10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
3 / 9
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
111,475 miles

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« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #305

Sep 022018

Durango

  • 160,000 miles
My vehicle stalls in the rain. It stalls at a stop or rolling speeds. It idles rough first and then stalls or shuts off. Sometimes the check engine light will come on, but not always. This only occurs in the rain. I've had several mechanics look at it, and they can't figure out how to solve the problem. I've spent a lot of money trying to get this fixed. Through online research, I've discovered that many other Durango owners are experiencing this same issue.

- Destrehan, LA, USA

problem #304

Aug 162018

Durango

  • 176,000 miles
My 2004 Dodge Durango has the 5.7 hemi. During heavy rains the engine would start to run rough and the electrical system shut down on me three different times in the middle of driving due to the rain. During this electrical shutdown steering was impossible and I would have to stop the vehicle in the middle of traffic. The vehicle did this to me one time in the middle of turning at an intersection. Fortunately no accident occured. I found that the issue was being caused by a faulty seal at the wiper cowl. This leak later blew my engine as the water leak found it's way into the cylinders and blew a piston rod. I was told that this defect has been reported to Chrysler by hundreds of people.

- Covington, KY, USA

problem #303

May 292018

Durango

  • miles
2004 Dodge Durango. Consumer writes in regards to engine failure. The consumer stated the engine needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified and did not offer any assistance due to the vehicle being out of warranty.

- Randallstown, MD, USA

problem #302

Apr 122018

Durango

  • 113,543 miles
I purchased my '04 Durango in 2014 with 70,000 miles on it and just paid it off last month. I haven't even received the title yet but yet I have a truck that doesn't run anymore. About a week or so ago I went out to start my truck and the engine began to knock very loudly. We had a small rain/snow event the night before and the truck had been sitting outside in the elements. I immediately turned off the truck and went back inside to make some calls and get on the internet. I found out that there has been an ongoing issue with this truck concerning water leaking into the engine causing it to hydrolock the engine causing catastrophic engine failure/ engine replacement. Prior to this, I had issues with the truck concerning idling and/or stalling during the rain or when going through a car wash. I read so many comments from fellow vehicle owners that have experienced this issue and have had to replace the engine. There is no other fix. The estimated fix for this is a new/used engine costing thousands of dollars (I was quoted 7000, I only paid 10,000 for the truck when I bought it). I had a mechanic come look at it and he said the truck dropped a valve, it was cylinder #3. my engine has just over 113,000 miles on it. There is no reason I should have to replace an engine at this mileage. None whatsoever. Delving into the issue it seems as if there is a replacement part (cowl fitting) that needs to be replaced that Dodge/Chrysler never issued a recall for although they knew there was an issue and it was causing its engines to blow rods and suffer irreparable damage. If I had known that this I would never ever have bought it especially from a company that doesn't correct their mistakes even when they know about them. I have never owned a Dodge before and I will never buy another again or recommend them to others. They should stand by their product

- Aurora, CO, USA

problem #301

Jun 142017

Durango

  • 100,060 miles
Durango slt 5.7L V8 hemi engine hydro locked and threw a rod while the vehicle was parked. The hydro lock issue is widely reported with the 2004 first generation of the hemi engine. However, Dodge does not acknowledge this manufacturing defect and safety issue.

- Tigard, OR, USA

problem #300

Dec 092016

Durango

  • 160,000 miles
It was a raini day and decided to go to the store to get groceries. I was driving my vehicle to get to the store from my home to the whole foods in san francisco ca on freeway I-280 North near the exit on geneva I heard a loud noice coming from the engine compartment, so I decided to get out on the exit to see what was going on, I turn left on geneva av I waited on red light on geneva av and howth St when light turn green I let go the break and started to go so I can park on the street and all of the sudden I heard a loud sound and saw a lot of smoke so I pulled over on 33 geneva av san francisco ca and looked around and found pieces of the engine on the road and near the starter on the vehicle, this is when I knew it was done engine was broken and had to call aaa to get a tow truck. Later I decided to do some research on what just happen and found that a lot of other people had problems on this vehicle just like I did.

- South San Francisco, CA, USA

problem #299

Sep 072017

Durango

  • 174,800 miles
Car has a new engine and third water pump. It failed after 5000 miles and engulfed in flames causing the failure of the belt, tensioner, main drive pulley and ac compressor. Today Dodge just recalled these pumps for the very same reason bearing failure and super hot conditions causing fires and failure. I was just redriving along the truck has been running well and showed no signs of issues, no noise, smell, lights or struggle. Car was at normal opperating tempurture and daytime traffic. Stopped for gas stayed for a couple minutes then drive on, within two miles without any warning or noise the car started smoking pulled over and smelled a rubber notices no leaks in the water delivery system oil, trans, or power steering, the belt was red hot and smelled like a house fire car was taken 200 yards to pep boys and repaired at the cost of $1300. Should not happen with 5000 miles on the water pump and 20,0000 on a new engine.

- Kennesaw, GA, USA

problem #298

Sep 132017

Durango

  • 229,000 miles
Has had problems with engine on Durango 4.7L overheating, I drive 15 minutes to work when its warm outside and its already overheating, ive checked various forums online each one had numerous people complaining about the same issue, with all the people complaining I figured Dodge would find a solution, or figured someone would file a class action suit, but nothing has been done.

- Lubbock, TX, USA

problem #297

Jun 102017

Durango

  • 102,000 miles
1. recall failed to repair air bag failure. Currently - airbags are not functional (dash warning light). 2. at approximately 72,000 miles - vehicle began to show signs of rust through at both rear quarter panels and both rocker panels. By 85000 miles - complete body rust through failure was irreparable - vehicle was maintained exceptionally clean. 3. at 100000 miles - noted by way of mechanic that the engine was 'sludged up' to the point that the valve train was starved of lubrication and subsequently - the engine has encountered what appears to be a total catastrophic failure. Valves, lash adjuster, piston rod or bearings may all be destroyed directly due to poor design and low quality components from fca. There are hundreds (thousands) of similar complaints across multiple media regarding this 'familiar' Dodge engine breakdown. Fca - of course - denies culpability citing poor user maintenance. I have records of all oil changes for the subject vehicle at 3000 mile intervals consistently from the date of purchase (5/2004), I say - 'fca? time to own up to this problem and do the right thing.

- Kingsford, MI, USA

problem #296

Jun 112017

Durango 8-cyl

  • 110,000 miles
04 Durango slt 4.7 V8. Rattling/rapping noise on start up that worsened through the day. Noise coming from right side of engine bay. Brought to mechanic and identified valve seat(s) in the aluminum head(s) have 'disintegrated' and/or 'dropped' causing the valves to slap on acceleration and multiple other catastrophic engine issues. Fca (Chrysler/Dodge) has been notified of my complaint and they're fully aware of this fatal engine flaw in their late model V8 engines yet they refuse to acknowledge or even advise owners of repair options. They must be told to go good for this situation. This occurred at 110,000 miles. My options now are: A $2000 engine repair, $4000 engine replacement - or - to 'junk' the vehicle - don't get me started about the [xxx] rust on this thing, either... I feel ripped off from a few different angles here by Chrysler/Dodge and I know there are thousands (if not hundreds of thousands) of fca owners out here who will never purchase another piece of [xxx]from these thieves. Information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Kingsford, MI, USA

problem #295

Mar 252016

Durango

  • 88,000 miles
While driving in the rain all of a sudden there was a loud noise and my engine started knocking loudly. I was able to pull the engine and pull it apart and found there was water in the intake and the number 5 cylinder rod had broke. Luckily the part that broke went down and the oil pan gasket/windage tray slowed it down enough to not go through the block. After further inspection I noticed that the intake gaskets were not sealing properly and allowed water to be sucked into the intake and then hydra locked the number 5 piston. When I put it together I noticed the "seal" on the cowl wasn't even touching the window and that let the rain go directly into the engine compartment and sit on the engine. Put those two problems together with the rain and now I have a motor that is broken. I called Dodge and the lady tried telling me that her "master" mechanic had never heard of this problem and yet when I typed in a search on this model and year that was the first thing that popped up. I know that this is a problem with the 2004 Dodge Durango. I have inserted pictures of their intake gaskets and then I held a ruler up to the intake flat and you can clearly see the light shining through the gasket which means that this was definitely not sealing. Also I put a picture of the cowl seal and showed how cheap it is. Also while we were waiting to get the funds to repair the engine it sat through the winter completely covered and the engine hadn't even been taken apart yet and when we pulled the intake off it was completely "full" of water which in turn filled the heads and the cylinders with water.

- Spokane, WA, USA

problem #294

Jun 292017

Durango

  • 240,000 miles
The windshield wiper cowling allows water to flow right over the entire engine and right into the intake. My Dodge was sitting for 2 weeks during heavy rains and when I tried cranking it up for the first time, the engine hydrolocked.

- Ocala, FL, USA

problem #293

Mar 312017

Durango

  • 96,000 miles
The windshield wiper cowl became defective and let water into the engine compartment, specifically the fuel intake manifold. After about 5 years of random water related stalls (rain, dew, car washes) which could never be replicated by numerous mechanics and therefore not properly diagnosed, water eventually found its way into a piston chamber. While on the freeway in san francisco on March 31,2017, hydrolock ensued and caused the number four piston rod to snap and break through the engine block destroying the engine. I was at the Dodge dealership in colma a few weeks prior for an unrelated airbag recall fix and spoke to the a service supervisor about the water related stalling issue. He basically told me to go somewhere else because they only use oe parts and even if they could figure out the problem (no guarantee), they probably couldn't get original parts. He acted like he was doing me a favor! I feel as the Dodge and the dealership is negligent. I have found out subsequently that this issue is widely know amongst parts suppliers (specifically used and rebuilt engine suppliers) and has a high rate of incidence according to various internet forums. I have lodged a formal notice/complaint with Dodge as have many, many others. I got three quotes for replacing the engine, all were over $6000. The vehicle proved to not be wiorth that cost to fix. I have subsequently donated it to a local charity. This problem definitely deserves a recall, and customers such as myself who have incurred financial losses should be compensated. Thanks

- San Francisco, CA, USA

problem #292

May 012016

Durango

  • 200,000 miles
The contact owns a 2004 Dodge Durango. Whenever it rained or snowed, water leaked into the inside of the vehicle through the hood. The water entered the motor and caused the vehicle to stall and the engine to shut off without warning. The check engine indicator illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to a certified mechanic who diagnosed that the water was leaking into the motor and the pistons, which caused them to fail. As a result, the motor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 200,000.

- St. Louis, MO, USA

problem #291

Jan 102017

Durango 4WD 8-cyl

  • 88,000 miles
Driving at 30mph on city road the Durango lost full power. No power steering, brakes or acceleration with gas. Had to put Durango in neutral and turn key off and back on. Afterwards it was normal again. Very dangerous and scared to drive with family in it.

- Fort Collins, CO, USA

problem #290

Nov 302016

Durango

  • 104,000 miles
I went to the Dodge dealer and made the complaint and they couldn't figure it out and took it to midas and another car repair shop and they could figure it out and when I looked at it online it said it was the cowl so I went back to the Dodge dealer and told them. They looked at me like I was crazy had to print off what everyone one had complained, so they replaced the rubber under the hood which was 40 dollars not that costly. But still when it rains, it runs rough and like it going to die. This is an accident waiting to happen. This should be a recall. When it first happened I was going to New York. Very scary going through the mountains and it starting raining hard all of the sudden going 70, drop to 30. Trucks on my butt. Not a good thing. Still every time it rains hard it still happens. I bought this vehicle almost 3 yrs. Ago for 10,000 with 80,000 miles on it. I have warranty and it's about over and no one can tell me what is wrong. So every time I bring it to a repair place I have to pay. This should be a recall. It's a life safety issue. So bascially I cant drive my car in heavy rain.

- Indianapolis, IN, USA

problem #289

Sep 242016

Durango

  • miles
Gas and body issues: When you go to fill up the gas sprays out. I have a vert strong smell of gas and the lower finder by the wheel well has rusted badly. Motor: Whenever there is heavy rain, my car will stop running. Most recently when I turn on the ac or heater the car stalls. I also just recently had to change out a manifold which caused another set of problems. I owned a Durango before this one and loved it. This one has changed my mind and I will never own another.

- Springfield, OH, USA

problem #288

Apr 242010

Durango

  • miles
The rh side of the exhaust manifold continuously has an exhaust leak!

- Williamston, NC, USA

problem #287

Jul 152016

Durango

  • miles
Recently when rain falls heavily the engine starts sputting & cuts off then engine light comes on. Took it to mechanic & they put the machine on it. It shows nothing is wrong. Put keeps doing it only when heavy rains falls. Finally went online to all the other complaints to Dodge & found out its the cowling. Changed the cowling but its still doing it. Its a Dodge problem but they will not fix their problem & its costing me a lot of money. Dodge needs to do something about this immediately

- Lantana, FL, USA

problem #286

Jul 312016

Durango

  • 105,000 miles
My 2004 Dodge Durango suffered the catastrophic engine failure due to hydrolock from the poor cowl design. I live in bear country, if this had happened while I was in a remote area I could have easily been stranded with 800lbs of claws and teeth. I started the motor in my driveway during a light rain shower only to hear an obvious problem in the engine, it ran for 5 seconds then died. Plenty of vehicles have been affected by this issue, but no recall has been issued. The 2012 hemi had a very similar issue and a recall was issued.

- Fort Wainwright, AK, USA

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