is hard to believe. Please notify me of any information regarding these issues and any possible class action suits that may be pending.

- Philadelphia , PA, USA

problem #7

Nov 012005

Durango

  • 80,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2004 Dodge Durango. The contact stated that while driving approximately 70 mph, she noticed a burning odor and smoke started pouring into the vehicle. She mentioned that the failure happened as a result of the rain leaking into the computer panel and wires. The contact stated that before the failure occurred, the vehicle was inspected for recall 07V092000 (electrical system: Instrument panel) and the mechanic stated that it was not necessary to applied the remedy since it did not qualify. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who stated that the vehicle needed new spark plugs. The remedy did not repair the failure and the contact had to take the vehicle back to dealer who was unable to diagnose the failure. A reservoir was installed which repaired the failure temporarily. The failure occurred again due to water leaking into the hood and damaging a coil located near the battery. The manufacturer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 80,000 and current mileage was 140,000.

- Bonita Springs , FL, USA

problem #6

Mar 082008

Durango

  • 81,000 miles
Driving down the road at normal highway speeds, if the rear windows are rolled down the car begins to shake violently to the point where the doors feel as if they are going to be pulled off. The first time this happened was about 1 mth after I bought the car while driving down the road, it took me by surprise and I was almost in an accident because of its severity. I have contacted Dodge and nothing is being done about it.

- Granite City, IL, USA

problem #5

Sep 282007

Durango 4WD 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 65,554 miles
2004 Dodge Durango slt. Water leaking into junction block. Possible wire harness damage maybe more damage. Not sure where water is leaking in. This cost to much to find out and fix. Vehicle is still in the shop.

- Cicero, NY, USA

problem #4

Nov 192004

Durango 8-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 1,100 miles
Electrical problem developed due to front windshield not being installed properly at time of manufacturing

- Old Bridge, NJ, USA

problem #3

Jul 302005

Durango 8-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2004 Dodge Durango. The contact states that there is a blind spot on the driver's side and passenger side of the vehicle. She noticed the blind spot a couple of months ago when she almost hit another vehicle. Also, the contact almost hit someone crossing in a cross walk because she could not see the person. The consumer did not notice this when she first purchased the vehicle. The consumer has not contacted the dealership or the manufacturer of the vehicle.

- West Covina, CA, USA

problem #2

Jul 152004

Durango 8-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 1,000 miles
When the rear power windows are down the wind is so loud that it irritates the occupant's ear. The vehicle also vibrates when rear windows are down.

- Chapmanville, WV, USA

problem #1

Jun 102004

Durango 8-cyl

  • miles
Dodge Durango 2004 St I just bought this model new off the floor and there is a manufacturer's defect on the design. If you are driving with the back window/windows down and the front up, there is a pulsating pressure from airflow that makes your eardrums feel like they are going to pop. Cannot drive this vehicle without affecting the health of your ears unless all windows are up, or the front windows are cracked when the back windows are down.

- Lakeside, CA, USA

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