1999 Dodge Durango from North America - Comments

Since purchasing the Durango in 1999 I have had a number of things go wrong. I had no problems for a long time, but once a major problem started it was downhill. The things I like about it are, the way it looks, it is comfortable to ride in, it is also very roomy, and the sound system isn't bad either. Perfect for long distance driving. The things I don't like about it range from gas usage to the number of times it has been repaired.

Here goes... I have purchased a number of tires, for uneven tire wear. Why are the tires wearing unevenly??? I was told it was because of the alignment. Mind you, I have the scheduled maintenance performed at the recommended intervals, and still the problems... The water pump died, the window motor died, I had to replace the battery twice within a few months. Also there is a lot of corrosion around the batter terminals. The tires make a clicking sound when I make turns, this has happened several times and I was told by the dealer that it is a maintenance issue. My question to him was, "if this is a maintenance issue, why is it not listed in my manual as a maintenance item?" Some kind of sensor went out within the first year or two. I was driving on the interstate and the fan came apart and the engine overheated. The lights on the dash keep blinking, some kind of electrical thing. The fog lights stopped working. The windshield wiper fluid won't come out, but the reservoir is full of fluid. The back of the vehicle feels like it is going out of control(fish tailing) when rolling over bumps, some kind of rear suspension thing. It failed inspection because of ball joints. The control arm had to be replaced (luckily the warranty took care of this). Oil pressure gauge keeps dropping to zero. I have to keep adding oil in between oil changes. Right now there is a problem with the bushings/control arm again. As a result of this, I almost hit another car in the lane next to me while trying to stop. I was going about 25-30 mph and when I went to brake the car veered off to the right unexpectedly. I had to correct by steering to the left to regain control and avoid hitting the car in the next lane. This is a very dangerous problem and the manufacturer should do something for the owners. A friend of mine had a Durango also and it kept stalling. He would drive it for a while and when he went to start it up, nothing... He was smart and got rid of his.

I guess the makers priority of the Durango is money, and not customer safety and satisfaction. I fear that it is going to take something drastic to happen before the company does what it should be doing now.

If you plan to purchase a Durango, have another car on stanby to use while the Durango is in the shop.

Also, have lots of money alloted just for repairs and gas.

I own a 1998 Durango and I have had no problems with it, and it has 160 thousand miles on it. It is going on engine number 2 because a buddy's mom put a hole in the block, but it was not the manufacturer's fault, so I don't know if all the problems you are having are the manufacturer's fault. From a mechanical stand point, I have never had an issue with the performance of the Dodge Durango, but on the other hand the Ford Explorer I did, but that is another story. So if you have the problems like you said, you better check how you treat your ride and fix it, because you're messin up somewhere..