17th Jul 2003, 11:16

I bought my 1999 Durango SLT new, and have been very particular with regular oil/transfer case/transmission service.

At approx. 90,000 miles, lazy shifting in 3/4 was resolved by replacing a speed sensor in the differential.

At 130,000 miles, the transmission began lazy shifting 1/2 cold or warm. Took it to my local Dodge Dealer and have been VERY DISAPPOINTED in their ability to diagnose and fix the problem, with creeping parts/labor costs now approaching $3,000.

On the positive side, my Durango has only required brakes, shocks, tires as you'd expect, and otherwise has been very reliable.

I wish Dodge would address the need for stronger braking power however.

17th Sep 2003, 20:37

I have a 1998 Dodge Durango SLT. Recently, (Approx. 80K Miles) the transmission slips a second or two, then grips with a jolt. This happens when pulling out into the highway between 1 and 2 gears. I am going to have to have a new tranny. I am unhappy now that I have researched the net to find it is a common problem for a bad Dodge tranny. There needs to be a class action suit to force Dodge to be responsible.

20th Oct 2003, 08:37

I am looking at a 1999 SLT and am very happy to have found your website and all the information about the problems with the Durango engine and transmission. So much for purchasing the SLT and thanks again for having a forum like this to inform consumers such as me about LEMONS like the Durango.

13th Apr 2004, 10:30

We just bought a 99 Durango SLT with 65000 miles. After 2 weeks, it needs appx $6000 worth of repairs! My wife just had a baby 2 weeks ago and we wanted something reliable for him (and her). One cylinder is dead, rear differential leaks, intake gasket - gone, brakes, and the dealer is still diagnosing the rest. Thanks Dodge - appreciate it. I wont stray from GM again!!

26th Aug 2004, 14:07

A good friend of mine is the service manager at the dealership I bought my 99 Durango SLT from. He has significantly helped me out with my poor situation.

I purchased my Durango about 1 year ago. I have needed the following:

Water Pump (normal maintenance I suppose)

VSS

Governor Pressure Transducer

And now my trans won't shift out of 1st gear unless I let totally off the gas.

I did buy it used, but I had to assume that a originally priced vehicle of $38,000 had to last longer than 100,000 miles. My Chevy S-10 is now at 183,000 miles and my biggest repair has been a new battery (about 65.00 in 7 years compared to the 650.00 so far in 1 year with the Durango). It's kind of sad that DC won't help out.

I won't buy another Chrysler because of this and I will tell everyone that asks and that I know to never buy a Chrysler vehicle.

I would think that DC would come out ahead if they made there customers happy!

21st Dec 2004, 17:55

I recently purchased a 2000 Durango 2WD SLT with a 318. I bought it with 61,000 miles. I read the owner's manual. It states that the trans should be serviced at 30,000 miles as well as have the bands adjusted. I called all the local dealers, who in turn laughed when I asked about adjusting the bands. I was told that they are completely electronic and as such have no band to adjust.

To begin with I am an ASE certified master heavy truck mechanic/technician. I do all my own maintenance. I bought a trans filter kit, dropped the pan and filter and found, hiding behind the filter, an adjustment stud for the main band. I made the adjustment, replaced the fluid and filter, fired her up and ran down the street. For the first time since I purchased it, it shifted correctly from 2-3 cold. At first I thought it was because I had the truck running getting warm while adjusting the fluid level. So I parked her and waited til morning. This morning was about 30 degrees. I started her up gave it about 45 seconds to get oil circulating and down the road I went. 1-2-3-4-5- just like she's supposed to. No slipping, no sudden engagement just smooth shifting. PLEASE folks before forking over a wad of cash to your local stealership, try and find a trans shop that believes in doing things correctly. Explain to them that you read this and want to know if this is a viable alternative to replacing your trans. A hundred dollars or so as opposed to a couple grand. Good luck and I hope you all find this useful.

30th Jul 2005, 11:40

I have a '99 Durango with the same problem with the transmission, it seems. I notice it most when cold and on left turns. Straight-aways I rarely have a problem. Most noticeably is the shift from 1-2 and the tires squeal and the truck launches forward. I am looking forward to finding out if that little adjustment for the main band (from previous comment) will work. I have been dreading spending $1000+ on repairing my truck with 76000 miles on it.

12th Aug 2005, 18:37

Thanks for the advice on the bands in the transmission. Like everyone else I have had nothing, but trouble. Ball joints, hub bearings, now transmission issues. Lazy shifting from first to second, sometimes slippage in 2nd gear. I have a 99 Durango with 75,000 miles. I bought it used with 50,000 and have taken great care of it. I can't wait to get out of it.

24th Oct 2005, 09:11

Well, I was very happy to find this discussion and to learn that so many others had this shifting problem with thier Durango Transmission. I have a '99 SLT, and the slippage started shortly after the warranty ran out. I was told it would be expensive to fix, so I've lived with it for many years now, but it has been getting worse. When I heard about the bands adjusting procedure, I jumped at the chance.

Well, it was $265 to try the bands, but according to the transmission place, it didn't help at all. They said that there is a defective "lip seal" that would need to be replaced - total rebuild - $1900. I'm on my way now to pick it up :( I guess I'll drive her till she croaks.

30th Oct 2005, 23:20

>Well, it was $265 to try the bands, but according to the >transmission place, it didn't help at all. They said that >there is a defective "lip seal" that would need to be >replaced - total rebuild - $1900. I'm on my way now to pick >it up : (I guess I'll drive her till she croaks.

I am happy to report that the transmission place was wrong! Now that I've picked it up and driven it for a week, I know that adjusting the bands has done wonders!!

In detail, the problems that I had were:

1.) "Severe" slippage when shifting from 2nd to 3rd, especially when cold, but more and more frequent when warm. Would have to let up on gas and wait for it to engage.

2.) Any gear (including reverse) disengages after making any kind of left turn. This was especially bad when making k turns and the like. Had to wait for it to "kick in", which depending on the amount of gas applied could be violent / screeching.

95% of that is gone now. All that is left is about where the car was 4 years ago when the warranty ran out - when the transmission is very cold, it still does a ever so slight slip when shifting from 2nd to 3rd, but, it as soon as the transmission is at normal temp, it is fine. The truck was almost ready for the scrap when I dropped it off, and now it is fantastic again! I'm still a bit p/o'd that Dodge has this bogus lip seal out there causing all these problems, but I can handle a little slippage with over 130K miles...