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Dodge Durango
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Comments
becky
Thanks!
I have an extended warranty and even though I have not had to use it I am glad for the extra protection. You never know when you will need it.
Enjoy the SXT. I think it is a nice vehicle and I am sure you are going to love it. Find some trails where you live and give it a try off road. Make sure you have room on both sides so as not to get any after market pinstripes. >8^)>
NOTE: Get rid of the OEM Goodyear tires. They are the worst!! I replaced them with Yoko Geolander II's. Much better tire and much more fun in the rough.
A Light off-road event in Southern New Jersey! Come enjoy the trails!
-mike
1998 Durango; 69,000 miles.
As much as I love my 98 4wd Durango, which I bought used a year ago, the love affair may be coming to an end. The other day, on crowded freeway, the check gauge light came on when the oil pressure gauge dropped to zero momentarily. It then returned to normal. Then it dropped again and there was a pop and a loss of power. I pulled over and the engine quit before I could get off the road.
I took it to the nearest dealer, confident that the engine and power train warranty would cover whatever had happened. The shop said that I'd thrown a rod and needed a new engine. I told them to contact the warranty company, Fidelity Warranty Services Inc. in Deerfield Beach Fla. They immediately tried to deny the claim and demanded to see all of my oil change receipts. Too bad for them, cause I have all of them. I also have an attorney already on retainer that would be happy to take the case. I haven't heard what their response is after they inspected my vehicle and received copies of my receipts today. But, I just got done reading lots of articles just like this one on consumerafairs.com. I may be in for a long ride on this one. I'll post more later.
Geoff Kracoe
Atlanta, GA
We had the exact sae thing happen to our durango. The 5.2 threw a rod and we needed a new engine. Cost about 5,000 and the dealership would not help at all even though the owners aunt works at our law firm. They even changed the oil then a few days later said it needed the oil changed and we told them they had just changed it! That dealer is terrible. We weill never buy another chrysler product and got rid of the peice of crap they call a durango. By the way the dealership is Sam Lehman in Peoria Illinios, they now own the bmw place to, but STAYYYY AWAYYYYY!!!
1. Ball joints. The front right ball joint was bad enough to warrant replacement at 39,000 miles. Miffed, I had both sides replaced and judiciously greas'em up at every oil change (3Kmi) regardless of driving conditions. Cost - $530 dealer replacement.
2. Thermostat gasket leak. I smelled this for over a year and had to keep adding coolant every 5000 miles or so but could never find the leak. Then, when adjusting the throttle valve cable to the transmission I happened to peer down at the intake manifold and noticed encrusted coolant residue. It took less than 45 minutes to replace WITHOUT having to remove the alternator bracket as the svc manual described. Just some dexterous fingers and a little diligence. Cost - $6 for coolant and gasket.
3. RWAL (Rear wheel anti-lock sensor). This checked out at 49,000 miles. Besides the ABS and BRAKE MILs, the speedometer would not register a reading below 20 mph. Above 20 mph the speedo would shoot up to the correct reading. It was a simple diagnosis with the factory service manual and the part was only 30 bucks. Installation was a cinch. Cost - $33 for RWAL sensor.
I just developed a small ATF drip at the transmission/transfer case mating surface. There is a cast notch below one of the mounting bolts to the transmission where the fluid is coming from. I may have overfilled the tranny, but, I plan on having the fluid changed soon anyway and will see if the leak goes away with proper fluid level. I'm pretty sure it's not the transfer case.
There was ONE other unscheduled service, but it was my fault. I cross threaded the caliper slid pin into the steering knuckle last summer when I changed the front brake pads. I'll never make that mistake again. Fortunately DC addressed that problem with a Steering Knuckle repair kit. It consists of 25 helicoils, drill bit, tap. . everything needed for the repair in a slick black case. UNfortunately it cost me $137 at the dealership and I couldn't find this odd metric size helicoil kit ANYWHERE. Hard lesson to learn, and the Durango sat on jackstands in the driveway for 3 days before I found the solution. I went in looking for a new steering knuckle (after exhausting the salvage yards) and came out with this fix. Now, it sits in my toolbox never to be used again, hopefully. Anyone interested?
So, besides the ball joints, the Durango has been a great vehicle to own. In my foolish youth I had thought about adding a nitrous system to turn my 5.9 into a wicked "sleeper," but after such a clean history I'd hate to sacrifice any reliability by subjecting the drivetrain to uneeded stresses. I still may drop in some headers, but am pleased with every aspect of my Durango.
If I would change anything, it would probably be the primitive torsion bar front suspension. I drove a Toyota 4 Runner and really like the way it is sprung/damped. Some may disagree with me, I wish my Durango rode like that.
OK, I've rambled enough, but I felt like sharing a mostly happy story instead of a horror flick. Laters.
changing spark plugs
changing the PCV valve
changing the air filter
changing oil and filter
changing tranny fluid and filters
Checking:
brakes
hoses
wires
exhaust
Now I decided, most of the stuff I can do myself. I changed the plugs, and PCV valve. I have an Intense Performance Stage II air filter so I cleaned and replaced it. I went to my oil guy and had the oil changed but I will let the dealer service the tranny. All in all I spent about $240.00 total. I hate to slam the dealers but GEEEEZZZ. What a difference in cost. My D run's like new and I am going to keep the maintanence done myself.
Any insights would be appreciated!
Gill
2004 Honda Accord EX-L Graphite Pearl
2007 Honda Civic EX - Atomic Blue
2013 Honda Civic LX - Crimson Pearl
Toyota1: I would really like to see that one.
Steve
Host
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Grand High Poobah
The Fraternal Order of Procrastinators
Grand High Poobah
The Fraternal Order of Procrastinators
porknbeans: Working on my own cars has been a hobby of mine for years. I really started to get into it during high school. It really is not that hard if you have a little ability and a GOOD MANUAL. >8^D>
The regular maintenance is pretty straight forward if you read the owner manual. I have done this type of work on all my previous cars which incleded SAAB's and VW's. My D is also a 2000 and this weekend I turned 57,000 miles. My D will be 2 in June. 100,000 miles will be here before I know it. I like to keep my cars for a long time because in a way I like the challange and the great satisfaction of keeping a car in good running condition for as long as possible. I got rid of both my SAAB's for 2 SUV's. My wife has the Ford Explorer Sport 2 door and of course my Durango. These 2 trucks I can say are the most heavy duty vehicles I have owned and I am confident in thier longevity. ( Especially the way I baby them ). It is said that everyone needs a hobby. Besides that it is great on a Saturday to get away from the wifes "Honey Do" list because, "Honey I have to maintain the vehicles".
Grand High Poobah
The Fraternal Order of Procrastinators
I have been looking seriously at Durangos, but am extremely alarmed at reports of "sludge buildup" engine failures and brakes/ABS so bad they cause rear-end crashes.
My question- were either of these problems fixed for the 2001 model year? I am interested in a 2001 R/T, but have all but eliminated Durangos from our search due to the problem reports, particularly the brakes. I will not put my family in a dangerous vehicle.
Looking for 2001/2002 owners who have had experience with either of these problems, or other serious issues.
Also, we need this vehicle to go for 150K miles or more. Is that realistic given Dodge's current quality standards?
Thanks for your time-
porknbeans:
They did remove the ability to lube the chassis in the 2000 models. There is no way to do a lube on bushings any more. The squeak is not bad. I only notice it on speed bumps and similar things. I just spray on some lube and it lasts for a couple of weeks then goes away. I called the dealer and bushings are covered under warranty. Mine will be changed next week.
The third row seat is an option and is not standard. Hope this helps.
Grand High Poobah
The Fraternal Order of Procrastinators
Grand High Poobah
The Fraternal Order of Procrastinators
does any one else have these problems and were they corrected by dodge?
cpbill: The H valve is part of the A?C system. I have read about troubles with it in Durangos on the Durango club website. It does everything from getting clogged to cracked at times. I have not had the trouble that others have had. If you would like more info go to www.durangoclub.com and they have all the info you want in the archives.
Don't be too quick to dimiss the Dakota. It all depends on what your needs are, but the Quad cab is a really nice family truck. The Tacoma may lack some room in the rear seat in comparison.
The problem I have been having is that the engine has a knocking sound, like a chain hitting it, and the check engine light flashes every once in awhile. The check engine light flashing had started happening more often in the summer of 2000 when I was towing my boat on the highway and had to pull off the highway and became worse in the summer of 2001. The first time I mentioned this problem to the dealer in 1999, they said that they couldn’t recreate the problem and that I should put a higher Octane fuel in it. I then tried putting 93 octane in the D and it didn’t seem to be as bad but it was still there. I was putting 87 octane in it since the owners manual stated that I should use 87 and that using a “premium gasoline will provide no benefit over high quality regular gasolines, and in some circumstances may result in poorer performance”. The next year (2000) the problem was still there and getting worse. The dealer then told me that they were waiting for a program for the engine. I then would call the dealer multiple times to see if they had received the program and every time they were still waiting for it.
In 2001 It got much worse, so I took it to the dealer and they told me that they couldn’t find anything wrong or couldn’t even recreate the problem. I then, being frustrated, towed my boat in to the dealer and took a Technician for a ride. The Tech. was able to feel & hear the knocking and was even able to see the Check Engine light come on. When we got back to the Dealership he was able to read an error code that said Cylinder #8 was misfiring. They were unable to take the D in at that time so they scheduled a new time to take it in. When I took it in they couldn’t read any error code, like they always told me in the past even though the check engine light had come on, so they said that this time they had a program and were able to upgrade the software in the D. The day after I got it back, I left for Vacation. While towing the boat there, the knocking and Check Engine light was still a factor. When I was on my way home, the Check Engine light came on, stayed on and I lost power. The light had stayed on for two days. I was getting frustrated with this so I spoke with someone at another dealer but By the time the dealer was able to take the Durango in, the Check Engine light had gone off. The dealer then looked at it and couldn’t find any error codes. I told the Tech. about what the other dealer had done and said about the D. and he looked over the same things and checked some other things but still couldn’t find anything wrong.
I started speaking directly to “DiamlerChrysler Motors Corporation National Customer Relations” and to the dealer to try and solve the problem. Chrysler told me that a Chrysler Engineer would speak with the dealer. Nothing was ever solved.
I filed for the Arbitration law and they denied it saying that the problem wouldn’t cause death. If they can’t figure out what the problem is, how do they know it won’t cause a fatality? Spending $31,000 on a truck to tow, I would expect that I could tow my boat. I am now having the problem while accelerating without towing.
Sorry so long, but I would appreciate some help if anyone knows anything about this problem..