Problems with 2002 Dodge Durango POWER TRAIN

Owner purchased vehicle on 7/3/03 with 1300 miles on odometer. owner had problems with noises under the hood and in the steering column. vehicle would slip out of park into neutral or reverse. dealership said there was nothing wrong with the vehicle. on 11/1/03 the vehicle caught fire and burned. fire started under hood in engine compartment, but damage too severe to determine exact cause. *nm

Two months ago, a new frame was installed on my 2002 dodge durango. on sept. 14, 2003 my daughter was in an accident on interstate 26 coming to my home. she said the car went out of control and she hit the concrete wall and ended up in the side of interstate. the driver side of the axle looks like it broke. the tire has not been found yet which has the studs, hub etc. *jb

Since i purhcased my 2002 durango slt in march of 2002. we have had nothing but problems. the air conditioning had to be repaired twice along with the lumbar. our truck breaks down on a holiday weekend. we had to rent a car for two weeks until it was repaired. the transfer case was in shambles. it was covered under warranty, but we had to pay the 853.80, because daimler chrysler refuses to pay. the truck is a year 1/2 old that type of problem should not have happened and yet i still have to pay for another 3 and 1/2 years. this is a $30k truck. it's definately not worth it. will never purchase or recommend for anyone to buy.

When the vehicle was started the engine raced and revved. the vehicle was taken tot he dealer who stated that the transmission needed to be replaced. *nlm

Only 14,000 miles and the dealership is now replacing entire transmission on my new 2002 dodge durango thank goodness we bought the extended warranty. the 1999 model we owned also had problems with engine and transmission we had no extended warranty when this was noticed. *nlm

My vehicle was in park and i had stepped out of the car to get the mail. my vehicle suddenly started driving forward and accelerating all by itself. it ended up running into the side of my home.

Dodge durango, transmissin failure at 29,000 miles, previouse durango ball joints went bad at 11,000 miles vehicle could not even pass inspection.*ak

Transmission sticks in low when starting cold. also sticks intermittently when vehicle has not been used for several days. has been to the dealership 18+ times for exam/repair attempts. filed lemon law claim and chrysler refused to fix problem. now when transmission sticks, and finally catches, the whole rear end shimmies.*ak

2002 dodge durango. car engine "surges" when starting to drive, then returns to normal after a few hundred yards. occurs at speeds of 10-20 mph. reported to dealer. dealer unable to reproduce problem. occurs randomly, but about 1-2 a month. car also stops and will not restart. recurs randomly and without warning. local mechanic feels problem could be powertrain control module related. occurs at speeds of 0-60 mph. *jb

This note is to accompany the motor vehicle defect notification for my 2002 durango, vin 1b8hr48n42f188761. this is the second defective durango i have purchased in the last five months and it presents a safety issue. the first durango was only good for four days and less than 400 miles. we experienced multiple problems with it to include transmission shifting, engine vibrations, and poor handling problems. it was determined by the dealer that multiple computers were bad and it would take a considerable amount of time to repair the vehicle. as a solution, the dealer provided us another vehicle. the current durango is only five months old and has less than 5000 miles. it has been in the shop every weekend for the last three weeks for the same problem. as the vehicle is moving, it drops to first gear coming to an almost complete stop, launching the occupants forward due to the sudden speed reduction. this in itself is a safety issue since occupants could get hurt, not to mention loss of control by the driver, possibly causing an accident, or the vehicle been hit from behind. in addition to coming to an almost complete stop, the vehicle check engine light comes on and the vehicle locks the transmission on first gear (if it moves at all since the second time it malfunctioned, it would only go in reverse and had to be towed to the dealer). problems continue with the vehicle. the dealer has indicated that there is a software problem with the transmission module but they do not have a fix for it yet!!!!! ts

While driving, the consumer loss control of the vehicle, however the consumer managed to pull over safely and soon discovered there was fire underneath the vehicle. an investor did inspect the vehicle and ruled the fire was unsustainable and they would fix everything. *ph. according to the paper work the vehicle experienced a differential failure. *jb

Consumer states that while driving and without warning the shift indicator will read the wrong reading causing a distraction to the consumer. dealer notified. mr

I have 30,000 miles on my 2002 durango slt plus. i have had the rear replaced twice and it still makes noise. my entire family just missed a accident ( 3 children) because the antilock brakes do not function properly under awd mode. the transmission is clunking everytime we stop. the ball joints are wearing out! just found out seat belts are unsafe! i am scared to death for my family ! *ak

Consumer states while driving, the malfunction indicator light came on . vehicle will not accelerate. contacted dealer. as a result of the transmission control module.*jb

Have taken the truck in 3 times, and it has been transmission failures, have had vehicle for 6 months, and the transission computer has been replaced. the truck continues t have defects.*ak

Vehicle slips into gear without key being in the ignition. please provide any further information.*ak

engine was off, keys out of ignition, a small child put vehicle into gear and vehicle rolled backwards, hitting a barn. please provide any further information.*ak

While travelling down i94 at highway speed my 2002 dodg durango engine seized forcing us to coast to the side of the highway. the dealership said that this was caused due to lack of maintainance ie. oil changes which is not the case as i did the maintained oil changes. in doing research i have found that this vehicle is prone to oil sludge. nothing has been done as of right now to rectify the situation.

Here is a list that i have sent to dodge chrysler customer service and 2 dealerships 1. intermittent or delayed engagement at vehicle start up operation or engagement at 26-56 mph 2. intermittent acceleration and shudder during torque converter. operation or engagement at 26-56 mph 3. intermittent poor shifting quality?.. idle shake, sag or hesitation. will not always ?downshift? while driving 26-54 mph. 4. intermittent buzz and or clicking in reverse. (warm or cold) 5. intermittent surging while driving 26-54 mph. (warm or cold) 6. intermittent hesitation ?idle shake? sag when stepping on accelerator/gas pedal. 7. intermittent harsh engagement of transition (warm or cold) 8. intermittent noisy 3-4 upshifts . (warm or cold) 9. intermittent delayed down shifts (almost like dropping it in 1st while going 35 mph) 10. intermittent delayed up shifts. (transmission feels like its slipping) 11. unexpected acceleration (warm or cold) 12. loud popping noise while turning. . (warm or cold) 13. transmission fails to hold in park/ park gear fails to hold!

Purchased durango new jan 2002 in kentucky. within 6 months dodge recalled it to replace whole back axle assembly (dodge stated it was too small for durango). since owning, when putting into reverse the transmission hesitates, and the vehicle barely moves (dealer stated could not find any problem). in alaska the check engine light comes on when going from warm garage into cold outdoors, stays on for a week (dealer could not find anything wrong). loud pounding noise when traveling above 40 mph with back windows down. durango has less than 20,000 miles and back seat shows considerable wear where seat belt latch contacts seat (poor design/placement of latch). *ph