Problems with 2000 Dodge Durango ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

Whjile parked antifreeze spot started showing up under the dodge durango 2000. repair shop found 8 freeze plugs leaking on a vehicle with only 61,250 miles on it.

Vehicle experienced excessive motor sludge at the base of the engine. consumer maintained that the engine was properly maintained, such as, proper oil changes, tune ups, etc. consumer took the vehicle to dealer where the sludge was discovered. however, the warranty company sent a representative to inspect the vehicle and found the same defects. *ak

My 2000 durango, with 60,100 miles on it, had a scent of anti-freeze, so i took it in to the dealer. i was informed that the freeze plugs on one side of the engine were leaking. the parts were removed/replaced, and the old parts had corroded through. i was told i had better change the balance, because "they could go at any time". when i asked how it was possible that these items could fail in such a (relatively) short period of time, the answer was "sometimes that happens". i have worked on vehicles, and rebuilt engines, for over 20 years and this is the first time i have seen an engine with so few miles have this problem. i have 2 of the 3 removed parts (i was told the third "crumbled when removed"), and plan on pursuing dodge for a better explanation. *jb

2000 dodge durang: i was driving on the highway with my wife, 2 children, a friend of one of my chilren, and my family dog, when the oil gauge needle started to bounce back and forth. it indicated that i was loosing presure and then return to normal. after 2 minutes of this, i pulled off the road and checked the oil level. it was full....... i turned the car back on, and the problem went away. i went further down the highway and entered a single lane construction zone when it started to do the same thing. this time it finally went to zero. having no where to go for 2 more miles, i had no choice but to drive to the next exit. i put on my hazrd lights, and drove 35mph while coasting as often as i could. once i got off the exit, the car starting to make a ticking sound (lifters) and eventually stoped running. my dodge durango had only 44,000 mi. on it. the oil was changed every 3-4,000 mi. the car had to be towed away. now i am told i need a completely rebuilt engine. it will cost me $4,000+ to repair it. after searching the internet, i found this problem to be to common. i cannot get my dealership to acknowledge such an occurance. even though my car is out of warranty, i feel that it should last more than 90,000 mi with the proper amount of scheduled maintenance. sounds like a major recall is in order. who knows, maybe even a clase action law suite will come out of it if enough people complain.*ak

I was drving on the highway with my wife, 2 children, a friend of the family, and my family dog, when the oil gauge needle dropped to zero, and the warning sound began to go off. according to the gages, i was loosing oil pressure. after a second, the gauges would return to normal. it was intermitent. after 2 minutes of this, i decided to pull of the road and check the oil level, it was full... i turned the car back on, the warning signal was gone, and the needle indicated that i had oil pressure. i went another 4 miles down the highway when i entered a single lane construction zone. this time the needle went to zero, indicating no oil pressure. i had no choice but to turn on my hazard lights, and drive 2 more miles @35mph to the next exit. once on the ramp, the car made a ticking noise, and eventually stalled. due to the lose of power stearing, it was difficult to stear. it was even more difficult to stop the car (lose of braking) my dodge durango had to be towed away. now i am told that it will cost me in excess of $4,000 to fix it. i was told by several mechanics that dodge had to design this engine with extremely tigh tolerances in order to meet the hp requirements. in doing so, it souonds like they neglected to perform the proper analysis required to determing the affect on proper oil circualtion. i changed my oil every 3-4,000 mi. how could this happen? after searching the internet, i found out that this was a common occurance amongst durango owners. i read one complaint after another. i some cases, chrysler would not cover the failure even if the owner had an extended warranty. my dealership won't recognize that their is a historical problem. they lost my business. even though my car is out of warranty, one would expect it to last 90,000 mi. without a catastrophic failure of this magnitude. this poblem should be recognized by chrysler....these motors should be recalled....sounds like a class action suite is in order. *ak

My 2000 durango slt was being driven by my son when the check gauges light came on. it was towed to a garage since they told us not to drive it. they proceeded to change the oil first, since the oil pressure gauge was jumping up and down. they then started the durango and revved the engine for a while. we then had it towed to our house since my husband is a mechanic. he was going to look at it and when he did he discovered that one of the rods were bent so this means the engine needs replaced. oil changes on my durango were done as scheduled by my husband, in fact he had checked the oil 2 days prior to the incident and went and bought a new oil filter and a new case of oil to change the oil. my son called dahmler-chrysler and they told him that there had never been any complaints made to them about the engine and that there was no recalls done on the vehicle. these checks were even done with us giving them the vin of the vehicle. we are now looking at having to spend $2000 for an engine and that is one with 60,000 miles on it and being rebuilt. seeing the other complaints on the websites that i have been to, dodge has to be at fault for a defect on the engine or oil pump which would cause the oil to gum up just sitting there and not being pumped through the engine to keep crucial parts lubricated to function properly. to be honest it makes me worried about going out and paying the money for another engine seeing that maybe next month it would end up tearing up again. i feel that dodge should do something about the problems with this engine in this particular vehicle before someone gets killed due to engine failure and the family of that person finds this information and dahmler-chrysler is involved in a class action lawsuit and that could be even more devistating the company than a recall on the engines that don't work correctly to begin with.*ak

Vehicle has 73,000 miles and power steering pump shaft slowly worked loose causing puncture into plastic cooling tank/shroud. puncture appears to be from contact with shaft and has about a nickel size hole in plastic tank. caused vehicle to over heat and loss of coolant. alarm indication failed to light on instrument cluster. taking to dealer to further investigate this problem. *jb

Driving my 2000 dodge durango 4x4 down the highway when oil pressure went to 0psi. by the time i managed to get over 4 lanes of traffic a knocking noise had begun. had it towed to certified mechanic that i trust, have had several problems with dealing with the dealership, and he told me that i had a spun main bearing due to sludge buildup. the engine has 84000 miles and has been serviced by me every 3000 to 4000 miles mostly highway driven. i was told that it would need a new engine with a minimal cost of $3500 for a salvage motor. i called the dealership and was told that since it was out of warranty that there wasn't anything they would do to help me exept they offered to put a new motor in for me. i have read hundreds of similar instances of this occuring and would like for daimler chrysler to be held somewhat responsible.*ak

The two occurrences involved premature deterioration of various devices and components. at approximately 37,000 miles (after warranty expired), the device that controls the check engine operations had to be replaced. most recently, at 40,000 miles, the power steering pump and lines had to be replaced. it was brought to my attention that the premature corrosion of the lines caused the pump damage. *nm

I have a 2000 dodge durango with engine failure and sludge buildup at 64k miles. for the past 8 months i have changed the oil 6 times as a result of the oil pressure dropping to zero, replaced the oil sensor and oil pump.last week i had the car towed because the oil pressure dropped 2 hours/98 miles after i had just had the oil changed and the engine made a loud clicking noise and was not drivable. i was informed that i needed a new engine and that the oil pan and engine were completely filled with sludge. i have religiously maintained my vehicle over the past 41/2 years. chrysler will not send a rep to look at the engine. they claim that there is no problem and that it is my fault for not using the right oil and not maintaining the vehicle. the type of oil i used was recommended in the manual and i followed chrysler's maintainenance schedule to a t. the dodge dealer said i needed to have the car towed to the dealer at my expense (because the engine failed) if i wanted the engine examined. chrysler needs to be accountable for the obvious intrinsice engine defect. *ak

2000 dodge durango vin#yf159461 is in for brake repairs. the dealer manhattan dodge 711 eleventh ave ny ny 10019 212-765-6633 claims i need a new master cylinder. they claim that my ball joints on both sides front need to be replaced. i have heard about the investigation. as i am choosing to replace them for my personal safety, i will collect the old ones if the nhtsa would like them, please let me know. *la

I have a 2000 dodge durango, and i am concerned about the ball bearings, and the engine, and need to know what to do about it. my car is squeeking when i turn, and the engine is smelling like it's burning all the time.*ak

Our 2000 durango with only 57k miles, had the "check guages" light come on. the engine temp went to hot, then to cold. after taking it into the dealer, i was told that the water heater needed to be replaced ($300), the soft plugs (freeze plugs?) were bad and needed to be be replaced ($1500) and there is an internal oil leak ($1,000). this is a 2000 model year, purchased in january of 2000 and only has 57,000 miles

Cracked cylinder heads. i have been waiting for my vehicle to be fixed @ the dealership for 2 weeks now. they have informed me that they have no eta on the cylinder heads because they are on a nation wide back order. so that indicates there is a nation wide problem with dodge durangos and their cylinder heads. i feel there should be a recall on these parts. please investigate this matter. thank you sandra lopez. *jb

Despite regular maintenance, the engine on my 2000 durango needed replacing. dealer says "shouldn't have happened". after doing some internet research, it appears that this is a defect in the design, has happened to many people and dodge is denying all responsibility.*ak

2000 dodge durango with 55,000 miles had oil sludge build-up due to faulty design resulting in zero oil pressure. oil pan screen so filled with carbon build-up, it required replacement $455 service bill reimbursement denied by dealer. after doing some research, i have found 100's of cases describing the same problem.concerned about potential replacement of the engine in the near future. the service mananger insisted we didn't follow the proper oil change schedule, tried to tell us we had to follow a 2003 car/mini van schedule. we told him we followed the schedule in our owner's manual.

Engine must be replaced due to sludge build up. manufacturer will not cover repair expenses. *ak

While driving at 60 mph the consumer noticed that vehicle lost oil pressure, would shake, and stall. the vehicle was towed to the dealer, and the mechanic determined that engine died due to poor maintenance. *ak the dealer never took apart the motor, only the fuel injector and spark plugs. the vehicle was in for a crank sensor repair a week or two before the oil pump problem occurred. *sc

While coming home from vacation in vermont in our 2000 dodge durango the check gauge light came on and the oil pressure light dropped to 0. we immedialty pulled over and checked the oil and it was full. my husband had just changed the oil a week earlier. we started the car again and everything went back to normal for a mile or two when now the oil pressure was jumping up and down. we pulled the car over immediatly and called for a tow truck after 2 hours in the cold we had the car towed to a dealer in vermont. where are car still is. we were told there was sludge build up and the oil pump needed to be replaced. then after further review we need a new engine or they could pathc it together with no guarrenty we will not need a new engine in the future. i did some investigating and found this is a reoccuring problem with this vehicle. daimlerchrysler would do nothing for us and blamed it on neglect. my husband does regular maintenance on the vehicle and it is in excellent condition. this vehicle is only 3 1/2 years old with 67,000 miles. i'm furious that dodge is aware of the problem and is selling this vehicle to consumers.*ak

After starting the vehicle, the consumer noticed the oil pressure gauge did not register. the vehicle had no oil pressure. the consumer turned the vehicle off and checked the oil and there was sludge build up. the consumer was concerned the engine will become defective even though the maintenance was continuous on the vehicle. *jb

2000 dodge durango. at about 69,000 miles the vehicle heater suddenly went cold and the vehicle overheated. i pulled over and checked under the hood. the vehicle lost all antifreeze. towed it home. the next day found that a freeze plug had a hole in it. after repair, found that the freeze plug had corrosion and actually rusted through. dealer said it was due to lack of maintenence. impossible, freeze plugs are not maintained and coollant has a life of 100,000 miles. in addition, a freeze plug should be galvanized/aluminized to prevent corrosion. vehicle has been repaired. however, because of this problem, i wonder if this is the reason that others are having vehicles blow up. i believe that the sludge is the result of the overheated oil and that is why the vehicles are blowing up. not because of lack of oil changes. after this problem, i have found that my engine idles slightly rough. this seems like a good indicator of blown seals causing oil leakage and of overly heated oil creating sludge.*ak

Automobile is poorly manufactured. i am getting over ran with repairs bills of part s that should never fail. in 40 years of driving and buying auto i have never seen such a poorly built car.*ak

The truck overheated without any warning. this caused the truck to stall while making a right turn. the radiator was leaking and one of the pistons had started melting per the dealership. the engine needs to be replaced. *nm the oil pressure gauge stayed normal and the warning light did not come on. *sc *jb

Engine failure on 2000 dodge durango due to sludge buildup/filter failure.*ak

Traveling on he interstate in my 2000 dodge durango with 50k miles on it when sudden loss of oil pressure to 0. knocking under hood. pulled over, towed to mechanic shop. engine total loss. i have seen and heard numerous same problems and feel something should be done and i will be working my hardest on that.*ak

Check gauges light came on with no warning. all gauges were normal. a loud rattling sound was followed by the oil pressure dropping to zero and the engine failed. vehicle has been towed to wiesner dodge in rosenberg, texas. dealer claimed sludge in the oil caused the failure. i have regular documented oil change receipts. payment of repair (est. $6000) is pending meeting with warranty adjuster. how can our federally funded agencies ignore the vast multitude of complaints on this problem without investigating????? *ak

My 2000 dodge durango lost oil pressure. after taking it to dealership, they said it was due to sludge in oil pan going through intake tube. since my husband performs most of the oil changes himself, i only had a few receipts. my warranty company refused to pay. from reading other peoples complaints of the same problem, it seems chrysler is refusing to pay too. i just bought my last dodge.*ak

On 8/7/02 my oil pressure suddenly dropped to 0. a dodge mechanic replaced the oil pump, which was under warranty since the vehicle had only 28,000 miles on it. on 8/19/03 my oil pressure again suddenly dropped to 0. my car was towed to a dodge dealership where an asst. service mgr. told me i would likely need a new engine. he said that although he had only seen this problem "one other time" my extended warranty might not cover it because it was caused by poor maintenance. i told him that i averaged only 10k miles a year on my car and had most, if not all, of my oil change records. his demeanor tells me that this won't be covered without a fight. my durango has 40,600 miles on it. through the internet i have learned that there are literally hundreds of people who've been stuck with thousands of dollars of unjustified charges because of dodge's failure to admit that the engines of some durangos develop sludge (apparently it's known as a smog sludge motor in trade terms.) when you check the following websites you'll immediately see the pattern: consumeraffairs.com, nhtsa.gov, carsurvey.org, or simply google "oil pressure durango" or "durango sludge"

The oil pressure in our 2000 dodge durango dropped to 0. . we dropped the car off for 1 days - i was informed that to to \"oil sludge\" in the engine, the car is irrepairable damage to the engine. the engine will need to be replaced the car has 73,000 miles on it and we still owe $18,000! i called auto west dodge, ca to ask if they had heard of any similar problems and was told no. then checked online and have found many of the same examples of the same problem. *ak

We have a 2000 durango with 39,847 miles on it. on june 6, 2003 we were traveling down the freeway and the oil pressure dropped to 0. the oil pressure returned to normal when the engine came to an idle. at first it appeared as if i had a gauge problem. i checked everything out and began on our way again just to find it happened all over again once we got to speed. i pulled over and the pressure returned to normal! we shut it down and towed it to a nearby dealership. there, when asked, i demonstrated that our engine was okay by cranking it without starting it. several days later they informed me that i would need a new engine ($8310). i had it towed to the dealership where i purchased it. there, the service manager informed me the engine was seized! someone had evidently run the engine after it was dropped off, but each dealership blames the other!!! oddly, neither dealership ever asked me what my driving habits are to determine if i should be on the 7,500 mile schedule or the 3,000 mile schedule as described in the owner_x0019_s manual!*ak

Engine sludge build up in 2000 dodge durango.*mr the build up was the result of the design flaw of the intake manifold. *ph

The vehicle driver's side front upper control arm was loose. the consumer had it repaired ($106.00) after finding out that there was no recall. *ak the vehicle's rocker arm failed. *nm

2000 dodge durango oil pump failure it caused the motor to quit and loss of brakes and steering ability dodge knows about this and wont do anything about this they say it is from poor maintaince please help thanks tim. *ak

Upper and lower ball joints unusual wear, replaced at 70000 miles. also dealer and oil change place said sludge in engine. i regularly change my oil, the intake maniford gasket blew and caused engine to knock and have sludge. speed sensor in rear axle went bad, causing speedometer and abs system failure. *ak

Engine failure in my 2000 dodge durango. engine showed oil sludging that caused engine failure even though car 2.5yrs old with 32k miles.

While driving, vehicle started smoking. it stalled and everything locked up. the temperature gauge went from normal to hot very fast. the dealership indicated that the engine had blown. ph

My 2000 dodge durango started missing and back firing after morning warm up,parked the car until next day.tried to start car in morning and no go.towed car to dealer where they changed plugs and got it running only to here a noise in eng upon opening engine they found #3cyl beat up and half of my other cyls with low compression.no broken part found there fore no coverage from dodge or api who holds the 6yr-60000 war.my car has only 42000 and now needs roughly 6000.00 in repair. no help from dodge

Complete engine failure due to sludge. 41k miles. schedule a oil changes as per owners manual. the dealship performed the majority of the oil changes for which there were records (the last was just 2000 mi prior to failure) there were a few that were performed by me for which i couldn't produce the receipts of the oil and filter purchase. hence, no satisfaction was provided by either the dealership or chrysler. after researching the incident further, i have found that there are at least a couple hundred others with similar stories. obviously these engines run excessively hot under normal circumstances, thus producing sludge that builds up over time (collecting in the oil pan and obstructing the pickup filter in my case) that is not removed by routine oil changes. this smacks of design flaws to me.

My engine is filled with sludge although we ahd regular oil changes. because we could only find teh last three oil change receipts, the dealer says they are not going to make the repair. at first, they sid it was an oil pump. i called chrysler and they were willing to replace the pump although i am 19k miles out of warranty. this tells me they knew there was a problem. now, after searching the interet and calling an attroney, i find 182 like complaints for the 2000 model year durango and dakota. no one at teh corporate or dealer level will work with me unless i pay $6,000 for the repair. can anyone say class action lawsuit?

While driving the engine light illuminated; also , the transmission light. consumer took vehicle to the dealer, and dealer reset memory, 60 miles later the transmission failed. please provide any further information. ts....*ak

Dt: the oil pressure failed while driving on the freeway. the consumer had taken the vehicle to the dealer and had the oil pump replaced three times. both heads have been replaced. the sludge has been cleaned out, and the engine still had no oil pressure. no leaks have been noticed. the vehicle can be driven for about 3 miles, and then the oil pressure will drop. *jb

November 1, 2002 our 2000 dodge durango malfunctioned. it was towed into a dealership where an adjuster from our extended warranty company (north american) was sent. according to the mechanic at the dealership, an "upper plenum gasket" malfunctioned, causing oil to suck up into a part of the engine and burn up. we were told that the burned oil then dropped into the oil pan where it was then sucked up into the intake and became clogged. north american denied our claim stating negligence on our part. a representative with north american stated to me that they did not agree with the adjuster. we had to borrow over $4,000 to replace the engine in this vehicle. i have since found other people in the united states who are posting this same issue with dodge durango's (and not just the year 2000) consumer was asking how come there's no official investigation has opened regarding vehicle. consumer has found 20 plus similar complaints. *la

Engine failure oil problem orignal problem was fuel pump deal claims engine making noise and is also knocking. i have receipts from auto shop and over the counter for purchase of oil and oil filters nj dodge district mgr said it was not good enought this is a oil sludge issue we have kept up maintenance on the vehicle but chrysler will not cover the repairs under the warranty. other dodge owners also have same problem related to all dodge suv and dodge dakota trucks. i also feel that if dodge had change the oil they would replace the engine under the warranty. dt

Consumer states that while driving at any speed and no warning the vehicle will shut off causing consumer to pull over and it will be hard to get the vehicle back started. dealer notified.

The last oil change done by a friend found clumps of oil in the motor. today i need a new engine. apparently the oil pump was not working correctly from the beginning. the damage is major. it appears as though the oil had never been changed in my vehicle. my engine light never lid up, until the moment my engine came apart. i am out of warranty. is there anything i can do to receive assistance from dodge?????

Vehicle had a sudden loss of oil pressure. took vehicle to dealer for a clogged oil spring. dealer stated that some parts of engine needed replacing. please provide any further information.*ak

After only 48,000 mile the engine of my 2000 dodge durango went out. after spending $3,400 on a used engine it went out in less than a year. the ball joints on both of my front wheels have also gone out since 2000. *ak

Consumer states fender fell off drivers side, dealer installed two wheel well fasteners, consumer states that rail dust covers vehicle at rear, consumer states rattling, squeaking, crunching or moaning noise throughout vehicle over bumps, dealer replaced anti rattle clip, and both rear left springs, vehicle lunges forward with brake on at stops, dealer found throttle valve was scored and replaced valve body, transmission hesitates or will not engage when brakes are applied, dealer replaced all seals, clutches, and cleaned and inspected overdrive, shift linkage out of adjustment, on several occasions, engine pings on acceleration, dealer unable to duplicate, concerns with broken rear seat latches and seat not flipping forward, dealer performed clockspring safety recall 01v153000. *tt

There was no warning, oil pressure light just came on and we lost pressure. then there was a knocking noise under the hood. we had it towed to herb gordon dodge, which said the engine was a total loss. i had to drive it homeand the engine light came on. i called fitzgerald to see if i was covered under warranty. they said bring it in, so i had it towed to the dealer. they said the warrranty wouldn't cover it because i could not produce 15 maintenance receipts. i had a full service engine flush at 32,727 miles. they did not care, but said they could give me a new engine at $6000 or a patchup at $4200. the service manager also offered to put me in contact with a company that will finance engines.*ak

While driving, consumer smelled gas and pulled over, consumer looked under the hood and the vehicle was on fire, claim 75-a422-019. *slc