Faults:

Need new ball joints and I haven't even been off-road.

General Comments:

I purchased my used 2000 Dodge Durango in December of 2001. Since that time I have had to replace the battery and a bad thermostat. The locking mechanism on the rear hatch does not work properly, and must be locked manually with the key. Just recently, I was told that the ball joints needed to be replaced. I have owned this car for a little over a year, and haven't been off-road once, and the ball joints have to be replaced! I was given a quote from the local Dodge dealership of $703 for parts and labor. It is not covered by the manufacturer's warranty.

Last week I wrote to Dodge using their website and was basically told that, although my comments are greatly appreciated (sure they are), there was nothing that could be done. My reply was that Dodge obviously does not care about customer service, their reputation, nor do they stand behind their product. I also informed them that this was my third Dodge vehicle, and would be my last. I have yet to receive a reply so I can only assume that they do not care. After finding this website today, I e-mailed them again to inform them that I am clearly not the only unhappy customer and I sent them a link to this website, suggesting that the powers-to-be may be interested in reading comments from their unhappy customers. My final comment was that the public should not be stuck with their expensive lemons.

It's unfortunate that Dodge can make a vehicle that looks so nice, provides ample comfort and space, but is put together so poorly.

Faults:

The electric locks and windows were problematic from the first. It as frustrating and dealt with several times under warranty. After the warranty ended, we had to take it back once for the locks ($300) and once for the windows ($90 - Dodge paid the rest).

That was nothing compared to what happened last weekend - the differential failed and the drive shaft sheared off. Fortunately, we had just exited the expressway and were going about 7 mph. There was no warning, no unusual noise - the car came to a sudden stop. I thought I had run into an unseen part of a snow bank. I put it in 4WD and was barely able to move it onto a side road. We looked under the car and there was the drive shaft on the ground.

We had it towed to the dealer and requested that they contact Chrysler about picking up part of the tab, as this was due to neither normal wear and tear nor abuse. We take our car in every 5,000 miles for maintenance and in between for oil changes. The dealer agreed that tis was abnormal, but Dodge only put in $300! The repair was $1,900. Dodge did not seem to care that this must have been caused by a defect.

I was so mad and uncertain of the car that today, we traded it in on a Toyota. To add insult to injury, we hardly got any $$$ on the trade in (excellent condition, slightly high mileage), but at least we won't have to deal with Dodge anymore.