My wife was driving alone to work. Suddenly and without warning, the engine stopped, lights went off and power steering went off. She managed to use the car momentum to direct the car into a side road, without hitting any other cars. She was 30 secs. From the freeway entrance). She managed to get out of the car ( all other doors to the car were locked except the driver door - what do you do when you are in the back seat ?)) and noticed blue smoke coming from under the hood. She tried to restart the vehicle but without success. She called aaa and was eventually towed to stateline Dodge in fort mill. The battery and connections were so hot the tow truck driver could not touch them..and still smoking. The garage examined the battery cables and verified they were melted together(see invoice). We would need a new battery and cable. I called the garage to inform them that a NHTSA safety recall D40 was issued in 2004, concerning re-routing the battery cable as it could lead to an underhood fire. I was expecting not to be charged with the battery and replacement cable. However the recall notice talks about cable contact with the upper control arm of the suspension and in my case the contact was with the exhaust gas recycle tube, which is 1" away from the control arm. I was charged $460 for the work and am now writing to Chrysler for recompense. This is a potential serious issue for Durango owners, especially if you are on a freeway and the engine cuts out or your car is parked in your garage at night and the battery is red hot. This safety recall campaign should be extended to cables contacting the egr tube.

- Rock Hill, SC, USA

My vehicle underwent inspection for safety recall #G07. It was determined by the dealership that the electronic cluster in my 2004 Dodge Durango had to be replaced, due to fire hazard. When they pulled the old cluster, an electrical surge damaged the electrical components in the driver's side door of my vehicle. The dealership replaced the cluster, and told me that the driver's side door had been damaged when they pulled the old cluster. They instructed me to pick up my vehicle and told me that it was drivable. They ordered a part to repair the door and told me they would repair it. When I picked up my vehicle, I was not able to open the door from the outside or the inside. This was on June 14th. I have not been able to enter or exit my car via the driver's side door for over 1 week. This is a safety issue, and the vehicle should not have been returned to me as "drivable". I contacted the dealership, and asked for a rental until the issue with the door is resolved. They informed me that Chrysler had to approve the rental, and I would have to pay the rental fees myself. The dealership created a safety hazard in my vehicle, and returned it to me as drivable, and they are going to make me pay for a rental car. The drivers side door on my vehicle has been locked for 9 days - I have been climbing through the passenger side of the vehicle, for 9 days.

- Butte, MT, USA