NHTSA Complaint #10043737 — 2001 DODGE DURANGO

WHILE DRIVING MY DURANGO ON 09/01/03, MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. THE OIL PRESSURE GUAGE BEGAN FLUCUTATING UP AND DOWN.I IMMEDIATELY DROVE HOME,@ 2 MILES, AND PARKED THE VEHICLE.ON SEPTEMBER 2, 2003, I DROVE THE DURANGO @4 MILES TO THE SRVC. DEPT. AT DARCARS. LATER THAT DAY DARCARS INFORMED ME THAT THE ENGINE WAS "SLUDGED UP" AND WAS BEYOND REPAIR.THE ENGINE HAS APPROXIMATELY 44,867 MILES ON IT. I PURCHASED IT OFF OF THE SHOW ROOM FLOOR AS A DEMO. I IMMEDIATELY CONTACTED THE MANUFACTURER, DAIMLER CHRYSLER (DAIMLER), TO COMPLAIN AND SEEK SOME TYPE OF ASSISTANCE. THE REPRESENTATIVE AT DAIMLER STATED THAT HE WOULD OPEN A FILE ON MY VEHICLE AND CONTACT DARCARS TO GET SOME ADDITIONAL INFO. DAIMLER ADVISED THAT IN ORDER FOR THEM TO DETERMINE IF THEY COULD PROVIDE ANY TYPE OF ASSISTANCE, I WOULD FIRST NEED TO PROVIDE AUTHORIZATION FOR DARCARS TO TEAR THE ENGINE APART TO DO A FURTHER DIAGNOSIS.I GAVE DARCARS VERBAL AUTHORIZATION TO PERFORM THE FURTHER DIAGNOSIS.ON 09/10/03, DARCARSADVISED THAT THEY HAD REMOVED THE VALVE COVER AND DETECTED SLUDGE DOWN IN THE ENGINE.DARCARS SAID THAT THEY DECIDED NOT TO TAKE THE ENGINE APART BECAUSE THE LABOR COST (@15 HRS WOULD BE BORNE BY ME.DARCARS ALREADY "KNEW WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS AND DID NOT SEE THE NEED TO ADD AN ADDITIONAL LABOR CHARGE TO ME ON TOP OF THE COST FOR A NEW ENGINE.AT THE INVITE OF THE DARCARS SERVICE REP I WENT TO TAKE A LOOK AT THE ENGINE.EVERYTHING ON THE ENGINE WAS INTACT.IT DID NOT APPEAR THAT THE VALVE COVER HAD EVER BEEN REMOVED.AT THIS POINT THE SERVICE REP OPENED THE OIL FILL HOLE,REMOVED A PLASTIC PIECE, AND SHOWED ME THE "BUILDUP" ON IT.HE STATED THAT THIS WAS AN INDICATION OF THE SLUDGE BUILDUP IN THE ENGINE.THE DAIMLER LOCAL REP LOOKED AT MY DURANGO AND LISTENED TO THE ENGINE AND INDICATED THAT THERE WAS NOTHING HE OR DAIMLER COULD DO FOR ME.THIS IS A "CATCH 22": A LABOR COST ON TOP OF A NEW ENGINE.WITHOUT TAKING THE ENGINE OUT, I DON'T KNOW FOR CERTAIN THAT THERE ISN'T SOME TYPE OF ENGINE DEFECT. *AK