The transfer case puts itself into 4 wheel drive while driving. It also seems to be affected by the door locking mechanism as you can hear the transfer case moving. When it's in 4 wheel drive it makes turning very difficult and dangerous because it just won't turn. I am grounding this vehicle and will have it towed to dodge but after reading all the posts about these vehicles it appears dodge doesn't know how to fix it either.
2005 Dodge Durango transmission complaints
Page 3 of 8: complaints 41 to 70 of 217, newest first, as owners wrote them.
The vehicle doesn't want to drive like the brake is on this happens even worse when trying to turn.the service 4 wheel drive light is on.I got on a forum and was blown away by all the people having the same problem.some say electrical some say transfer case.they was 2005 or all in this area.the vehicle only has 69000 miles on it.
While traveling on I-90 eastbound at 70 MPH my 05 dodge durango suddenly lost momentum and the engine RPM went up. I managed to get to the shoulder safely. The engine was still running and the vehicle still in gear but the vehicle failed to move. The vehicle was towed to a repair facility just off the next closest exit. Examination showed the transmission fluid was okay, the repair facility found the torque converter had been stripped out. This vehicle had been displaying problems with the transfer case shifting without touching the selector switch. Also you could hear the transfer case motor activating while unlocking the doors ??? Research has shown that there are many such incidences of problems with this vehicle. Repair costs me $1403. But the vehicle is still doing the same thing. There are reports of people changing out parts with no fix. I feel this vehicle is unsafe and the dealer should recall before someone gets killed. Repair facility said my torque converter had been totally stripped out as a result of whatever caused the problem. I am disheartened as I like this vehicle but can't afford to spend thousands of dollars chasing a fix that many including dealers have been unable to resolve. Whatever assistance would be greatly appreciated. See https://www.cargurus.com/cars/discussion-t4148_ds482593
4lo light blinks or stays on for short periods and the 44 locks for no apparent reason causing the vehicle to jerk and become hard to control in turning and nearly impossible to make a sharp turn until it disengages. This happens in city driving or stopping and starting or on back road driving. It can be fine when I park it and when I unlock get in and start out it may or may not lock into 44 but when it does it becomes extremely difficult to maneuver in tight parking spaces. I feels like the power train is going to fall completely appart.
My vehicle will kick into 4x4 lo with no warning or notice. Happens on tight turns. Seems this is a huge problem on 2004-2005 dodge druango.
My durango shift into 4wd lo while driving and turning. The motor also engages when the the car is locked and unlocked. The motor also engages and disengages for unknown reasons when it is parked and the key is off. This has happened multiple times. I have had it in the shop on multiple occasions to fix this problem
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 dodge durango. While driving at any speed, the vehicle lost power without warning. The vehicle was pulled over and restarted. The dealer was unable to diagnose the failure. The failure recurred several times. The manufacturer was made aware of the complaint, but did not assist. The failure was not remedied. The failure mileage was approximately 86,000.
4 wheel drive engages by itself. Vehicle can be running at highway speed, idling, or completely off and the four wheel drive will shift from awd to locked to low.
Vehicle engages and disengages into four wheel drive on its own. Will engage while driving at high speeds on freeway, while vehicle is off and when unlocking doors with key fob. Stereo changes stations and volume adjusts on its own. Have unhooked transfer case to avoid an accident.
Driving the durango the vehicle will shift into 4 wheel low at any speed,also when I turn the car off and take out the key you can hear the transfer case or transfer case motor engaging,also the service 4wd system light blinks on and off all the time.dodge dealer have no clue whats wrong.
Shifts from awd to 4lock and 4low on it's own while parked or even when driving down the road. Also, can hear the transfer case trying to shift even when the vehicle is off.
Two days ago I was driving down the highway about 75 MPH when my service 4 wheel drive light came on and then it switched itself into 4 wheel drive by itself. And then I herd a load pop and it started smoking. I managed to get pulled over while it was yanking me to the left the hole time. I popped the hood to fined what smelled like burned tranny fluid all over my engine. I managed to move the vehicle to the exit in front of me and had it towed from the gas station back home. I had my mechanic from the car lot I bought it from come and take a look he said the transfer motor was ready a faulty voltage and triggered the 4 wheel drive and going 75 MPH when it engaged blew my transfer case and maybe more. He have to get it back to the shop to find out more. I looked on several forums to find that for over the past 5 yrs a lot of dodge durango owners have had the same issue and have spent thousands to fix an issue that obviously was a defect from the factory. They replaced front control module, transfer case, transfer case motor and had it rewired. Some did part and later had to do it all just to fix. If I had not had durby driving experience when this happened I could have been killed. I feel this is a major safety issue for the people that don't have knowledge of controlling a vehicle that you have shift on its own and put you all over the road. Here is one site among others where it is a major issue http://www.dodgedakota.net/boards/dea/132-1.html,http://www.carcomplaints.com/dodge/durango/2005/drivetrain/power_train.shtml.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 dodge durango. While driving approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle suddenly shifted to 4 low and began to decelerate. The contact was unable to shift out of that gear. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 127,000.
On my vehicle the 4 wheel drive will automatically engage while I am driving. It has switched into 4lo a few times which almost caused a serious accident. There is also a clicking noise that sounds like the gears are switching back and forth, when I use the remote lock/unlock on the key fob. The dodge dealership did not know why it was happening and said maybe I should replace the transfer case but they did not know for sure if that would do anything. So I lost over $100 and got nothing out of it. I took it to my mechanic who said that unplugging at the transfer case would stop the issue but the 4 lo and other switches would not work and the service 4x4 light would remain on. Since I have to drive I had him do this and it did fix the problem but now I don't have any 4 wheel drive which really sucks living in utah with all the snow. The fact that the vehicle would switch into 4 lo when I was doing 70 MPH on the freeway is a major safety concern. There needs to be a recall on this problem.
Having problems with the 4wd engaging on its own while vehicle sitting after shutoff as well as has shifted automatically from awd into 4wd while driving down the road at 55+MPH...totally unsafe. Have seen many complaints for this same issue going on from other dodge owners for '04 and '05 dodge caravans for same issue. Appears to be related to faulty chinese manufactured part dodge was installing and faulting out connections causing power load to not be same power load as original spec (easily corroded wiring) and then screwing up the connection and faulting the unit out to start to shift on its own. Major safety concern if occurring on many different personal over the past 5 yrs histories seen for same vehicle models. When vehicle is shutoff can also hear the 4wd selector clicking / engaging back and forth the 4wd system in / out from awd to 4wd. Vehicle is currently stuck in 4wd lo now.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 dodge durango. While driving 60 MPH, the vehicle converted into four wheel drive lock and became unstable. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The VIN was unknown. The failure mileage was 215,000.
Car stalls at stop light. No reason. Car started shifting into all wheel drive by itself. I could hear it shifting as I opened driver door, and car was not on. Did not know what the noise was. Car sounded like it was grinding the gears when moved into drive. Towed to shop. Transmission guy could not figure out why it changed all by itself. Cargo lamp is one if I open rear hatch. It will only go off if I close the hatch twice. Now airbag light is on, since new battery was replaced.
The vehicle is swithing into 4wheel drive on its own and svc 4x4 flashes on dash. Also when key off and/ or after unlocking doors wit key fab I can hear it swiching in and out of 4x4. I have read forums about this problem and there should absolutely be a recall on this issue. Shame on dodge bigtime!!
Several incidents of uncommanded engagement of the four wheel drive from the all wheel drive mode. No indication at the dash or at the switch located on the dash. This has occurred while in motion at highway speeds and while the vehicle is stopped and turned off (the sound of the transfer case servo motor operating is quite obvious). This presents a very dangerous situation since engagement of the 4wd at highway speeds, particularly when the road surface is slippery, could easily results in lose of control.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 dodge durango. While driving at various low speeds, the vehicle independently switched into four wheel drive. The dealer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was 150,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 dodge durango. While driving 55 MPH, the vehicle voluntarily went into four wheel drive. The failure occurred when the vehicle was driven for long periods of time. When the vehicle was in four wheel drive, it became harder to steer, turn, and drive. The contact stated that the vehicle was unsafe to drive. The dealer was notified of the failure and no repairs were made. The failure mileage was 160,000.
When I unlock the doors with the remote or open unlocked doors, the shift motor activates, I can hear it engaging and disengaging. There is a delay upon starting my truck before the drive gear kick in and I can proceed to drive vehicle. When I make a sharp turn going forward or backing...the rear tires lock up. The awd lights flickers on/off. Constant smell like something is burning.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 dodge durango. While the vehicle was being operated, the vsc sensor warning light illuminated and the power steering suddenly failed. The steering wheel became extremely difficult to maneuver. In addition, the transmission switched to all wheel drive and the speed drastically reduced. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but the failure was unable to be duplicated. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 175,000.
While driving, turning, parked, vehicle on or off, the 4wd selector will switch between awd, 4lock and 4lo. The svc4wd light sometimes blinks after start up, sometimes while driving. This happens in park, neutral or drive and the transfer case motor can be heard switching under the vehicle. See issue described exactly here: http://www.cargurus.com/cars/discussion-t4148_ds482593 this is not a one-off issue, this is affecting multiple dodge, jeep, chrysler 4x4 vehicles over multiple years with both the 2wd-4wd and awd options. Can be hazardous when traveling at highway speeds and causes loss of control during turning while on hard surfaces due to locked axles. Even the manual warns against running in 4 lock/4lo on pavement or blacktop, this can cause damage to the powertrain.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 dodge durango. The contact stated that while driving at 40 MPH and when making a turn, the steering wheel seized. In addition, the transmission made a clicking noise. The failure recurred numerous times. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000.
In my 05 durango, the 4wd keeps clicking on and off randomly. I could be driving down the highway or just turned the car off. The engine has not been able to go in drive, reverse, etc. I had a mechanic look at the transmission, spending a ton of unnecessary money when the whole time the 4wd has been stuck in neutral. Dodge knows about the problem, why isn't there a recall? Apparently the switching into 4lo at high speeds can cause serious damages -- even death to me or my children or other innocent people on the highway. What am I supposed to do????
Vehicle started showing an intermittent "svc 4wd" light and vehicle would shift itself into low 4wd while making low speed turns. Had it checked by dealer, who said codes showed "unequal tire pressure". Tires were within 1 psi of each other. Drove vehicle again, and codes said "unequal tire speed". Dealer advised we replace all four tires, which we did. During our next trip (yesterday), the "svc 4wd" light came on and off several times, then vehicle suddenly lost all forward momentum while driving at highway speeds. Vehicle's transfer case had shifted itself neutral, leaving vehicle stranded in highway with no shoulder. While starting the car to try to troubleshoot the problem, it suddenly and without warning shifted itself into low 4wd and lurched forward. I have researched the issue online in various dodge forums, and have found dozens of similar cases where there have been vehicles stranded in the highway due to the same problem. Several dodge dealers evidently have had problems diagnosing the problem, replacing all possible parts only to have the issue recur within days. There are others who say they have filed complaints here and urge us who experience the same problem demand a recall. Please investigate and force dodge to fix this obvious safety flaw that could easily cause a loss of life accident.
The vehicle tries to shift into 4 wheel drive on its own while traveling down the road. Depending on speed it is sometimes successful causing difficult steering on dry pavement. It also sometimes sounds like it is trying to shift into 4 wheel drive when the vehicle is parked and not running; especially right after unlocking the doors with the key fob.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 dodge durango. The contact stated that the transfer case shifter would shift automatically without warning . The four wheel drive warning light illuminated whenever the transfer case shifter would shift independently. The contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic, who attempted several repairs. However, the failure recurred. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 153,661.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 dodge durango. The contact stated that while accelerating from a stop light, the service four wheel drive warning light illuminated as the vehicle independently shifted into four wheel drive. In addition, the accelerator pedal was depressed but the vehicle failed to move forward. The failure recurred on numerous occasions. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 158,000.
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