NHTSA Complaint #10054845 — 1999 DODGE DURANGO

PURCHASED MY 1999 DODGE DURANGO IN JULY 1999. THIS VEHICLE HAS ALWAYS BEEN SERVICED AT THE LOCAL DODGE DEALERSHIP IN LITTLE ROCK AT THE SERVICE INTERVALS THAT CHRYSLER RECOMMENDS IN THEIR SERVICE MANUAL. I STARTED HAVING PROBLEMS WITH MY DURANGO AT 51,492 MILES WITH THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMING ON. I IMMEDIATELY TOOK IT IN FOR SERVICE. THE SERVICE DEPT. TOLD ME THAT THE VEHICLE'S COMPUTER SAID I HAD A BLOWN HEAD GASKET ALONG WITH #7 INJECTOR BEING BAD. SO A NEW PLATINUM GASKET, #7 INJECTOR AND INJECTOR SERVICE WAS DONE AT A COST TO ME OF $814.72. AT 52,085 MILES THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN. AGAIN INTO THE DODGE SERVICE DEPT. ONLY TO FIND OUT THAT NOW THE ENGINE COMPUTER IS BAD (PCM213) AND WILL BE REPLACED UNDER DODGE'S 80,000 MILE WARRANTY. MY THINKING AT THIS POINT WAS THAT IF THE COMPUTER WAS GIVING OUT FALSE INFORMATION AT 51,492 MILES THEN PERHAPS MY $814.72 BILL FOR A NEW PLATINUM GASKET WASN'T JUSTIFIED. OF COURSE, THE SERVICE DEPT. ASSURED ME THAT THESE REPAIRS WERE INDEED NECESSARY AT THE TIME. AT 53,628 MILES I GREW CONCERNED ABOUT UPPER/LOWER BALL JOINTS BEING BAD ON MY DURANGO AFTER WATCHING A CBS NEWS REPORT. AS I WAS PLANNING A CROSS COUNTRY TRIP FOR THE HOLIDAYS, I HAD THE SERVICE DEPT. EVALUATE THE BALLS JOINTS BEFORE I LEFT, AND SURE ENOUGH, MY DURANGO NEEDED UPPER AND LOWER BALL JOINTS AND A RIGHT TIE ROD. BECAUSE THIS PROBLEM CAN BE SO DANGEROUS I WAS INSTRUCTED NOT TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE AND HAD TO TAKE ALTERNATE TRANSPORTATION ON MY TRIP. NEW PARTS WERE ORDERED AND THE DODGE SERVICE DEPT. REPLACED THE UPPER AND LOWER BALL JOINTS ON BOTH SIDES AND A RIGHT TIE ROD ARM AT A COST TO ME OF $952.10 PLUS A $57.82 DIAGNOSTIC TEST TO TELL US THESE PARTS WERE BAD IN THE FIRST PLACE. I FEEL THAT MY VEHICLE IS UNRELIABLE AND NOT ONE THAT I CAN DEPEND ON IN THE FUTURE. THESE ARE SAFETY DEFECTS THAT CHRYSLER SHOULD HAVE FIXED AT NO COST TO ME. I CANNOT AFFORD TO REPAIR THIS VEHICLE ANYMORE. *LA