1999 Dodge Durango SLT

Summary:

Beautiful truck, but a Money Pit

Faults:

All window motors stopped working between 45000 and 50000 miles. Two are still not working.

Thermostat blew at 45000 miles.

Motor blew at 41000 miles. Of course, Daimler-Chrysler determined it was poor maintenance by the customer even though I had all receipts for maintenance. They even stated it did not matter if I had receipts or not, the warranty only covered the first 36000 miles. Customer representative told me "tough, you are just out of luck". It cost me $5000 to fix.

Check Engine light came on again at 84,500 miles. I have been told it is a sensor, but have not yet gotten it fixed.

The seam on the back of the passenger front seat split in the first 10000 miles. The dealer was supposed to have the seat fixed for over 1-1/2 years by the vendor, until I finally took the vehicle to the dealer and was told it was out of warranty!

The brakes have never worked 100% right. I took the vehicle into the shop four times before the warranty was up, and to other shops twice since then to have the brakes checked. I have had brake pads, cylinders, etc., changed to no avail.

The transmission is flaky and will want to stick before kicking into next gear.

The engine will rev high at odd times.

General Comments:

The good:

I bought the SUV because of its beauty and size. The vehicle still turns heads. The interior is roomy and functional.

The bad:

Customer representatives are RUDE and confrontational. The dealership did not back me up for anything. I could not even get a return call from them.

The ugly:

This car is expensive to operate, gas mileage is 14 MPG in the best of conditions, and the vehicle is a maintenance nightmare.

I have owned nothing, but Chrysler products since 1990 (1990 Caravan, 1998 Concorde, 1999 Durango). This vehicle has broke me of that habit. I will never again waste my money on a Chrysler built vehicle. They want customer loyalty, but where is the loyalty from them?

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 8th September, 2003

11th Nov 2003, 13:25

Except for the engine blowing up (knock on wood) this could be my vehicle, but I still love it.I'll let you know how I feel about it if that happens.

1999 Dodge Durango

Summary:

A Big Lemon

Faults:

This truck is junk. We were recently 150 miles from our home in what we thought was a reliable vehicle when our oil pressure dropped, the engine started knocking, and it died! We have always maintained the vehicle well, but now we need a new engine.

I love the way the Durango looks and rides, but the way it runs it perhaps the most important aspect. With the price that we paid for this truck we just wanted something dependable.

I have read many complaints from people about the same problem, but Dodge refuses to do anything.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 25th August, 2003

24th Jul 2004, 07:49

The engine develops sludge no matter what you do to maintain it properly. It is a defect that will eventually require an engine replacement. Dodge will not back up this defect, and I will never buy another vehicle from them as a result.

1999 Dodge Durango SLT 5.9

Summary:

Love-Hate relationship

Faults:

The rear passenger side window does not work, and the front passengers window motor is weak. Neither of the rear windows worked when I bought the truck, but after toggling the window switches in the drivers seat, the rear drivers side window started working again. No luck with the rear passengers side, still.

THE BIGGEST PROBLEM

The engine cuts out at random times, but only in stop and go traffic during hot weather. After sitting for about 20 minutes, the truck starts right up, only to stall out later. When traveling 50mph or above for long distances, the engine doesn't cut out.

A friend told me that it sounded like "vapor lock", which is a problem that is inherent in certain vehicles, such as Volkswagens. When researching "vapor lock", I found the description of the issue to describe my problem exactly. When I took it to be fixed, the mechanics couldn't fix it after running 2 diagnostics, and, I told them what my friend had told me. They replaced the fuel pump, but that didn't fix it. After trying a few other spark, fuel, and cooling solutions, nothing solved the problem. The truck was returned, unfixed. I don't drive it now, in fear of stalling in a tunnel or, on a bridge.

General Comments:

Besides the bad windows and unpredictable running time, I enjoy driving this truck.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 17th August, 2003

20th Aug 2003, 09:39

We are experiencing the same problem with the engine just cutting off and then starting back up in hot weather. We were told by the dealer that the power train module needs to be replaced. I'm hoping they are correct. Any advice you have found out would be greatly appreciated.

13th Oct 2003, 17:44

5.9 running bad misses at idle or with a load on the Eng. Or dies when hot do's check eng light on?

You may have a cracked head leaking coolant in to Eng. and making it miss fire,get hot, run bad, and then shut off computer. Have a shop check this out with a leak test or a radiator exhaust test. This is what was wrong with ours, the dealer was no help in finding this problem.{ Cracked head} any head shop will tell you the heads are junk.

23rd Sep 2004, 20:19

1998 Dodge Durango. Recently, tendancy for intermittent stalling, usually at low rpm, or low cruise. Not the fuel pump, coil, plugs, cap, wires, rotor (all changed per dealer). Any ideas? (I've seen similar posts for the durango)

5th May 2009, 23:58

If your mechanics can't fix this problem, try fixing it yourself. Vapor lock is caused by the fuel vaporizing while it is still in the fuel line. The reasons for this are as follows...

1. Sharp rises or turns in the fuel line

2. Fuel line too long and there is an "up and the down" in the line, making a "peak" in the fuel line.

3. Running the fuel line too close to hot temperatures.

Fixes, re-route the fuel line with the above in mind.

This problem is more apparent in hot climates or in any running condition that over heats the engine.