NHTSA Complaint #10745524 — 2011 DODGE DURANGO

THE VERY FIRST TIME WAS WHEN I WAS SLOWING DOWN FROM ABOUT 50MPH AT A CORNER IN ORDER TO TAKE A RIGHT HAND TURN, ABOUT HALFWAY THROUGH THE 90 CORNER I FEEL THAT THE STEERING HAS STIFFENED. LOOKING DOWN, I SEE THAT THE TACHOMETER NOW READS 0, AND THE ENGINE HAS DIED. I CANNOT SIMPLY SLIP IT INTO NEUTRAL AND THEN RESTART IT BECAUSE OF THE CAR HAS A KEYLESS PUSHBUTTON AND THE START BUTTON ONLY WORKS WITH THE DRIVE IN PARK. I THEN HAVE TO ARMSTRONG IT THROUGH THE REST OF THE CORNER. AS I FINISH UP THE TURN TO WHERE I CAN SAFELY STOP AND RESTART, I THEN PUSH THE BRAKES ONLY TO FIND THAT THEY ARE NOW TOTALLY STIFF BECAUSE THERE IS NOW NO VACUUM LEFT TO ASSIST. I END UP COSTING TO A STOP. THE CAR ALWAYS RESTARTS WITHOUT ANY PROBLEM. THIS PROBLEM HAS PERSISTED AND HAS HAPPENED AT LEAST 20 TIMES SINCE. IT IS ALWAYS IS WHEN SLOWING DOWN FROM ANYWHERE FROM 60 TO 30 MPH AND BEGINNING TO TAKE A RIGHT TURN. I HAVE NEVER SEEN THIS HAPPEN WHEN DOING A LEFT, BUT THERE ARE NOT TO MANY CHANCES TO DUPLICATE THIS SCENARIO DOING A LEFT. WE HAD THE ONE RECALL FOR THE FUEL PUMP DONE SO THAT SHOULD NOT BE IT. WE HAVE COMPLAINED ABOUT THIS TO NUMEROUS DODGE DEALERS AND THEY HAVE DONE NOTHING. ONE SERVICE WRITER SAID THAT HE KNEW OF THE PROBLEM, KNEW THAT THE FUEL PUMP RECALL WAS NOT FIXING IT AND THAT THERE WAS GOING TO BE ANOTHER RECALL TO FIX THE PROBLEM. WHEN THIS HAPPENS UNEXPECTEDLY AS YOU ARE GOING 25 MPH IN A TRAFFIC ROUNDABOUT, IT IS ALL YOU CAN DO TO TRY TO STEER THROUGH THE REST OF THE TRAFFIC CIRCLE, ONLY TO FIND THAT YOUR POWER BRAKES ARE FAILED AS YOU TRY TO STOP TO RESTART. THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS DEFECT THAT NEEDS IMMEDIATE ATTENTION, SOMEONE IS GOING TO BE KILLED WITH THIS HAPPENING, EITHER THE OCCUPANTS OF THE CAR, OR THE PUBLIC. WE ALSO HAVE A 2011 JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE AND IT IS DOING THE EXACT SAME THING, BUT MORE BECAUSE IT IS DRIVEN MORE.