NHTSA Complaint #10364360 — 2004 DODGE DURANGO

I HAVE A 2004 DODGE DURANGO WITH A BLOWN ENGINE. MY 5.7 HEMI HAS APPROXIMATELY 96,000 MILES ON IT. MY VEHICLE'S ENGINE HAS BEEN PROPERLY MAINTAINED FOR THE FOUR YEARS I'VE OWNED IT. I'VE KEPT THE OIL CHANGED EVERY 3,000 MILES, HAVE RUN ONLY HIGH OCTANE FUEL IN IT, AND PUT LESS THAN 10,000 MILES A YEAR ON IT. MY 17 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER WAS ALLOWED TO DRIVE IT TO HER DENTAL APPOINTMENT WHICH IS THIRTY MILES FROM OUR HOMETOWN. HOWEVER, SHE WAS NOT ABLE TO GET OUT OF THE DRIVEWAY. SHE CALLED AND TOLD ME THE ENGINE WAS "BANGING," AND I DON'T MEAN SLANG FOR AWESOME. SO, SHE TOOK HER OLD MAXIMA WITH OVER 200,000 MILES TO HER DENTAL APPOINTMENT, AND WHEN I GOT HOME, I FOUND OUT WHAT SHE WAS TALKING ABOUT. THE ENGINE HAS THROWN A ROD. I CALLED CHRYSLER TO ASK IF THERE IS A RECALL ON THE VEHICLE SINCE I RESEARCHED MY PROBLEM ON THE INTERNET AND FOUND THAT MY ENGINE FAILURE IS NOT AN ISOLATED INCIDENT. I UNDERSTAND COMPLETELY THAT I HAVE NO WARRANTY ON THE VEHICLE, BUT AT SUCH A LOW AMOUNT OF MILES, I ASSUMED THAT DODGE HAD REALIZED THAT THEY HAVE AN OBVIOUS MECHANICAL OR ENGINEERING DEFECT THAT NEEDS TO BE CORRECTED. UNFORTUNATELY, CHRYSLER DOES NOT AGREE. AFTER TALKING TO SEVERAL AGENTS AT CHRYSLER, I WAS ASSIGNED A CASE MANAGER WHO HAD COME TO THE CONCLUSION THAT I WAS ON MY OWN, BUT THEY WANTED TO OFFER ME FOUR COMPLIMENTARY OIL CHANGES! I DID NOT MAKE THAT UP. FOUR OIL CHANGES FOR MY BLOWN ENGINE. I'VE BABIED THIS VEHICLE; MOST OF THE MILES ON MY DURANGO HAVE BEEN HIGHWAY MILES. I'VE ONLY HAULED A TRAILER A HANDFUL OF TIMES. THIS VEHICLE SHOULD NOT BE WORN OUT. I STILL HAVE TWO YEARS TO PAY ON IT. AS A POOR SCHOOL TEACHER WHO RELIED ON THIS VEHICLE FOR TRANSPORTING HIS FAMILY SAFELY, I AM SEVERELY DISAPPOINTED WITH CHRYSLER'S CHOICE TO IGNORE SO MANY PEOPLE WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED THIS VERY SAME PROBLEM OF COUNTING ON CHRYSLER TO PROTECT OUR FAMILIES WITH A RELIABLE VEHICLE BUILT TO SAFELY CARRY OUR FAMILIES IN TRAFFIC AND THROUGH ALL TYPES OF WEATHER. *TR