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.
Was sitting at a traffic light and a driver pull up beside me on my drive side, and ask me was my car running hot because she saw that it was smokeing, and i told her no it's not running hot and i would check it out at the service station down the street. before i could pull off another car pull up on my passenger side and said that my car was on fire and that i needed to get out before it blows up and get on the ground. i got out and look on the passenger side and saw that it was on fire, i saw fire droping on the ground like plastic melting. and said to myself that it might be a electrical fire so i was going to disconnect the battery as i walk back to the front of the car i saw withe smoke coming out from under the hood near the windshiled on the passenger side and before i could get to the front it turn to black smoke in and few seconds later it was on fire by the time i walk over to the dirver side. call 911 police got there frist in about 7 min it was so hot that it melting the windshiled i move to the other of the building that it was on the side of and look on as it burn fire department came, and in ten minutes the A/C lines popped and i heard the battery pop. the fire department put it out in about 3 sec. in ten minutes it had burn up just greatful to god i got out to look before trying to go to the service satation and ended up dead from blowing up the service station. i had taken it to McSweeney CHRYSLER DODGE Jeep RAM. ON 09/28/22 DASH LIGHTS COMING ON AND TACH DROPPING AND STICKING. REPLACE THE BATTERY I GOT FROM University Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram of Anniston 08/13/22. replace the ALTERNATO I GOT From Autozone 08/13/2022.
While driving my vehicle this morning my odometer completely shut off while on the freeway and all my little lights on the dashboard went on. My turn signals, as well as my brake lights stopped working as well.
While driving in rain my car stalls and gets shaky. I had it cut off in the midst of driving which can cause harm to myself and others. The cowl doesn-??t protect the components under the hood from moisture when it rain causing my vehicle not to function properly. As a result of this my engine light has displayed but goes away when it stops raining. Not a safe car to drive in the rain.
I brought my vehicle to an Phoenix AZ dealership off of Black Canyon Highway or I-17 on Camelback for airbag safety recall and interior lighting recall and any others needed. When I dropped it off initially I parked on lot by the garage inc front of the rental car business directly in front. I exited my vehicle walking up to repair garage to make sure I could drive into it for recall repair. I walked back opened my driver's door and sat in the seat.(legally able to safely driver by entering through the driver's door) I drove it up there. Upon arriving after they provided the airbags recall, moved my dome light which was located on driver's door module that also has other functions, (moved to another module preventing an interior fire on long trips which I was moving for a job to Audubon MN that next few days) and I was unable to enter the vehicle by my driver's door. I had to physically crawl in the passengers side of car over the middle area and drink holders to squeeze my legs under the steering wheel. They informed me it was like that. I requested the video from rental employee mgr or person in charge and he stated "it would be like finding a needle in the haystack". It happened that I also sat for over 3 hours till close there, had a mgr request 2 inspections from his men, filed a complaint, talked with several reps and all before I left the lot. Also I had a tire light on my dash, and others that I find out are all connected to the module the dome light used to be attached to. While leaving my door locks were going up and down like they were a possessed pissed of psycho spirit, my steering wheel didn't lock anymore, and I decided to wash my car in a CAR WASH which almost got me a rear end incident from the car behind me because my 2004 DODGE DURANGO SUDDENLY SHUT OFF. I was scared and my heart dropped down through me bottom like being pulled over for a ticket by the police would. So it decided to rain.OH MY GOSH. If MN wasn't a rainy place I wouldn't be
Good day I own a precious 04 Dodge Durango I've been maintaining well over the years. But as of late some issues arose with my air bag sensor and oil light flickering on dash when brake at idle. I don't drive too frequently except the normal work schedule mon-fri so I dont go far especially since these problems arose never been in an accident nor intergrated parts
- St.Louis, MO, USA
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Transmission motor case actuator switches on and off on it's own or when I hit the unlock button on the remote. The svc 4WD/4lo service engine lights come on and off at random times as I am driving. At times it won't move although everything is on and was running fine a moment ago especially when you come to a stop or slow down.
Went to go start Durango & heard a loud boom, & now it seems to be knocking & not drivable now, after do research online we cam across that on these models (2004 Dodge Durango 5.7 hemi magnums) it seems too leak water into where the engine is due to hood manifold is designed horribly & water leaks on wires, spark, plugs, engine etc. Etc. We've noticed when we drove in the rain or even going through a carwash that the Durango would sputter as if it was going to die & it has a couple times & took about 15 mins to start again, after this event has happened we thank god that it happened at home & not on the interstate around other vehicles because this is a serious safely issue that needs to be addressed & now we are out of a vehicle at the moment and we are still currently making payments on this vehicle for another year and a half at-least.
Vehicle will die without warning you hole driving causing a serious risk for collision. Engine stops running and is very hard to steer or stop with no power.
Cowl under windshield does not divert water from engine bay. Water pools on engine, getting into the coil-over-plugs (cop) and intake(gasket) causing hesitation stalling and engine failure after being exposed to water. Rain, car wash, using the windshield washer. Chrysler has made 7 different versions of the cowl to address the issue but has never issued an official recall. Those who do not have the latest version of the cowl (part# 55362453ak) have to pay for the part and have it installed or risk having engine failure while driving down the road in the rain. Part that should be included in recall 55362453ak "cowl" this is a known issue reported by "Durango" owners that is all over the internet
I was going 45 miles an hour with all my 4 children and husband in vehicle when without warning the vehicle shut off. There is no code vehicle loses power steering and brake function and you have to shut vehicle down and restart to gain control again. This has happened 7 times! there is no code being given no one can diagnose this issue I have been everywhere and been told that no one can do anything for me this is ridiculous I have seen this problem spread all over Dodge for you and I cannot believe that this is not a recall a whole family my family almost died multiple times because of its end this is not right that there is not a recall on this this is serious there have been hundreds of near-death accidents because of this issue alone this needs to be looked into this needs to be taken seriously and Dodge needs to be held accountable it has nothing to do with speed I was parked in my vehicle died this morning I'm fortunate that I was parked and not driving the last two times I was pulling out of a parking lot in front of some cars and it just died I had to turn on my flashers as quickly as possible so hopefully no one would hit me as I was dead in the road the fact that I can't just take this to a shop because there's absolutely no indication of what's going on there's no warning when this happens there is no code after this happens I don't feel safe hundreds thousands of others do not feel safe and nothing has been done about this I am terrified to put my family in a family vehicle are only family vehicle because we have gotten lucky up until this point but I don't see that look holding out for much longer somebody needs to look into this and somebody needs to hold Dodge accountable.
About a week ago my alternator and battery had to be replaced, a day or two after I had them replaced I was pulling out onto a state road and I heard something got crunched, so I stopped and got out ans looked and nothing. Got back in rhe car and put it in drive and I looked down at my dash and heart something trying to engage and on mh dash my svc 4WD light started flashing.. im not sure how ro fix it or what to do, it does it quite frequently. I opened the trunk and heard it trying to engage. Stopped at a stop light, I can hear it trying to engage to 4 wd. I have been looking into thia and I see several consumers have had the same issues. It seems Dodge should beable to come up with a permanent fix, but no recalls yet... my main concern is, what happens if im doing 80 mps on the freeway and it tries to engage into 4low?? thank you for your time!!
I had stopped at a stop sign and attempted to turn left. As soon as I took my foot off brake & onto gas, car completely stopped and shut off, leaving the car in the middle of the intersection. It was raining & similar has happened twice before during rain. Both previous times though, all electrical systems would work but I would have to wait about 15 minutes until car would restart. This time however, nothing was working, not even hazard flashers. Every time I tried restarting, dashboard lights would blink randomly. I took the battery to be tested, which tested fine. It has now been 3 days and car will not restart, same lighting issues when ever I have the key in the ignition, and nothing electrical is working including the key to unlock the doors remotely.
The transfer case randomly shifts into 4 wheel lock and even 4-lo. This happens even when driving. I currently only drive on city streets as I am concerned that it will cause any accident or damage the vehicle if it shifts into 4-lo at higher speeds. The transfer case is currently stuck in 4 wheel lock, which makes it very hard to turn. I have read in forums that most people disconnect their transfer case motor, losing functionality but making the truck safer. I cannot disconnect the transfer care motor while it is stuck in 4 when lock. Dodge should be held responsible and forced to fix all these vehicles.
I am original owner and love my Durango but since I have owned it I cannot drive in rain. The vehicle sputters and dies and check engine light comes on. I found several places online of people with same complaint and the issue is the original cowl. I looked and mine does not have a taller ridge around the wiper bolts or a ridge to divert the water from running into my engine. I need the 2nd generation cowl that was improved part #55362453ak our family always buys Dodge, my husband has the 1500 truck as well as my daughter. I don't understand why Dodge has not put a recall out on this issues that so many are complaining about. I have taken my Durango several times to the service dept. And they could never find the problem but online after seeing everyone with same issue and how they are repairing I know I need this part. I ran water directly over the windshield and as it went over the existing cowl it did indeed dump into my engine and started sputtering and shut off. I tried to find the part but they are costing $180 with shipping and another $130 to have installed. I need this part like so many other Dodge owners and there should have been a recall for this ongoing issue. It is not safe for us because the vehicles stall in traffic and we have to avoid collisions with other drivers as well as creating traffic jams. I have to keep my vehicle parked under a roof to avoid rain and I cannot drive when it is raining. This has been an ongoing issues since I have owned from 2004 to present.
Key fhob's have not been working for a while. Replace battery still not working. Now my shift motor on the transfer case is randomly shifting and locking in 4WD high. This happens while driving down the road. It happens while parked in the parking lot then when you go to drive hard to turn or get out of 4WD. When it locks in 4WD it is nearly impossible to back up. It doesn't seem to matter whether you're parked driving on city streets or on the highway. However, when it happen it can lead to inability to steer and control the vehicle. This is very dangerous and can also lead to substantial costly repairs from being in 4WD and not on the correct surface. Reviewing many on-line forums I'm finding that there are several others that are experiencing the same issue. Although there have been many attempt to correct the problem there seems to be an unwillingness to help or diagnose the issue. Many repairs have been done and has not resolved the issue or temporarily fixs it and then right back to the same issue.
Takata recall and electrical interior lights stay on dimmer don't work needs cluster replaced dealer says that it may not be available after keeping my car for 5 days as of today 12 -31-18 they say they can't give it back to me because of the electric recall!?
Truck switches to 4WD on its own and does not allow me to switch back to regular AWD. The "service 4WD" light comes on. Mechanics have indicated the transfer case shift motor may need to be replaced; but, none are available. Also, there is no guarantee that would fix the dangerous problem of switching to 4WD.
2004 Dodge Durango 5.7 hemi these vehicles are shutting off without warning no steering, brakes lights, hazards, nothing is operable vehicle doesn't stutter or stall at all no waring lights just shuts right off multiple people are reporting the exact same problem this is a serious defect as there aren't any codes or signs of failure
My 2004 Dodge Durango has the 5.7 hemi. During heavy rains the engine would start to run rough and the electrical system shut down on me three different times in the middle of driving due to the rain. During this electrical shutdown steering was impossible and I would have to stop the vehicle in the middle of traffic. The vehicle did this to me one time in the middle of turning at an intersection. Fortunately no accident occured. I found that the issue was being caused by a faulty seal at the wiper cowl. This leak later blew my engine as the water leak found it's way into the cylinders and blew a piston rod. I was told that this defect has been reported to Chrysler by hundreds of people.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Anniston, AL, USA