CarComplaints.com Notes: The second generation Durango was introduced in 2004 and instantly came under fire for, well, catching on fire.
From 2004-2006 electrical overloading in the driver's side instrument panel caused numerous reports of interior fires. The interior infernos became so commonplace that Chrysler eventually issued a recall.
The problems didn't stop there, however. Owners of the recalled vehicles complained about being treated unfairly and given take-it-or-leave-it low ball settlement offers. "They offered me $2000 under NADA retail as a settlement," said one owner, "and have been rude and hostile to deal with." Nothing says awesome service like treating your customers rudely after their cars have caught on fire.
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.
The contact owned a 2004 Dodge Durango. While driving 10 mph, smoke began to enter the vehicle from the dashboard. Within minutes, the entire vehicle was engulfed in flames. The fire department extinguished the fire. A fire report was filed. No injuries were sustained. The cause of the failure was not determined. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 135,000. The vehicle was destroyed.
2004 Dodge Durango slt. Water leaking into junction block. Possible wire harness damage maybe more damage. Not sure where water is leaking in. This cost to much to find out and fix. Vehicle is still in the shop.
The contact owns a 2004 Dodge Durango. The inner compartment of the vehicle began to burn and the vehicle was completely destroyed. The contact stated that the vehicle was remedied in July of 2006 due to recall # 04V578000. The previous owners had the vehicle remedied by the manufacturer due to recall # 03V528000. The manufacturer refused to disclose the cause of the fire. The current and failure mileage were 50,000.
- the contact owns a 2004 Dodge Durango. The vehicle was parked and the door was opened, but the interior lights did not turn off once the door was closed. The ignition had been turned off and turned back on, but the interior lights did not turn off. The battery was disconnected. The next day the vehicle was started and the interior lights stayed on. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who stated that there had been a fire because the circuitry was melted. The failure mileage was 36,000. Recall 07V092000 was for the electrical system. The dealer advised the C ontact that the this vehicle is not involved in the recall due to the VIN. The dealer will not release the vehicle to the contact because it was unsafe to drive it. The dealer would not repair the vehicle at his cost because they did not have authorization. The current and failure mileage were 36,000.
On March 2, 2007 I got in my 2004 Dodge Durango limited (hemi) to take my kids to school, I noticed my radio had no sound, the power came on, but no sound at all was heard. After I drove about 1/2 of a mile the speedometer and tachometer gauges started acting erratic, jumping up and down, the radio came back on for a few seconds, then cut out again. The overhead temp control was jumping from 54 degrees to negative 40!. my airbag light came on and stayed on as well as the etc light. After dropping my kids at school, I have not drove this truck, with less than 41000 miles. After reading that fires have started in many other 2004 Durango's, I would like to know why my truck has not been issued a recall, what are they waiting for? I can not put my kids in this truck. In October 2006 my truck was leaking from above my drivers side door (34713 miles), we took it to the dealer and they had to re-seal seams above my door as well as other possible areas water could be getting in, one week later my truck started stalling at stop signs, my husband took it do the dealer again (35050 miles) the dealer schaefer and strohminger Dodge whitemarsh of course tells us that it is lack of maintenance (not true) and we need the throttle body cleaned ($169 and a tune up $182) yet just the week before when my truck was there they did the multi-point inspection report and checked that everything was fine. After doing research I found out the issue with the leak above my door was sent out as a customer satisfaction notification no. D10, dated March 2004, why didn't I get this notification" better yet, why didn't the dealer fix this before I bought it in Sept. 04? what good is the warranty from them when everything is denied" I will never buy a Dodge/Chrysler vehicle again. I have had many vehicles and never had an issue with a dealer not honoring a warranty and fixing problems, this is ridiculous and unsafe.
- Baltimore, MD, USA
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My 2004 slt Dodge Durango was serviced for a routine oil change @42000 miles and the dealership did a routine point check evaluation. On Feb. 10, 2007 @ 10:45 am while stopping at a traffic light, the vehicle began to lose speed before coming to a complete stop, the engine stopped responding & the panel lights started blinking on & off, then a burning smell started & smoke started to come out of the drivers panel and I exited the vehicle before physical harm could be done to me. I called 911 and they had the fire department to respond. My vehicle was completely engulfed with flames before they arrived. The entire interior of the vehicle was burned beyond recognition. It was extremely unnerving to be a part of this, I had not had any problems out of my vehicle before this horrible incident. It is just unthinkable to realize that I have been driving my two kids in my Durango every day for the past 2 years and thanks to the lord above that they were at home on this morning, while I went to pick up the girl scout cookie orders for my daughter, which were in the back of the Durango when it went up in smoke. This incident will financial impact my family greatly. The car is now a total loss.
04 Dodge Durango hot electrical smell under the dash. Heating and cooling control lights don't work and interior lights when don't work correctly, hatch door light stays on all the time, I had to pull the bulb out, drains battery. Cd player don't work properly. Recall campain id number 03V528000. When I contacted chysler the said that my VIN number was not on the recall list.
An instrument cluster circuit board capacitor caused the dome lights to remain on and the battery to die. There is a recall for this but my VIN is not included in recall number C43.
While traveling we returned to the hotel from dinner approx. 9:10 pm local time. At 11:15 pm we were contacted by the front desk informing us our vehicle was on fire. Going out to the Durango a police officer was extinguishing a fire inside the passenger compartment. The fire department arrived and finished putting out the fire. The fire chief and visual evidence clearly indicated the fire started in the area of the instrument cluster. The fire destroyed the panel and center console, broke out the windshield and set off the drivers side airbag, and melted the interior trim and headliner as far back as the rear seat. The vehicle is likely a total loss. This appears to be the issue covered by daimler Chrysler recall C43 but no notice of the recall has ever been received. The vehicle was bought used from a Dodge dealer in summer 2005 and has been in the dealer for service at least once.
June 23, 2006 my daughter bailey chapman was participating in the 2006 7-11 soccer tournament at the saginaw township soccer complex located in saginaw township, Michigan. The soccer complex is located off of mccarty road between bay road and mackinaw. Her team was scheduled to play at 7:30pm. We were instructed to be at the complex forty five minutes prior to game time. We departed our home at 6:30pm for the 10 minute drive to the complex. We parked in an overflow tournament parking lot to the East of the complex. The lot was located off of mccarty road between cabaret trail w. and fortune blvd. We pulled off mccarty road and parked at approx. 6:45pm. As I turned the vehicle ignition off, my wife and I noticed smoke coming from underneath the dash board. It appeared that the smoke was coming from the instrument panel. At that point, my wife and I instructed the two older children to exit the vehicle immediately. My wife assisted our 4 year old out of her car seat. Once everyone had cleared the vehicle, I opened the hood of the vehicle to check for smoke in the engine compartment. I saw no smoke in the engine compartment. Although, I did see a small amount of smoke coming out of the vents located near the windshield wipers. I then proceeded to the passenger side of the vehicle. At this time the smoke went from a white/grey color to black. My first response was to order my family to move away from the vehicle. I then called 911 at 6:48pm to report a potential fire in the vehicle. Shortly after the call to 911, a round flame shot through the dash (behind the driver instrument panel) to the windshield glass. At this point I instructed my family to get as far away from the vehicle as possible. I made a second call to 911 to report that the vehicle was now on fire. The vehicle was entirely burnt within 10-12 minutes.
My 2004 Dodge Durango caught fire while parked in my carport overnight. The fire started in the dash on the drivers side of the car. I contacted Dodge/ Chrysler about the problem. The only response from them was "claim is denied". I wasn't filing a claim, I was contacting them to see what they could or would do as far what had taken place because of the fire possibly due to a defective part and of course safety was a concern. Considering the car caught fire in the carport and could have blown up and my house could have burn down while we was all asleep. Thanks.
: the contact stated after starting the engine, all of the interior lights illuminated and remained on. Afterwards, the interior lighting went out without warning and would not re-illuminate. The vehicle is currently at the dealership awaiting inspection. There is a NHTSA recall, # 03V528000, regarding the electrical system. The vehicle has the same problems as indicated in the recall; however it is not included in the recall due to the VIN. Updated 4/11/2006 -
Vehicle caught fire inside the instrument cluster on the driver's side dashboard. The vehicle burned to the point where it was totaled by the insurance company.
I was driving on the expressway and dome light came on, and it would not turn off. About a minute later smoke started coming out of the instrument panel and within seconds the whole dashboard was on fire. The car was totaled. This happened while I was driving and I barely made it out w/O getting burnt.
On September 24, 2004 the battery was replaced. On December 29, 2004 the battery cable was rerouted per recall. On May 6, 2005 the vehicle overheated, the following parts were replaced the hub/drive fan, thermostat, water pump, and the spark plugs. On May 16, 2005 overheated the radiator had to be replaced. On August 12, 2005 the vehicle overheated. The following parts were replaced the heads, valves, camshaft, and sprocket. On October 18, 2005 the vehicle had squeaky brakes, brake pads replaced and rotors turned. The right rear axle leaked and needed to be replaced. On January 17, 2006 the radio cut in and out, dashboard controls were flickering on and off. No problems were found. Also, I asked for the brakes to be checked for the same type of vibration. Stated there was no safety issue, but rotors needed to be replaced. On January 20, 2006 the vehicle was again brought to the dealer for the radio, dashboard, and stalling. The car was kept for two days and returned without any solution. On S January 22, 2006 again my vehicle stalled at a traffic light. On January 24, 2006 was again brought in to the dealer. I spoke with the service manager on January 25, 2006 and he told me that Chrysler said static electricity from the seat caused the problem. He was then advised to spray the seats with something to eliminate the static electricity. The car was to be delivered to me by an employee of the dealer, when the gentlemen arrived he told me that the car radio started cutting in and out, and the dash board went crazy, he then left with the loaner car and I proceeded to call the dealership, driver came back to pick up my car once again to return to the dealership. When he tried to start the vehicle it would not start, a technician was sent to my home to replace the battery. The battery was replaced, an vehicle was off to the dealership.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Salem, VA, USA