Problems with 2005 Dodge Durango POWER TRAIN

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 dodge durango. the contact stated that while accelerating from a stop light, the service four wheel drive warning light illuminated as the vehicle independently shifted into four wheel drive. in addition, the accelerator pedal was depressed but the vehicle failed to move forward. the failure recurred on numerous occasions. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 158,000.

Transfer case motor engages by itself while driving and while parked. 4-lock light flickers on and off can hear the motor trying to engage. while driving it will engage and lock up the power train. have to have a person push the neutral reset button while rocking vehicle to free. have had vehicle stop in middle of intersection on a city street in front of on-coming traffic. motor has tried to engage while driving at 35 mph. told by mechanic that the transfer case could explode if the motor tries to engage while vehicle is moving at high speed. first happened approximately four years ago and had to wait over a year for the part. had to disable 4wd until part arrived. same thing is happening again.

I am experiencing the same exact issues with my 2005 dodge durango as other posts. the 4lo and svc 4wd warning lights on the instrument panel periodically flash on and off, and frequently when i slow down to pull into a parking spot or driveway i hear a clunking sound and the transmission actually shifts on its own into 4 wheel drive. the wheels will lock and when i accelerate it actually jerks the car and drags the tires. recently i heard a loud thump as if something broke and it shifted into 4wd on its own. in addition, when i shut the car off it will occasionally start clicking as if its locking and unlocking the car doors. this will continue for 10-15 seconds before stopping. i have had the vehicle into the local dodge dealer numerous times for service but they claim to have not heard of the problem before and seem baffled as to what's causing it. clearly this is not an isolated incident because of the hundreds of reports i've seen from people experiencing the same issues. after waiting 6 weeks for an aftermarket instrument panel the dealer replaced it, but that made absolutely no difference and i am still experiencing the same exact issues as before.

The durango is flashing on the dash either 4lock or 4lo while driving down the road. it will switch from awd to 4lock when turning. it randomly switches from awd to either 4lock or 4lo while idling and when no one is in the car and you use the key fob. it has not switch into 4lock or 4lo at a high rate of speed but has at slow speed. very concerned that i will happen, as have read other owners have had it happen going 55 mph.

Awd will change to 4 wheel lock without selecting it. happens intermittently while driving, making it hard to make turns. i just bought it used, with no warning from seller.

In my 05 durango, the 4wd keeps clicking on and off randomly. i could be driving down the highway or just turned the car off. the engine has not been able to go in drive, reverse, etc. i had a mechanic look at the transmission, spending a ton of unnecessary money when the whole time the 4wd has been stuck in neutral. dodge knows about the problem, why isn't there a recall? apparently the switching into 4lo at high speeds can cause serious damages -- even death to me or my children or other innocent people on the highway. what am i supposed to do????

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 dodge durango. the contact stated that the transfer case shifter would shift automatically without warning . the four wheel drive warning light illuminated whenever the transfer case shifter would shift independently. the contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic, who attempted several repairs. however, the failure recurred. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was approximately 153,661.

On my vehicle the 4 wheel drive will automatically engage while i am driving. it has switched into 4lo a few times which almost caused a serious accident. there is also a clicking noise that sounds like the gears are switching back and forth, when i use the remote lock/unlock on the key fob. the dodge dealership did not know why it was happening and said maybe i should replace the transfer case but they did not know for sure if that would do anything. so i lost over $100 and got nothing out of it. i took it to my mechanic who said that unplugging at the transfer case would stop the issue but the 4 lo and other switches would not work and the service 4x4 light would remain on. since i have to drive i had him do this and it did fix the problem but now i don't have any 4 wheel drive which really sucks living in utah with all the snow. the fact that the vehicle would switch into 4 lo when i was doing 70 mph on the freeway is a major safety concern. there needs to be a recall on this problem. *tr

About six months ago 4lo light started flashing then when i shut the car off i can hear shifting into and out of 4wd. had it checked for codes and they found none. now as i was driving it locked into 4lo vehicle made a popping sound and stalled.right in the middle of a busy intersection. i was able to start it back up but now i can't drive this car due to fear of it doing this again.

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 dodge durango. while driving various speeds, the vehicle goes into wheel high mode svc 4wd. the rear end was in low gear, but the front gear was high. the vehicle shifted into either gear randomly and caused the vehicle to hop. while driving at approximately 60 mph, the engine stalled. the vehicle was able to be restarted. the failure occurred intermittently. the manufacturer was notified. the vin was not available. the approximate failure mileage was 195,000.

While driving, 4lock starts flashing and the 4wheel drive goes in and out of gear. this has happened on many occasions and i feel it is unsafe.

The durango switches into 4 wheel drive on its own. sometimes you can get out of the car use your key fob to lock the car and you can hear it engage in to 4 wheel drive. it also does this while you are driving down the street. it is really bad when it switches into 4 lo. i have read so much about so many people having these issues, yet nothing is being done. it is a real safety issue that needs to be resolved! this has been happening on and off for 3-5 months now and it is just getting worse.

It is switching between awd 4x4 lo and high on its own. backing up it felt like a spring propelling me forward. fearing that i could lose control on the highway. mechanic is looking into lower the transmission for the issue but online i found a forum under topix and the issue was very clearly a $200 part that can be purchased and installed in under an hour of labor. its the transfer case switch which has all the symptoms my vehicle is experiencing.

My durango has started to engage into 4 wheel drive on its own. it does this when parked and when driving. it now is stuck in four wheel drive and cannot drive on the pavement. this seems to me to be a serious problem and should be recalled by dodge.

I placed the vehicle into reverse and could feel that it had shifted into four wheel drive by itself. the dash warning light did not come on but the vehicle did not operate correctly on the dry pavement. after parking and shutting down the vehicle i could hear the transfer case motor shift the transfer case with no key in the vehicle. now i hear the transfer case switching modes after the vehicle is shut down, and it has shifted to four wheel drive at least two more times on its own while driving.

While driving, the 4x4 system shifted into 4wd lo nearly causing a loss of control. when parked and not running vehicle was heard making a clicking sound near the front of the engine, the sound was the same as when the vehicle shifts into 4wd mode. same sound, shifting into 4wd mode was repeated when pressing unlock on the key fob while the vehicle was parked, not running, without even the key in ignition.... i am highly concerned that the defect could cause a serious injury if the 4wd system decides to engage at an inopportune time...updated 09/11/15 *bf updated 10/13/15*js

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 dodge durango. while driving approximately 45 mph, the vehicle switched independently to drive and immediately decelerated in the middle of the road. the contact pulled over and restarted the vehicle. there were no warning indicators illuminated. the failure recurred and the vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed that the transfer case motor needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 155,000. the vin was not provided.

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 dodge durango. the contact stated that the vehicle switched back and forth between 4-hi to 4-lo independently and the service 4 wheel drive indicator illuminated on the instrument panel. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, but the cause of the failure could not be determined. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 140,000. the vin was not available.

The vehicle transfer case changes from awd to 4hi and 4lo without the switch being moved. this has most often happened at low speeds such as when pulling into a parking space, but when switching to 4lo causes difficulty steering due to the front wheels being locked together. twice i have come close to hitting another vehicle while parking due to this issue. i have also heard the transfer case switching between modes with the vehicle turned off. i am very concerned about this happening at higher speeds.

The transfer case shifts by its self.the vehicle shifts into lock all on it's own, then the svc 4wd light comes on. sometimes when the vehicle is turned off you can hear the transfer shift back and forth from awd to 4 lock now its stuck in 4lo this happens stationary and in motion.

Vehicle switched to 4x4 mode on it's own. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 dodge durango. the contact stated that while driving at an unknown speed with four wheel drive, the vehicle shifted into two wheel drive when the brake pedal was applied. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 71,876.

Driving on i-43 to work, the 4 wheel lo light flashed and went out. a few minutes later it flashed again, except this time it locked in 4 wheel lo at 70 mph during morning rush hour traffic. this caused the vehicle to rapidly slow down from 70 mph to 25 mph. i had check the vehicle codes with no errors. on the way home, i had to stop several times to cycle the transfer case, in order to disengage the 4 wheel lo. reading many blogs on the internet, this seems to be an issue with 2004 through 2007 dodge 4 wheel drive vehicles. mechanic states that without a code, they will just start replacing parts until the correct one is found. this could take $2000.00 to $3000.00. *tr

Service 4wd light came on,and goes into lo 4wd when going slow,also making clicking noise when vehicle is not running like it's trying to engage into 4wd,scared this is going to go into lo and cause a severe accident,nobody seems to know what to do to correct the problem. *tr

My 2005 dodge durango will go into 4 wheel low with out warning and will shift into 4 wheel lock with out warning there is something goin on with the 2005 dodge durango i have read many forums with 500 people saying the same thing . please make dodge recall this as it is going to result in fatalities . a lot of people are changing the transfer case , transfer case motor and electrical and it keeps doing the same thing to make these vehicles unreliable and can cause death to my family and others as well please make dodge recall the 4 wheel drive . thank you *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 dodge durango. the contact stated that while driving approximately 55 mph, the 4 wheel drive switched to 4l independently. the failure recurred on several occasions. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 198,000.

Transfer case motor engages while driving going from awd to four wheel lo. this can potentially cause a very bad accident. 4wlo light flickers and transfer case motor engages even with vehicle shut off. *tr

My 2005 dodge durango keeps locking up when i'm turning. when the vehicle is on or off it will start flashing 4lo. the vehicle shifts into lock all on it's own, then the svc 4wd light comes on. after a few minutes the light will go off and the transfer case will shift back to awd. sometimes when the vehicle is turned off you can hear the transfer shift back and forth from awd to 4 lock. *tr

Was driving on the freeway. the service 4wd light started flashing, and the transmission shifted into 4lo by itself. all efforts to shift back out of 4lo failed. had the vehicle towed. service shop diagnosed transfer case as the problem, and replaced it. the problem persists. vehicle continues to shift into 4lo by itself which impacts the ability to turn the vehicle. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 dodge durango. while approaching a stop light, the vehicle stalled. the contact was able to restart the vehicle. the vehicle was taken to a dealer. the technician diagnosed that the throttle needed to be cleaned. the vehicle was repaired however, the failure recurred. the contact replaced the egr valve, the spark plugs, and the transmission fluid however the failure persisted. the vehicle was taken back to the dealer, who diagnosed that the throttle body needed to be replaced. the contact replaced the throttle body but the failure recurred. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 100,900. updated 4/13/15*cn the consumer stated the cooler line was leaking. updated 04/16/15*jb

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 dodge durango. while driving approximately 35 mph, the four wheel drive indicator light switch illuminated and there was an abnormal noise coming from the vehicle. the failure occurred on several occasions. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 133,000. updated 2/24/15*cn the dealer made repairs to the transfer case. however, he continued to experience problems. updated 03/02/15*jb

My 2005 dodge durango switched from awd to 4x4 while i was driving. which almost made me loose control of the vehicle with family in the car, this was very scary and dangerous, thank god we weren't on the highway. svc 4wd light is coming on, 4loc and 4lo flash and transfer case motor clicks while driving or just idling, sometimes clicks when i unlock the doors. researched issue on the net and found several forums and discovered that this is happening to a lot of people, this needs to become a recall fast before someone gets hurt or worse. i currently pulled plug on transfer case motor and have it locked in awd drive, hope this holds, but i paid for 4 wheel drive as did many other people. from what i've read this has been going on for years. dodge needs to make this right. thank you.

As i went to work today, i noticed my truck was kicking when accelerating down the street. as i would come up to a complete stop, the truck would still keep on going. i have been hearing clicking when i open up the driver door , and on occasion on my daily commute to work, i was noticing the 4lo light blink. well, today, i drove to work, and on the interstate, the 4lo light came on without blinking. a solid color. i started to see a lot of white smoke come from under the hood of the car, and from the bottom of the car as well. i pulled over to look at the vehicle and noticed that the truck was leaking all the tranny fluid. i was blocks from work, when i went back into the durango and noticed that the extreme heat light had turned on in the dashboard. i waited about 30 minutes until i turned my truck back on , and begin to drive to work. it was still kicking and now it felt like the tranny was slipping. i finally made it to work. the truck was engulfed in smoke . i've noticed that when the 4lo lights start blinking, i have a hard time trying to turn the wheels left or right, and my wheels lock. this should be a transfer case recall... its a real big safety issue. *tr

The car shift to 4lo by itself. *tr

Problem started with "srv 4 wd" light on dash going on and going off at random while driving. soon after this initial problem, with vehicle parked and ignition off,4 wheel drive attempts to engage and disengage. the engage/disengage process may occur 2 to 6 times. the sound of this engagement/disengagement is clearly audible. on one occasion the vehicle actually engaged four wheel drive but there was no light on the dash indicating the vehicle was in 4 wheel drive. after driving the vehicle approximately .5 miles, 4 wheel drive disengaged with a very loud shift noise. at this same time, the "4 lo" display light on the dash began to flicker. it now blinks as if the vehicle is attempting to engage "4 lo" while the vehicle is in motion and the selector set to all wheel drive. i am still able to engage and disengage four wheel drive using the selector switch on the dash manually as is the case with normal 4 wheel drive operation for this vehicle. at this point the vehicle has not switched from awd to 4 wd while in motion at highway speed. i am aware however this is a situation which can occur during vehicle operation while experiencing these 4 wheel drive malfunctions. *tr

While driving on the freeway, i noticed that my 4 lo warning light was flashing on my instrument panel. once i came to a safe stop, i could hear what sounded like my 4 wheel drive actively trying to engage itself by making a clanking noise. several days later, it did the same thing, only this time, it succeeded in shifting itself into 4 wheel drive but only for a brief period. now it does this on a daily basis and will even do this in my garage with the keys out of the ignition. it will also do this when i use the key fob to unlock my doors. please look into this as there are several other durango owners who are experiencing the same issue. my worry is that it will find a way to shift itself into 4 lo while either my wife or myself are driving down the freeway. if that happens, it could be catastrophic. this is something that dodge needs to recall to prevent any injuries or deaths. people have attempted to replace the transfer case, replace wiring, and several other fix attempts but to no avail. as a 16-year career firefighter, i am pleading with you to look into this. *js

My 2005 dodge durango has an issue with the transfer case. when using the key fob to unlock the doors, the transfer case will switch from awd to 4wd hi on its on. also while driving the service 4wd light will appear and it will switch to 4wd hi and if going around a turn. my wheels have locked up causing me to slide and almost hitting another vehicles. i believe this is unsafe and have been many complaints. how many more of these have to happen and ends up taking someones life. i would like to see this issue resolved. *tr

My 2005 dodge durango shifts back and forth between 4wd and awd randomly. the 4wd light will come on and the vehicle shifts into lock without warning, making driving difficult and backups jumpy and jerky. it will shift back and run properly, but does not stay functioning long. there is a 'drag'' feeling to the vehicle when it slips into 4wd. this has made driving the durango a concern and nearly tripled the amount of gas used for similar mileage. i am concerned that this could be a real safety issue. it goes into 4wd-lo and the tires lock up. if this were to happen at 70 mph, this could cause a spin out. when stopped at a light waiting to turn left the car occasionally 'shifts' without notice and then it is difficult to make the turn. when expecting the car to move properly on a busy road, this ''sluggish' response is a serious problem. pulling out with plenty of time to turn before the light changes isn't a guarantee that you will actually make the turn before the light turns red. i want to be able to trust my vehicle, which i used to be able to do. i have read numerous accounts online about this same problem occurring for other 2005 durango owners. clearly, this is not an isolated incident unique to my vehicle. i have also seen reports that people having this same issue are also having remote door lock issues, which makes me wonder if there is also an electrical issue with the vehicle. *tr

2005 durango awd 5.7; the transfer case motor is switching on its own regardless of the vehicle being on or off. it occasionally actuates when unlocking the vehicle with the remote. most of the time it actuates while driving down the road. sometimes the dash light will blink 4lo other times 4lock. usually after a bit of blinking the svc 4wd light will come on. once it is in 4wd, it is hard to steer. a couple of instances, it has shifted out of gear, once i was at an intersection. i had to get help just to get it off the road. i have read countless blogs about this issue online, the majority of them are for the 2004 and 2005 models. if this isn't grounds for a recall i don't know what is.

My vehicle as well as many others that i've read have been having issues with the 4wd, this is a problem that should have a recall as to how many individuals have the same problems. svc 4wd light comes on and then back off 4 lo light flashes when car is more so off/ but occasionally when on, makes a clicking noise, which what i could find and from others, is the transfer case changing occasionally when in reverse/drive the car either locks or acts as if the rear wheels are locked i do know there is no recall for these issues, but if you were to take the time to check into this, i feel you would also agree with everyone that this is a manufacturing/malfunction in possible the transfer case. i'm sure it doesn't matter, but i am a single mother of 3 and yes i know there are so many more just like me, but i cant afford to have take my vehicle in to be fixed especially when it should be a recall issue! please please look into this. *tr

Engine will without warning lurch forward. it will also completely shut down making steering and braking extremely difficult. this vehicle had no codes showing and repair shop can't replicate the problem this lurching of the vehicle has occurred almost daily. and has completely shut down twice. i drive with two kids in the car and this is extremely dangerous. their are several complaints with the exact same problem. *tr

'takata recall' there are several things that are going on with my 2005 dodge durango slt 4.7 liter v8, 4 wheel drive suv that are alarming. every single time i fuel the vehicle it shoots gasoline right back on out of the gas tank where you insert the fuel nozzle and covers me with gas! plus i have replaced the throttle position sensor several times, along with the idle air control valve, and map sensor just to try and correct the stalling while either slowing down to come to a stop, or it also occurs quite frequently when the vehicle is at normal operational temperature and just idling. the rpm gauge inside the vehicle starts fluctuating irratically before stalling. you lose all power and control over the vehicle when it stalls! another problem that's present is hard shifting, or the vehicle fails to shift until it almost pegs out the rpm gauge. it's like both idle and shift are affected creating a safety issue. the transmission has been serviced regularly, tuneups, etc. however despite staying on top of all vehicle maintenance requirements the vehicle still runs poorly and has been doing this since i have owned it at 78,000 miles. it's now got 113k on it and i honestly think the vehicle is a safety hazard and needs the manufacturing company to address all of these issues! this is an ongoing issue that no matter how many times i have the vehicle repaired and the parts replaced it continues to stall out and shift incorrectly there's 18 trouble codes that keep coming up including the air bag on the passenger side, which really doesn't seem to fit what's really going on. no trouble codes for the fuel tank shooting gas out of the inlet pipe that leads to gas tank. this stalling and loss of power happens at all speeds on the freeway, city driving, or literally parked or slowing down from any speed. any kind of weather condition. problem started 8/01/2014 to present day.

Having 3 major issues that can be life threatening..1) driving at any speed sometimes vehicle will completely shut off leaving me on the highway at 60mph no power steering 2) filling gas tank up no matter if i go slow will always spit lots of gas back out of the neck 3) 4x4 is engaging by itself. i can park it turn motor off and you can hear it going into 4x4 without me being in the vehicle or touching the 4x4 knob. this has cause me issue steering when it decides to go into 4x4 mode by itself. i need to know if their is current complaints about the above issues and how can i get them fix without me paying. *tr

Vehicle goes in and out of 4 wheel drive on its own. clicking noise under vehicle when using key fob to lock and unlock vehicle. does not always occur. is in 4 wheel drive more than not these days. *tr

summary: when i parked and exited/locked my 2005 dodge durango, i could hear the transfer case switching all on its own. on my way home the svc 4wd light lit and then 4lo began flashing. we left on vacation and when i came home and backed the car out there was a loud noise and it is undriveable. i have read many reports of other ownwer's vehicles doing the same thing on years 2004 & 2005 with the hemi motor and the dealers not knowing what is going on and charging several expensive repairs for different findings not always fixing the problem. *tr

Svc light comes on and if engaged in 4 wheel drive! the passenger air bag light goes on and off. sometimes all electrical goes hay wire...svc, radio, cd player and air bag light. *tr

As i approached my vehicle and used the remote to open the doors, i heard a noise under the vehicle like gears were shifting on their own without the vehicle even running. i started the vehicle and started driving. when i went into a parking lot and turned left to park, it was like someone was putting on the brakes making it difficult for me to turn and to accelerate--felt like i was in 4wd despite not shifting to 4wd from awd. i nearly hit the car next to mine because i had to accelerate so hard to get into the spot without getting hit from the rear. i turned the car off and let it sit for 1/2 hour and restarted it and drove home. when i let the car sit in the garage, i was in the garage and heard gears shifting on their own while the vehicle was not running. this has already happened 3 times and it is quite scary! if i try to turn left and this happens on the road, i could get into a serious accident. *tr

Vehicle will illuminate "svc awd" and the vehicle will automatically switch vehicle into different gears while driving on its on. one day the vehicle switched to 4lo while in drive, not changes were made. another time while vehicle was parked, no key in the ignition, when hit the unlock button on the key you can hear the vehicle switching gears on its again! while making a sharp turn to park the vehicle switched into neutral on its on and was unable to drive or reverse. i put the vehicle in park waited a fe seconds restarted it and parked and the svc awd light was still on. i have had the ignition switch replaced, along with the transmission and transfer case all within the first 6 months of 2014. the svc awd light comes on and off on it own randomly. i am not sure what the issue is and neither does the dealer. i had the ignition switch changed at a palmer chrysler dodge jeep dealership and the svc awd light is still on the vehicle continues to switch gears on its own. *tr

The power train or something starts to change gears when you unlock the doors. the car is not even running and it starts shifting. sometimes it locks itself into 4 wheel drive, when you are going down the street. *tr

i have a 2005 dodge durango 4x4 that is suddenly kicking in on its own, vehicle parked key out still clicking and turning on and off. so the service 4 wheel drive came on as i was driving, then the vehicle switched in to 4 wheel drive and stuck. we towed this vehicle home then took to the transmission shop where are vehicle still sits 5 days later, can not find the issue, also when you click the alarm unlock and lock you can hear the transfer case engaging and disengaging, we have read lots of peoples reports of their vehicle doing the same thing on years 2004 & 2005 with the hemi motor, please if anyone finds out what is going on with theirs or if find any other suggestions then please write a post about it,, i think our next step is to go to dodge and make them take this pos back.... or fix.... *tr