10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
5 / 0
Average Mileage:
23,000 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 suspension problems

suspension problem

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2001 Dodge Durango Owner Comments (Page 1 of 2)

problem #25

Oct 292009

Durango

  • 64,107 miles

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

I had my 2001 Dodge Durango inspected to get my license plates renewed and was told the ball joints were bad and needed to be replaced.

- St. Louis, MO, USA

problem #24

Jan 142010

Durango

  • 86,000 miles
Multiple replacement needed of upper & lower ball joints, sway bar, currently experiencing front end bed spring noise - sounds like junk, told the front lower ball joint is lose again. Also the heating elements in the front driver's seat went out -cost to repair over 700.00! vehicle is a 2001 Dodge Durango 4 X 4. only 86,000 miles original owner. This vehicle meticulously maintained and serviced, but despite that constantly having front suspension repairs and brakes.

- Duluth, MN, USA

problem #23

Mar 042008

Durango

  • 26,000 miles
Vehicle is 2001 Dodge Durango R/T 5.9. 26,000 miles. Front end ball joints needed replacing. Calipers froze/locked on both front wheels. Overheating occurred twice on front calipers. Needed out of pocket money for repairs. Air conditioning broken.

- Spring Hill, FL, USA

problem #22

Feb 242009

Durango

  • miles

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

I bought a 2001 Dodge Durango at haar Toyota. When I went to get a sticker there I watched and the guy didn't check the vehicle thoroughlythat night the passenger tire looked low I kicked the tire and it moved. Brought vehicle to dealer two days later they put a new steering rack and drivers ball joint in vehicle. 5days later I had vehicle checked by my mechanic he said passenger side ball joint was bad. Brought vehicle back to dealer they say it is fine will not fix because nothing wrong. What should I do my warranty is only 30 days of which I have about 1 week left. My contention is that the original sticker should never have passed if performed correctly.

- Clinton, MA, USA

problem #21

Sep 282008

Durango

  • miles
Every year when I go to get my 2001 Dodge Durango inspected I first have to replace two front tires due to excessive inside wear. Then I get told all 4 ball joints are no good. I have had to replace all 4 ball joints three times in three years while putting only about 20000 miles on this vehicle yearly. It is a $500 a month car payment that I am afraid to take my three children in. Why has this vehicle not been dealt with in a harsher manner. The complaints online are numerous and extremely serious in nature. How many people have to die from poor engineering.

- Rochester, NH, USA

problem #20

Aug 292005

Durango 4WD 8-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • miles
The contact has been experiencing problems with the steering and front end while driving vehicle. The vehicle has been taken to the dealership three times since May 2005. While driving on a two lane road the vehicle started making a noise, then it veered to the left. This resulted in an accident. Upon impact, the air bags did deploy.

- Syracuse , NY, USA

problem #19

Jun 182005

Durango 8-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 84,500 miles

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

I have a 2001 Dodge Durango R/T that has had severe problems with the front end. I know that the upper ball joints have been replaced at least three times. Two of which are from my local dealer and I just received a notice that they want it done again. I also know that my lower ball joints are shot and is definitely a complication of the upper ball joint problems due to the fact that they are on the same pivot point. Also my upper and lower control arm bushings are seizing up and causing not only a substantial amount of noise but a severe amount of wheel hop while at high rates of speed on the highway. While cornering and hitting the expansion joint of a bridge or other highway bump the truck seems to want to bounce from lane to lane. I also had a drivers side front shock break in half while on the highway last week. I contacted daimler Chrysler about these problems and they didn't seem the bit least worried about it. I asked if there was any consumer complaint program or any follow up procedure that I could be involved with and he was quick to say no. He also instructed me that I could do one of two things, I could have the ball joints changed for the fourth time or get ride of the vehicle. I asked him if this was Dodge since on the whole problem by off loading the vehicle onto another unsuspecting person and he didn't say anything. He just repeated himself. I am a aircraft mechanic by trade and I can tell you right now that the faa and the ntsb would have grounded every aircraft that was affected in a situation like this. I don't know why there is such a double standard with the automobile industry. I drive around my family in this vehicle to include my 5 month old son and it scares me to death just reading the stories online that other people have been involved with. I hope it hasn't happened but what is it going to take to get this resolved with Dodge, (multiple deaths with this $30,000 lemon) thank you mike audas.

- Loveland, OH, USA

problem #18

Dec 152004

Durango 8-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • miles
We received a recall notice concerning the front end problems on the Dodge Durango but it does not include the 2 wheel drive after 100,000 miles. We are 11,000 outside this notice but have not been able to drive our vehicle due to this problem. There are no restrictions on the 4X4. This seems pretty biased on the part of the Dodge corporation. Why the descrepencyi"???????"

- Tuskahoma, OK, USA

problem #17

Oct 012004

Durango 4WD 8-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 55,000 miles
At 55,000 miles I had to replace my rack and pinion and ball joints. I replaced my brake pads and rotors last year and have just been told that I need to replace them again. My vehicle is used for local highway driving.

- Cheektowaga, NY, USA

problem #16

Jul 012001

Durango 8-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 1,000 miles
This is a chronic ongoing problem that has never been resolved. The front end of my Durango will not stay aligned for even a week. It is so bad that it pulls so hard to one side, that it becomes undrivable and extremely unsafe. I took it to the dealer, who charged me a lot of money, to continuously tell me they have realigned it and as soon as I leave the parking lot it starts pulling. They try to tell me it is just the road grade. It is not!

- Cocoa, FL, USA

problem #15

Apr 152004

Durango 4WD 8-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • miles

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

In March of 2001 I bought a 2001 Dodge Durango 4X4 the first year was great, then despite the fact that I took my vehicle in evey 3000 mi. For whatever was manufacturer recommended maintenance, and the dealers 27 point inspection, the front brakes were suddenly completely shot and cost in excess of $450 to repair last June I believe, right after getting serviced and a front end alignment, I drove to work, attempted to shut off vehicle, and it refused the engine sped up, the lights flashed, the gauges went wild, and it finally died. Day after day they cept telling me they didnt know what the problem was, after a week of being worked on the dealership informed me the starter had "gone" and it would be 24 to 48 hours before they could get one about the same time the front end started to make a strange grinding noise while backing up while turning....they still havent figured out this one.....but im wondering if it is a balljoint issue also after several of the regularly schedueled services I complained that there was fluid left on my driveway. I was told that it was run off from the frame of some of the old oil, ....now after it is out of warranty, they finally found the leak....the power steering rack is leaking oh and I almost forgot, when I first got this vehicle, the left rear brake light didnt always work...after 4 or 5 attempts to get it repaired, I had a mechanic friend of mine look it over...in less than 5 minutes he told me the contacts in the housing were defective....I got the dealership to check into it and they replaced it and it has been fine ever since this vehicle has always had its manufacturers recommended services at the interval required, it was very expensive to buy, and to maintain, it only has 40,000 mi. On it, and looks great, but appearntly it is a money pitt and death trap all rolled into one!!

- Penfield, NY, USA

problem #14

Nov 202002

Durango

  • 25,000 miles
There was a knocking noise that sounded like something was loose in the front end of the vehicle. The noise mostly occurred when vehicle went over a bump in the road. Dealership performed a diagnostic test, but no failure code was found.

- Port Clinton, OH, USA

problem #13

Jan 042004

Durango

  • 53,000 miles
When making a left turn heard a knocking noise from the front end. Dealership serviced vehicle several times, but was unable to locate the cause of the noise.

- Brick, NJ, USA

problem #12

Mar 042004

Durango 8-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 30,000 miles
We noticed a squeaking in the front-end while our 2001 Dodge Durango was under warranty. Took to Dodge dealership in brownfield, Texas, and mechanic could not duplicate the sound. Said we probably were hearing vibrations from cd's in the side-door pockets. Car now has 60K miles, and over last 10K miles or so, have noticed four things 1) front end making popping sound, like a joint pop on your ankle or something and 2) when turning sharply, vehicle bounces like the wheel was out of round, 3) uneven wear on front tires, especially on left side, and 4) vehicle less stable when hitting bumps as steering tends to move back and forth. Tried to get a mechanic to check last weekend in lubbock, but could not get vehicle into shop due to their workload. Family member told us that Durango's were on the news about what appears to be the same problem. We will be scheduling a visit with a dealership. I hope we don't lose a tire, as we are minimum of 30 miles from a dealership. The consumer took vehicle to a dealership and was informed that the upper and the upper control bushing needed to be replaced because they were worn. The next day after part were replaced there is still a popping and squeaking noise in the front end of the truck.

- Seminole, TX, USA

problem #11

Jan 092004

Durango 8-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 39,400 miles
In January of this year, I was drivng my 2001 Durango home from work and heard a "clunky" noise. Thinking I had a flat tire, I stopped and looked and saw nothing. When I got home, my husband drove it around the block and thought it was the brakes. The next morning, he drove to mckinney Dodge (about 10 miles on the freeway) and as he got off the freeway and pulled into their parking lot, the drivers side wheel turned completely sideways and broke, causing the vehicle to fall down on that side. I pulled into the parking lot a few minutes later and saw my vehicle with the wheel turned outwards and front end down on top of it. They fixed this under the extended warranty. This also caused the mag wheel to bend and the tire not to hold air, so we had to pay another $50 to have that fixed before we could even drive it. The service man had called me at work and told me how fortunate we were that my husband was not still on the freeway when this happened. The Dodge dealership told us this was a very uncommon occurrence. I now feel that we were deceived by Dodge trying to cover up this problem and worry about our daughter and grandchildren in their new 2003 Durango. There should be a recall immediately and the problems should be corrected before people are killed. Our Durango had about 39,400 miles on it at the time.

- Allen, TX, USA

problem #10

Dec 022003

Durango 8-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 50,000 miles
I own a 2001 Dodge Durango. In 2002 I had to have the whole power steering rack and pump replaced. N September of this year I was informed the ball joints are bad. Apparently they have prematurely worn out.

- Houston, TX, USA

problem #9

Jan 012002

Durango

  • miles
My Durango is all over the road on bumpy surfaces and if you happen to hit a bump on a corner, it jumps across the road. The dealer put on new front shocks, but it did not correct the problem. I have not had a chance to return it again.

- Owego, NY, USA

problem #8

Oct 142003

Durango 4WD 8-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 34,000 miles
While driving 2001 Dodge Durango on a straight-away, up hill, the front wheels suddenly veered to the left, and driver lost control of truck, hitting telephone pole head-on, and totalling vehicle.

- Cincinnati, OH, USA

problem #7

Oct 272003

Durango 4WD 8-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 3,000 miles
Unstable front wheels when going over (perpendicular) bridge seams at posted highway speeds. I.e. the vehicle shifts abruptly and vertually uncontrollably as the front wheels seem unstable. I have to consciously plan and brace for the action.

- Saugus, MA, USA

problem #6

Jul 242003

Durango 8-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • miles
When the consumer turned the vehicle left or right, there was a noise which came from the front wheels. The dealer replaced the front hub bearings and re-torqued the upper and lower control arms.

- Mcdonough, GA, USA

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