My mechanic,has changed out the Distributor,cap, and rotor,now he wants to put a used computer at$400.00 My rebuilt computer was put in 14mo ago so no warranty.The car runs with a wet cloth on the computer.I am in Denver and now afraid to drive home to Az as I have my grandaughter with me and it is really scary when the engine shuts down no matter how fast you are going.I loved this truck until I read I am not alone in this problem.It is my only transportation.I can't even sell it.Why would Dodge put the computer in such a hot area?Is there anyway to build something around it to keep it cool?Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.Dee

I have a 1999 Dodge Durango with 154,000 miles on it. It's cutting off/stalling out in idle mode, or basically once it gets below 2RPMs. Once it's above 2RPMs, it runs beautifully, no problems. No check engine light on, the oil pressure gauge is NOT dropping or moving up and down eratically at all, the TPS has been replaced, the air idle control valve has been replaced, air filter, and few other minor things replaced and still no luck. We took it to a mechanic who was a complete ass to begin with by telling us he didn't really WANT to look at the vehicle in the first place, but did. His conclusion (after SUPPOSEDLY looking at it) was that the compression was low or completely gone in the engine, and the only thing to do was to replace the engine at $3000. Needless to say we took our vehicle back from the shop after hours and didn't pay him a dime, because he was full of sh*t and we don't even think he properly diagnosed it. Funny thing is, when we drove it home from the mechanic, it didn't cut off AT ALL! It hasn't been driven since we brought it home which was yesterday to see if it would cut off again, but it probably will. We are taking to another mechanic this weekend which is a friend of the family so we TRUST him, but we are willing to take any suggestions we can get. I know it's hard to diagnose something you can't physically see or drive, but ANY suggestions would greatly be appreciated. I love my durango(although I swear by foreign made cars), and just want it to be fixed!

Thank God i aint the only person who has this problem with the 99 dodge durango, im new here so bare with me, when i first bought this truck from a independent car dealer the truck seem to run great but soon after the car got a check engine light and i took it back they claim it was the 02 Sensor and dont worry about it, your truck is fine, so i went on and the truck was running good and then months went by and my engine lights still on my car suddenly dies.. It dont turn on period and not only that the dealership close down where i got it from so there only dealership left is about 1 1/2 away so i just bought a new battery ($120) and it turn on fine and just about a week ago i was on my way home from work and at a stop light my car Started "Shaking Real Bad" and it just died on me it wouldn't turn on so i had to get out and push the durango cause i was blocking traffic, Thank god a guy next me got out of his car and help me push the big vehicle while other cars just honk their horn angrily cause i stop traffic so i had a friend of mine come pick me up and look at the truck and we went to Auto Zone and bought new spark plugs connectors ($30) dollars and it got my truck running for now but i finally drove it down there to the dealership place and they told me that it needs new Spark Plug and Caping Router but if that doesnt do the trick then they cant do anything else since im responsible for any repairs. so while driving back home, everytime im at a red light my car starts trembling and it gets ready to shut down on me so it has me really paranoid now and i agree with the person who left the other complain,

Im Proud to be an American but this is the last time i ever buy an american car cause for average middle class americans its really hard to be spending money down the drain on your car while your bills keep pileing up on ur past due bills shelf and thanks to all who submitted things they tried to fix it so hopefully that can help me out... Good Luck To All Yall And Me..

Hello Group!

I feel like I'm in a support group! LOL! My name is Jake and I understand everyone's comments. I purchased this 1999 Dodge Durango in Jan 2008 I have had nothing but problems ever since. It as you're all aware of shuts off without warning and pisses me off! Then in the odometer display box it flashes "NO BUS".

I have also replaced the PCM with a brand new one ordered from the local dealership at their recommendation ($300). That as you may have guessed DIDN'T fix the problem...I then dropped it off @ the dealership where it spent a week in the shop, yeap you guessed it still not fixed. Then I took it to a private auto shop where it spent another week and another ($300) still not fixed!

Someone needs to stand-up and take responsibility for these pieces of crap! It's pretty bad when I have to worry about my wife and small baby getting stranded on the side of the road every time they leave the house with this vehicle...I'm open to suggestions...

I purchased my 1999 Dodge Durango in July 2005. I noticed last summer that the car would not start back up once I cut it off. It first happened when I was at a store. I came out to start it up and it would not start. I sat there for about 30 minutes and then it finally started back up. It did it a couple of times after that. I was told by my mechanic that it was probably an ignition module and he also told me that it would not cut off once it gets cold outside and he was right! All winter, I had no problem with it. Now that it is summer again, the problem has worsened. The car would now cut off anytime, even while I am driving!! I was told by my mechanic that I need to replace the distributor because the module has gone bad and the only way to fix it is to replace the whole thing. He priced the part for $125.00. I am getting it fixed and will let you know if it works. I agree with so many others on this site that it is definitely a death trap and Dodge needs to be RESPONSIBLE! I will never buy another Dodge again!!!

This is the DAMNEST thing! While driving the truck on a hot day, it would just lose all power!! Meaning that while driving 60mph, it would lose power and I would almost get plowed by cars/semi's in the rear! There isn't enough time to pull over into a safe area prior to the rolling to stop!

This happened the first time, and of course under warranty I took it in, and after having it for two days they (the DUMB ASS DODGE Dealers) said that it was my battery, so I buy a NEW battery... Next damn day, it does it again, I have it towed and after one day... its my battery cables.... I get those changed... neither of which are covered under my warranty. THEN... it happens AGAIN... I have learned that if I am able to let the truck sit for 20 or 30 minutes I can usually start it again... this time I am in a different state... take it to a Dodge Dealer.. they run diagnostics... NOTHING... of course!! Finally they tell me it is the Crank Shaft Sensor... Finally I feel like we are getting somewhere... NOPE... two days later... AGAIN! Take it in AGAIN... after all the research I did online.. I told THEM what to fix.. I had them change the PCM... and after almost two weeks hasn't happened so far! BUT... it hasn't gotten hot since then either...

Oh... BTW, I called Dodge to complain, and they said unless Dodge diagnosed the problem was the PCM, there was NOTHING they could do... even after I told her that I had paid numerous times for diagnostics and it NEVER... EVER... turned up the NOBUS on the odometer...

Dodge mechanics aren't dumb!! they just ACT that way... I KNOW I am not the only one this has happened to... and I walked into Dodge with a thick ream of complaints about the same problem... they acted like it was the first damn time they had ever heard about it... YA RIGHT!

So... my total cost was about $1500.00... Fingers crossed it was the PCM... and not some other unknown problem... but as far as all the posts I have read.. this looks like it is the solution to the piece of crap that was originally installed... and if yours hasn't gone out yet... it will when it gets hot one summer or another... GOOD LUCK!

I have heard of this problem over and over again. I have to say the only thing I can attribute it to is the sledge in the engine plugging the oil pump. I know I have some non believers but just listen here young grasshoppers I too was a non believer and low and behold I am a changed man. I once was lost but have found my way. I had this issue and I am an A.S.E. master certified technician and even I was boggled. So I made a flyer and hung it in my repair shop looking for people with the same issue and actually found 6 others as pissed as we are. So in an effort to help honest hard working broke ass people like us I offered my services for free to try to end this problem once and for all. I carefully dissected 3 engines and found all three oil pumps cutting out intermittently so I cleaned the screens thoroughly on the pump and on those three engines the problems stopped so I replaced all of the rest with new pumps (on my shop credit card) and only one still had the problem which ended up being electrical. So I don't promise all will be fixed but at least look into it. I really want everyone email me feed back so I can continue to help my freinds on this sight. Thanks and God Bless

Hello,

I am Justin's mom and he and I bought him a 1999 Dodge Durango v-8 with tow package so my grandchildren and daughter in law would have a safe vehicle to get around in.

That all seems laughable now. The Durango has a mind of it's own and suffers from "shuts off for no apparent reason without warning syndrome". We took it to the Dodge dealership to have it diagnosed. What a joke, they don't know what is wrong and gave us a laundry list of things it "could" be and then asked us which item we wanted them to fix first... Are you kidding? I landed on this site looking for answers. My son took the car back from the dealership after paying them $95 dollars to diagnose the problem only to leave without any answer.

I called and spoke to the service department myself and explained that this was not funny and my son could not afford to completely rebuild this car and they needed to figure out what was causing the problem especially since this problem is the number one complaint on this site regarding this particular model and essentially they were sending my son and his family out onto the road it what is basically a death trap.

The service man said to take it up with the NHTSA! Unbelievable. So I did! and I also took it up with all the senators both democrat and republican considering these jerks have the nerve to expect my tax dollars to bail out their lousy companies.

I suggest that everyone on this site send an email to all the senators right now as they are seriously trying to give these jerks 25 billion dollars of our money!....

My son is in the process of replacing the stepper motor and a relay switch of some kind that another mechanic pointed out. I will post the outcomes of our attempts to remedy this problem once I have some information as my son is in his mechanic clothes working on the car right now as I write this.

This is the email I sent to all the senators plus I sent a copy to the Chrysler Headquarters to let them know that I don't appreciate the shoddy way they build cars and their refusal to stand behind their products!... If enough of us send this letter I am sure they will take notice.. I also have a good mind to post this information in USA Today and to get some television watch dogs involved. This is utter cow poop! (to put it politely)..

My letter read as follows:

Hello,

After being jerked around by your dealerships regarding trouble with your products I sent the following letter to as many of the Senators as I could giving special thanks to two senators in particular.

Dear Mr. Shelby(Mr. Kyl)

My name is Justin's Mom ( I put my real name here in the original letter).

I reside in Connecticut and wanted to take a moment to thank you for not backing the auto makers bailout.

You are correct! They are dinosaurs that refused to change with the times and to innovate to the standard of the American public. Financing is indeed not their largest problem. Poor products is their number one downfall and their inability or lack of willingness to stand behind their products.

My son owns a Dodge Durango that is an absolute dog of a vehicle. It suffers from "shut off when it wants to syndrome" and the company won't even acknowledge that the problem exists even though it is the number one complaint about this particular model on the internet Durango sites. Too make matters worse they don't even know what causes it to do that therefore making repairing the vehicle impossible. It is basically a death trap as when the engine shuts off so does the power steering and the brakes!!!

Dodge actually had the nerve to tell me to take it up with the NHTSA! Unbelievable.

I bought a toyota in 1976 and it still runs great!!!!

Never again will we (our family) buy another car created by the big 3. Their products are terrible and when you sell terrible vehicles you will lose repeat business which we all know is essential to the success of any business.

They (the big 3 auto makers) create substandard products and deserve to go through bankruptcy.

Thank you so much for not bailing out the poor business men that ran their businesses into the ground.

Perhaps the Japanese will buy them out and start building cars in America worth buying!

Sincerely, Liane Jones

My Durango just shuts down with no warning, mainly when I am in traffic and , or it is hot out. For the past 2 summers, I have been stuck many of times on the road waiting for my engine to cool down so it would start again. I have been stuck in the heat with kids many of those times. The first time this did it I thought I ran out of fuel and I ruined the fuel pump, so I replaced it. Not it. After a few more times I replace a sensor, not the problem. I have replace the gas cap because I was told it could be a vapor lock, not the problem. I have been fortunate to have an extra vehicle, so I do not have to drive this piece of crap. I would like to drive the Durango once in a while, but I am afraid to break down again. PLEASE SOMEONE HAVE AN ANSWER????

We have already posted a complaint here about the Durango shutting down without warning. We already a new PCM installed, a new battery and cables, a new starter, and now the mechanic wants to try a new alternator. Does anyone have an answer to this problem?

We have had our truck towed several times over the past 1 1/2 years. We need to do something. Please file your complaint at the link below with the NHTSA:

https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/Consumer.cfm

Dodge/Chrysler needs to fix these trucks and reimburse us for all the $$$ we have spent.

This is an absolute nightmare! Our Durango started dying in March of 2007. We paid $800 to have a new PCM and computer programmed. It started again a few weeks ago, had it towed to a local mechanic. He replaced the sensor and put in new starter. It was in the shop for a week. We got it out last week, it died just 2 days later. The tower said it needed a battery, so we replaced battery and cables. It died again the next day while my husband was int the middle of an intersection. Now the mechanic says it's probably the alternator. Does anyone out there have any other suggestions, before we just keep pouring more $$$ into this truck? Or even about the Chrysler lawsuit.

MAYBE A SOLUTION WE'VE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM WITH OUR DURANGO, SHUTTING OFF W/O WARNING! WE PUT A COMPUTER IN, HAD IT HOOKED UP TO SCOPES, CHECKED ALTERNATOR, FUEL PUMP, THROTTLE POSITION SENSOR..U NAME IT! WHEN ALL OF THAT FAILED, WE REPLACED THE MODULE UNDER THE DISTRIBUTOR CAP & THAT HAS SEEMED TO WORK..SO FAR! LORD ONLY KNOWS HOW MUCH WE'VE SPENT TOTAL, BUT THE PART COST AROUND $60. SCARY THING WHEN YOUR GOIN DOWN THE ROAD & ALL OF A SUDDEN U HAVE NO CONTROL OF YOUR VEHICLE! MAYBE THIS WILL HELP YOU ALL!!

Had similar issue to what I have read on here. Thanks to all the posters who have shared their information so I was able to go out and get this fixed at a much lower rate.

It is very scary to lose all power including braking and power steering when you are traveling at 60 mph on a major highway. Took the Durango to a shop where they could find nothing based on the symptoms. After reviewing this site and another 5 times where this problem occurred, I decided to do some checking on the PCM. The local Dodge dealership wanted around $800 for the part and 2 hours for the install with computer program. After doing a search for the product, I found that I could get a PCM with lifetime warranty delivered to my doorstep withing 48 hours for $225 off of ebay. Took me 10 minutes to do the repair work and there have been no problems since repair.