I currently have 65,000 miles on a 2003 dodge durango slt plus. This vehicle is 4x4 and has never been used for towing. I was getting a knocking noise in the front end at anything over 2700 rpms. Also, I was having a drastic lose of power on this durango as well. I took it to my transmission mechanic and it was found to be trouble in the transmission. I am having to get the transmission rebuilt already at 65,000 miles.
2003 Dodge Durango transmission complaints
Page 2 of 2: complaints 11 to 24 of 24, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Tl*- the contact owns a 2003 dodge durango with an odometer reading of 58132 miles. The contact stated that the upper and lower ball joints had been replaced twice. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer, and they told the contact that this vehicle was not covered by recall 04v596000 . The contact stated that the vehicle should be included under the recall because it was having the same failure. *ak the consumer stated the cv joint failed again. Updated 03/30/07.
My wife had our 2003 durango in to the local dodge dealer for service one morning a few weeks ago, since it would not come out of 4 wheel drive and was steering funny and vibrating/clunking. They told her it was still under waranty and a part would have to be ordered (transfer module) for the control of it but it was ok to drive till it came in and could be replaced. None were available and cleveland showeded them on back-order. My wife drove to oil city, pa to pick up parts for me and it caught fire on the way ( she had talked to the dealer a few minutes earlier on her cell phone as the problem was getting worse and they assured her it was ok). She had to pull over and call 911. The fire and police were quick in responding and the fire was put out after a total loss of the vehicle. Now the dealer won't do anything about it. My wife could have easily been killed.
2003 dodge durango 2wd slt has had tranny failures consisting of electronic coil packs that control the band lock-up in tranny failing to engage or disengage. This problem has caused my spouse to be stuck several times and in several different places. I have found that the cost and the available procedure to fix it is to put another tranny in it with possibilities of same problems.
While driving the vehicle will switch into four wheel low. The indicator light flashes as if it is in four low. The last time we were traveling 35 miles per hour and it happened. I've read about the variety of electrical problems and believe this is one more. The key fobs quit working and we had a strange "p d one" message flash on the odometer. It has been to the dealer three separate times and they have told us we were switching the knob. They won't believe us because they can't make it happen. This, along with the transmission and other electrical complaints make me think these are very unsafe vehicles to be on the road.
Vehicle has a brake pulsation and had a brake squeak. This has been going on since vehicle was purchased in 10-03. Vehicle was returned to dealership while under warranty. They replaced the brake pads and resurfaced the rotors. This did not eliminate the pulsation but did eliminate the squeak. The transmission bangs into gear and has a long delay going from park into reverse. This is an ongoing problem. The vehicle has been returned to the dealer more than 10 times. They claimed they could not duplicate the problem. This is after telling us they felt something but did not know what it was. Engine stalls and runs rough. This is intermittent and dealer could not duplicate it. I have spoken with several transmission shops and they have stated that there is a fix for the transmission problem. Chrysler will not perform the repair. They did agree to install the necessary parts if I purchased them but then this would void my warranty. And why should I pay for a repair that should be covered under my warranty??
Transmission disengages when accelerating. Dealer rep couldn't find anything wrong and said they had not received any service bulletins regarding the problem.
Front suspension - drive train - locks - axle - power steering pump vehicle has had consistent front end grinding noise since 30,000 km's. Ball joints have been replaced, front axle spyder gears have been replaced. Previous 1998 durango had same problem - fix was front wheel bearings. 2003 durango - dealer says that it doesn't require replacement. Noise and grinding only happen at slow speed turns left or right. From stop to light acceleration to hard left or right turn, new noise from rear axle - limited slip unit now getting louder. Axle oil and limited slip additive have been replaced with factory chrysler oil additive. Indicative of same problem with 1998 durango that I had, when rear axle pinion bearing was heavily scored. In that incident the same maintenance was done, but repair was out of warranty by 3,000 km's and chrysler only paid 50% of repair of $700.00. Oil changes on complete drivetrain was $590.00 (4x4 with skid plates). This appears to be a metal fatigue problem in combination with engineering specifications that are too wide in tolerances, which allows failure of components to compound problems and create longer term damaging results. Ever since dodge trucks went to maintenance free front axle bearings (you can't pack bearings with grease), poor limited slip tolerances in rear axle, and transfer case that's electronically operated, the drivetrain and front suspension components have excessive loads and poor quality components. Both durangos that I've owned have had 5 wheel alignments (constant pulling to the left) and no off road driving. Strictly highway and city driving. I purchased factory extended warranty on 2003 durango which I highly recommend. So far, out of pocket expenses have been minimal, but durango spends too much time in the shop and is very inconvenient to have serviced constantly. Never had issues with warranty parts or dealer not doing warranty recall work.
I took my vehicle in to the dealer for an oil change and was told there is metal in the differential and my warranty had expired, the differential had components in it that came apart and shattered they have to be replaced the mechanic still has the vehicle and I believe I can get the old parts
While driving any speed, the vehicle stalled. . The cause was not determined. *jb updated 5/3/2006 - the consumer sat for about ten minutes and the vehicle was restarted. When it was restarted it made a lot of noise. The consumer drove the vehicle home about 10 MPH. The next morning the vehicle was towed to a local repair facility who indicated that the problem was probably with the engine or transmission.
I am driving 2003 dodge durago. On 3-12-04, I went to a car wash. I shift the lever to n, and the prndl showed the n position. When the wash done, the dye started, I felt the car was going backward. I did not know what was happening until I hit the car behind me. The car wash mechine stopped, I notice that the prndl was illuminating half of the r, the car was changed to reverse! The similar thing happend before. One time I was driving on the local road(45 mile/hour), in a sudden, I heard strange load noise, then I saw the prndl showing "2" instead of the "d". Another time, the gear was changed from "d" to "n" when I was driving.
While driving 20 MPH rear driveshaft dropped to ground, causing vehicle to come to a complete stop. Took vehicle to dealership, but the problem had not been resolved. *ak consumer's wife sustained a black eye, lacerated lip, and mid back pain for which she's going to physical therapy for. Consumer experienced whip lash, and his 9 year old daughter sustained lower back pain. His son was shaken up. As of 10/21/03, nothing had been done.
Consumer called about having problems with the transmission. He stated that the vehicle was parked with the ignition on, it reversed by itself without switching the gear into reverse. Manufacturer was contacted and stated that they are aware of the problem but no investigation is out yet.
I currently own a 2003 dodge durango. Since I have purchased it in february 2003 it has been in the shop several times. The rotors have been replace twice, the rear end twice and now the transmission slips into neutral while driving. This can be very dangerous. I owned a 1999 durango and had nothing but problems with it. The steering column had to be replaced a few times and the ball joints. The transmission also had done the same thing. Dodge could never find anything wrong with that durango and cannot find anything wrong with this transmission. The last durango the transmission slipped into neutral while crossing over lanes with oncoming traffic coming right at me. Again, the dealer could find nothing wrong with it. Same with this one. I am requesting that daimler-chrysler and williamsburg dodge refund my money and take the truck back. They recently had my durango for 15 days. The first 10 days the district manager, james brown, and shane lockhart, dealers tech manager, argued that my camper weighed too much. I gave them evidence that my camper only weighed 4295 lbs. Daimler-chrysler sells the durango boasting it can tow 7400 lbs. After I filed a complaint with daimler-chrysler, james brown said he made a mistake on the weight. Now, they want to inspect my camper for faulty breaks. They are saying somehow it is causing stress on the durango. Give me a break!!! I have had my camper inspected. Surprisingly, the place where I have gone says they get this a lot from dodge owners. Do we see a pattern? They also get a lot of requests for dodge owners to have transmission coolants put on their dodges. What does this tell us? Consumeraffairs.com tells a lot about dodge. We need something to be done with daimler-chrysler.
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