Dodge Durango Engine and Performance Problems

april74

I have 2002 Dode Durango SLT 4WD V-6, I purchased it in this past October. Last month we started having a problem with the engine cutting off while driving, but it starts right back up after turning the key off and on again! It doesn't matter how fast, slow or if you're sitting at a red light or stop sign, it just does it when it feels like it! The worst was yesterday when my husband drove it 60 miles to and from our home...it cut off 8 times on the way up and 7 on the way back. I haven't noticed it doing it on warm days but at least once or twice on cold days! When the engine does cut off the only changes in the dashboard are the mileage will say "no bus" and the circle around the "D" on the gear indicater disappears! HAS ANYONE ELSE HAD THIS PROBLEM AND IF SO, WHAT WAS THE FINAL OUTCOME? Our Dodge dealership has NO CLUE!!!!!!!!!

desertsun0915

I know exactly how your feeling with your Durango. I have the same exact problem. The "D" has been in the shop four times and they say it is an electrical problem. So far they have tested every wire and cable and nothing. I have been doing research as my "D" is now in there again. I have been reading on DodgeTalk and Dodge Durango site that it could be a number of things. PCM (this may be covered under warranty if you have less than 80k miles on your vehicle) but make sure it is the PCM. Also it could be the fuel relay switch or the OEM coil. As far as I know it could be a worn wire. I am at loose ends myself. The dodge dealer is lost and they are looking for answers from the east coast. If your vehicle gets fixed before mine please let me know what they found so I can tell my dealership.

gunnyr

I have a 1999 Durango w/5.9 Liter v8. Our truck did the same thing and other problems(engine light, abs, etc). After a thorough witch-hunt by rookie mechanics, a senior Dodge man in Az replaced the computer. No problems ever since after 152,000 miles.

henrilouis

I am also experiencing this same problem with the engine cutting off in full drive situations.
It started about 1.5 years ago. I brought it to the shop for repair. They told me it was due to a bad contact "somewhere". Now the problem is appearing again. The "check engine" and "no bus" indicator light up.
I hooked up an analyzer but it does not detect the error. The easiest way out is maybe by replacing the SUV computer, but what if the problem is somewhere else? This is very frustrating. We can help us out?

goehler

I have had this happen to me 4 times now and 2 times while i was over 65 mph on the freeway. i waited 5-10 min and it started back up no problem until 3 days later. the big issue is there is no check engine light after it fixes it self. if anyone has a clue please let me know what to do :

vero3

does any one know why my durango does this
i run the car for about an hour and it turns off. then i wait for about five min. and then it starts going. and it does the same for the next hour where i have to wait about five min. for it to start again.
it makes changes in the dashboard where the mileage will say "no bus" and and the circle around the "D" on the gear indicater disappears the same for me.
I have the same problem as the first post. can anyone else help.

thecant

:mad: I have the same problem with my 99 Durango. It has cut out 3 times on me in the last 2 months. It starts right back up as if nothing is wrong, but the steering and braking difficulties encountered when this happens are frightening.
I came to the forums hoping to find an answer to what was wrong so I could have the problem fixed, but it seems as if no one, including the Dodge dealerships, knows what is causing this.
Hopefully someone will have an answer, so I can again feel safe while driving.

chow392004

I need help figureing out whats wrong with my 2000 Dodge Durango it has the 4.7 V-8 the code I keep getting is P-0551?? anyone know what it s problem is???
Thanks JOHN

waus27

does anyone make a power programer for my 2002 durango 4.7 if so how

airjoe

My engine, when idling at a light or whatever, begins to knock. It sounds like the lifters are knocking. Also, my engine light is on. It has plenty of oil & the pressure, per the guage, is fine. Has anyone else had this problem?

salt12887

I have a 2005 Durango 4.7 with about 70,000 miles. I have never had any trouble with it until now. When I started it this morning to warm it up, I could smell a funny sulfur smell. When I started to drive it, it ran very poor. The engine would skip and lacked power. The check engine light started flashing and the engine continued to skip. It almost sounded like it was running on 7 cylinders. The check engine light would go out and come back on, but the engine still ran very rough. After about a half hour of driving, it seemed to gradually run ok, but the check engine light stayed on. On my way home from work, It did the same thing, ran badly, but later got better. What do you think was wrong? I was thinking bad gas....I did add dry gas to see if it helped, but too soon to tell....

crispycritter

the way it sounds you answered your own question sounds like you have a plug not firing all the time flooding raw gas into convertor which would give you a sulphur smell.

34boys

I've had this same issue and the dealerships have no clue. I finally found a local mechanic who after a couple of months in and out finally got it. He replaced the idel sensor and I have not had a problem sense.

ednr

Have you ever got a response to your issue? I'm having the same problem with a 2004 Durango. Engine light on but no oil pressure problem(?)

NCDODGE2000

This is one of those factory issues that Dodge must have known about! I saw class action information last year on a site but lost the information. I have spent $$$$ replacing parts and filters for a year and still have engine stalling problem. Someone said replace distributor set, on fuel tank, others, etc.. Where does it end!!

rockpin

Can anyone help? When my Durango has been idling awhile, upon acceleration, the engine makes an abnormal revving sound. The sound will stop when I reach normal driving speed. It always shifts on time, but the noise is similar to a transmission low on fluid. I'm leaning towards a vacuum issue. I've replaced the purge solenoid, replaced trans. filter and fluid, and did a visual check for vacuum leaks with no luck. Any ideas?

chaplain61

rockpin,

My 2002 Durango is doing the same thing, accept on occasionally it doesn't like to shift right away. Have you found anything out regarding this issue?

Regards

rockpin

No, sorry I haven't figured anything out as of yet.

notamachanic

Mine was doing the same thing. First thing my mechanic said was "transmission". Turned out to be the fan making that noise. The clutch for the fan was seized up. $65.00 for a new one.

rockpin

Awesome! I'll try that. Thanks for the tip.

hunter131

I've had the same problem with my 1999 Dodge Durango for almost a year now. I've changed every sensor ( ICS,PSC,CMP,CKP, MAP, TPS, ECG, etc.). I've had the fuel injectors rebuilt, fuel pump replaced, Catalytic converter replaced, Dist cap and rotor replaced, replaced the ignition coil,and new plugs/wires, I've even had the PCM replaced twice. The only thing that changed is it dosen't die while I'm driving anymore. It still "bogs" down on me and I still have to start it 5 times to acutually get it to move. Is there anything that the dealership or the 10 mechanics I've taken it to may have overlooked ?

marsha0517

I have 2005 Durango Limited Hemi 5.7 L.
Problem started back in jun 2008, where check engine light came on a car just stopped. Had it towed to dealer they had no idea what was wrong except to say i had a misfire in engine and needed fuel injection system service. That was done light came on a few days after went back to dealer and they said I had to replace O2 sensor, did that. In aug 08 check engine light came on again, replace O2 sensor and that I needed to replace all spark plugs and wires, All were replaced, (money is adding up!!), still light came on a few days later. Dealer then said i had a new code of P0052, replaced powertrain control mudule with software.
Throughout 2009 light would come on periodically and go off, some one told me at dealer light will come on if gas cap not tightly closed. That brings us to May 2009, went to a new dealer because other one was going to close. I needed oil change and they saw check engine light on, ran diagnostic said i needed to replace catalytic converter. I ignored it because i just had a baby and not enough energy or time to deal with and car was running fine!!
Bring us to date, car is still running fine, check engine light is on and another shop where oil change done says I need to replace O2 sensore and catalytic converter. what is going on? anyone else have this problem. :confuse:

hunter131

#27 of 27 Re: Dodge Durango 1999 V.8 engine cutting off [henrilouis] by hunter131 Dec 31, 2009 (1:05 am) Save | Reply
Replying to: henrilouis (Jun 13, 2007 12:32 pm)

I've had the same problem with my 1999 Dodge Durango for almost a year now. I've changed every sensor ( ICS,PSC,CMP,CKP, MAP, TPS, ECG, etc.). I've had the fuel injectors rebuilt, fuel pump replaced, Catalytic converter replaced, Dist cap and rotor replaced, replaced the ignition coil,and new plugs/wires, I've even had the PCM replaced twice. The only thing that changed is it dosen't die while I'm driving anymore. It still "bogs" down on me and I still have to start it 5 times to acutually get it to move. Is there anything that the dealership or the 10 mechanics I've taken it to may have overlooked ?

** Ok, I really feel like a fool. Here it is almost a year later after I thought part of the problem was gone, all new parts and it's shutting off while I'm driving again. It's also bogging out again while I'm driving down the road. I'm thinking about scraping the Durango and just buying a new SUV, it's probably cheaper in the long run. But I will guarentee my next purchase WILL NOT be a Durango.
:lemon: :sick:

cooch6669

it has fuel and spark what else could it be

madmejia

My vehicle starting to burn fuel really rich. Dropped down to 4 mpgs. Vehicle starting smelling alot like gas. Engine light turned on. took it in and the meter stated I had to replace the O2 sensor. I did that. Fuel returned to normal, Now after a week, i am starting to smell the fuel again but the engine light is not on to take a reading. Any ideas on where to check next?

dani18

My engine blew up in 07,I let it sit for 3 years. I took it to the shop after purchasing a used engine,now after they changed out hoses & did oil change it will not fire up. The mechanic called me & stated he's done everything required.Could someone tell me what is the next step to getting my girl running? I am totally clueless;but need my spare car up & running,please help?

hank_04

Ok, here's the skinny. I have a '99 Durango SLT with the 5.9 360 engine in it. I bought it knowing it would "shut-off" occasionally but assumed, having a family full of mechanics, that it would have a simple solution. I was wrong. Turns out it is an electrical/computer problem, which the dealerships figure would cost about $2,200 to "fix". Check engine light is on, only goes off when I try and set the cruise, which actually causes the RPM's to drop and shutters then keeps on goin (cruise doesn't work) Tranny is new btw. Have been told MULTIPLE times it's the ECU/Wiring Harness. Have had 5 ECU's, the one that's in it is the only one that keeps that "shut-off" thing from happening I mentioned earlier. It doesn't "Run" like a 5.9 V8 should in my opinion, and until I try the cruise the "check engine" light stays on. Error codes from that diagnostic does show it's the ECU-(computer). But as I said, 5th time wasn't even a charm. If anyone has a clue as to fix this PLEASE do. I love my Durango, but it is a money PIT. I have started looking to buy another car if this can't be remedied. I would love to customize it and make it into the vehicle it can be, but not if it keeps running like a mini van that gets 13.7 MPG!!! I could honestly care less about that gas mileage if it would run better though.

PLEASE HELP ME, a solution, OR somewhere to buy what parts I need would be a tremendous help. Thank you.

dkphoenix

Bought my '99 Durango SLT in the Summer of '07 from a Used Car Dealer in Texarkana, AR. It was "As Is". I made it to the apartment complex I lived in. I did NOT get to a parking spot by my door. The transmission was NOT working. WE put it in N and pushed it back into a parking spot and I had called the shop and left a message for him to return my call. I had paid $4600 in cash. He called me back and I explained I wanted it fixed or I wanted my refunded cash. Needlessly to say, there was a 'tie over job' done on it and that Holiday season, it went down again. Same thing. There is something wrong with the shifting of gears. Its an automatic. I did not know until after signing there were 6 previous owners. No history given to me on it. Now, after my 2nd transmission job on it, I find that it is doing it...yet again! Anyone else having this trouble? Also, I have the front passengers window that will not roll down and if it does, it will only go 1/2 way and will not raise back up with motor or pulling! I have had several owners of this make/model and year have the same issues and say after it is fixed, it goes down again. I am being faced with this being the ONLY vehicle running right now for 2. My job is 30mins away. It was mentioned to me by a neighbor that when he had trouble he would replace Transm fluid, a screen of some kind, and some kind of modulator valve....? 9/10 times it would fix the problem but he did not know if mine had it. I have checked the fluids. They are fine. The more I drive it, the lower the speed I have to go to keep it from "jumping" while trying to shift gears. HELLLLP!!! Please :mad:

74ponti

Your vehicle stopped and was towed in,and they sell you a fuel injection service?...you need to find another repair shop that you can come to trust...ok,people. whoever reads this..sorry to say but sometimes dealerships are not the best repair shops to take your vehicle for repairs.they do have the best equipment,but do they use it? noooo.i read lots of durango problems and most sound like theyre the same problem and the dealership cant fix em...i'm more than sure that dodge has a repair by now on it. called (bulletins)if the techs would search their system for some info they would be able to repair these vehicles.instead of selling tune ups to repair a ses light.And now the service advisors...some (some ok not all)are just money hungry buzzards that just care for their commission on their labor sales.you know what, i would ask this next time to any repair facility( will i get my money back if it dont fix it? )....how bout that .fair question ,no? let me just leave with this lil example....sister looses keys.told her go to dealer and they cut you one with the VIN #.she goes in and was told (by service advisor) she needs to take vehicle in to program the new key..80 dollar job..i tell her to just tell him you need the key to release the steering wheel.advisor insisted,nope you need to bring the car in maam.all this for a key that was not even programable....did she take it in?...nope...she found them..oh and that o2 sensor problem, you prolly just need the converter instead of both sensor and converter.being that you already replaced it.the o2 sensor just reads the performance of the converter.it dont mean its bad.see what i mean...

thunderchild

Your catalytic converter may be bad and clogging your exhaust system. Have it checked.

dkphoenix

Hunter, TY for your help and it had been checked. I had it in the shop Lord knows how many weeks and everytime they called to say its ready, it would keep on. They finally said they did not know what was wrong with it and if I could get out from under it...nows the time. So, I did. :shades:

hunter131

Ok, I got rid of my Durango and the guy that bought it fixed the prob...lol. It turned out to be the crankshaft sensor. Turns out that even though it had been changed there are alot of faulty sensors that are being sold. After over $4000 and over a year later the problem was solved for under $50. It is now running like a brand new truck.

michaeldefillo

I love the internet. My 2002 Durango 4.7L w/auto trans, is doing the same thing right now... only sometimes but the frequency has increased recently. Symptoms: Sometimes, when the vehicle is started it sounds like the motor is racing and it wont shift out of first gear. After a few moment to a minute or two it goes away and all is normal and without symptom. So yesterday the battery died and I replaced it, it started right up and the symptom was present. It appeared to me the mechanical fan was spinning at to high of a rate and very loud and moving an excessive amount of air for low idle and upon engine rev. so, I conclude the fan clutch is bad since it should turn freely when the motor is cold and have only mild resistance when the motor is at operating temperature according to my chiltons manual. After inspection I see mine has resistance when cold... although mild I believe it should turn freely without any resistance whatsoever like a pinwheel in the wind...Not sure if their is a mechanical fan speed sensor or some other sensor that prevents it from shifting out of first gear... but once the fan stops spinning at an excessive rate the vehicle shifts and operates normal. Hmmm. I will replace the fan clutch and comment mare later. Mike

michaeldefillo

Hi Mike here. I ended up troubleshooting the engine cooling system as a whole. I discovered the electric fan was not working, and the engine coolant temperature sensor was below the minimum specification. So I flushed the radiator, replaced the engine coolant temperature sensor, the thermostat and installed a new electric fan. So far the check engine light has not come back on and it is running like a champ. Turns out the mechanical fan clutch was not the problem at all. Hmmm. My reference material was the Chiltons repair manual found at the local auto parts store. Very easy to follow if you have a little bit of mechanical ability. A word of advice if you are working on the cooling system get the fan shrouds out of your way there is two bolts at the top half and the window wash connectors and two bolts at the bottom half. Happy

hagron

Contact your Attorney General's office and file a complaint: the mechanic is not finished until the replacement engine is running.

melcwdurango

Last winter, my 2005 Durango V8 4x4 (no hemi :-( ) with 50K miles came up with a Knock Sensor error code. I purchased the sensor, but didn't have the money to have it installed. The truck ran fine, with the error code coming on and off occasionally, but no trouble with the performance.

But this year, since the temperature has dropped to 20 degrees, I now have both knock sensors tripping my check engine light at the same time. This happened all the sudden and my truck will not run right at all!! It looses power, feels like the engine is seriously misfiring. I seriously doubt that both sensors are fowled up at the same time with little or no warning and causing problems like this.

What else could be wrong? I don't have the money to waste changing knock sensors when that isn't the problem. I read in another post that it could be my distributor instead....... Help please!!!! Thanks!!! :confuse:

advocate6

When attempting to put my car in gear the engine surged. The car was out of control. I could not stop it with my breaks nor could I steer properly. I collided with a parked car in a private parking lot. No injuries.
Has anyone else experienced something similar?

akcamai

Yes... I have experienced something like that... I had just gotten my Durango SUV out of the shop for its 90,000 checkup ($800 ouch) and drove it two miles. It surged and I managed to get it out of traffic, into parking lot and impaled it onto a snowberm and a tree. I was freaked out. I had it towed and it turns out that the dealership had oops dropped a plastic spark plug wrapper into the throttle cable housing. Check to see if you have something blocking your throttle cable. Scary but I got lucky. However, now every tube, pipe and gasket down on the bottom of the engine needs to be replace because they are all leaking... I'm up to $750 in bills from these replacements and the dealership says that its is not liable. have you ever had a transmission coolant line crack and leak?

jadedangel29f

Hi,
I have a 2000 Dodge Durango 5.2 Engine.. I haven't had any real trouble until now. My check engine light keeps coming on and I took it to advanced auto and they told me that 4 of my 8 cylinders were coming back as something wrong with the electrical wiring ? Has anyone else had this problem ? The cylinder's don't have wiring in it... Could it be the computer ? Is this an easy fix or should I just sell it and get a new car ?

gixerryder

I have a 2000 4.7 Durango that runs very bad.
I had a tune up done and replaced injectors. After$1500 it still runs very rough and engine light is on. Also the same codes come up ie: injector malfunction and multi misfires. now I am told it might be ecu/pcm. I hate to invest another $500 on a might be. Any ideas? thanks in advance.

jadedangel29f

Like I said, I haven't had any problems really with it until now... I took it to advanced Auto and they said that 4 of the 8 cylinders were kicking back some kind of electrical problem.... I'm lost because there's no actual wiring in the cylinders.....I'm just wondering how much it would cost to fix ? And what are the long term effects ? I'm on a fixed income so it would take me some time to save up the money to get it fixed.. If I don't get it done right away could this blow my motor ?

gixerryder

Sorry for last reply. I am new here and wanted answers to my problems.
I also took my Durango to advance and go the error codes, I then went to Goodyear and they did a tuneup. After that didn't work they said it was the injectors. Another $1100 and that didn't work. I then took it to Americas garage and spent $700 on test to be told it might be the pcm/ecu. Yes I did hve the multi cyl misfire as you do. Saying all this, I to am in a very bad place. I did a title pawn to pay for this and it still doesn't work and now I can't without my car.

jadedangel29f

How much did you have to pay to get the cylinder's fixed ? I am just wondering... I have to call garages tomorrow....

gixerryder

I paid $250 for tune up and injector cleaning.
Then it was $1100 to have all injectors replaced. The car still runs like crap.
I just ordered an pcm/ecu today for$250. I pray this works. I should have it by Wed. I will post if it works out.

jadedangel29f

I called a Dodge dealership today and they told me they could run a diagnostic on it for 32.50 ... He said that since the Check Engine light is not coming on all the time, that's probably something minor... My truck is still running great, it's just skipping a little....The C/E light comes on periodically.. It's only come on 2 times in the past 2 months and that's when the problem started..... The "skipping" happens even if the C/E light is not on...Ours runs great except for this 1 issue... Occasionally... What is a pcm/ecu ? LOL....

gixerryder

The ecm/pcu is the computer for the car. Wow Dodge is gonna do it for $32.50 wish I was around that dealer. They want $200 to install the pcm/ecu. it only has 3 plugs and 3 screws holding it. I took it off in less than five min. Diagnostic started at $90. Good luck with it and let us know what it turns out to be.

jadedangel29f

I live in a very small town.... Not much around here... It's so small there's only 1 gas station... LOL

durangomom

have a 2005 dodge durango. For the past 3-4 oil changes my knock sensor continues to come on and you could smell oil burning as well at each oil change which was done every 3000 miles my oil would be almost empty and my truck would start to knock. Secondly now my battery keeps dying but the knock sensor does not come on anymore. I have takin my vehicle to auto zone advanced auto parts as well as 2 mechanics. I had a tune up done and had it put on the diagnostic machine. auto zone & adv auto parts said my battery, alternator, & starter were reading fine but i was loosing almost 4 volts somewhere. the mechanic said nothing was wrong at all i had no oil leaks and cld not figure out why sensor was going off.

durangomom

I am having the same problem with my 2005 dodge durango as well it wont hold the charge to the battery they say its pulling 4 volts from somewhere so its draining my battery. Im going to try to get it to the dealer for a $110 diagnostic. Wonder how thats going to turn out.

leb712

2000 Durango 4x4. Recently, my check engine light came on and my truck started to run a little rough. When the light is on, I let Off the gas and it acts like it will die for about 10 seconds then dies. When I Accelerate, the truck almost dies then the RPMs jump up. It starts up fine and usually this Problem only arises after about 10-20 minutes of driving. It has never died while driving only when I let off the gas and come to a stop. One time i got so frustrated with the constant problem on my way from work, i smashed down the accelerator and took off really fast and it actually made the light go off and it ran fine the rest of the way home. It acts like it's not getting fuel or running out of gas even though I have a full tank. The code is P0108 but the mechanic thinks it's a crankshaft sensor but my symptoms don't exactly fit. Any ideas?

burdawg

Have a look at this: http://www.obd-codes.com/p0108
This will at least explain the code your getting.