NHTSA Complaint #10640622 — 2004 DODGE DURANGO

WE PURCHASED OUR PRE-OWNED 2004 5.7 LIMITED EDITION IN JANUARY 2007. IT HAD AROUND 40,000 MILES. WITHIN A YEAR OR SO AFTER, THE CD CHANGER STOPPED WORKING, AND THEN THE RADIO WOULD SOMETIMES NOT WORK AFTER HEAVY RAIN. DURING A HEAVY DOWNPOUR THE CAR WOULD SHAKE AND SOMETIMES TURN-OFF, LEAVING ME AND 2 SMALL KIDS STRANDED ON THE SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY UNTIL THE RAIN LIGHTENED ENOUGH FOR THE CAR TO START AGAIN. WHENEVER WE WOULD TAKE THE CAR IN TO BE REPAIRED FOR THIS PROBLEM, WE WERE ALWAYS TOLD THEY COULDN'T FIND ANYTHING WRONG THAT WOULD CAUSE THOSE TYPES OF PROBLEMS, BUT WE HAD NUMEROUS REPAIRS THAT WE NOW THINK WERE PROBABLY RELATED TO THE WATER PROBLEM, SUCH AS A NEW STARTER, REPAIRS FOR A COOLANT LEAK,ETC. IN EARLY 2014 THE CAR BEGAN HAVING PROBLEMS WITH OVERHEATING. A FEW DAYS AFTER A TWO OR THREE DAY PERIOD OF NEAR CONSTANT RAIN I WENT TO START THE CAR AND IT SOUNDED LIKE IT WAS FLOODED OR SOMETHING. THEN THERE WAS A LONG BANG FOLLOWED BY A TERRIBLE NOISE COMING FROM THE ENGINE. HAD IT TOWED AND LOOKED AT BY TWO DIFFERENT MECHANICS WHO SAID THERE WAS A HOLE IN THE BLOCK AND THE ENGINE WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED. I JUST RECENTLY DECIDED TO SEARCH THE INTERNET TO SEE IF ANY OTHER PEOPLE HAD THIS PROBLEM AND HAVE FOUND HUNDREDS OF POSTS BY CONSUMERS WHO HAD THIS VERY SAME THING HAPPEN TO THIS MODEL DODGE DURANGO. IT SEEMS APPROPRIATE FOR DODGE TO BE INVESTIGATED FOR THIS AND PAY US FOR THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS SPENT ON REPAIRS, TOWS, HAVING TO SIT DANGEROUSLY ON THE SIDE OF HIGHWAYS WHEN THE CAR WOULD TURN OF IN THE HEAVY RAIN, AND THE FACT THAT WE ENDED UP JUST HAVING TO JUNK OUR CAR FOR A FEW HUNDRED BUCKS AND WILL NOW HAVE TO PURCHASE A BRAND NEW CAR WE CANNOT AFFORD WHEN WE HAD JUST PAID THIS ONE OFF TWO YEARS PRIOR. THEY SHOULD BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR BASICALLY SELLING CARS WITH DEFECTIVE COMPONENTS TO UNSUSPECTING BUYERS FOR TENS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS!!! *TR