NHTSA Complaint #10695364 — 2004 DODGE DURANGO

THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED NEW BACK IN MARCH OF 2005 AND HAS BEEN MAINTAINED AT REGULAR INTERVALS. RECENTLY WHEN IT RAINED A SPUTTER WAS NOTICED AND THOUGHT TO BE SPARK PLUG WIRES, WHICH HAD BEEN CHANGED APPROXIMATELY 1 YEAR PRIOR. THEN APPROXIMATELY ONE MONTH AGO WE WENT TO START THE DURANGO AND IT WOULD NOT START. AT FIRST IT SOUNDED LIKE THE STARTER GRINDING SO I REMOVED THE STARTER AND HAD IT TESTED AND IT FINE. I ATTEMPTED TO TURN THE ENGINE OVER BY THE CRANKSHAFT BOLT AND THE ENGINE WOULD NOT MOVE. I REMOVED THE SPARK PLUGS AND FOUND THAT THE #7 SPARK PLUG HAD ICE ON IT. THE CYLINDER WAS FOUND TO BE FULL OF ICE. THE FOLLOWING DAY THE ICE MELTED AND THE ENGINE MOVED AND RAN. THE TRUCK DROVE FINE WITH NO ISSUES AFTER THAT. I DID SOME RESEARCH AND FOUND MANY COMPLAINTS OF THE ENGINE HYDROLOCKING DUE TO A FAILURE IN THE COWL WHICH ALLOWED WATER TO POUR ONTO THE ENGINE. THE COMPLAINTS INDICATED THAT IT WAS A KNOWN PROBLEM AND THAT CHRYSLER HAD BEEN ADVISED OF THE ISSUE BUT NOTHING WAS DONE ABOUT IT. I THEN FOUND THAT WATER WAS LEAKING PAST THE COWL AND THE WIPER ARMS. ON MARCH 17, 2015 THE DURANGO AGAIN MADE THE GRINDING NOISE WHEN ATTEMPTING TO START. THE #7 CYLINDER AND THE #8 CYLINDER HAD WATER IN THEM. THE VEHICLE HAD BEEN SITTING FOR APPROXIMATELY 4 DAYS PRIOR AND IT HAD RAINED WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED. THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT START WITH THE STARTER AND WOULD NOT TURN BY HAND WHEN TRIED AT THE FLYWHEEL. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT EXHIBITED ANY ISSUES PRIOR TO BEING PARKED AND HAD NOT RUN SINCE IT WAS PARKED AND DID NOT TURN OVER AT ALL WHEN WE ATTEMPTED TO START IT. THE ENGINE IS BELIEVED TO BE SEIZED AND NO LONGER USABLE. *TR