NHTSA Complaint #10155938 — 2005 DODGE DURANGO

VEHICLE SHUTS OFF WHILE DRIVING, CAUSING THE STEERING WHEEL TO LOCK UP CREATING A VERY SERIOUS AND DANGEROUS SITUATION. HAS HAPPENED MORE THAN 10 TIMES OVER A 4 OR 5 MONTH PERIOD. FIRST TIME IT OCCURRED I WENT TO THE DEALERSHIP (GARBER AUTO MALL - GREEN COVE SPRINGS FL) AND TOLD THEM OF THE PROBLEM. I WAS TOLD THAT DODGE WAS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM AND WERE RESEARCHING A FIX, BUT DID NOT HAVE ONE AT THE CURRENT TIME. IT HAPPENED AGAIN A FEW WEEKS LATER, AT WHICH POINT I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP TO HAVE IT LOOKED AT. LEARNED THAT A CO-WORKER'S 2005 DODGE DURANGO HAD THE SAME PROBLEM A WEEK EARLIER. THIS TIME I WAS TOLD THAT DODGE HAD NEVER HEARD OF THE PROBLEM BEFORE. I ALSO CALLED THE MAIN DODGE 1-800 NUMBER AND FILED A COMPLAINT WITH THEM AND WAS INSTRUCTED TO GIVE THE COMPLAINT NUMBER TO THE DEALERSHIP AND TELL THEM TO CALL DODGE WHILE THE TRUCK WAS IN THE SHOP. NOT SURE IF THEY CALLED OR NOT. GARBER DODGE TOLD ME THEY SERVICED THE TRANSMISSION AND REPLACED SOME GASKETS THAT FAILED CAUSING AIR TO BE SUCKED INTO THE SYSTEM AND POTENTIALLY CAUSING THE COMPUTER TO FAIL, BUT THEY WEREN'T SURE IF IT WOULD FIX THE PROBLEM SINCE THEY COULDN'T DUPLICATE IT. MY CO-WORKERS DEALERSHIP FOUND SOME LOOSE WIRING GOING TO THE MAIN COMPUTER WHICH THEY ADJUSTED AND TOLD HIM THIS MAY NOT FIX THE PROBLEM. ON 20 APR 2006 THE PROBLEM OCCURRED AGAIN TO MY VEHICLE. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP THE VERY NEXT MORNING. GARBER DODGE KEPT THE VEHICLE THAT DAY AND PART OF THE FOLLOWING DAY. THE NEXT DAY WE WERE GIVEN THE VEHICLE BACK AND TOLD THEY COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG WITH IT AND DIDN'T DO ANYTHING TO FIX THE PROBLEM. ADVISED US IF IT HAPPENED AGAIN TO JUST BRING IT BACK IN AND THEY WOULD LOOK AT IT AGAIN. I HAVE ALREADY FILED A SECOND COMPLAINT WITH DODGE, THIS TIME DOING IT THROUGH THEIR EMAIL CONTACT PORTION. THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS AND POTENTIALLY FATAL PROBLEM THAT IT SEEMS DODGE AND THEIR DEALERSHIPS ARE NOT TOO CONCERNED WITH. *JB