Problems with 2000 Dodge Durango ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

Tl* the contact owns a 2000 dodge durango. while driving 45 mph, the front driver side of the vehicle lowered to the ground and smoke began to emit from the vehicle. in addition, the front upper and lower ball joints bent inward and needed to be replaced. on two separate occasions, the radiator failed to operate and caused the cooling system to fail. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the wheel hub bearing, front upper and lower ball joints, and cold air intake system were replaced. the manufacturer was notified of the failures and stated that the vin was not included in nhtsa campaign numbers: 04v596000 (suspension), 06e024000 (engine and engine cooling) or 08e064000 (suspension). the failure mileage was 125,000.

While on the interstate at 65 mph, my vehicle suddenly stalled and went dead. it had no oil pressure left. my vehicle barely made it to the side of the road. it had to be pushed out of the way! it was towed home. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2000 dodge durango. the contact was driving 55 mph when the vehicle stalled without warning. the vehicle restarted after three minutes. the failure recurred on twelve separate occasions. the vehicle was taken to a private mechanic. the manufacturer was not contacted the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 170,000 and the current mileage was 173,000. updated 04/18/12 *bf the consumer took the vehicle to a mechanic,who informed the consumer the problem pcm board. updated 04/20/12

2000 dodge durango. consumer states pressure loss and engine failure *tgw the consumer stated the vehicle has poor ventilation through its air chamber causing engine oil sludge. the oil pressure circuit is on the same circuit as the ignition switch which makes it difficult to diagnose the real problem. *jb

Tl* the contact owns a 2000 dodge durango. while driving approximately 55 mph the vehicle suddenly stalled. the vehicle was towed to his home several times. the failure occurred intermittently. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. the vehicle was not repaired. the vin was not available. the approximate failure mileage was unknown.

You can be driving at any speed and all of a sudden everything shuts down and dash lites up no bus. you lose power steering and ability to control the vehicle. look on internet durango no bus and hundreds of posts come up with people with same problem. car is not safe to drive and because my employment situation i do not have 1000's of dollars to replace computers and pcm's. this is dangerous and they should be recalled. there is a flaw! it can happen going 65mph or 35 mph. it has happened to us at least 10 times in a 2 week period. it is now parked in garage because of the danger. it could kill people. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2000 dodge durango. the contact was driving 40 mph when the vehicle stalled without warning. the failure also occurred on a separate occasion while driving 60 mph. the vehicle was not repaired and the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 161,000. the vin was not available.

My 2000 dodge durango keeps shutting down in the middle if traffic. today my wife was almost ran over by a semi because of this. i have found numerous complaints from other dodge consumers with the same problem. i am asking that someone please look into this. as soon as possible. *tr

I bought the s.u.v march 14,2011 and 2 weeks later it stalled on the freeway after getting out of college about 4:25pm. heavy traffic, i taught i was going to get rear ended. its happen 5 x since twice on free way on 3 x in town.. i was never going over 35 mph when it accours..it just shuts off with no warning of anything. taylor dealers, which i bought the car from took it to there shop and they could not find anything no codes or any signs of problems with truck they had the truck about a month.. after the 3x it stalled i took it straight to san diego to the mechanic of taylor motors and they ran the codes again and nothing shows and they said nothing they can do because they need to see the problem or the stalling need to happen while they drive and it never happens. so on or about may 11, 2011 i called dodge corparate office and explained the situation and i explained its a serious safety issues they have a case management judy on it but no word since i explained and they can't get the truck to stall..they intructed me to take the truck to there dealership.. they can't find out the issue either, my trucks is still at the dealers while they try to figure out the problem but as of today they still can't figure out what could be the problem.. it seems that it happens on hot days or driving around a lot.. i explained that it happens periodickly... its really scary because it just shuts of with no warning or anything until u relize that ur pressing gas pedal and its not going. i seen online about this truck having problems in other states as well and no one has done nothing.. i hope there not waiting for a serious drastic accident to accour in order to recall the truck or fix the issue.. no car should just turn off without warning..i read some person had same issue and it was the coil to close to exhaust manifold. it causes coil to get to hot and shut truck off

I have owned my 2000 durango since it was new, i have changed the oil regularly for the whole time, i have always done it myself. i recently brought the vehicle in for the "ticking" noise that i've been told since the vehicle was new, "there is no concern" when i changed the oil, it was always clean, no problems. well, it seems the engine oil had not been traveling through the motor and apparently damaged internal parts to the tune of $2700.00, when i looked it up online, i learned this has happened to nearly every 4.7 v8 that chrysler makes, my computer lit up with the exact same problems, everywhere. why is it that chrysler is not responsible for a motor defect that the consumer has no control over? all maintenance had been done on this one, and has been taken care of meticulously. i called chrysler for assistance, but the response was that of deny, deny, deny and refer the customer to the original warranty, the end! i believe chrysler should step up and be responsible for their incompetence! i for one would like my hard earned money back for this job, which took me 6 months to pay off to get my car back. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2000 dodge durango. while driving approximately 55 mph, the engine stalled without warning. the engine was restarted after ten minutes and the vehicle resumed normally. the failure recurred three times. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnosis but they were unable to detect a trouble code. the vehicle had not been repaired. the contact planned to notify the manufacturer of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 180,000.

Was traveling on the highway all of a sudden start losing power started making a scorching and grinding sound. made it to the side of the road car would not turn over . none of the warning lights came on. the car will turn over but u can not drive very far there's a knocking rattling noise maybe from motor. police officer helped us get to safe place but no report was made. *tr

I own a 2000 dodge durango. my car surges while at a stop sign, a light or in park. it surges forward and if to close to another vehicle it may cause an accident. also out of nowhere my durango begin to shut off and the engine lights pops on afterward. after a few tries it will start back up and run fine until it happens again. *tr

Engine intermittently shuts off. sometimes not everyday and sometimes 10 times. shuts off at various speeds, idling and in drive at a stop light, or going 40 miles per hour. it sometimes restarts right away, and sometimes it cranks and cranks, and about the 15th try it may restart. it cut out 6 times in the parking lot of a mall. the only thing i can think of is that i was parked in the sun on a hot day at the mall, and the engine quit after running for only 30 seconds. *tr

Recently purchased a 2000 dodge durango slt 4x4. car drove fine for first 2 days. day 3: started my car, it died half way down my drive way, could not get it started again. pushed it back and let it cool down. no check engine lights on, temperature is normal. started it after 20minutes and it started up. let it idle for a couple minutes, and started driving again. as soon as my foot left the gas, it died again. i have not replaced anything yet, as i have been doing some research on the problem. i was shocked to find out what i have. on one website alone there are over 100 cases of the exact same problem, numerous supposed fixes, and none working. this is a very very dangerous problem, and it seems to be due to the placement of the pcm sensor and it overheating. this issue has placed several drivers in danger, with the car dying in the middle of intersections at random times, and losing power steering and power brakes. i believe this issue needs a recall, if so many people are having the exact same problem. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2000 dodge durango . he stated that while driving at 75 mph the vehicle stalled, the steering , lights and brakes were inoperable. he then pushed the vehicle to the side of the road. he waited and restarted the vehicle and it operated normally. after 2 hours the failure occurred again . the vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed. the dealer stated that the pcm overheated which cause the vehicle to shut down.this had occurred 20 additional times. there have been no repairs made to the vehilce . the failure mileage was unknown and current mileage was 121972.

For the past 8 months my 2000 dodge durango will just shut off while i am driving. i have replaced the jump start, the coil, belts, air condition, pulleys, spark plugs. it has had a complete tune up and been to the mechanic at least 5 times. nothing shows up on the codes, it will only show the word nobus in the odometer and it takes from 10 minutes to one hour before it will restart. this has become very dangerous as there is no advance warning. you lose all power and it just stops running. *tr

I've held confidence in my 2000 dodge durango since i purchased it in 2003. in the summer of 2009, i was driving down a local road when suddenly the gauges on the dash board were not registering, the odometer read bus and the engine completely shut down in the middle of traffic. since this occurred without warning, i did not have time to pull over to the side of the road. i turned on the caution blinkers. there were many cars blowing their horns, waiting behind me on this one lane road. after a couple of minutes the engine started and i was able to drive. i thought this was a one time only occurrence. i had no prior problems with the truck. a few days later, i was driving on the interstate during rush hour traffic and the truck suddenly shut off again. omg, i was nervous, scared and really believed that i was going to die because someone would ram their vehicle into mine. what driver would suspect that my truck suddenly died while i was driving it? i thought about how i was going to get this vehicle safely to the side of the road without endangering my life and the life of other drivers. luckily i did it. my husband tinkered with the computer and noticed that when he reposition the computer the engine would start again. but i refuse to drive it until we purchase another computer. the car repairman said, even if we purchased another computer he could not guarantee that the vehicle would not shut completely down. the computer is overheating due to the location that the manufacturers have chosen. i will get someone to design some sort of heat shield or something to prevent the computer from overheating. to replace my current computer will cost $1100. i think the car company should take responsibility for this flaw and recall the vehicle. i do not want someone to get killed due to their gross negligence. i am not the only dodge durango owner who is having this same problem. please investigate this issue and get something done. preventing just one death is enough. *tr

I have a 2000 dodge durango 5.9l v8. when it is hot outside (over 90*), the suv will shut off. i live in florida where it's hot almost all year. i would be driving on the highway and it would just shut off. i am afraid that a semi would hit me from behind. please do something before someone dies. please. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2000 dodge durango. while driving 25 mph, the vehicle began driving roughly and smoke appeared under the hood. the brakes stiffened when the brake pedal was depressed. the contact eased off the brakes, but they failed completely. more smoke appeared under the hood. the contact attempted to pull the vehicle over, but lost control. she heard two snapping noises under the hood. she applied the emergency brake, which stopped the vehicle. the passenger opened the hood and noticed flames in the engine. they called the fire department and a report was filed. the engine fire spread to the passenger compartment of the vehicle. a few minutes later, the vehicle was engulfed in flames. there were no injuries. prior to the fire, repairs had been made to the engine because it would stall and overheat. the contact brought the vehicle in for service the day after the vehicle was purchased in november of 2008. the current and failure mileages were 124,000.

Driving along on the way to see my father in the hospital and the check gauge light came on and the oil pressure went to 0 and then back up and then back to 0, and then engine seized up. now will have to replace the engine, chrysler should pony up for all these vehicles when they know there is a problem. i will definitely be keeping receipts for this just in case. *tr

Driving the car the engine began to knock and the car stopped on the road while driving and could have caused a serious accident. this involves loud engine knocking. *tr

Ecu computer dies after heat soaked. engine just dies and we lose steering and brakes in a few seconds due to the loss of engine operation. no advance warning, just a warning on the odometer "no bus" - all instruments are dead. *tr

Engine made rattling noise. engine failed, engine needs to be replaced due to engine sludge after proper oil changes. *tr

V8-287 4.7l durango stalls without warning. doesn't matter if i am on the freeway or in city traffic. nothing specific that i can relate to the cause. immediately lose power steering. electrical seems to continue working. car will start back up fine after 5 to 15 minutes of sitting. happens in hot and cold weather, day or night. can go for weeks without stalling and then stall several times in a few days. yellow check engine light comes on, which the manual tells me is not an immediate issue. extremely unsafe and i fear for my family's safety. looked at dodge durango maintenance and repair forum on internet and found pages and pages of similar complaints. (http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com and http://www.topix.com/forum/autos/dodge-durango) through these websites it doesn't look like anyone can figure it out, including the dealerships, although the problem seems to be widespread. *tr

I had a 2000 dodge durango and after driving for about 15 minutes i turned on the air and a sulfur like smell came through the air system. after pulling over and cutting the car off, flames came from under the hood. the car burst into flames and burned completely up. nothing was left but the metal frame. my insurance company couldn't give me any insight as to why this happened. i had about 133,000 miles on it. i wish i knew about this site before i lost my vehicle. i would've insisted that the dealership thoroughly check the car out before i ended up without a vehicle for 2 months. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2000 dodge durango. the contact stated that the radiator comes equipped with plastic that is rubbing against the pulley. the failure is causing the radiator to expand. she notified the dealer and the manufacturer, but they have not responded. the vehicle has not been repaired. the purchase date, speed, and current mileage were unknown. the failure mileage was 40,000.

I own a 2000 dodge durango that shuts down while driving. it was a dangerous situation because i did not know when the situation will occur. sometimes it happened when i was in heavy traffic. so far, the air intake sensor and the throttle control sensors have been replaced. this did not fix the problem.*ak

Problems with engine and engine components oil gauge not working, ticking in moter oil leaking. was told i need new moter. also strange noises from steering colomn. truck only has 79,000 miles i am requesting chrysler recall this truck and stand behind their company and fix what is wrong with these engines, ect.*ak

While driving, the oil pressure dropped to zero and the truck shut-off, never to be started again. when i had it towed to a mechanic, they told me i had a "common" problem with these vehicles. that being, engine oil sludge. i had changed the oil as my manual requested and still ended up with this problem. i am now having to purchase a new engine if i wish to drive it again. i owe almost less than it would cost to buy the engine. *tr

Without warning, well maintained 2000 dodge durango suffered sudden engine failure. 2 repair shops declare engine worthless and must be replaced. learn hundreds of durango owners experiencing same problems. contact daimler chrysler. their response unsatisfactory. currently contacting several consumer agencies, attorney general office & local senators. problem currently pending resolution. *nm

We have a 2000 dodge durango with a 5.9 engine with over 82,000 miles the first time it happen we were going down the river to our cabin when it lost oil pressure, so we changed the oil with check the gauges. so now it happen again the oil pressure dropped again changed the oil the light came on check gauges after the oil was changed and it heated up this time but i did get it back home. so i decided to look up car complaints.com 14 complaints was there about oil sludge. hope something can be done this isn't right. thanks so much

Vehicle lost oil pressure due to sludge buildup. this could be a serious safety hazard. if the engine is not shut-off immediately it could irreparably damage the engine. it is a common problem with no help from the manufacturer. *nm

Internal engine failure at 74000 miles. *jb

The coolant eroded a hole in the timing chain cover from the inside to the outside. this caused coolant to freely stream from the engine. when the shop tried to order the part they were put on a "national back order list" along with seventy-five other units. *nm

I own a 2000 dodge durango. i change my oil every 3,000 miles. today my mechanic and i found a heavy amount of sludge under oil cap and all around filler neck. this indicates that there is a huge build up of sludge in the engine. this will ultimately lead to engine failure very soon. internet searches reveal this is a very common problem and chrysler has done nothing about it. my durango has 56,000 miles on it and i am afraid to drive it. *nm

Loss of oil pressure due to sludge caused the engine to seize. vehicle was well maintained, which luckily i have all the documentation. trusted mechanic stated that this is not the first time he has heard of this problem and that this is a common problem with this type of engine, as there is a design flaw which does not allow oil to flow properly to all parts of engine. he stated that it would be better to put in a new engine as the repair to the existing engine would be extensive. i called dodge and they will not do anything about the problem. *nm

My 2000 durango has started stalling while driving. steering locks up and is hard to pull over to the side of the road. has done this at multiple speeds and conditions of driving. mostly happened in stop and go traffic. no prior warning to it stalling or losing all power. once the vehicle is shut off it is hard to re-start again, at this time the battery, oil pressure, gas and temp gauges wont operate. i have had to wait up wards of an hour before the gauges will move and the car will restart. the gauge or dash lights never indicate a problem, not until the car dies will the check engine light sometimes come on. i have taken the car in and after 2 tries to fix it and $500 they said it was the computer. now after 3 weeks of waiting and more money spent, they say the computer was rebuilt? and it still would die and wouldn't restart. then they put in a new computer, i drove home, then never made it out of the driveway. does anyone know what might be my cars problem, being a single mom with 3 kids i now fear for their safety and the costs i am spending on this car. *nm

Engine lock up. in june of this year my vehicle was having a loss of oil pressure. the dealer replaced the sensor switch and then flushed the engine two times. two days ago the oil pressure gauge dropped again and the vehicle stopped while i was driving @ about 55 miles per hour. *nm

Vehicle kept flooding out and would not start over a month period in october of 2005. taken to a garage to be fixed. the computer showed no problem. after getting it started vehicle would be taken home and same problem repeated itself. after 3 trip to garage for same problem the vehicles pcm(engine control computer) has been replaced. dealer advised that vehicle was 7000 miles over the 80000 mile warranty on that particular part. this vehicle has had problem after problem. from exhaust problems to timing chain assemblers failure to power door locks going out. i can not believe that chrylser was not aware of some of the problems in the 200 dodge durango. *jb

Engine has been stalling from stopped position. on this date, i tried to pull out into traffic, but motor stalled. almost caused a collision. i had my two children in the vehicle. so far, i have removed and cleaned throttle body. installed new spark plugs (correct gap). removed and cleaned pcv valve. air filter is a k&n and is clean and oiled. distributor, rotor, cap and plug wires all only have 20k miles on them. check engine light has never come on. computer is not showing any codes. *jb

I own a 2000 dodge durango 2wd with 63000 miles on it. the engine is having to be replaced. i was told it is because of not having oil changed, but i have receipts that show the oil was changed regularly. this is very costly and i have heard that other people have had the same problem. the service technician described the engine has being full of sludge. *nm

A bolt head sheered off of the exhaust line/manifold connection causing an audible exhaust leak near the manifold. the dealer is charging $245 to repair the bolt including the tapping (removal) of the bolt and its replacement.

Loss of oil pressure in a 2000 dodge durango 4.7 liter engine. *jb

Began getting hot during summer with a/c on: complet radiator flush and fill at dodge dealer, water pump failure, replaced, same problems, now high pressure hose blown, not circulating coolant.

My 2000 dodge durango's engine just seized up. the engine is not repairable and needs to be replaced at a cost of $4800. i have just over 110,000 miles. in the summer my timing chain went and now in feb my engine seized up while driving. there were no warning signs or oil lights. oil was changed as recommended by the owners manual. i have seen a lot of complaints on this issue and i hope dodge will stand behind this!*ak

While driving,the check engine light flashed on a loud ticking noise was coming from the front. the driver was able to pull over then the vehicle stalled. the driver tried to restart,but was unable to do so. the driver had the vehicle towed to the dealer for inspection. the mechanic informed the driver that the engine needed replacement due to sludge build up. please provide additional information. *nm

2000 dodge durango, has sludge build up in engine. i have changed oil regularly ( 3000-5000) miles. i have had the oil pump replaced and now am having problems with oil pressure light. i have done research and have found that many owners of the durango's have had engine problems. one web site, www.consumeraffairs.com, has many of these complaints listed. i would like for dodge to take care of the problems. *jb

2000 dodge durango front suspension upper ball joints failed. *bf the power door locks operated on their own without activation, at times the driver door lock would not operate at the same time as the passenger side the power windows will intermittently roll up. the thermostat was replaced twice. *jb

Dt*: the contact stated while at a stop with the engine idling, the engine began knocking and the needle of the oil pressure gauge dropped to zero. this was the third incident. the two previous occurrences were while driving at 45 mph. the steering tightened as the knocking began and the oil pressure dropped. on each occasion the vehicle was taken to an independent service mechanic. the manifold, oil pan and valve cover gaskets were replaced once and sludge build up was cleaned out twice. the service dealer and manufacturer were alerted.