NHTSA Complaint #750181 — 1999 DODGE DURANGO

ON 7/24/01, WHILE TRAVELLING ON A MAJOR INTERSTATE, APPROXIMATELY TEN MILES NORTH OF GALVESTON ISLAND, TEXAS, WE ENTERED A SECTION OF ROADWAY WHERE IT HAD BEEN RAINING. OUR VEHICLE PULLED HARD RIGHT, ACROSS SEVERAL OTHER LANES OF TRAFFIC. AT FIRST I TURNED INTO THE "SKID" I PERCEIVED THIS TO BE, BUT I WAS ABOUT TO GO OFF THE HIGHWAY, SO I TRIED TO CORRECT SLIGHTLY BACK TO THE LEFT, AT WHICH TIME OUR VEHICLE BEGAN SPINNING DOWN THE INTERSTATE. WE SPUN APPROXIMATELY THREE TURNS BEFORE FINALLY HITTING THE CONCRETE BARRIER BETWEEN LANES. I JUST ASSUMED THAT WE HAD HYDROPLANED BUT HAVE SINCE HEARD OF OTHER DURANGOS HAVING SIMILIAR TYPE PROBLEMS. I HAD ABSOLUTELY NO CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE AND THIS IS THE FIRST TIME ANYTHING LIKE THIS HAS EVER HAPPENED. WE HAVE DRIVEN IT IN THUNDERSTORMS, SNOW AND EVEN ICE AND NEVER HAD ANY STEERING PROBLEMS UNTIL THIS ONE INCIDENT.*AK