NHTSA Complaint #10159120 — 2004 DODGE DURANGO

BOUGHT 2004 3.7L DODGE DURANGO JAN 2004 .WITHIN YEAR, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. TOOK IT TO ARRIGO DODGE, WPBCH, FLORIDA. LEFT IT FOR A FEW DAYS, CALLED TO SAY IT WAS READY. REASON FOR FAILURE - BAD SENSOR. DROVE HOME, LIGHT BACK ON.TOOK IT TO ARRIGO. THEY KEPT IT FOR A WEEK. THEY EXPLAINED THAT THE HARNESS (ELECTRICAL) HAD A SHORT, SO THEY REPLACED IT.GOT IT BACK WITH THE LIGHT ON. THEY TOOK IT BACK INTO THE SHOP FOR ABOUT 5 MINUTES THEN THE SERVICE ADVISOR TOOK IT BACK TO SAY THEY JUST TURNED OFF THE WARNING LIGHT. WITHIN A MONTH MY MECHANIC TOLD ME THAT THERE IS A VIBRATION IN THE MOTOR. BY THE BEGINING OF 2006, THE VIBRATION GOT WORSE. EVENTUALLY THE VEHICLE BROKE DOWN. BY THIS TIME, MY 75000 MILE POWERTRANE WARRANTY HAD RUN OUT. MY MECHANIC TOLD ME THAT THERE WAS SLUDGE STUCK IN THE OIL PUMP SCREEN AND AS SUCH THE OIL WAS NOT CIRCULATING LIKE IT SHOULD.THE NIGHT BEFORE I WAS SUPPOSED TO TAKE IT TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR DIAGNOSIS, I PARKED IT IN MY NEIGHBORS DRIVEWAY. WOKE UP EARLY,WENT TO THE TRUCK OPENED THE DRIVERSIDE DOOR AND IMMEDIATELY SMELLED / SAW SMOKE COMING FROM UNDER INSTRUMENT PANEL. ALL THE WARNING AND IGNITION LIGHTS WERE ON AND SPEEDOMETER WAS CYCLING BETWEEN ZERO AND 10 MPH. . I DISCONNECTED THE BATTERY, WHICH STOPPED THE BURNING. TOOK IT TO DEALERSHIP WHERE THEY DISCOVERED THAT THE MODULE IN THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER WAS BURNT, AND FOR THE ORIGINAL PROBLEM , THEY FOUND THAT THE MOTOR WAS RUINED. AS A RESULT OF ALL THIS I HAD TO PAY $800+ TO FIX THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER PROBLEM AND MY MECHANIC FOUND A MOTOR TO REPLACE MINE AT AN ADDITIONAL $2500. I'M CONVINCED THE WARNING LIGHT WAS INDICATION THAT SOMETHING WAS WRONG WITH THE ENGINE AND HAD THEY NOT TURNED OFF THE WARNING LIGHT, I WOULD HAVE PAID ENOUGH ATTENTION TO THE VEHICLE TO NOT WIND UP WITH A RUINED ENGINE. DEALER TOLD ME THAT THERE WAS RECALL FOR A CAPACITOR IN THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER BUT THE RECALL WAS DONE ON MY VEHICLE BEFORE I BOUGHT IT. THUS I HAD TO PAY FOR THE REPAIR OUT OF POCKET. *NM