2002 DODGE DODGE TRUCK — Problems, Recalls & Safety Data

DASHBOARD IS CRACKING. *TR

DASH BOARD JUST CRACKED ALL OVER THE PLACE FOR NO REASON. SERVICE DEALER STATED IT WAS NOT A WARRANTY ITEM. WE NOW HAVE HUGE LINES OF GLUE TO HOLD DASH FROM FALLING COMPLETELY THROUGH. IF WE EVER HAVE A WRECK THERE WILL BE HUGE JAGGED EDGES OF DASH BOARD COMING AT US.

MY 2002 DODGE DURANGO R/T 5.9L STARTED OVER HEATING. REPLACED RADIATOR AND THERMOSTAT. THE VEHICE STILL RAN HOT AND STARTED OVERHEATING AGAIN. SHOP SAID IT WAS CLUTCH FAN AND COOLANT TEMPERATURE SENSEOR. REPLACED ALL THAT AND VEHICLE STARTED OVERHEATING A WEEK LATER. THE DEALER SAID I HAD TO REPALCE THE COOLING FAN. DID THAT TOO, AND VEHICLE OVERHEATED 5 MINUTES OFF THEIR LOT. BROUGHT IT BACK AND THEY SAID I NEEDED HEAD GASKET AND NEW HEADS. THEN RIGHT BEFORE THEY FINISHED THE WORK THEY SAID THE BLOCK WAS CRACKED NEAR 2 CYLINDERS AND THAT I NEEDED A NEW ENGINE. !@#$%!

MY 2002 DODGE DURANGO R/T 5.9L STARTED OVER HEATING. REPLACED RADIATOR AND THERMOSTAT. THE VEHICE STILL RAN HOT AND STARTED OVERHEATING AGAIN. SHOP SAID IT WAS CLUTCH FAN AND COOLANT TEMPERATURE SENSEOR. REPLACED ALL THAT AND VEHICLE STARTED OVERHEATING A WEEK LATER. THE DEALER SAID I HAD TO REPALCE THE COOLING FAN. DID THAT TOO, AND VEHICLE OVERHEATED 5 MINUTES OFF THEIR LOT. BROUGHT IT BACK AND THEY SAID I NEEDED HEAD GASKET AND NEW HEADS. THEN RIGHT BEFORE THEY FINISHED THE WORK THEY SAID THE BLOCK WAS CRACKED NEAR 2 CYLINDERS AND THAT I NEEDED A NEW ENGINE. !@#$%!

LOADED VEHICLE WITH 1440LB SAND. UPON DRIVING HIGHWAY (NEVER EXCEED 55MPH) WITHIN 20 MIN VEHICLE SMOKED HEAVILY FROM ENGINE BAY. DISCOVERED THAT VEHICLE'S POWER STEERING PUMP HAS AN OVERFLOW VALVE LINE THAT SEEMS TO HAVE A PRESSURE VALVE AT THE END OF IT. THIS HOSE IS CONNECTED TO THE WIRING HARNESS NEAR THE BATTERY, AND POINTS VERTICALLY AT THE HOOD, JUST OVER THE VALVE COVER ASSEMBLY. POWER STEERING FLUID POURED OVER THE ENGINE, COMBUSTING ON THE ENGINE ASSEMBLY, BUT NOT FLAMING UP. MY ASSUMPTION IS THAT THIS VEHICLE'S POWER STEERING UNIT IS SOMEHOW TIED TO A "LOAD LEVELER?" THAT IS FACTORY INSTALLED. DUE TO THE LOAD WEIGHT IN THE BACK OF THE VEHICLE, THIS CAUSED THE POWER STEERING FLUID TO OVERHEAT AND EXPAND, CAUSING THE EJECTION OF FLUID. ANOTHER ANSWER IS THAT THIS IS SOMEHOW A TRANSMISSION FLUID OVERFLOW, AND THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION SIMPLY OVERHEATED. UNFORTUNATELY, WITH THE POSITION OF THE OVERFLOW RELEASE HOSE AND VALVE, THIS REQUIRED REPLACEMENT OF SEVERAL HOSES AND A WIRE KIT DUE TO THE DAMAGE. MY QUESTION IS WHY WOULD THIS FLUID BE EJECTED ABOVE THE ENGINE---THIS FLUID IS DEFINITELY PETROLEUM BASED, AND FLAMMABLE. HAD I CONTINUED DOWN THE ROAD FURTHER, I CERTAINLY WOULD HAVE HAD FLAME. PLEASE NOTE, THE WEIGHT RATING FOR THIS TRUCK IS 1800LB, I AM 265, AND THE TRUCK WAS EMPTY, EXCEPT FOR THE 1440LB OF SAND. I WAS APPROACHING THE RATING, BUT NOT NEARLY OVERLOADING THE TRUCK.