2000 Dodge Durango SLT review from North America
"A good SUV, but unpredictable reliability."
What things have gone wrong with the car?
The transmission started to make a knocking noise and needed to be repaired.
The driver door lock started to make a buzzing sound which got louder over time and stopped working altogether.
Every time it rained or snowed the vehicle would drive o.k. for a little while and then would drive rough, then it would stop all together. Took it to the dealer 3 times and no one could figure it out. They gave it a tune up and had the spark plug wires and distributor cap changed twice and the problem was still there. Even asked the dealer to wet the engine and still the problem was there. I found the problem myself one day when I was filling the windshield wiper fluid and some spilled on to the ignition relay, which happens to be real close to what I was doing. The car was running and started to run rough. I poured the windshield fluid right on to it and the truck shut off. I took it to the dealer and told them what happened, they were shocked and was convinced that that was my problem and fixed it after they did there on water test on it.
The rear "fold and tumble" seats don't "fold and tumble" smoothly. The lever to fold the seats does not unlock easily and we have to kind of bang on the seats to unlock it.
The truck now has a cracked head or the head gasket needs to be replaced.
The floater in the gas tank needs to be replaced because every now and then the gas needle will drop down to "E" and the gas light will come on. After a few seconds the needle would move back to where it was before.
General comments?
After owning the car for one year, our problems started to occur. Most of the problems were covered under the warranty so the costs were covered, except for the $300.00 spark plugs, wires and distributor cap.
The ignition relay problem was the biggest cause of my migraines because it took about 3-4 breakdowns in the rain and snow, 3 trips to the dealer, a few missed days at work and now my wife doesn't want to even touch the truck because she is afraid it might get stuck on her.
Now the truck is in the shop with either a cracked head or a blown head gasket and my warranty went up at 75,000 miles and the truck just turned 80,000. This is going to cost me between $2,500-$3,000 to repair.
When the truck is not causing headaches, it runs well and very strong. The 5.9 liter V8 engine is very powerful.
Recommended reviews
| 2000 - Durango R/T 5.9L Magnum The little R/T that could.... |
|
| Great performer with more mechanical quirks than its worth |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | No |
| Year of manufacture | 2000 |
| First year of ownership | 2001 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2004 |
| Engine and transmission | 5.9 liter Automatic |
| Performance marks | 8 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 5 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 9 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 7 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 5 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 22000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 80000 miles |
| Previous car | Nissan Pathfinder |
| Date of Entry | 30th July, 2004 |