NHTSA Complaint #10939008 — 2005 DODGE DURANGO

TWO DAYS AGO I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY ABOUT 75 MPH WHEN MY SERVICE 4 WHEEL DRIVE LIGHT CAME ON AND THEN IT SWITCHED ITSELF INTO 4 WHEEL DRIVE BY ITSELF. AND THEN I HERD A LOAD POP AND IT STARTED SMOKING. I MANAGED TO GET PULLED OVER WHILE IT WAS YANKING ME TO THE LEFT THE HOLE TIME. I POPPED THE HOOD TO FINED WHAT SMELLED LIKE BURNED TRANNY FLUID ALL OVER MY ENGINE. I MANAGED TO MOVE THE VEHICLE TO THE EXIT IN FRONT OF ME AND HAD IT TOWED FROM THE GAS STATION BACK HOME. I HAD MY MECHANIC FROM THE CAR LOT I BOUGHT IT FROM COME AND TAKE A LOOK HE SAID THE TRANSFER MOTOR WAS READY A FAULTY VOLTAGE AND TRIGGERED THE 4 WHEEL DRIVE AND GOING 75 MPH WHEN IT ENGAGED BLEW MY TRANSFER CASE AND MAYBE MORE. HE HAVE TO GET IT BACK TO THE SHOP TO FIND OUT MORE. I LOOKED ON SEVERAL FORUMS TO FIND THAT FOR OVER THE PAST 5 YRS A LOT OF DODGE DURANGO OWNERS HAVE HAD THE SAME ISSUE AND HAVE SPENT THOUSANDS TO FIX AN ISSUE THAT OBVIOUSLY WAS A DEFECT FROM THE FACTORY. THEY REPLACED FRONT CONTROL MODULE, TRANSFER CASE, TRANSFER CASE MOTOR AND HAD IT REWIRED. SOME DID PART AND LATER HAD TO DO IT ALL JUST TO FIX. IF I HAD NOT HAD DURBY DRIVING EXPERIENCE WHEN THIS HAPPENED I COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED. I FEEL THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE FOR THE PEOPLE THAT DON'T HAVE KNOWLEDGE OF CONTROLLING A VEHICLE THAT YOU HAVE SHIFT ON ITS OWN AND PUT YOU ALL OVER THE ROAD. HERE IS ONE SITE AMONG OTHERS WHERE IT IS A MAJOR ISSUE HTTP://WWW.DODGEDAKOTA.NET/BOARDS/DEA/132-1.HTML,HTTP://WWW.CARCOMPLAINTS.COM/DODGE/DURANGO/2005/DRIVETRAIN/POWER_TRAIN.SHTML. *TR