NHTSA Complaint #10261276 — 2002 DODGE DURANGO

THIS PAST WEEK (MARCH 1, 2009) AS MY FAMILY AND I WERE DRIVING TOWARDS OUR FAMILY VACATION, MY 2002 DURANGO STARTED TO MAKE SOME STRANGE NOISES AND ACTIONS. MY WIPERS BEGAN TO ACTIVATE AND WOULD NOT STOP, MY PANEL LIGHTS FLICKERED ON/OFF MAKING SOME CLICKING SOUNDS. ALL THIS OCCURRED WHILE I WAS DRIVING. WHEN I GOT A CHANCE, I TURN OFF THE CAR AND RESTARTED IT. IT STOPPED THE WIPERS FROM BEING ON BUT IT ALSO STOPPED MY ELECTRIC WINDOWS, EXTERIOR LIGHTS, INTERIOR LIGHTS, WIPERS, ALARM AND FAB FROM WORKING. THE CAR WOULD START, THE TURN SIGNALS WOULD WORK BUT ALL PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED ITEMS WOULD NOT WORK. WHEN I ARRIVED TO MY DESTINATION, MY FRIENDS AND I LOOKED AND TESTED SOME FUSES TO NO AVAIL. THE NEXT DAY WE CONTINUE TO TEST FUSES AND MODULES AND NOTICED THAT BY TAPPING A MODULE BOX NEXT TO THE LEFT DRIVER DOORS AND ADJACENT TO THE BRAKE WOULD MAKE THE INTERIOR LIGHTS ON/OFF. I PURCHASED THE PART CALLED THE 'TIME AND THEFT MODULE PART NO. 56049073AK. THE PART WAS ORDERED FROM THE DEALER, WE REPLACED IT AND IT SEEMED TO HAVE SOLVED THE PROBLEM. NOW THE INCONVENIENCE WAS TO HAVE THE KEY FAB REPROGRAMMED SO THAT IT CAN LOCK/UNLOCK THE DOORS AND ACTIVATE THE SECURITY ALARM. THIS WAS ANOTHER COST THAT CAN ONLY BE DONE AT THE DEALER. THE PURPOSE OF THIS COMPLAINT IS SO THAT OTHER DODGE DURANGO OWNERS AND THE NHTSA CAN SEE IF THIS SHOULD BE A RECALL AND FIND OUT IF ANY OTHER DRIVERS HAVE HAD SIMILAR PROBLEMS. AGAIN, MY CONCERN IS THAT LIGHTS WENT OUT, WIPERS INTERMITTENTLY ON/OFF, ETC. IF AT NIGHT, I ASSURE YOU THAT MY FRUSTRATION WOULD HAVE BEEN MUCH HIGHER. *TR