2003 Dodge Durango SLT from North America - Comments

Have had the front control module replaced twice. Once after 6 days of owning the truck, and then again at 20,000 miles.

Have had the driver's seat belt cover replaced 5 times since it keeps breaking.

Wouldn't go more than 25 mph 1 month after we had it. Had to have fuel injectors replaced.

There were seriously loud crunching noises coming from the front end. Had to have the whole front suspension totally replaced... at 22000 miles... and it's still making grinding crunching noises. They're calling in the corporate technicians now since they don't know what else it could be.

Very roomy inside and great dealer service.

I love the look and feel of this beautiful machine, but the lack of reliability outweighs everything. We have been stranded on more than one occasion and it seems like the truck is always in the shop. Dodge only offers a base rental when the truck is being fixed so we are stuck with the bill for upgraded cars since can't all fit in small car. A lot of hassle for a brand new truck. We actually had to buy a used car since our new truck is so unreliable!

Buying the new Dodge Durango SLT was a huge mistake for us. It is one trip away from implementing the lemon law. Dodge should be embarrassed of all the problems we have encountered.

We have had two Dodge Durango's so far, and we have never once had one problem of any kind in either of the vehicles. They've always been excellent in every way and we kept pristine care of each one. They are an excellent vehicle...it's just unfortunate that you had a problem. They say there's a lemon in every bunch, so you must have gotten stuck with the lemon. Sorry you had problems, but it's the most reliable transportation on the market.

I recently purchased my second Durango. I purchased both used. Sure the first one, a 2000 SLT Plus 5.9L had a few warranty issues like front ball joints, 2-3 gear shift valve and squeaky leaf springs, but I always buy the Dodge extended warranty--net cost to repair after 36K miles: one deductible of $100 and a one day rental. It broke my heart to trade it in on a Pacifica, but we needed more passenger space flexibility in a primary vehicle. My current one is a 2003 SLT 4.7L with ~48K miles. I traded our smaller Japanese SUV for it. Some have said the Durango is a jack-of-all-trades and master-of-none, but to me that represents flexibility. I can haul cargo or people, deal with snow and ice and beat just about anything short of a Corvette off the line. I commute in the DC area and the agility the Durango provides makes lane shuffling much easier than in my previous rice burner. It looks great and offers a great elevated view of the road ahead. For my money, the 98-03s are so much better looking than the new Durango; I'm glad I locked in an '03 for the foreseeable future.