Problems with 1999 Dodge Durango ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

99 dodge durango slt 5.9l engine. after purchasing this car in feb. 2008, while i was driving it just shut down. no warning was given. this started happening several times a day while i drove it. i had to have it towed in by the man who i was buying it from to go to the mechanics. they tried numerous times to find the issue. finally after dealing with not having the car on & off for three months, i found out that others got the same error code i did in the odometer window which said, "no bus." it was then towed again, and i wrote the mechanic a note telling them that i found out that others had the same issue. thousands & thousands. their car shut down at any moment. the last time my car shut down on me was while i was on the interstate going 65 mph. it just shut down completely, no warning. we were almost in a near fatal accident. thankfully the car swerved and some people stopped and helped me push it off to the median. once at the mechanics, i received a call stating it was in fact the pcm, it was replaced and then the car did not do this any longer. that is a expensive part to replace. now again one year later this same car is at the mechanics again for the pcm being replaced. i just handed them $450 ( total $800) to get it. he had my car for 6 weeks before determining that the pcm had failed once again on this car. dodge needs to take responsibility for this. i do not understand why they would dismiss such a road hazard. while a great car in looks, it is not safe on the road. we need something done about this. i have children who ride in this car and can't afford to buy a new car at any moment. they need to recall the 1999 dodge durangos and reimburse those of us who have had to replace this pcm causing the car to shut down. there are too many people out there with the exact same problem for this to be continued to be ignored by dodge. sabrina fowler *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 1999 dodge durango. the contact has experienced multiple failures with the vehicle shutting off without warning. while driving at any speed, the vehicle shuts off and the power steering and brakes fail. upon further investigation, the contact determined that the wiring harness connection to the computer was failing. the vehicle has not been inspected by a dealer. the manufacturer stated that they were aware of the issue, but there was no recall. the contact would not be provided any compensation. the failure mileage was 100,000 and current mileage was 120,000.

When ambient temperature gets above 65 degrees, the vehicle will completely shut off without regard to moving fast or being stopped. a signal shows in the dash that reads "no bus". car will not start again until it has sat for several minutes and cools down a little. there are many strings online about this same problem with dodge durangos. mine is a 1999 model with 5.9l engine. this has occurred many times, and mostly when my wife is driving with children in the car. it has proven to be very dangerous on the busy roads of las vegas. many online forums indicate that it is a problem with the connector at the ecm. if that is truly the problem, it is a mfr defect that is endangering lives of thousands of u.s. citizens and should be fixed without guesswork and without delay by the mfr. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 1999 dodge durango. on approximately 24 occasions, while driving at any rate of speed, the vehicle would shut off without warning. the vehicle was taken to the dealer once and they cleaned and tightened the connections. the vehicle had not stalled for approximately 60 days, but now the failure has recurred. there are no recalls for this failure. the current mileage was 91,088 and failure mileage was 80,000.

1999 dodge durango 4x4 bought in sept. 07, within two weeks lost of oil pressure during highway driving just over 150 miles, oil pressure goes to zero and engine light comes on. had to put 4.5 qts of oil. later on during the trip the speedometer quit working unless going above 50 mph. also at the same time the abs light and brake light illuminated and stays on. going to start with replacing the speed sensor on the transmission. hopefully this solves the abs and brake light problem. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 1999 dodge durango. while driving approximately 35 mph all electrical equipment including the power windows and the turn signals completely failed. the local mechanic stated that the main circuits in the vehicle caused the failure. the vehicle has not been repaired and there was no complaint filed with the manufacturer. the failure and current mileages were 100,000.

'99 dodge durango shuts down while traveling without warning. several times in last 2 weeks traveling approx 60 kmh we lost all power. difficult to maneuver off the highway during rush hour. unable to start again up to an hour later. if we were on the freeway or towing our horse trailer it could have been a disaster. *jb

1999 5.2l 2wheel drive dodge durango. my wife was driving down the road when the car suddenly died. a "nobus" indicator came on the odometer and the power brakes and steering of course failed to work since the engine had quit. this very nearly caused an accident and forced her to sit dead in traffic for 10 minutes before the engine would restart. it happened three more times before she could get home, but fortunatley at stop lights and stop signs.

Tl*the contact owns a 1999 dodge durango. the contact stated that the vehicle has failed without warning on several occasions. while driving 40 mph, the vehicle failed and shut off without any given notice. the vehicle was taken to a local repair shop and several unknown repairs were made at the cost of $1,000. the vehicle failed again after the repairs were made. the vehicle was taken to the dealer and they stated that the battery cables failed. the vehicle was repaired again at the cost of $150. the vehicle has continued to fail after the repairs were made to the battery and battery cables. the vehicle was taken to the dealer again and they stated that the pcm failed. the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer stated that no compensation would be made because the dealer stated that the vehicle has not had any failures besides the battery cables, battery, and pcm being replaced. the contact was advised to call the manufacturer back for further assistance if the failure recurs. the failure mileage was 75,000 and current mileage was 80,000.

Vehicle shuts down at any given moment without warning. it has happened at intersections and going 75 mph on the freeway. mechanic suggests a replaced power control module, which gets very hot. however, when reading online forums , such as dodgeforum.com and automtivehelper.com this has not remedied. the problem for long for others who have had this appraised. it started occurring again a few months later. we had several close calls on the freeway and once stalling on railroad tracks since the power steering and brakes do not function when the car stalled. *ak.

1999 dodge durango (5.2l v8) car has stalled numerous times in heavy traffic and light traffic at speeds up to 75 mph as well as at a stop light. stalls are unpredictable and very dangerous. my wife cannot operate the vehicle when it stalls due to the loss of power steering and boosted brakes. it is extremely difficult to steer and stop when this occurs. the fault is due to a defective pcm (engine computer) which overheats in high ambient temperatures (>75 degrees). repair shop could not initially determine nature of failures and quoted a very high priced repair that would 'probably' fix the problem. i have determined that pouring ice water on the computer cools it sufficiently and allows the vehicle to start up after about 5 minutes. replacing pcm costs $300 for diy or >$600 from a repair shop. manufacturer has made no attempt to replace or recall this item.

Vehicle automatically shuts off. started back in may 2007. took to mechanic with no results. took to dealership spent $900 on attempts to fix. no results. car has shut off all summer long. approximately 20 times. always in the heat of the day, a/c on or idling for long periods of time like a drive thru or city traffic. temporary fix is to purchase extra relays and exchange cool relays with hot ones. *jb

I own a 1999 dodge durango slt 5.9 liter loaded, it now stalls without warning interstate dirt road driveway bad curve, any speed its dangerous. i would be glad to pay for it to be repaired. but the dodge people have been negligent to provide a code on their computer to diagnose the problem. i feel they they are responsible for any injury or other wise that may occur to me or my loved ones as a result of a poor manufactured product that has thousands of complaints. i have to get to work so i have to drive this vehicle, cant afford anything else, and with this products reputation it has no resale. *nm

We have a 1999 dodge durango with problems for the past 8 months of all gauges going dead. we have had it to the dealership several times with mis-diagnosis at our expense totaling $730.00 with no results. the dealership asked us to bring it back for them to do more repairs. obviously they cannot diagnose the problem correctly.*jb updated 01/11/08. *lj updated 12/12/07 *tr

My 99 dodge durango stalls without any warning....i have been to the dealership on numerous occasions but everytime they try to repeat the problem nothing happens sometimes i can drive for 2 -3 days and it don't stall and some days it will stall on me multiple times a day. sometimes the check engine light comes on ..the odometer will flash then reads no bus after i wait about 5-10 minutes it will restart. whenever tested no codes will show...i have stalled on the freeway and in intersections it's getting more and more dangerous...i'm not financially able to buy another vehicle. *nm

Engine fails after about 15 miles. stalls and dies. will restart after a rest. very dangerous and intermittent. *jb

Vehicle shuts down without warning. while driving down the road, on the interstate or city street the vehicle looses power to the fuel pump & fuel gage and shuts down. this happened to me numerous times before the mechanics could fix the problem. luckily i live in a town with very little traffic and this did not result in any traffic accident, the dealership replaced the timer module & computer at a cost of $1,200.00. i have had the car back for four days and the problem has not recurred. *nm

99 dodge durango stalls without warning while driving when ambient temp is above 89,near catastrophic results. *nm

My dodge durango (1999) started stalling at random times two summers ago. it took me many trips to the dealer and alot of research on the internet and a yell fest with the dodge field rep. but i got it fixed. they had no idea what was wrong with it, it is the pcm(power control module).....finally convinced them they didn't want a lawsuit on their hands if my family was killed due to this major defect in durangos, mainly 1999 from what i have read. pcm replaced, no problems with stalling since. *tr

Truck stalled as i was doing 60 mph, the brakes went as well. i put it in neutral and coasted into a gas station. tried turning it on and it started right up. this was the third time in two weeks. *jb

Car will stall while driving down the road. vehicle will not re-start immediately. after sitting, vehicle will start and run for maybe 20-30 minutes and stall again. odometer says "no buss." *jb

1999 dodge durango slt 5.9l v8 dies frequently with no warning, loses all electric including steering. will restart after about 1/2 hour, receiving message "no bus" on the odometer, was told by dealer that the computer would need to be replaced but it is not covered under any warranty. *jb

We recently purchased a 1999 dodge durango slt from a private party. this is a well maintained vehicle and has no history of problems. within a few days of having this vehicle it began to stall for no apparent reason. this would be at 65 mph or stopped. if you wait 5-20 min it will restart. we have had this car looked at and have replaced the crank sensor to no avail. while doing an internet search it appears this is not a new problem and many other owners are experiencing it as well. the mechanics get no code from the stall and no one can pinpoint the problem. we are frustrated and pretty unhappy to find out this is a recurring problem with this vehicle. this is very dangerous as everything locks up when it stalls. *jb

1999 durango stalls without warning at highway speeds creating dangerous situation. dodge dealer unable to diagnose problem and returned car without repair. problem continues. dealership unresponsive to repeated telephone calls asking for assistance. *jb

My 1999 dodge durango stalled on the highway for the fifth time today. after the first two stalls i took it to a garage. they told me they could not get a code off of the computer and it could be one of three things, the security cutoff, the ecm or the fuel pump. they replaced the security cutoff and gave me troubleshooting steps for the next time. unfortunately, those steps include listening for the fuel pump, which you can't hear when you are stalled on the side of the highway. so, since the computer won't pop a code, i'm left with choosing either of 2 $800 repair jobs and hoping it works. i've been looking on dodge bulletin boards and this seems to be a common problem that they won't admit to. one of the boards said i should report it here so you could keep track of it. *jb

Abs light and brake light on dash stay lit. had brakes checked, pads like new and working 1999 durango, why so many with this problem? only 68k miles on vehicle. *jb

Engine control module (ecm) failure causing vehicle to lose all power and die at any time during operation (i.e. 70 mph highway speed) resulting in a no bus message in the odometer readout. *jb

In january of 05 had to have both upper and lower ball joints replaced, control arm, front brakes and new tires as a result of bad f/e suspension. now today the speed sensor (and i am hoping that's it) has gone out on the transmission. i have had two window motor failures, a sudden drop in oil pressure causing the truck to stall and there is something wrong with the electrical system. there have been many complaints in regards to these failures and the dodge durango and although they have recalled other dodge trucks for these issues - they have yet to have recalled the 1999. i have contacted dodge since january of this year regarding this issue and they responded telling me that they hadn't had enough complaints to issue a recall. i find this hard to believe seeing all the complaints made to nhtsa and to consumer affairs in regards to this year and model. i also believe that the dodge dealer i bought this truck from (used) sold it to me knowing of these problems - although this i doubt i could ever prove. i am thankful that the front wheels stayed on as long as they did as i have read of the ball joint issue causing wheel separation. this could have been a deadly situation for my family (4 small children - we rely on this as our only transportation) and i hope that the problem is fixed but have serious doubts. *nm

Dt: the vehicle intermittently stalled. this started on august 1, 2005. took the vehicle to the dealer they recommend to replace the computer module. contacted manufacturer, they say there was no recalls for model year. *ak

Rear passenger door locks and power windows malfunctioning. back seat buttons are inoperable. from driver's seat, buttons will only work on front locks and windows. there is also a loud buzzing when power lock button is engaged via key remote or front seats of vehicle. the driver's side rear door lock is also sometimes impossible to unlock, even manually. i worry about being trapped inside the car or having the locks malfunction in an emergency, trapping someone inside the vehicle. *jb

Pcm is located on the right fender well. the radiator fan also blows onto the right fender. the extreme heat causes the printed circuit board inside the pcm to warp when it gets hot and causes the engine too stall. once the printed circuit board cools and flatten outs it runs fine until it gets so hot that it warps again. i was able to duplicate this problem by using a blow dryer on the pcm. when it got hot the engine stalled. as soon as it cooled it restarted. i resolved the issue by covering the pcm with a heat deflecting insulation wrap and by also running an air duct from the grill directly to the pcm. the problem could be solved by creating some electrical pigtails that would allow you to relocate the pcm to the left fender away from the direction of the radiator fan heat. *tr

Oil pressure indicator would go off and the pressure gauge would drop to nothing. driving car stopped running in intersection. car was towed to dodge who repaired car. light is still on and pressure continues to drop to nothing intermittently. dodge has list of repairs needed. initial dodge assessment at purchase stated new ball joints needed in feb 2003 at 57,000 miles. *ak

While driving there was a popping noise. the vehicle was taken to the dealer in which they found that the upper and lower ball joints were completely worn out. *ak the cover under the hood was ripened, the black guard under the front of the vehicle was hanging, the coolant resevoir was leaking, the power steering fluid leaked, the a/c was not cooling due to an open wire from the low push switch, and the fuel gauge did not read properly. *sc

Drove vehicle at 30 mph, driver's side tire started "shuttering", after approximately 1/2 mile the ball joins went bad, causing the knuckle to rub on the tire, blowing out the tire and destroying all of the components. the lower ball joints were replaced in 2002. 2nd complaint: vehicle "turns off" when driving at approximately 30 mph. then forced to stop the vehicle and restart without any other problem. fuel filter and other controls have been checked and cleared. technitians believed it was the computer. 3rd complaint: rear brake problem. rear brakes have unexpectedly stopped and froze. technitian was unable to locate direct problem with braking system.*ak

While driving 55 mph vehicle stalled. consumer restarted the vehicle , and took it to the dealer for inspection. mechanic determined that the security module needed to be replaced, and replaced it. however, the problem recurred. *ak

I own a 1999 dodge durango with approximately 64,000 miles. immediately upon purchasing the vehichle i have experienced a large poping and dragging sound when turning or performing a u-turn. recently i attempted to make a u-turn and my car nearly lost control and felt as if it would tip over. i took the vehicle in to cerritos dodge and i was advised that the vehichles upper and lower, right and left ball joints were completely shot. all were replaced. i continue to experience the popping and dragging sounds. upon purchasing the vehichle, i have had to change the (all four) tires 3 times, obtain 3 wheel alignments, change the battery (went completely dead at approximately 25,000 miles) repair the brake light switch (brake lights wouldn't turn off), and repair door/hatch locks (unable to lock and make loud buzzing and clicking sound). *ak

Speedometer quit working and (subsequently) now the crusie control will not work either. speedometer began failing approx. 1 year ago and would not indicate vehicle speed until moving in excess of 30 mph. now the speedometer is completely inoperative requiring replacement of the complete instrument cluster assembly.*ak

Several issues. 1) electrical failure in switch box causing all vehicle lights to turn off when switching to brights during night-time driving. ) cracked heads (both) somewhere between 30,000 & 70,000 miles.*ak 3) ball joints need replacing - no parts available to complete the job in a reasonable time.

The battery exploded when i attempted to start the car. the top and most of the sides were gone.*ak

Tl*the contact owns a 1999 dodge durango. while driving 50 mph, the abs and brake lights illuminated. the dealer stated that the control module failed and they replaced it on two occasions. approximately six months later, the check engine light illuminated and the dealer stated that the transmission output sensor failed. they made the replacement. approximately one year later, the reverse light and rear power windows were inoperative. the dealer installed a neutral safety switch. the failure mileage was 30,840 and current mileage was 72,000. the consumer stated when spoke with mechanic at superstition they informed her that the problem was the emission coil which controls the spark plugs. updated 10/24/07 *tr updated 12/12/07 *tr

Several months ago, i took my 1999 dodge durango in for a "check engine" light malfunction. the dealer informed me that the speed sensor was bad, and would need to be replaced. additionally, they also informed me that the inner tie rod ends were worn and would also need replacement. i was extremely shocked to hear this. at less than 38000 miles, this suv should not be experiencing problems with such a major suspension component. i asked the technician to show me what he was talking about and he proceeded to show me the amount of play in my front suspension due to this faulty component. when i inquired as to why there was no grease fitting on much of the front end, he replied "thats the way dodge designs em" and left it at that. i opted to perform the work myself so as to save the outrageous labor charges here in california, and also to ensure that a higher quality part was installed that included grease fittings. shortly after i completed the repairs, i began searching the internet for similar experiences from other durango owners. also to my surprise, i found a sustantial number of complaints about the front suspension on this suv, and also for models of other years. any auto manufacturer who installs non greasable suspension components on an suv designed to go offroad is simply engaging in cost cutting measures at the expense of their customers lives. i believe that my wife,family and i were lucky that this issue was identified early and there were no accidents or fatalities. it could have been much more serious. additionally, i am curious as to why a technician would even inspect the front end on a vehicle that was brought in for a simple electrical problem. unless the technician expected the damage and noting the milage on the truck, simply inspected the components on his own, i find it hard to believe that this would occur otherwise.*ak

At 70mph, on i-75 in michigan '99 durango transfer case blew apart causing vehicle to jump with smoke pouring out the back of the vehicle. was barely able to get vehicle under control and off to side of road. mechanic stated front driveshaft cracked thus maybe causing transfer case cv joint to go blowing apart transfer case. another vehicle experienced a flat tire at high speed due to running over pieces of transfer case. have spent over $4000 dollars in repairs to durango in 3 years including (front driveshaft, transfer case, water pump, pcm, upper & lower ball joints, upper control arms, sway bar bushings, front rotors, brakes, etc. only 78,000 on the vehcile when transfer case blew up. can i file a claim for lemon law regarding ball joints. uppers need replaced again.*ak

Dies when driving. looses all power. odometer says no bus, and loss of power steering. tested multiple times, still not able to determine the actual cause. could result in a serious accident if the problem is not fixed... *nlm

Vehicle stalls out while in motion at any given time. came very close to being rear ended by a tractor trailer. it is always a guarantee that after putting gas in the vehicle it will stall out apporx. 2-3 miles afterwards, sometimes for over 45 mins. at a time. vehicle had (2) diagnostic reports done in which the first stated the intake manifold gaskets needed replacing and the throttle body needed cleaning. this was not true, since both were completed, vehicle continues to stall out while driving in general traffic or stopped at a traffic signal. the second diagnostic done stated nothing was wrong, however, after describing to the dealer the multiple problems, they suggested that the pcm needs to be replaced. after reviewing the complaints on this sight that are similar to the one that i have , it appears that this could be either the (pcm) or (central computer module/pick up plate) that is the problem. *nlm dealer currently working on replacing the pcm, but i will also question the (central computer module/pick up plate) to see if the two are in relation to one another. i pray that this will resolve this problem as i fear that i am driving around in a death trap because of the multiple close calls that i have had in this vehicle while stalling out in the most dangerous places. *nlm

Driver side rear window does not work at all. requires a new motor. dealer states has to sale entire assembly. part does not come with just the motor. $180. *jb

My engine died with 44,000 miles due to sludge build-up dealership says i did'nt change my oil but i did and i have reciepts. i have all my paper work where i took it in for repairs for the guages going off and oil pressure dropping, having to put 2 qts of oil every 200 miles, knocking in motor, and now my warranty is out i have a blown engine. dealership refuses to accept any responsibility. my power windows and quit working in the summer could not roll down windows and the air condition was not blowing out cold air . gas tank strap broke with a full tank of gas & was being held on with only 1 strap, gas tank was hanging down. i have several more minor gripes but the main thing now is the engine. i have read over some consumer complaints web sites and it seems i'm not the only person having the same problem. dt

Battery exploded when starting car spilling acid

While driving engine light stayed illuminated. while driving 45mph all gauges dropped, and then engine shut off.*ak

Three of the four power windows failed at the same time. will cost almost $1k to fix all 3.

While driving the vehicle stalled in heavy traffic without warning, the vehicle was taken to the dealer where the problem was diagnosed as an intake and electrical component failure, both diagnosis were wrong and as a result the vehicle stalled again, finally it was determined that the central computer module and pick up plate was the problem and they were replaced, the consumer is requesting reimbursement for unecessary repairs and rental car fees.*nlm