NHTSA Complaint #10531907 — 2004 DODGE DURANGO

IT STARTED WITH WHAT I THOUGHT WAS JUST AN EGR PROBLEM ABOUT TWO YEARS AGO, AND I REPLACED IT. IT KEPT DYING, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT WAS RAINING PRETTY GOOD, AND I THOUGHT SOMETHING WAS GETTING WET. I THOUGHT IT WAS THE STARTER OR BATTERY, AND REPLACED THE BATTERY. A FEW DAYS BEFORE THE LAST INCIDENT, IT DIDN'T WANT TO START AGAIN, SO I THOUGHT I GUESSED WRONG AND WAS GOING TO REPLACE THE STARTER. MAY 3, 2013, ON THE WAY TO WORK, IT STARTED RUNNING REAL ROUGH, AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT STARTED FLASHING. IT WAS RAINING VERY HARD. I PULLED OVER, AND SMELLED BURNED OIL, AND THEN SAW A MULTICOLORED SHEEN ON THE WET, RAINY PAVEMENT. THE ENGINE DIED BEFORE I GOT THE HOOD UP. I CAN START IT, BUT IT SOUNDS LIKE SOMEONE IS INSIDE WITH A HAMMER. THE GUY THAT TOWED IT SAID IT THREW A ROD OUT THE DRIVER SIDE OF THE ENGINE, BY THE MOTOR MOUNT. IT STARTS, BUT SOUNDS LIKE SOMEONE IS INSIDE THE ENGINE WITH A HAMMER. FROM WHAT IT SOUNDS, THE ROD BROKE, AND WENT THROUGH THE SIDE OF THE ENGINE. WITH ALMOST 700 COMPLAINTS, SOMETHING SHOULD BE ABLE TO BE DONE. I OWE ALMOST $8000 ON THIS CAR, AND IT WILL COST AT LEAST HALF OF THAT TO FIX IT. IT ISN'T WORTH ANYTHING THE WAY IT IS, AND IT COSTS MORE TO FIX IT THAN IT IS PROBABLY WORTH. A SIMPLE INTERNET SEARCH BRINGS UP ALL OF THESE SAME SYMPTOMS FOR THIS 5.7L HEMI ENGINE, WITHOUT EVEN MENTIONING THE ISSUES. THERE ARE THAT MANY PROBLEMS WITH IT. IT ISN'T A SAFETY ISSUE WHEN YOU LOSE ALL POWER STEERING, BRAKES, AND POUR OUT OIL AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS IN THE RAIN? PLEASE DO SOMETHING. THANK YOU. *TR