Faults:
I purchased my 1999 Dodge Durango on October 12, 1998. I have had nothing but trouble and disappointment since the purchase of this vehicle. The battery went dead within the first 90 days. This should have been my first clue to the inferior products used by Dodge Company.
At the time of my purchase, I still owned my 1991 Honda Accord, so the Durango was driven mainly on the weekends and on long distance trips. This infrequent driving did not afford me the opportunity to clearly determine the inferiority of the Dodge products. If I had known what a poor product I possessed, I would have replaced the clutch in my 10 year-old Honda for $535 instead of keeping the inferior Durango. I gave my Honda to charity in 2001. I regret not keeping the Honda and junking the Durango. I am glad that I did not donate this moving nightmare to charity. Owning a Durango has become a continuous repair nightmare. I have had to replace the front brake pads and rotors, ISP motor, O2 sensors, a leak in the coolant system, and last but not least, a transmission rebuild in July of 2004 for the tune of $2022. At the time of the transmission rebuild, I had approximately 72,000 miles on the Dodge Durango. I have spent at least $4,000 in repairs over the past 5 ½ years, not even to mention the cost of rental cars and missed time at work. I did not begin driving the car daily until 2001.
My nightmare continues daily as the oil pressure gage has been dropping to zero and back. I fear engine failure will be next. Each time this occurred in the past, I was told it was a different problem by the dealership (i.e. ISP motor, oil plug was not tightened from my last oil change, etc.). I think they were trying to evade an engine rebuild. I believe there should be some kind of class action lawsuit because Dodge continues to deny any awareness of the problem. This is not a safe vehicle for me to drive on long distance trips. I never know when the oil pressure will drop and the engine will fail. The mechanic who rebuilt my transmission says that all the Dodge transmissions are built the same and that is what keeps him busy rebuilding transmissions. He would have nothing to gain by sharing this information with me. I know he speaks the truth. I am a veteran and value loyalty and trust above all else. Dodge, you have lost a customer for life. ----------Stephanie Marietta GA.
26th Aug 2004, 06:07
" so the Durango was driven mainly on the weekends and on long distance trips."
So in other words it sat for a week, then you jumped in and took it on a long trip. Now, if that's not hard on a cars battery then nothing is. Batteries tend to lose their life when they sit a long time.