NHTSA Complaint #10285118 — 2006 DODGE DURANGO

2006 DODGE DURANGO HAS HAD MULTIPLE ENGINE & ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS WITHIN 6 MONTH PERIOD. FIRST CAR LOST ALL POWER WHILE DRIVING AT 35 MPH, TOOK ALL STRENGTH TO GET CAR TO SHOULDER OF THE ROAD W/O POWER STEERING & LOCKED STEERING COLUMN. LOCAL MECHANIC SAID THAT COMPUTER WAS FRIED & COVERED UNDER EMISSIONS WARRANTY. TOWED TO DODGE DEALERSHIP WHO SAID THERE WAS NOT A COMPUTER PROBLEM, JUST CAM SHAFT NEEDED REPLACING & RECALL ON INSTRUMENT PANEL CLUSTER. AFTER $450 REPAIR FOR CAM SHAFT & TOW, A WEEK LATER CAR STARTED HAVING ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS. APROX EVERY OTHER TIME I WOULD START CAR, THE RADIO & ELECTRICAL DISPLAY (CLOCK) ON RADIO WOULD NOT WORK--APPEARED TO NOT GET POWER. SIX WEEKS LATER, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN. BY THIS TIME, ORIGINAL DODGE DEALERSHIP HAD BEEN CLOSED, SO WENT TO ANOTHER DODGE DEALER FOR SERVICE. THEY FOUND ANOTHER WIRING PROBLEM WITH ENGINE. COULD NOT IDENTIFY PROBLEM WITH AUDIO/CLOCK. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WENT ON ABOUT 2 MONTHS LATER. THIS TIME LOCAL MECHANIC ADVISED IT WAS A FUEL PUMP PROBLEM. REPLACED FUEL PUMP, CHECKED FUSE & STILL COULD NOT IDENTIFY PROBLEM WITH AUDIO/DISPLAY. 9 DAYS LATER WENT TO START CAR IN THE AM, AND ELECTRICAL SEEMED TO SPUTTER (LIGHTS, INSTRUMENT PANE, WIPERS, RADIO) BUT CAR WOULD NOT START. STARTER DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE ENGAGING THE ENGINE AT ALL. DIAGNOSED AS STARTED MOTOR PROBLEM, STARTER MOTOR REPLACED, BUT CAR STILL NOT FIXED. THEN TOLD BATTERY TERMINALS & CABLES NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. CAR NOW STARTS, BUT AUDIO/DISPLAY ISSUE STILL UNRESOLVED. CONCERN THAT THERE IS A LARGER PROBLEM WITH THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM OF THIS VEHICLE, WHICH IS THE ROOT CAUSE OF ALL RECENT PROBLEMS. GETTING SCARED TO DRIVE THIS CAR ON INTERSTATE OR IN ANY LEVEL OF TRAFFIC FOR FEAR THAT IT WILL STALL OUT OR LOSE POWER DURING OPERATION AGAIN. THE CAR ONLY HAS 42,000 MILES ON IT. FIRST PROBLEM STARTED WITH 37,000 MILES ON VEHICLE. I HATE THIS CAR!!!!! *TR