2001 Dodge Durango SLT 4.7
Summary:
Looks good on the outside, but all of its parts are already broken... you just don't know it yet!
Faults:
Front right caliper locked up and nearly burst into flames.
U joint (rear) went out and had to be replaced.
Various vacuum hose line leaks.
Fender moulding fell off.
Transmission is starting to go.
General Comments:
Poorly designed vehicle. I've had a host of problems with this car in the past 6 months.
Front right caliper locked in the 'braking' position while my wife was driving it. Luckily I was riding my motorcycle in the lane next to her and saw the smoke pouring out of the wheel well. Again, luckily, when I finally got her pulled off, it was into the parking lot of a mechanic who could not touch it for 2 hours while it cooled down!
Then a couple weeks later, the RPM's just started fluctuating.
A couple weeks later the rear U joint went out. It was broken into several pieces (never had this vehicle on dirt and it's all stock).
A few weeks later the check engine light came on and there were several vacuum hose leaks. Had those replaced and 2 weeks after that, the transmission began jumping. You will be slowing down, stopping, or stopped and the car feels like someone has rear ended you!
Now the check engine light is on and showing 3 transmission codes! Going to get it fixed up, provided it's something like a control solenoid and get rid of it ASAP. Meanwhile, my 91 Oldsmobile with 150k miles on it runs like it did in 91! Go Figure?
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No
Review Date: 30th June, 2006
9th Jan 2006, 22:35
I was under the impression that the R/T had a 5.7L, or at least something larger than a 2.9L. One other question: are you actually experiencing a problem with the transmission shifting or going into gear, or did somebody at the garage just tell you that you needed one? I'd be suspicious if you drove in to have them look at the reverse lights, and they tried to sell you a transmission.
Not to trivialize your troubles in a time of desperation, but putting 107,000 miles on a car in less than 4 years seems like pretty good service. I would characterize the reverse lights as a minor annoyance, which I assume you had fixed. I would also characterize the water pump replacement as a fairly routine requirement once a car passes 80,000 miles.
That is a shame about your transmission. But with so many miles put on in such a short time, is it possible that you have been a little hard on it, and not kept up on maintenance like changing fluid and filter?
As for what to do, it depends on whether you are still paying on this car. If you have it paid off, maybe it's time to dump it and consider yourself lucky to have gotten this much use out of a vehicle that unfortunately has a spotty reputation. (For a car with a more reliable reputation, I would have suggested keeping it much longer after being paid off). At 112,000 miles, and with the check engine light that is often the death knell for these things, you may have trouble just around the corner. On the other hand, if you still owe money, you may as well get the transmission fixed and nurse it along (baby it from here on out!!) to at least get some use out of it until the loan is paid off. After all, you won't be able to sell it for what you owe, and will just have to roll the balance into the new loan on a different car.