2005 Dodge Durango from North America - Comments

Heads up to potential Dodge Durango buyers! I rented a low miles All Wheel Drive well equipped model while on a ski trip in Colorado last February (2005). While driving up the mountain pass in pretty poor snow conditions the car suddenly veered hard to the left. I've driven without an accident in all kinds of weather conditions for over 30 years and in my opinion the car was not controllable.

I think the wheel might have fallen off. We went off the road front first down a boulder strewn path (big boulders - like several feet diameter) and ended up about 20 to 30 feet below the horizontal plane of the road way. By the grace of God the boulders formed a stair step pattern that safely carried us down. Pure luck. One of the front wheels was detached and pinned under the car where it came to rest. Fortunately, no one was hurt. I'll give the car credit for taking the 'bumps' fairly well! But it ended up being totaled. Sure that most at the accident scene thought it likely that the wheel came off on the way down... but from the way it initially handled... I really believe it fell off earlier before we left the roadway and is what caused the accident. No way to prove it though.

I would never consider buying one of these vehicles. I consider myself lucky to be alive.

Well you had some great, good luck with your accident there. But why the reveiw? You know nothing of the vehicle over the years and only rented it. So what right do you have to post a review on a vehicle that you rented?

And the wheel problem. Well I don't know what really happened, but it sounds like poor maitanance and serious abuse was done to that car before you drove it. Typical rental.

You might not be able to prove that the suspension failure was the cause of the accident, but if you surf the Net, you'll find lots of similar cases where ball joints on these trucks have failed, even at low mileages.

What Vehicle Handles Well When You Drive It Off A Cliff? That's Why They Tell You Not To Drink And Drive.

The ball bearing joints are a real issue, and would not be surprised to learn that this will be an issue with the 2005. Great review. Keep up the good work. I wrote a similar review on the same year/model and a couple of car salesmen chewed me out!

Correct, The Ball Joints did have issues for about a 3 years span; Several people pushed the issue and had the Durangos and Dakotas recalled and covered to 100K miles to try and get as many of them replaced as possible with a better joint that would actually last.. Most of the cheaper bad joint were only good for around 20K miles. I believe they had that problem from 2000-2003; For 2005, Durango was moved to a much larger & heavier duty chassis.

Odds are very good as was stated that being a rental.. and a 4WD vehicle.. Truth be known.. It could have already been through some quite incredible levels of abuse. I have personally mistreated mine without failures that extreme until closer to 150K miles. Give the Durango a fighting chance; and it won't let you down.

One more thing.. Not all vehicles would have gotten you down that hill in one piece in the first place.

My friends rented an 05 Durango this past weekend while driving to Orlando from Miami. The vehicle began to make some noise just before the driver lost control of the vehicle. Both front wheels fell off and the vehicle flipped 3-4 times. Two out of the eight occupants were killed. I've searched the net for similar incidents involving the Durangos and I have found they have a history of problems with the front wheels. I'm sorry for those who defend the vehicle, but this was serious and considering it's history it was just a matter of time before this happened. I must admit that being a rental, it may not have received the proper maintenance either.