Comments: 1-15, 16-20
A bad ground cable.
The battery had to be replaced at my cost due to the bad ground cable.
The engine failed.
Driver seat bracket broke.
Lever to adjust the tilt steering wheel broke.
My Durango for the most part has served my family and I well.
The performance of this vehicle is great. It is very comfortable.
I had the vehicle in for service on several occasion and had the oil change routinely.
On a few occasions the check gauge indicator light came on, and I noticed the oil pressure
gauge fluctuating back and forth from zero to mid way on the scale. I checked the oil
level and it would check fine. I would restart the car and the indicator light would be off.
I had the oil changed in March 2004. A few days after the oil change the engine started
making a knocking noise. I scheduled an appointment with the dealer to have it checked
out.
The dealer informed me that the problem is an internal engine failure.
I was in shock. The oil was changed every 7,000 to 9,000 miles. The fluids were checked
regularly. I ask the service writer what caused the engine to fail, her response was it just
failed.
I can't believe that in today's day and age of technology that a well maintained engine
would fail with 61,000 miles on it.
This is a very common problem with the Durango. Please check out www.consumeraffairs.com Also type durango+sludge in a "google" search...you'll be amazed.
Unbelievable! This is EXACTLY what happened to our 2001 Durango! Something has to be done about this! We even had an extended warranty, but they denied the claim due to "sludge" in the engine! We all need to contact Dateline. I'm serious! This has happened to too many people! If this has happened to you feel free to call us at (803) 750-0730.
It is best to change your oil every 3,000 to 3,5000 miles.
You can even purchase the oil changes in with your warranty.
If questions about your oil are still a problem, there are oil samples that a lab can perform a regular basis for you that may ease some anxiety. You can get information at your local parts store about oil samples.
Oil should be changed about every 3,000 miles, not 7,000 - 9,000 miles. Your bad.
Changing the oil every 9,000 miles is not what I would call "well-maintained". I would call that extreme neglect bordering on abuse. You should change the oil and filter every 3,000 miles for highway driving, or every 2,000 miles for stop-and-go city driving. And use Mobil 1 synthetic, it really makes a positive difference. Changing oil is the least expensive thing you can do to prolong the life of your engine.
It depends on what your manual says. I haven't seen a Dodge manual, but some vehicle manuals say every 10K miles. Why would they say that unless that was adequate?
Some "experts" recommend 5K as a rule of thumb. My mechanic tells me that's too high: do it at 3K. Then again, he gets paid every time I bring the car in.
2K, in my opinion, is wasteful squandering of natural resources.
I own a 2001 durango, and I have been driving it everywhere, it is the most perfect, most powerful vehicle that I ever owned. like any car, you have to keep it well maintained, and replace the oil regularly at 3000 miles and never let the gas indicator drop to less than 1/4. like any car, if you take care of it, it will take care of you. I think the durango is a great value, because of it's power and versatility. email me at anaza1@aol.com.
3,000 mile intervals seems to be about right acc to a variety of sources, if you want your car to last far beyond the warranty period. If you do a lot of highway miles, then up to 5,000 miles is reasonable or a minimum of 2 times per year.
Remember that only you and subsequent owners have an interest in running your car to very high miles without problems.
Can't agree with the "squandering" remark as the oil usage is nothing compared to your gas usage.
After all, in 2,000 miles you would use about a hundred gallons of gas compared to a gallon or so of oil.
No big deal.
But taking good care of your car still does NOT guarantee it will take care of you.
Some are just les reliable than others.
I find it interesting that your driver's seat bracket broke. We have 4 Durangos at work, and the drivers seat bracket has broken on two of them.
I agree that the poster who is worried about squandering natural resources by changing oil "too soon" is looking at the wrong end of the picture. 2,000 miles is an often quoted recommendation for city driving, where engines take more abuse from long periods of idling, and jack-rabbit acceleration, and short trips that allow moisture condensation to degrade the oil. And besides, when you get your oil changed, the garage or auto parts store turns that in for recycling, so it's not like changing your oil more often means that those 5 quarts of oil are gone forever. For one thing, keeping clean oil in your car helps the engine run better and will actually save gas as a result. Taken to the extreme, where are you saving the most natural resources: by being chintzy on oil changes or by keeping your engine from wearing out prematurely and having the whole car end up in the junk pile? In order to build a new car for you, it means more rain forest has to be clearcut in order to start a new open pit mine to get the metal, and more pollutants released from chemical factories to make the seats, carpet, dashboard, etc. But hey, you decide...
To wait 7000-9000 miles to change your oil is way too long. Every 3000-3500 miles is more realistic. That's what I do with my vehicles. The owner's manuals for a lot of vehicles say that you can go 7500 miles or so between oil changes, but that's nonsense, plain and simple. Motor oil starts to degrade when used for too long and doesn't lubricate as well as fresh oil. Motor oil contains detergents to keep the inside of your engine clean and those break down over time. Not changing your oil frequently will lead to a dirty, worn out engine. Dirty, worn out engines don't run very efficiently. They use more gas and pollute more, which is squandering more natural resources than frequent oil changes do. The oil gets recycled anyway.
I agree with the previous comment that just because you take good care of your car doesn't necessarily mean it will take care of you. I hear and read that a lot, and while true of good vehicles, there are some very poorly engineered vehicles that will be unreliable no matter how much you lavish them with maintenance or how carefully you drive them. They're called "lemons"...which is an insult to a fine citrus fruit from my point of view!
We bought our 2000 Dodge Durango less than 2 months ago. It had 58,000 miles on it, and now has 59,900. The oil was changed before we bought it through the used car dealership. It's been a dream. We put remote start and keyless entry on it. Today I took it to run some errands around town. Stopped at the gas station to get a cup of coffee. Went back to start it up, and it would turn over, but wouldn't stay running. Finally got it home as long as I didn't take my foot off the gas for a second. The "check gauges" light would come on when it would stall. We're going to try to get it to my brother-in-law's place of employment tomorrow to get it on the computer. Engine doesn't seem to make any weird noises when it's running. Just once you let off the gas, it quickly dies. We've made ONE payment on the stupid thing. I'm praying it's not the engine. Any ideas?
I am in the SAME BOAT as you. I have a 2001 Durango that I have had for 3 years. It had 25K miles when I bought it and now has 74K. It appears that I have been a little luckier than most, in that I made it to 74K miles, but now I have a $16,000 yard ornament - that is going to cost $6000 to repair. I had the extended warranty when I bought it used, but it has run out. How in the world can they get away with out admitting that there is a serious problem with this engine and that it is NOT the consumer's fault?!?! What can we do??
What exactly happened to turn it into a $16,000 yard ornament that needs $6,000 to repair? Do you mean that the engine seized up, or is it like the other person where it just won't idle even though it runs? Have you tried pricing cheaper remanufactured engines, like Jasper? Maybe you can even work through a local machine shop to get your engine rebuilt rather than going through the dealer. It might shave a couple or even a few thousand dollars off that repair cost. On the other hand---if you don't owe money on it, this might be the time to cut your losses and dump it, figuring what the heck, you got 3 years and 50,000 miles out of it. The $6,000 you were going to spend would make a good down payment on a different car, or would even buy a good used car.
Regarding the Durango that won't stay running unless you foot is on the gas. My 2001 Durango just did the same thing due to a bad cell in the battery. Replacing the battery is quick and inexpensive.