Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| STEERING | |||||
| 1900805 | 11/02/2005 | 1900805A | 10017651 | Revised power steering system bleeding procedures. *sc | 11/14/2005 |
| 1901004 | 11/29/2004 | 10011958 | Power steering fluid contamination. *tt | 02/08/2005 | |
| 1901204 | 05/03/2005 | 1900305 | 10011930 | Steering column snapping or ticking sound. *tt | 02/07/2005 |
Investigations
| NHTSA ID | Manufacturer | Date open | Date close | Subject | Recall campaign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| STEERING | ||||||
| EA06004 | CHRYSLER GROUP LLC | 03/09/2006 | 03/08/2007 | STEERING WHEEL AND STEERING SHAFT BOLTS | ||
| On march 9, 2006 odi upgraded preliminatry evaluation pe05-056 to engineerning analysis ea06-004 to investigate allegations of loose or missing steering shaft coupling bolts and steering column retaining bolts in model year (my) 2004 through 2006 dodge durango sport utility vehicles and my 2005 through 2006 dodge dakota pickup trucks.either condition could result in a loss of steering control.although odi identified some quality issues in the manufacturing processes for the dakota and durango vehicles, the data do not indicate that a safety defect trend is present in either population.the failure rates are low for each condition and trend analyses indicate that problems with the subject bolts were isolated to a few units affected by assembly error that were detected either pre-sale or occurred early in vehicle service.further use of agency resources in this matter does not appear to be warranted.the agency will continue to monitor complaints and other information relating to the alleged defect in the sugject vehicles and will take furhter action inthe the future if warranted.for more information see the attached closing report. | ||||||
| PE05056 | CHRYSLER GROUP LLC | 10/26/2005 | 03/09/2006 | STEERING WHEEL AND SHAFT BOLTS | ||
| On october 26, 2005 odi opened pe05-056 to investigate allegations of loose or missing steering wheel or steering shaft coupling bolts in model year (my) 2004 and 2005 dodge durango sport utility vehicles and my 2005 dodge dakota pickup trucks manufactured by daimlerchrysler corporation (dcc).during pe05-056 odi identified 3 owner complaints to odi or dcc, 21 field reports to dcc and 142 warranty claims related to the alleged defect conditions.the reports and claims included 8 incidents of either steering wheel separation or steering shaft decoupling while driving due to loose or missing bolts.one of the failures resulted in a crash. pe05-056 has been upgraded to an engineering analysis (ea06-004) to continue to investigate the scope, frequency and safety consequences of the alleged defect. | ||||||
| STEERING - COLUMN | ||||||
| PE05056 | CHRYSLER GROUP LLC | 10/26/2005 | 03/09/2006 | STEERING WHEEL AND SHAFT BOLTS | ||
| On october 26, 2005 odi opened pe05-056 to investigate allegations of loose or missing steering wheel or steering shaft coupling bolts in model year (my) 2004 and 2005 dodge durango sport utility vehicles and my 2005 dodge dakota pickup trucks manufactured by daimlerchrysler corporation (dcc).during pe05-056 odi identified 3 owner complaints to odi or dcc, 21 field reports to dcc and 142 warranty claims related to the alleged defect conditions.the reports and claims included 8 incidents of either steering wheel separation or steering shaft decoupling while driving due to loose or missing bolts.one of the failures resulted in a crash. pe05-056 has been upgraded to an engineering analysis (ea06-004) to continue to investigate the scope, frequency and safety consequences of the alleged defect. | ||||||
| EA06004 | CHRYSLER GROUP LLC | 03/09/2006 | 03/08/2007 | STEERING WHEEL AND STEERING SHAFT BOLTS | ||
| On march 9, 2006 odi upgraded preliminatry evaluation pe05-056 to engineerning analysis ea06-004 to investigate allegations of loose or missing steering shaft coupling bolts and steering column retaining bolts in model year (my) 2004 through 2006 dodge durango sport utility vehicles and my 2005 through 2006 dodge dakota pickup trucks.either condition could result in a loss of steering control.although odi identified some quality issues in the manufacturing processes for the dakota and durango vehicles, the data do not indicate that a safety defect trend is present in either population.the failure rates are low for each condition and trend analyses indicate that problems with the subject bolts were isolated to a few units affected by assembly error that were detected either pre-sale or occurred early in vehicle service.further use of agency resources in this matter does not appear to be warranted.the agency will continue to monitor complaints and other information relating to the alleged defect in the sugject vehicles and will take furhter action inthe the future if warranted.for more information see the attached closing report. | ||||||
| STEERING - LINKAGES | ||||||
| PE05056 | CHRYSLER GROUP LLC | 10/26/2005 | 03/09/2006 | STEERING WHEEL AND SHAFT BOLTS | ||
| On october 26, 2005 odi opened pe05-056 to investigate allegations of loose or missing steering wheel or steering shaft coupling bolts in model year (my) 2004 and 2005 dodge durango sport utility vehicles and my 2005 dodge dakota pickup trucks manufactured by daimlerchrysler corporation (dcc).during pe05-056 odi identified 3 owner complaints to odi or dcc, 21 field reports to dcc and 142 warranty claims related to the alleged defect conditions.the reports and claims included 8 incidents of either steering wheel separation or steering shaft decoupling while driving due to loose or missing bolts.one of the failures resulted in a crash. pe05-056 has been upgraded to an engineering analysis (ea06-004) to continue to investigate the scope, frequency and safety consequences of the alleged defect. | ||||||
| STEERING - WHEEL AND HANDLE BAR | ||||||
| PE05056 | CHRYSLER GROUP LLC | 10/26/2005 | 03/09/2006 | STEERING WHEEL AND SHAFT BOLTS | ||
| On october 26, 2005 odi opened pe05-056 to investigate allegations of loose or missing steering wheel or steering shaft coupling bolts in model year (my) 2004 and 2005 dodge durango sport utility vehicles and my 2005 dodge dakota pickup trucks manufactured by daimlerchrysler corporation (dcc).during pe05-056 odi identified 3 owner complaints to odi or dcc, 21 field reports to dcc and 142 warranty claims related to the alleged defect conditions.the reports and claims included 8 incidents of either steering wheel separation or steering shaft decoupling while driving due to loose or missing bolts.one of the failures resulted in a crash. pe05-056 has been upgraded to an engineering analysis (ea06-004) to continue to investigate the scope, frequency and safety consequences of the alleged defect. | ||||||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| STEERING | |||
| 11/30/2009 | 85000 | ||
| My 2004 dodge durango has stalled on me 6 times now without 'any warning', it simply shuts off and i have no control over the vehicle. the first two times it happend, we dismissed as some weird 'fluke', as the two times were about a year apart, so we never thought much about it. when it happend for the third time we realized something was most definitely wrong. we were shocked to see how many people were having the same problem, when we began to research the problem on line. right after it happend the 3rd time, we took it in to our local mechanic; who indicated that it might be part of a faulty cluster problem that had been recalled. they replaced the cluster, and i felt so much better and safer. approximately 4 months later, it happend again! i sent an email to the service department of the dealership to tell them what i experienced, after several unanswered emails and 4 months later, i deciced that i needed to go in person. just this weekend, before i went; it happend again as i was entering the freeway. i am scared to death to drive this durango anywhere but on the side streets now. i had a child in my car when this occured this past weekend, and they were very scared. each time it has occured has been at a slow rate of speed and always making a right turn. it is extremly firghtening to lose complete control of your vehicle, and it is only matter of time before someone is going to die or cause a horrible accident when this shut down occures. why is chrysler/dodge not being made to address this problem? i was shocked to see still more complaints about this problem, the most recent was june 12, 2012 however these concerns are dating back to 2005! what needs to happen before this situation can be addressed and dealt with appropriately. this is not a small problem, this is a problem with potentially life threatening consequences, and no one is doing anything about it. | |||
| 10/12/2011 | 110000 | ||
| When driving through a puddle, the engine stalls and the power steering goes out. i was stuck in the middle of a busy intersection for 2-3 minutes until i was able to restart the car. | |||
| 04/20/2011 | 120000 | ||
| The outer passenger side tie rod end on our 2004 dodge durango came apart due to extreme corrosion. the ball completely separated from the housing. the rubber boot was still in place, but clearly had failed somehow. the result was the immediate loss of steering and vehicle control. thankfully it was in a neighborhood and at low speed. the truck ground to a halt in the middle of the road. it was towed and ultimately repaired with a new tie rod end. i kept the old corroded tie rod hoping someone would care to see it. the should not have occurred in a vehicle 3x its age. the defective part is so badly corroded it looks like its been on the bottom of the ocean for 20 years. | |||
| 08/01/2008 | 1 | ||
| We have not had an incident yet. we do have a problem with our steering wheel though. a little over a year ago we noticed that it seemed loose. it has gotten worse since then. *tr | |||
| 08/08/2009 | 10000 | 1 | |
| Car sometimes starts without electrical response: turn the ignition on and engine starts but no electricity. driving on interstate 95 and all electricity to all panels and power steering shuts off. this happens often and results in having to coast to stop on the side of the interstate with little control of the vehicle. i have to restart engine several times before electrical response is restored. a tumbler kit was installed under warranty (service at pritchard dodge in ithaca, ny in april of 2005) to reset electrical circuit and it helped but never fixed the problem, but now problem is back and getting worse. i do not have the luxury to buy another car so i have used it, but now is too dangerous. *tr | |||
| 08/10/2008 | 51000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2004 dodge durango. while making a turn at less than 15 mph, the vehicle stalled and the steering became locked. on a separate occasion, while idling at a stop sign, the steering locked and failed completely. in addition, the oil warning indicator was illuminated on the instrument panel. the manufacturer advised him to take the vehicle to the dealer for a diagnostic. the dealer was unable to produce an error code because the check engine warning indicator was not illuminated. the dealer cleaned the carburetor in an attempt to correct the failures. the current and failure mileages were less than 51,000. | |||
| 11/16/2008 | 95000 | 1 | |
| Nighttime. pouring rain. turned a corner in a parking lot and the power steering just quit. turned car off and restarted. power steering was back. first and only time it happened so far. *tr | |||
| 07/27/2008 | 71000 | 1 | |
| I have had numerous engine stalling/loss of steering problems with my vehicle once the mileage exceeded 70,000 miles. it has stalled while stopping at a stop sign, upon accelerating into a turn, and many others. after diagnostic testing, we replaced 2 o2 sensors and the stalling still occurs. after a second diagnostic testing, we replaced all the spark plugs and ignition coils and the stalling still occurs. after a third diagnostic testing, we replaced the fuel pump and the stalling still occurs. now the diagnostic testing indicated we need to replace the egr flow sensor. i currently have 74,836 miles. i have spent approx $1000 in parts alone to repair these items and the problem is still not fixed. *tr | |||
| 02/01/2008 | 60577 | ||
| See first complaint 10237419. i'm having continued front end steering/suspension problems. had the lower ball joint replaced on 09/28/07. by february of this year i'm experiencing what seems to be the same problems... clunking sound (metal to metal) that starts when engine area is hot. after 45 minutes of driving. vibration can be felt in the steering and floor boards. the noise is getting progressively louder and i fear that safety may become a issue. the durango makes a sound something like the tire and rim is going to vibrate right off the vehicle. i'm now on my third mechanic....richmond, ca. hilltop dodge, who test drove my durango and heard the sound on 08/12/08. they inspected the front ball joints, tie rods, and assured that each area was tight . they deemed that the vehicle is safe to drive, but weren't sure of the problem. they think it may be looseness in the lower steering shaft. dealer/mechanic said the problem needed to be more consistent to isolate the noise. inspection charge $124.95. problem has not been identified or resolved, but sounds similar to what has been investigated for potential recall in the past. *tr | |||
| 06/10/2006 | 66665 | 2 | 10/07/2005 |
| 1) while turning right on to highway, power steering failed for a few seconds and made a loud noise, which almost caused car to go into lane with on coming traffic. nothing resolved to date. 2) while making turns we hear loud popping and crunching noises and the steering seems to be very ruff. it's very concerning to us since we use this vehicle to transport our large family of seven: 2 adults, 5 children ages 4 months, 2.5 years, 3.5 years, 9 & 16. *jb | |||
| 10/18/2004 | 1 | 07/17/2004 | |
| I was at a stop sign waiting for my turn to make a left hand turn. when all was clear i started to make the left hand turn and all of a sudden had absolutely no control of the steering wheel. my truck proceeded to turn in a left hand turn almost allowing me to do a 360 at a slow rate of speed. i heard a lot of noise and after about 30-60 seconds had regained control of the steering wheel landing in a ditch on the side of the road. i drove the car directly to the dealership and explained the problem. i have no idea what they did, except that they claimed to have fixed it and i have not had another one of these problems again. i am not sure of the date so i took a guess. *jb | |||
| 02/15/2004 | 5300 | 2 | 12/04/2003 |
| Update: see prev. complaint re; steering. after 2 wks in shop and little or no commun. from chrysler, on feb 5, 2004 i rec'd a call from chrysler. they want to repurchase my 2004 dodge durango. no word on what's wrong w/vehicle. they said, they don't think, even if they fixed the problem, that i would ever feel safe in the vehicle. on feb 6, 2004, i rec'd a call from dealership to clean out my vehicle. chrysler wants it moved to an undisclosed location. anyone see anything wrong with the picture? | |||
| 02/19/2004 | 6000 | 1 | 12/04/2003 |
| Re: 2004 dodge durango, limited. purchased vehicle dec 4, 2003. a week after i bought the vehicle i noticed a type of sticking on the front end when i turned the wheels. i asked my son to check it out & he agreed thatsomething was wrong. a few days later i had a passenger in the vehilce with me & that peson noted the sticking too. i took the vehicle to brown's dodge in chantilly, va. had the vehicle for a few days & decided the steering arm was bad. part had to be ordered but i could drive the vehicle.safely. repair made in late jan. when i picked the vehicle up, service writer told me that replacing the steering arm had not corrected the problem. they did not know what was wrong & was told that chrysler was working on the problem & that the vehicle was safe to drive.i took the vehicle home & waited for the dealership to call me back. i did not hear from chrysler or from my dealership.2 weeks ago, i was driving the vehicle & lost total steering power in the front end in traffic in alexandria, va. i was able to get the vehicle off the road.no one was hurt or injurred. i immediately contacted my service advisor& was told, to drive the vehicle to the nearest chrysler dealership. but not to tell anyone about the steering problem or about chrysler's involvement. he actually told me toplay dumb'. which pissed me off to the point that i wanted to run his sorry ass over. but,instead of doing that, i had the car flat-bedded back to brown's dulles dodge. where it still is to this day. i have had minimal contact with chrysler.i can tell they are stonewalling me. a big kahunna technical advisor came in to town earlier this week. but all i got was crap out the sides of my service advisor's mouth.this vehicle has a problem. the service advisor told me that the guy who came in to check it out drove quite a few of the new dodge durangos & almost all of them had the same steering problem, mine was worse. | |||
| 03/12/2004 | 6791 | 1 | 12/01/2003 |
| When turning steering wheel to the left or right steering wheel does not return smoothly. the dealer replaced the steering arm but that didn't correct the problem. *ak during the time the consumer owned the vehicle the air bag light illuminated and the rear wiper fell out. *nm | |||
| STEERING - HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST - PUMP | |||
| 07/10/2006 | 10 | 05/20/2005 | |
| I have a dodge durango 2004. when it rains or i drive over a wet pavement the power steering belt gets wet and the steering wheel is hard to turn, causing the driverto loose control. the dealer cheked it and told me not to drive on rainy days (basically). *jb | |||
| STEERING - HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM | |||
| 03/21/2006 | 32000 | 6 | 06/02/2005 |
| Dt*: the contact stated that the vehicle's power steering failed for 15 seconds when driven through a water puddle at 25 mph. the serpentine belt started squealing for 10 seconds after the incident occurred. the power steering has not function properly since the vehicle is driven through the water puddle. the problem recurs every time there were wet road conditions. | |||
| 10/10/2005 | 32201 | 2 | 05/10/2004 |
| While turning right on to highway , power steering failed for a few seconds and made a loud noise,which almost the caused car to go into lane with on coming traffic. two weeks prior to this, when turn into parking space power steering failed for a few seconds. took car to dealer, they said car check out fine and there was nothing they could do. *nm | |||
| STEERING - LINKAGES - TIE ROD ASSEMBLY | |||
| 04/28/2009 | 73000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2004 dodge durango. while turning the steering wheel, the contact heard a loud noise coming from the front end of the vehicle. the failure occurred whenever the engine was operating at relatively warm temperatures. there were no warning indicators illuminated on the instrument panel. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer on two separate occasions for identical failures, but they were unable to locate the cause of the failures. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for inspection and the contact was informed that the inner tie rods failed. the entire tie rod system required replacement. the authorized dealer stated that the part for the repair was unavailable due to a massive back order. the repair part has been modified six times. the vehicle is not being driven due to the safety hazard. the failure mileage was 73,000 and current mileage was 76,000. | |||
| STEERING - RACK AND PINION - PINION SHAFT | |||
| 12/28/2006 | 42000 | 2 | 06/18/2004 |
| Within the first 30,000 miles i noticed an oily substance on the floor of my garage underneath the rear of my durango. i took the vehicle to the dealer and was told that the rear pinion seal was bad and had to be replaced. the seal was replaced and 13,000 miles later i noticed the same oily substance on the garage. i took the vehicle back to the dealer and was told the rear pinion seal had gone bad again. the first time was covered by the warranty and was at no cost to me. the second time was past 36,000 miles but still within my 75,000 mile warranty. i was informed that since it was past 36,000 miles i would have to pay a $100 deductible. i do not haul things with my vehicle and do not understand why the seal continues to go bad. *jb | |||