2004 Dodge Durango: won't start

Filed Jan 25, 2021 · Engine · TX

Car was parked on a thursday, was running fine with no problems. Rained all weekend. Went to start it on monday morning, produced a horrible grinding noise and would not start. Research shows that the cowl has allowed water to leak under the hood and puddle on the motor allowing it to seep into the intake and hydrolock the motor. Apparently this is a very common problem with this year make and model but nothing has been done to resolve it. Now I am without a running vehicle and can not afford to fix it or replace it.

Filed Oct 27, 2015 · Engine · 151,400 miles · NY

It was a rainy day on friday oct. 2, 2015. That morning my vehicle started fine, it wasn't until I came out of work that evening when I went to start it the engine made a loud sound and it wouldn't start. I tried a few times until suddenly it turned on and it was making a knocking noise. I then called my mechanic and explained the situation and he told me to bring it to the shop so they can put it on a lift to take a look underneath. As I drove away the sound was unbearable and the faster I drove the louder it got, suddenly I heard a loud explosion and the vehicle stopped. It felt like the engine fell out, there was a lot of smoke and oil everywhere. I got the vehicle towed to the my mechanics shop for further diagnosing when they told me the engine blew out. The next day I got a call after they took the engine apart and told me the block had a hole because the piston blew through it. They told me it would cost more money to rebuild my original engine than buying a used one, I opted out on the used one. As I was home I went online and did some research when I come to find out that many people had the same problem happen to them with the same vehicle on a rainy day or when they took their car through a car wash. So as I did more research it turns out the wiper cowl which at some point chrysler came out with an upgrade tends to leak water on top of the intake manifold which is another bad design, then sucks in water into the engine eventually causing it to hydro lock. I bought my vehicle brand new in 2004 and now I'm disappointed they never issued a recall to fix this problem. I just paid over $4000 to repair it and god knows how long until this used engine goes out with the same problem. I filed a complaint with dodge and spoke to someone yesterday for them to tell me that my vehicle is out of warranty . Please help me with this matter.

Filed Oct 11, 2015 · Engine · 160,131 miles · NY

Just purchased this vehicle two months ago from dealer in nj. We had a hard rain about a month ago, and the durango wouldn't start immediately. I turned it over again a few hours later and it started with a hard rumble, but it started up. It drove fine for about a month, and just as the wife and I were leaving a gas station, we drove about fifty feet and heard a loud bang. Smoke was coming out of the passenger side of the engine, and the durango was making a noise like metal was rolling around in the engine. I stopped the car, pulling over to the side of the road. I looked under the durango and saw oil dripping out from the engine. I got under the car to inspect it a little further and saw a dime size hole in the engine block. I got the car towed back to my home as it was saturday and the mechanic was not open. The tow truck driver told me that this was the third durango he picked up that day. Not saying that all of the other cars were towed because a blown engine, but you get the idea. Dealer wouldn't warranty vehicle because of mileage. I couldn't get anyone to warranty the durango because of the mileage being over 150000. Now im told I will have to buy a remanned/new engine for this clunker. I will be making a complaint to the manufacturer. I know it may not go anywhere. I have read all of the complaints here and on the internet, forums, etc. All the result of blown engines due to "hydro-locking", and the wiper cowl defect were water would get into the engine during heavy rains or car washes. I hope our government would intervene on behalf of its citizens and force chrysler to issue a recall or at least be responsible for a defect that they created, but I won't hold my breath. My durango currently has 160131 miles on it, and I guess it's gonna stay that way now because it can't move, and I still owe money on a SUV that I cannot drive. The federal safety agency do the right thing.

Filed Sep 10, 2015 · Airbags, Electrical · OH

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 dodge durango. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency campaign number: 15v313000 (air bags) however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. The consumer stated the vehicle would not start at times, and the only way to get it to start, was to pump the gas. Updated 12/09/15. * jb

Filed Mar 26, 2015 · Engine · 86,000 miles · IN

After a thaw of snow and a early morning rain, went to start durango and would not turn over. After a few attempts durango start to a loud bang and rattling. Turned off. Told the engine blew. Month prior to this when it would rain the durango would stall. No one could figure out why. Now what I have been told is hydrolock. Https://youtu.be/9inzyt3jujw.

Filed Mar 19, 2015 · Engine · 150,000 miles · CT

The vehicle was purchased new back in march of 2005 and has been maintained at regular intervals. Recently when it rained a sputter was noticed and thought to be spark plug wires, which had been changed approximately 1 year prior. Then approximately one month ago we went to start the durango and it would not start. At first it sounded like the starter grinding so I removed the starter and had it tested and it fine. I attempted to turn the engine over by the crankshaft bolt and the engine would not move. I removed the spark plugs and found that the #7 spark plug had ice on it. The cylinder was found to be full of ice. The following day the ice melted and the engine moved and ran. The truck drove fine with no issues after that. I did some research and found many complaints of the engine hydrolocking due to a failure in the cowl which allowed water to pour onto the engine. The complaints indicated that it was a known problem and that chrysler had been advised of the issue but nothing was done about it. I then found that water was leaking past the cowl and the wiper arms. On march 17, 2015 the durango again made the grinding noise when attempting to start. The #7 cylinder and the #8 cylinder had water in them. The vehicle had been sitting for approximately 4 days prior and it had rained while the vehicle was parked. The vehicle would not start with the starter and would not turn by hand when tried at the flywheel. The vehicle had not exhibited any issues prior to being parked and had not run since it was parked and did not turn over at all when we attempted to start it. The engine is believed to be seized and no longer usable.

Filed Feb 15, 2015 · Engine · 138,799 miles · KS

After a rainstorm, I went to start my vehicle and it wouldn't turn over. Thinking it was the starter, I replaced the starter and vehicle still would not start. After manually rotating the engine back and forth a few times, the engine started but then had a very loud engine knock. The vehicle was not officially diagnosed by a mechanic but all indications are that it is engine rod failure due to hydrolock condition. This is supported by the idea that the engine would frequently stall during the rain and in the car wash, as many others have reported. It had progressively gotten worse over the course of a year until this happened. Vehicle was sold as-is for repair or engine replacement for fraction of retail value.

Filed Jan 21, 2015 · Engine · 133,000 miles · TX

Went out to start vehicle in the morning and it would not crank over. Tried several times, it was raining at the time. Left vehicle for a few hours, returned later to start and loud clunk coming from motor. Lifted hood and found intake to be totally covered in water. Water was flowing down windshield and directly over top of motor. Upon inspection connecting rod was broken due to hydro locking. Apparently this is a prominent issue with this model. Engine needs to be replaced.

Filed Oct 24, 2014 · Engine · 76,000 miles · NY

After heavy rainfall, the engine would not start. The car was towed to a mechanic who told me that the engine was blown. No precursors, no check engine lights, now warning signs.

Filed Jul 11, 2014 · Electrical, Engine · 119,000 miles · MI

My truck all of a sudden stop working with no warning. It only has 119,000 miles on it and it wont start. I would like to know if its apart of the recall.

Filed Jul 10, 2014 · Engine · 158,000 miles · MI

Hemi 5.7 engine failure drove vehicle on monday 7/7/2014), park vehicle overnight, went to start the vehicle on tuesday (7/8/2014) vehicle would not start. Will not turn over, mechanic indicates the vehicle will require a new engine, approximate replacement cost is $4,500 - $4,600.

Filed Apr 23, 2014 · Engine · 84,000 miles · WA

Moisture entered into the cylinders via that air intake manifold due to a water seal design defect in the area of the windshield wiper arms. When the vehicle is parked, rain water coming down the front windshield will flow directly under the cowl and onto the engine block. This water intrusion causes undue stress on the pistons, rods, and crankshaft eventually causing a rod to break and puncture the engine block. If this happens at highway speeds, the results could be deadly. The other known scenario is after the car is parked for a period of time (exposed to rain), the cylinder will fill with water, causing a hydro-lock condition and the vehicle will not start. The engine usually is found to also have a bent or fractured rod at this point. This is a known problem by dodge / chrysler and they refuse to do anything about it. See the numerous complaints on edmunds.com blogs and on youtube regarding this topic.