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.
Started my vehicle and heard a horrible grinding metal sound. Towed it to a mechanic who said that a rod had blown a two inch hole in my engine block. There were pieces of metal in a pile of oil under my vehicle when it was towed and 2 large chunks found upon inspection of vehicle. There was no warning. No problems prior. Vehicle ran fine the day before. No lights ever came on the dash either, no check engine...etc. Upon researching this issue- I have found numerous similar stories. Hoping a class action suit will be investigated.
Started vehicle and heard a loud knocking, shut the vehicle down thinking something may be underneath, restarted the vehicle with same result. Had vehicle looked at by mechanic, says that it sounds to be a piston rod. Took oil sample, and found metal shavings. Vehicle maintenance has been per manufacturer recommendations, along with all warranty and recall work. From readings, this has been happening to other people driving down the road. Mechanic says engine will have to be replaced. Other issues include vehicle shutting off while driving usually when it rains, or during turns.
On 12-7-11, I was driving through an intersection at about 25 mph when I heard and felt a loud bang and rattling from the engine. There wasn't any warning from the dash board nor was the any pinging prior to the engines catastrophic failure. I had lost all power steering and power brakes. The engine oil was also spill out of the bottom of the engine. I was lucky enough to be able to roll to a stop out of the line of traffic.we have receipts that show we maintained my vehicle regularly. We have not had any cooperation from the dealership or the manufacturer as of yet. I have also researched several incidents with the 5.7 Dodge hemi engine. I also researched that, to my understanding, the Chrysler Corp knew of he potential failure in the 2004/05 5.7 engine, made the changes to the engine but did not issue a recall. I am asking for assistance and/or advice as to what action I and many others should take at this point. Thank you.
We have a 2004 Dodge Durango it has been a good vehicle my wife just loves it but the other day she went to leave for work and when she started the motor it started making this really loud ticking noise. Well I called the mechanic and he told me he would stop by on his way home to listen to it he did and said it was not good to go ahead and bring it to the shop and they would look at it. I had it trailered into the shop and later that day is when we got the bad news. The motor has very serious internal problems it's either a rod, wrist pin or piston skirt and can cost us up to $6,000 for new motor or rebuild the lower end of this one they will need to pull the motor to tell for sure what it is, we never had any warning signs at all that there may be a problem it just happened. Sorry but we can not afford to replace a engine every 90,000 miles and can not afford to get the repairs done now, we have changed the oil every 5000 mile per manufacture recommendation. After further investigation I see that Dodge is having a serious problem with these motors and are misleading the public with all the hype about the hemi motor and they are not doing a darn thing about the issues they are having. My warranty just ran out 4 months ago or 19000 miles ago and the dealership said there is nothing they can do. I feel the engines should last longer then 90,000 miles and I am very peed off about this he have owned Dodge forever and now this happens and there is nothing they can do! my wife does not like Dodge very much now.
- Millersburg, OH, USA
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Was going to leave for work, started my truck to an instant horrible knocking sound! never even put it in drive. Had it towed to my mechanic, and was informed that there was a hole in the engine block, caused by a rod. No warning signs or check engine/oil lights ever came on..
The contact owns a 2004 Dodge Durango. While the vehicle was parked the contact noticed there was antifreeze and water leaking underneath the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing. The mechanic stated the water pump was leaking and had to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 81,000.
This vehicle has been fine, after the recalls were done, . I have 5 kids love the space and power. I have had recent problems with water in the car wash and when raining making it want to stall but it kept on running. Everything was great until yesterday morning. My wife went out to take the kids to mcdonald's and she says "it sounded like a large balloon popped" with a large amount of smoke coming from the exhaust. Now I have what sounds like a loud tick or a knock from the passengerside back. It however sounds like a lawn mower running when it does run and per valvoline service "no fire on number eight cylinder". as I now have read I am not the only individual with the problem and it is not isolated. If I had not been doing the recommended matinance and not keeping up on this truck I could understand, but a vehicle costing over $32,000 new should last more than 97,000 miles. Someone needs to stand up and be accountable.
My husband was driving on the highway at 70 mph (out of town) when he heard a very loud "pop". the engine failed and he had to make his way over to the side of the road at a high rate of speed and very little control due to engine failure. He said the truck jerked so hard it actually felt like he hit something. When he made it over to the side of the road he got out of the vehicle and oil was leaking from the bottom of the vehicle. He had the truck towed to a garage. After the service technician inspected the vehicle he said it blew a rod through the engine. The vehicle costs me nearly $30,000 and had 129,000 miles on it. After talking with several different mechanics I was told that these engines are know for this problem. A jasper replacement engine cost about $7000!!!! I telephoned Dodge on a few different occasions and they refuse to help because my extended warranty I paid thousands of dollars for expired. I surely thought I was buying a quality vehicle but apparently I am wrong. I am sure glad I wasn't driving with my kids when this happened, one wrong move and the vehicle could have hit another car! thank god nobody got hurt. Now I am stuck trying to figure out what to do with this vehicle"???" I certainly don't have $7000 dollars and a used engine is very hard to find due to so many people looking for them! when I went into work the next day, my co-worker who has the same exact vehicle with the exception of the color, informed me his engine blew too! come on Dodge-get a clue! accept responsibility for your hemi's having problems! I don't know how you stay in business!
The contact owns a 2004 Dodge Durango. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled while applying the brakes with the illumination of the instrument panel lights. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostics but not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and a complaint was filed. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 90,000 and the current mileage was 98,000.
The contact owns a 2004 Dodge Durango. The contact heard a knocking noise as she exit the vehicle. The dealer nor manufacturer were notified of the failure. The vehicle failure was not diagnosed nor was it repaired. The current mileage was 111,500. The approximate failure mileage was 111,400.
When driving through a puddle, the engine stalls and the power steering goes out. I was stuck in the middle of a busy intersection for 2-3 minutes until I was able to restart the car.
I have a Dodge 2004 Durango. My children and I were heading to the drs when we were driving about 40 miles and hour through an intersection and all of a sudden we heard this loud noise. I thought I hit something so I pulled over. Come to find out, I blew a hole in my engine. Not lights, no warning! I have gotten estimates which equal between $5,500 - $6,000 to replace the engine. I have been doing some investigative work and come to find out, this is a major problem in the Dodge Durango that is not being addressed by the manufacturer. I find my story to be the same that so many have experienced. I too had my engine cut out while I was driving anywhere from 25 miles and hour to 60 miles and hour with no warning. Many times while I was turning losing my power steering. This is a major safety issue not to mention now a major economic issue. I do not have the money to repair this without going in debt. I need the assistance NHTSA with this situation. Please help me & my family!
On September 12, 2011, I was driving my 2004 Dodge Durango (71,300mi 5.7L hemi) when the engine failed. I had pulled onto the street and was accelerating to 45mph. I was up to approximately 35mph when I heard a very loud pop, more like an explosion, followed by very loud ''slapping'' noises coming from the engine area. It sounded like a tire burst, followed by driving on a dead flat tire. The car was slowing very quickly, and it had no power. Within seconds I realized it was a major engine or transmission problem, and I was going to be stopped in the middle of the road. Before so, I was able to shift into neutral and coast off to the side. I do not believe that my wife or daughter would have been able to do the same. They would have stopped within seconds in the middle of this very busy road. The loud slapping noises stopped once the car was in neutral. I was able to put the car into park and visually check around. I saw nothing other than a small trail of oil behind the car, a small puddle under the driver''s side of the engine, and a large amount of oil on the underside and on the side of the engine on the driver''s side. I have much more details to this story, please request if needed, but the Dodge dealer told me I had thrown a rod, without even looking inside the engine. No help from the dealer or Chrysler, even though this is a hemi (supposed quality) and the warranty only expired 1300 miles ago.
Traveling uphill at 65 mph traffic came to a halt, I removed my foot from the gas pedal to apply the brakes and then the engine stalled. I was in the fast lane, my speed at this point was 5 mph (coasting, no engine) I had to put the transmission in park and restarted the engine. This has happened once before with less than 10,000 miles in a simular stiuation. I also own two 2010 Dodge challengers with the same type engine, I have spoken to many of the 2008-2011 challenger owners and they report the same thing happening. I believe that this stituation is wide spread troughout Chrysler with the hemi engines, computer system. This can become a very dangerous situation and needs to be looked at. Many of the people that I have spoken with, have mentioned this to their dealer's service department and Chrysler, however they have not received any satisfaction to the problem.
SUV had been running just fine, with no warning on a Saturday morning I loaded up the kids to go to the pool and started the truck. It sounded like rocks being thrown around in the engine and my husband in the garage saw sparks under the car. I turned it off immediately. Had the truck towed to the Dodge dealer where it was originally bought and received all of its service and it turns out the engine threw a rod. 2004 hemi with 102000 miles. Dodge dealer told me they could fix it for just over $10K with a new engine or $7500 for a used engine - absolutely ridiculous! upon internet search, appears that too many 04 hemis have had this problem. I'm not ready to part with this truck, I expected to run it for many many many years - not 7. Chrysler owes the consumers for this shoddy engine. * ended up going with a remanufactured jasper engine installed by motorworks in monmouth, NJ - $6500. This is far too much to spend on a 7 year old car, I will never buy a Dodge again.
The contact owns a 2004 Dodge Durango. The contact stated that water penetrated the engine numerous times causing the vehicle to stall. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who performed a diagnostic that located the failure at the windshield cowscreen. The manufacturer denied assistance with the repair. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 100,000 and the current mileage was 150,000.
The contact owns a 2004 Dodge Durango. The contact stated that the vehicle was parked for approximately fifteen minutes when it caught on fire. The fire and police department appeared on the scene, but the fire was extinguished before their arrival. The contact stated that the fire originated near the dashboard area. The vehicle was towed to the contact's home and then to an authorized dealer. The contact was not yet aware of the cause of failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and sent an investigator to examine the vehicle. The failure and current mileages were 77,000. Updated 10/04/11 updated 3/29/12*
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Sicklerville, NJ, USA