NHTSA Complaint #10628877 — 2004 DODGE DURANGO

DURANGO WAS ALWAYS WELL MAINTAINED AND TAKEN CARE OF. OIL CHANGED EVERY 3,000 MILES. ONE MORNING I STARTED THE TRUCK AND THERE WAS A STRANGE TICKING NOISE. THE NIGHT BEFORE THE TRUCK RAN FINE AS USUAL. IT RAINED HEAVILY THAT NIGHT. I DID NOT USE THE TRUCK AT ALL FOR FEAR OF DOING ANY DAMAGE. I TOOK THE TRUCK TO THE DEALER AND THEY DIDN'T ACTUALLY KNOW WHAT THE TICKING WAS AND WANTED ME TO PAY ABOUT $550 IN LABOR SO THEY COULD TAKE THE MOTOR APART. I DECIDED TO TAKE THE TRUCK HOME TO THINK ABOUT IT BECAUSE THE $550 WAS NOT EVEN FOR A REPAIR , IT WAS ONLY TO GET AN ESTIMATE . I DID NOT USE THE TRUCK AT ALL AND IT WAS JUST PARKED IN MY YARD. WHEN I STARTED THE TRUCK UP TO BRING IT TO MY OWN MECHANIC THE NOISE WAS A HORRENDOUS BANGING SOUND AND THE ENGINE STALLED. I DIDN'T EVEN USE THE TRUCK AT ALL AND A TICKING NOISE NOW TURNED INTO A BANGING SOUND. I HAD THE TRUCK TOWED TO MY MECHANIC WHO INFORMED ME THAT I NEEDED A MOTOR. BROKEN ROD. I DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW A TRUCK IN GREAT CONDITION, THAT LOOKS BRAND NEW, ALWAYS WELL MAINTAINED JUST BLOWS A MOTOR AT 100,800 MILES. I WENT TO ANOTHER DODGE DEALER BECAUSE I DIDN'T CARE FOR THE FACT THAT THE FIRST DEALER DID ABSOLUTELY NOTHING FOR ME. I WENT TO THE SERVICE DEPT. TO FIND OUT ABOUT A MOTOR AND WAS ACTUALLY GIVEN THE NAME OF A CO. THAT SELLS MOTORS BECAUSE I WAS TOLD THAT MY MOTOR IS ON BACK ORDER AND THE DEALER CAN'T EVEN GET ONE . I WAS TOLD THAT THERE IS A SHORTAGE BECAUSE ACROSS THE COUNTRY 18 MOTORS ARE BEING CHANGED DAILY. THAT SEEMS LIKE QUITE A HIGH NUMBER WHEN NOTHING IS BEING DONE FOR THE CONSUMER ABOUT THIS MATTER. IT WILL COST ME ABOUT $5000 TO $6000 TO REPLACE THE MOTOR SO NOW THE TRUCK IS JUST A PAPER WEIGHT IN MY BACK YARD. I ALREADY HAVE A HUGE INVESTMENT IN THIS TRUCK AND THE ENGINE SHOULD NOT HAVE FAILED WHEN I TOOK SUCH GOOD CARE OF IT BUT IT WOULD SEEM THAT THE DEALER KNOWS ABOUT THIS PROBLEM . *TR