NHTSA Complaint #11021803 — 2011 DODGE DURANGO

THE TRANSFER CASE IN MY VEHICLE RECENTLY HAD AN ISSUE. THE INTERNAL CHAIN WOULD SLIP ON ACCELERATION AND THE RATE OF ACCELERATION WOULD BE LIMITED BY THIS EVENT. IT WOULD OCCUR ON MILD TO HARD ACCELERATION BUT SLOW ACCELERATION IT WAS NOT NOTICED OR DID NOT OCCUR. MY THEORY IS ON MILD TO HARD ACCELERATION MORE POWER IS TRANSFERRED TO THE FRONT WHEELS THUS PUTTING MORE ENERGY INTO THE FAILING CHAIN CAUSING THE SLIP. YOU COULD HEAR AND FEEL THE DEEP THUD/CLICKING NOISE AS THIS HAPPENED. BECAUSE IT LIMITED ACCELERATION THIS IS POTENTIALLY HAZARDOUS WHEN CROSSING FREEWAYS WITH CARS GOING 50-70 MPH AND YOU NEED TO MAKE A CROSSOVER. MY FAMILY DOES THIS DAILY. THE REPAIR WAS DELAYED BECAUSE THE MECHANIC COULD NOT OBTAIN THE PARTS. THE PART WAS NOT AVAILABLE FROM THE MOPAR DEALERSHIP NETWORK ANYWHERE. THE MECHANIC EVENTUALLY HAD TO LOCATE A USED PART, ARRANGE DELIVERY, AND REBUILD A FUNCTIONING TRANSFER CASE FROM MY OLD ONE AND THE SALVAGED PART. THE MECHANIC TOLD ME THAT THE TRANSFER CASE HAS A HIGH FAILURE RATE AND THAT IS WHY THE PART WAS DIFFICULT TO OBTAIN, THE COST WAS CONSIDERABLY MORE, AND THE REPAIR RAN SEVERAL EXTRA DAYS. HIS INITIAL ESTIMATE FOR THE REPAIR WAS $1600. THE FINAL BILL WAS $2500. THE VEHICLE WAS DELIVERED ON THE THURSDAY MORNING 8/17/17 WITH AN EXPECTED DIAGNOSIS BY THE END OF THE NEXT DAY. ON 8/18/17 THE EMPLOYEES TOLD ME ABOUT THE ISSUE WITH THE PART. THE VEHICLE WAS RETURNED ON 8/14/17 APPROXIMATELY 2 DAYS LONGER THAN EXPECTED BECAUSE OF THE PART AVAILABILITY.