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.
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.
Went out to start vehicle in the morning and it would not crank over. Tried several times, it was raining at the time. Left vehicle for a few hours, returned later to start and loud clunk coming from motor. Lifted hood and found intake to be totally covered in water. Water was flowing down windshield and directly over top of motor. Upon inspection connecting rod was broken due to hydro locking. Apparently this is a prominent issue with this model. Engine needs to be replaced.
The contact owns a 2004 Dodge Durango. The contact stated that while parked, the hydro extension cylinder became fractured. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 111,000.
Daughter was driving vehicle on the highway. Vehicle started shaking and then made loud noise like a hammer hitting engine, then started smoking white smoke coming from the engine. Vehicle quit running. Daughter was able to get to the shoulder. Tried starting again and engine was running very rough, smelled like electrical burn and blowing white smoke. Shut off engine and had vehicle towed. Mechanic stated engine has to be replaced. Having vehicle towed to Dodge dealer for second opinion.
As I was driving down the street in light rain my 2004 Dodge Durango begin to shake and stall. As I came to a stop I recall the SUV smoking. I stop the SUV immediately and could tell the smoke was coming from under the hood. I notified my mechanic and had the truck towed to the shop where he told me the cowl panel was allowing water to leak onto my engine which would cause water to get into my intake that would result into a blown engine. I notified Chrysler/Dodge to no avail they act as if they have never heard of the issue, which is surely incorrect because of all the post of people would common issues with there Dodge Durango. This should definitely be a recall.
The contact owns a 2004 Dodge Durango. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start on the first attempt. The failure recurred several times. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 100,000.
- Kansas City, KS, USA
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We have kept this Durango in immaculate shape and have consistently done of the recommended upkeep on the vehicle. We change the oil every 3,000 miles. I was driving down the road going approximately 50 miles per hour when without warning the engine just started making a loud noise. It was dangerous because I had nowhere to pull over and had to continue approximately 1 mile before I could get to a shoulder and behind me were multiple vehicles. Underneath the vehicle was oil. The mechanic says that there is a hole in the engine and it is completely blown-catastrophic. Engine failure that will cost $6000 to replace. Although we have used the vehicle for 10 years, we have barely put 12000 miles per year on it. After some research on the internet we found out that there hundreds if not thousands of other similar complaints on this engine, many of them probably unreported to the NHTSA. The '05 and later models do not show anywhere near a similar amount of engine failure complaints. I would have to believe that there have. We are disgusted and would like someone to look into this-a class action lawsuit.
The contact owns a 2004 Dodge Durango. While driving 40 mph, the contact heard a banging noise coming from the vehicle and the engine completely shut off without warning. The vehicle restarted and was towed to an independent mechanic. The technician diagnosed that the engine was faulty. The vehicle was not repaired and the manufacturer was not notified. The approximate failure mileage was 130,000. The VIN was unavailable.
Tried to start my truck and all I am hearing is loud knocking. No notice of anything being wrong! according to all the research I have done to figure out what the sound is, it is most likely the hydrolock problem that Chrysler is aware of. I am lucky that this did not happen when I was driving, or someone could have gotten seriously hurt or killed. Is that what Chrysler is waiting for before something is done? if we would have known this issue was even possible of happening we may have been able to prevent it by fixing the seal. Now we have a vehicle that looks pretty, but is undrivable, and can't afford to fix it.
Had just fixed the sensors on the truck, put new battery and new tires. Totaling over $1200. Driving through unavoidable puddles on the highway, during a heavy rain in my area of 4.5 inches. Parked the car in my driveway and went to start it the next morning and heard this very loud grinding. Had the car towed. Diagnosis: Engine hydrolock. Apparently Dodge has known of this problem as I see thousands of complaints on youtube and similar sites. A $130 part could've prevented this from happening but we were never notified of the problem. Not sure what to do at this point. Dodge refusing to help and insurance saying it is a known defect so they won't cover it either.
The contact owns a 2004 Dodge Durango. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 30 mph, the vehicle started shaking and stalled without warning. In addition, the contact smelled a burning odor and saw smoke coming from the front of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 132,000.
The contact owns a 2004 Dodge Durango. The contact stated that when the vehicle was started, there was an abnormal noise coming from the engine area. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 111,000.
The contact owns a 2004 Dodge Durango. The contact stated that when attempting to start the vehicle, there was a ticking noise coming from the vehicle. In addition, there was another abnormal noise coming from the passenger side of the vehicle. The failure occurred on numerous occasions. The vehicle was taken to a private mechanic where the diagnostic testing results were unknown. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 94,000.
The contact owns a 2004 Dodge Durango. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 35 mph, there was an abnormal noise coming from the vehicle. The failure recurred multiple times. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the pulley and timing belt were replaced but the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the piston blew out. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 179,000.
I continue to have engine failure. The vehicle continues to die when making a turn, or low speed. I have done several things to fix this. Changed the battery, oil changes, radiator flush. Please advise on what I need to do to get this fixed. There isn't any codes on the check engine computer.
I have a 2004 Dodge Durango limited with a 5.7 hemi engine. We had a heavy rain storm at night and the next morning I went to start up the car and heard a loud noise in the engine upon start up followed by a loud knocking noise from the engine. Had to get it towed to a shop where they discovered rain water seeped into the cylinder which blew the rod and pistons due to the heavy rain water coming down the windshield and sitting on top of the engine overnight. I still owe $7000 on the loan and needs a new engine. Now Dodge knows about the flaw and will not back up there bad design flaw and fix my engine. So I have no car and a $7000 balance left I have to still pay. Dodge should replace my engine since their design caused it to blow up in the first place >>>please help don't let Dodge get away with not fixing their mistake and now I have no car and have to walk to work or take the bus plus I have to pay NY car loan $7000 balance...is there any justice !!
The contact owns a 2004 Dodge Durango. After the vehicle was parked for a prolonged period of time, the contact attempted to restart the vehicle. The engine started to knock violently. The contact immediately shut off the vehicle and it was never restarted. The vehicle was not diagnosed. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 90,000.
Was driving and my engine was making knocking noises, but no check engine light, and then as I accelerated, my engine made a loud bang and my check engine light came on.smoke was flying out my tail pipe and my car started to shake.
While driving at highway speed in rain, the vehicle began making a loud, almost rough roaring sound and the vehicle started sputtering as if it were going to stall. After taking an exit to investigate, the vehicle died and took multiple attempts to restart. This has happened multiple times while driving and vehicle dies in auto car washes. After reading similar posts about this problem, I'm extremely concerned this could cause a crash with a high potential of death for me, my passengers and others that may become involved.
The contact owns a 2004 Dodge Durango. While driving during inclement weather, the vehicle hesitated to drive on multiple occasions without warning. Also, the vehicle failed to start occasionally. The contact was a mechanic and diagnosed that water seeped into the motor and caused the motor to fail. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 96,000.
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.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Mckinney, TX, USA