NHTSA Complaint #10816379 — 2004 DODGE DURANGO

WE WERE VERY HAPPY WITH OUR DURANGO UNTIL A FEW DAYS AGO. MY HUSBAND AND KIDS LOADED UP A FEW DAYS BEFORE CHRISTMAS TO GO DRIVE UP THE MOUNTAIN, THEY MADE JUST AS FAR AS THE NEIGHBORS DRIVEWAY WHEN THEY HEARD A LOUD BANG AND WERE ABLE TO PULL IN TO THE DRIVEWAY OF A NEIGHBOR. THE ENGINE COMPLETLY SEIZED, ALL OIL LEAKED OUT. THE CAR HAS ALWAYS BEEN WELL MAINTAINED. NO WARNING AT ALL! A FEW DAYS EARLIER I HAD DROVE IT TO TOWN IN THE RAIN AND IT WAS IDLING ROUGH, BUT THE NEXT DAY SEEMED FINE. NOW THE ENGINE IS SHOT. WE HAVE BEEN HAVING HEAVY RAIN FOR DAYS AND LOOKS LIKE WATER WAS LEAKING IN TO THE ENGINE DUE TO A FAULTY COWL OR SOMETHING, WHICH CAUSED THE ENGINE TO FAIL. WE HAD JUST PUT BRAND NEW TIRES ON THE VEHICLE AND JUST RECEIVED NEW TAGS FOR IT! ALL THIS WITH ABSOLUTELY NO WARNING! WE ARE JUST OUT A VEHICLE AND 2 DAYS BEFORE CHRISTMAS! HAD WE KNOWN THIS WAS AN ISSUE WE WOULD HAVE GLADLY DONE EVERYTHING WE COULD TO FIX IT, BUT WE HAVE ONLY HAD THE VEHICLE FOR A FEW YEARS AND HAD NO IDEA RAIN COULD CAUSE OUR ENGINE TO SEIZE UP! THANKFUL IT HAPPENED CLOSE TO HOME AND NO ACCIDENT, BUT VERY SCARY WHEN SOMETHING LIKE THIS HAPPENS!