2.3

hardly worth mentioning
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
66,396 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.

2001 Dodge Durango engine problems

engine problem

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2001 Dodge Durango Owner Comments

problem #19

Jul 012011

Durango

  • 127,000 miles

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

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.

- Ackrin, OH, USA

problem #18

Apr 012011

Durango

  • 128,000 miles
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.

- Virginia Beach, VA, USA

problem #17

Nov 012009

Durango

  • 103,000 miles
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.

- Deerfield Beach, FL, USA

problem #16

Aug 012007

Durango 6-cyl

  • 95,000 miles

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

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.

- Chandler, AZ, USA

problem #15

Nov 012007

Durango 8-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 102,000 miles
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 updated 08/12/08

- Fayetteville, NC, USA

problem #14

Jan 172008

Durango 4WD 8-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 146,160 miles
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.

- Topeks, KS, USA

problem #13

Apr 062007

Durango 4WD 8-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 69,000 miles

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

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.

- Redondo Beach, CA, USA

problem #12

Aug 032003

Durango 8-cyl

  • 64,000 miles
2001 Dodge Durango upper ball joints were corroded. The consumer received a recall letter after she had already experienced the failure. With only 64,000 miles on the vehicle, the engine failed.

- Mooresville, NC, USA

problem #11

Jun 152006

Durango 4WD 8-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 82,000 miles
: 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.

- Vallejo, CA, USA

problem #10

May 262006

Durango 8-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 56,765 miles
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.

- Salem, OR, USA

problem #9

Apr 102004

Durango 8-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 63,000 miles

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

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".

- Cumming, GA, USA

problem #8

May 142005

Durango 4WD 8-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • miles
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.

- Va Beach, VA, USA

problem #7

Oct 152003

Durango

  • Automatic transmission
  • 48,598 miles
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 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

- Gregory, MI, USA

problem #6

Feb 152003

Durango

  • Automatic transmission
  • 56,000 miles
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

- Winder, GA, USA

problem #5

Feb 122004

Durango

  • miles
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.

- Chalmette, LA, USA

problem #4

Feb 102003

Durango 8-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 56,000 miles
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 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.

- Winder, GA, USA

problem #3

Aug 152003

Durango

  • Automatic transmission
  • 39,000 miles
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?

- Greer, SC, USA

problem #2

Mar 312003

(reported on)

Durango

  • miles
Sudden acceleration.

- Roswell, GA, USA

problem #1

Feb 142003

Durango 4WD 8-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 26,000 miles
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.

- Warren, MI, USA

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