The problem originally started about 2 weeks ago. When I switched on the rear fan (heat or AC did not matter), the entire center console (radio, blower switches, and electronic 4wd switch) would go completely dead, and the "service 4wd" light would come on. Then this started happening when I turned on the front blower or the rear blower. Then it started happening with both blowers off and the headlights on high. Now it does it spontaneously for no apparent reason with all extra electrical components (the headlights, radio, and blowers) all off. I'm thinking there is a short somewhere, but cannot identify it. So far, I have replaced the blower motor resistor, the tccm, and the ignition switch with no apparent improvement. I've also had the dash apart and checked every electrical wire I could get to for obvious shorts. No luck. The problem is getting progressively worse. I talked to the mechanic at the local dodge dealer, and he said he thinks it's the tipm (main fuse box) in the engine compartment. He said he sees them short out "all the time, some of them so bad they actually catch fire!" (direct quote from him.) I am now terrified to drive my durango, but I cannot afford the hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars it's going to cost to fix the tipm, if that's what it really is. But I do not want drive it with the possibility of a vehicle fire. I've done all kinds of internet research on this, and it seems like a really common problem in the durangos. Also, my friend who works at a salvage yard says these fuse boxes are one of their most sought after parts. Surely an electrical problem that is this common and of such a catastrophic magnitude should be a recall!
2003 Dodge Durango electrical complaints
Page 2 of 3: complaints 11 to 40 of 57, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 dodge durango. After starting the vehicle, the headlights, tail lights, and interior lights started to flash on and off with the emergency indicator illuminating on the instrument panel. The contact mentioned that the failure recurred intermittently. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the central timer module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was 119,000.
Many times, when the key is turned to start the vehicle, it has slipped out of park, so it will not start unless the driver is successful in putting it into park. When the weather is warm it is especially liable to this problem. Usually in the winter or in cool weather it does not slip out of park. I have not found anyone who can find out how to correct this problem.
I have a 2003 durango that has been showing some very unusual electrical problems. The headlights and dash lights will sometimes flicker at night. The door chime sounds like the speaker has a short in it. I noticed that my garage door opener no longer works and sometimes the compass and temp gauge in the overhead freezes. The worst thing that happened was the passenger headlight went out and refuses to work with a new bulb. I tested the circuit and it is dead. I looked into the issue and found out that it has a central time module that controls many of the electrical functions of the truck. Mine has all the classic symptoms of a bad one. I also found out that a few hundred durango's and dakota's were recalled for this problem, however mine was not one of them. I have seen multiple threads on the internet of customers complaining of the same thing and dodge is not replacing them. It is a serious safety issue as the headlights can stop working at night as you drive. I contacted dodge and they said that they will review this problem and send me an e-mail with their decision in a few day's . This never happened. I have been loyal to dodge for many years owning 2 dakota's, 1 ram truck and my durango r/t. I am not going to buy any dodge products in the future as I would like to be able to trust that the company that made my vehicle will do what it takes to fix a serious safety issue. It's as if they don't care about safety.
The blower motor resistor keeps burning out. Constantly have to keep replacing the parts for the resistor. Why has this not been recalled yet?
The blower only works on the "high' setting.
Smells like something burning or got hot and know the high speed for heater fan does not work the harness was replaced one year ago for same reason the first time it happen my wife burned her foot on the harness.
My headlights and interior lights started blinking accompanied by a clicking sound coming from the left side of the steering panel. The windshield wipers also do not work unless put on high, and the gas light sound beeps every 20-30 seconds continuously until gas is put in. The beeping sound for the gas light will stop once refilled but lights continue to blink, interior and exterior while vehicle is in motion. I have done research on this problem and it seems like every other person with a 2003 dodge durango is experiencing the exact same problem but dodge refuses to recall the part, saying it was fixed, which is the ctm module causing this problem, when taken into a dealership it is the ctm that needs to be fixed and is absurd that more vehicles have not been recalled for this problem when every single one is experiencing the exact same problems.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 dodge durango. The contact stated that while traveling 15 MPH, the headlights, interior lights, power door locks and remote key suddendly failed. The failure occurred on several occasions. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. The technician diagnosed that the central timer module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 148,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 dodge durango. The contact stated that while sitting in the parked vehicle, the vehicle caught on fire from under the hood. The contact was able to extinguish the fire and drive the vehicle home. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or independent mechanic for diagnosis. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 65,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 dodge durango. The contact stated that while traveling approximately 60 MPH, sparks emitted from under the passenger's side dashboard and the contact smelled a burning odor. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was found that the blower motor, wiring harness and the resistor harness needed to be replaced. The contact personally repaired the vehicle. The manufacturer was not contacted about the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 131,000.
Blower fan resistor pigtail melted twice now. I have 4 kids and am scared my dodge durango is going to catch fire because of this happening. It's an electrical problem. We have tried fixing and the same thing keeps happening.
While driving at night headlights and dashboard lights start to flicker. Clicking sound heard while the flash off and on.
Driving home from north carolina to new york, I-95, legal speed limit of 65mph, truck shut off displaying "no bus" in odometer screen. Was able to pull over safely, thank god, and turned ignition off for a couple of seconds and than restarted truck. Thankfully it started up and I was able to proceed on my way. This happened a few times more while on my trip to new york. Driving locally didn't encounter any other problems. Have scanner at home as I'm a auto repairman at a novice level, and was surprised that not one code was stored in the computer. None of the forums seem to be able to give me any insight as to what caused this problem as none of the recommended checks produced any bad tests. This is a serious problem that should be recalled and fix by the chrysler corp before someone gets killed.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 dodge durango. The contact stated that the air conditioning unit wiring harness overheated and failed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the wiring harness was found to be burned. The dealer replaced the wiring harness resister and blower. The dealer stated that the wiring harness was registering far too many amps. The contact stated that the failure was recurring. The failure mileage was 48,000 and the current mileage was 53,000.
While driving my durango, my headlights flash on and off. This is very unsafe at night. This problem has been recalled on other durangos but mine was not included, though it is the same problem. I have taken it to a mechanic only to be told they can not fix it, I have to use a dodge dealer.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 dodge durango. The contact stated that smoke emitted from under the dashboard. The contact also stated that the heat and air conditioning failed and the front end of the vehicle made a thumping noise and became louder as vehicle speed increased. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and was informed that the wiring harness emitted the smoke and it along with the front hub unit, needed to be replaced. The failure and current mileages were 113,000....updated 04/25/13 *bf updated 05/16/2013
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 dodge durango. The contact stated that the windows failed to open or close and the windshield wipers failed to operate when activated. The contact also stated that the four wheel drive failed to function correctly. The vehicle was taken to a mechanic but the failure could not be diagnosed. The manufacturer was not notified. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 99,000.
While driving to vehicle it shuts down without warning loosing power brakes steering very scary when you not ready for it then had it towed home looked at it replaced a few parts got it running for about 3 miles and died on me again and would not start up again had it towed to a repair shop and now 2 weeks later still at shop with no answer yet something needs to be done to many people with the same prob thanks
Air conditioning stopped working under normal use. After inspecting the blower motor resistor, and connector plug I found the inside to be melted likely due to too much voltage. I had to cut the wires as the connector was fused to the resistor. Not able to find this connector through local junk/salvage yards, because this apparently is a common issue with this model durango. Only able to get after market part for this connector, and will have to re-wire it to the blower motor resistor.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 dodge durango. The contact stated that the automatic key fob failed and all of the interiors warning lamps were illuminated. In addition, the contact mentioned that the all of the gauges were providing erroneous readings. The head lights had also failed. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic who diagnosed that the central timing module was defective and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer made aware of the failure who did not offer any assistance since the vehicle was not included in the federal safety agency campaign id number: 02v322000 (exterior lighting:headlights:switch). The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 98,000 and the current mileage was 104,230.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 dodge durango. The contact stated while driving at the speeds of 60 MPH, she noticed that there were sparks coming from the passenger side heater wiring harness. There was a burning odor and noticed the plastic on the wires had melted. The vehicle was taken to a private mechanic where they confirmed that the wiring harness melted. The wiring harness lasted nine months after it was repaired. The failure was repaired twice. The dealer was contacted and did not acknowledge the failure. The vehicle was not repaired for the recent failure that occurred. The failure mileage was 101,000 and the current mileage was 173,000.
Repeated failure/burning of blower motor resistor and connector. Potential for electrical fire under the dash on passenger side. Have had burning smell and smoke from this.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 dodge durango. The contact stated that while driving 50 MPH, the heater failed to function. The contact also stated that the connecting wires for the fan resistors were melted. The vehicle was not taken to have the failure diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 85,000 and the current mileage was 115,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 dodge durango. The contact was traveling in inclement weather when the headlights and instrument panel lights failed. The vehicle was taken to a local repair facility for diagnosis. The mechanic advised that the failure was caused by the ctm. The contact inquired with the manufacturer about the federal safety agency campaign id number: 02v322000 (exterior lighting: headlights: switch) but was advised his VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer would not provide any further assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileages were 51,000.
Blower motor completely stops working due to blower motor resistor and attached wiring pigtail completely burning out. This problem has occurred every 12 -18 months over the last five years of ownership. The failure requires the replacement of a resistor(part # 5061575aa) and wiring harness connector kit.(part # 5017124ac) it is my understanding from the mechanics who have made these repairs that all or part of the parts requiring replacement have overheated to the extent of melting and/or burning prior to failure.
1. The headlights, parklights, foglights, interior lights, door lock switch, 4wd, key fob, or intermediate wipers would not work at all. Luckily the vehicle was at a low speed and not in motion on a highway when the incident took place. 2. It only occurred one time, but what if I had been driving on the roadway. 3. The central timer module (ctm) was replaced.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 dodge durango. The contact stated when he started the vehicle he noticed that his headlights and the dash board lights failed. He contact the manufacturer, the manufacturer stated his VIN was not included in recall 02v322000 exterior lighting: headlights: switch therefore they will not assist. The current and the failure mileage were 87,000. The vehicle had not repaired at the time of the complaint. Updated 03/15/10 *bf updated 05/12/10.8jb
I have 2003 dodge durango, the central timer module was replaced in january 2010. The headlamps, interior lights started to flicker on & off. The left headlamp went to low beam. Driving at the night the lights would go low beam or completely turn off for about 5-10 seconds. I got off the highway and stayed on the access road until I reached home.
Headlight, horn, instrument panel failure on my '03 durango. Durangos and dakotas have been recalled for a bad central timer module. Chrysler says my vehicle does not fall under the recall. The dealer has done a official diagnostic and found the ctm to be faulty. I will have to pay to have it replaced. The vehicle is unsafe to drive. *tr updated 02/24/10. *lj the consumer stated shortly after filing the report, his wife had an accident due to the problem mentioned. She was out early in the morning on november 3, 2009 when the headlights failed. While trying to pull to the side of the road, without the use of the headlights, she scraped the side of the vehicle on a roadside metal marker. The scrape went the whole length of the vehicle. Updated 05/12/10.
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