First off I would like to say my Dodge Durango SLT+ has been pretty reliable for about 12 years it is my daily driver just until recently when some issues cropped up...during the summer in 2010 it would crank up by not idle...AAA plus to get it to dodge dealership to have it checked out. Throttle body was dirty inside and some sort of servo actuator on throttle body was cleaned with carb cleaner...fixed it temporarily for $80.00

Now in 2011: The Durango started and ran very roughly for about 20 seconds then died, then it would crank over but wouldn't fire on 02/24/2011. Next day I tried it again, it started and I drove it to work and back ran ran ok. 02/27/2011 - turns over but will not fire, but then completely lost all power...thought I might have worn down the battery too much cranking it. Charged the battery, no change...now nothing happens when turning the key in ignition in any direction. No lights, no power anywhere. I took out the fusible link out of service panel next to battery (little square item that is screwed down with two screw shows 180AMPs marked on it), it tested out okay and I put it back in and used my ratchet to tighten up the screw head bolts for that. Reconnected the battery wire still no power when turning key in any direction. Odd clicking sound coming from dash area near glovebox with front driver or passenger door open, stops when door is closed...still no power with door open or closed...maybe a short somewhere in dash? Checked to be sure clicking sound WAS NOT coming from the starter area...(Dodge starter has solenoid built in by the way you cannot replace the solenoid like on a Chevy in case you didn't know that). The clicking noise was definitely coming from inside the dash by the glove box and not outside the vehicle. I had the original starter replaced about 4 months ago...the starter was still cranking over when I lost all power and gained a clicking sound from the dash so I think the starter is okay. I had the original battery replaced about 7 months ago, but it might be toast. (This is just to give a little history). Then I read up on the information from this site on various years Durango electrical problems, and found a few cure's from other owners' replacing the positive battery lug for a fix, and another by replacing the battery for a fix. And another by tightening up loose dash bolts and adding more grounds to dashboard and engine to chassis grounds. Printed these off for my reference. I'm having AAA Plus tow truck to Dodge Dealership tomorrow morning on 02/28/2011 and then asking them to check the battery I bought there 1st for a dead cell, even though I just charged it up. Check the positive cable connection 2nd, if it's bad replace it, 3rd check all bolts to dashboard to see if any are loose, if so tighten them all up and try starting it again. If this doesn't solve it 4th have the ignition switch checked out. If that doesn't fix it, but the power does comes back on...which it doesn't have any power at the moment...I will have it checked for problem codes, if none - 5th have my electronic fuel injector rail pressure checked. 6th will have cam or crank sensor checked / replaced them first if they say the PCM is bad. If they say the PCM is bad after new sensors will try the PCM my friend has for a Durago RT with the factory alarm like my truck has and try it to see if it fires.

Extra note: My dashboard was taken apart last year for a replacement of the A/C accumulator and heater core at the dealership...I suspect a loose bolt might be the culprit causing grounding issues and if so this should be covered in my 12 month A/C warranty as they did the work and warranted my repairs. If they find loose bolts and that solves it I am going to be happy, if they say it's going to cost me a small fortune I am going to have to figure out if it is worth fixing it or just parting it out. You don't want to know what that cost me to fix the A/C in 2010...I also had to replace the A/C pump at that time because the entire A/C system was toast. I did save some money by purchasing genuine Dodge A/C parts that they used for the repair of the A/C on eBay for the job otherwise there would have been no warranty at all. Keep your Dodge with Dodge parts or find out they work warrenty the work! Fortunately when I ordered the truck new I left the rear A/C out of the vehicle...because I heard that would be a pain in the butt to fix if it ever went out back there and the headliner would be hard to put back in...so I left that out when ordering it from the factory. When I find the cure to this problem I will post the solutions...if they let me. It seems this site has a lot of complaints, however finding a solution took way too long folks. So post your solutions out here if that is possible, so others know what to look for and can hopefully get the problems fixed cheaper and more quickly...since it doesn't look like Dodge is going to cough up any answers!

Be cool!

MSteinert in Missouri - I pronounce that Misery!

Update from Mar 15, 2011: Replaced my Positive battery cable myself on 03/12/2011 and this resolved all my problems until today when I lost all my power again at a local service station. The Dodge dealership had snipped off my negative cable end about 6 years ago due to bad battery post connector clamp, and replaced it with a clamp on style battery post connector, the negative wires in the cable that goes to ground had come loose inside the clamp on connector. Re-tightened bolts that hold the cable clamp on the wires to fix the problem.

Where to I begin? Bought this Durango at a dealership in Iowa in 2007. Claimed one owner and only 50,000 miles. Bought it in March. By November, the water pump went out and the heater core needed flushed several times, cost over $500 to fix. Then, summer of 2008, the ABS and Brake lights came on. Then the check engine light. Then, it started riding rough. Transmission struggles in first gear, then kicks in. Then, it would stop running while driving. Just die, right on the highway, on my way to Kansas City. Had it hooked up to diagnostics, and they could find nothing with the alternator or the battery. Meineke in WIchita said the ABS stuff was a hub sensor, that was on the tire, and that could be fixed easily. However, the odometer just stopped working, out of the blue, near Thanksgiving. It'll pop up around 70 mph, but not every time. Which made my mileage counter stop, which makes me think that the car didn't have 50,000 on it when I bought it! Probably traded it in because of this junk! The past 30 days, the car has been dead in the garage. I jump it, it rides terribly rough at first. Then, it dies. So, now, I bought a new battery today and when they tried to install it at Auto Zone, something crazy happened. I was standing away from the vehicle with my keys in hand, and when they were attempting installation, the car tried to start itself! The windows went up and down. The keys were not in the ignition! And the car would not respond to the battery. The old one was blown up by the electrical problem that they cannot pinpoint. They have run diagnostic throughout. So, it's dead in Auto Zone's parking lot. The positve wire is in terrible condition, as if it's eroding from the inside out.. Then, although not electrical, I can tell you about the horrible sound the wheels are making. Like they are going to fall off. I have loved this vehicle, don't get me wrong, but now, I'm scared the transmission is going out, that it's going to burn up electrically, and that my wheels will fall off, as I've read that the bearings on the Durangos are terrible. Is there any hope for these/ And with forums like this, why doesn't Dodge care?? Do they want to be another Ford Explorer/Firestone mess???