1999 Dodge Durango SLT 2wd from North America - Comments

O2 sensors (15,000 miles and 38,000 miles), differential (45,000 miles), ABS sensors (all the time), transmission governor (64,000 miles), transmission (67,250) and kept leaking and burning oil all the time (all seals replaced only to see the problem return)

Bought the car brand new September 1999. This car was a great vehicle when it was new. It had the most powerful engine I have ever felt in a modern truck (execpt a turbo diesel). But after a few problems the first three years the I woke up one day and the car felt like it was 20 years old. The differential just went out for no reason and all the exterior and interior parts started falling apart over the next few months. Then the tranny stopped shifting and only would shift when it red-lined and by the time it got in the shop it wouldn't up shift at all. Dealer fixed it, but like the differential the car was out of warranty leaving a huge bill. Never got totally fixed and tranny blew. Got rid of it and trade in was only $2,500 ($35,000 new). Terrible gas mileage too (12-15 MPG). This truck brings a bad name to American Trucks and SUV's and I hope Chrysler continues to fail in it's sales. They should consider the customer for once. Also Chrysler should not trust the Germans to restructure their company!

A MAJOR clue to your problems with this vehicle is the statement that you bought it new in September of 1999. Being a 1999 model, that strongly indicates that it sat on the lot for a long time. The WORST thing a new vehicle can do is sit in the hot Sun for months unused. Some years ago I worked for a dealership. The absolute worst nightmares our customers had were vehicles that had sat on the lot for more than 6 months. Every seal in them inevitably dried out and leaked. In addition, other components can also suffer major damage by sitting unused for long periods. I've owned 3 Chrysler products, including the Dakota truck (which the Durango was based on). These vehicles performed flawlessly and never had a single problem. One of them went 240,000 miles with only routine maintenance. I suspect your problems were due to "premature aging". When buying a vehicle, ALWAYS look for the date of manufacture (located on a plaque on the door post on most models). If it has been more than 3 months since that vehicle was manufactured, run from it as fast as you can.

Comment above is not always true. I have bought several year end cars, all Toyotas, with virtually no "premature aging" problems. Each 120k + before moving parts began to need replacing (water pumps, alternators, etc.) However, bought a brand new, ordered, factory made 1996 Dodge Neon, and it was a candidate for lemon law from the first few months. I agree with the original writer, Dodge needs to make a vehicle to outlast the payments, and compete with the real quality makes and models. I'm through with Dodge/Chrysler. Replaced tooo many air conditioners in their cheap cars!