Dodge Durango Reviews

Fast forward to a couple days later, I had taken my car to the car wash and was hand drying it. I began to notice several issues with the paint on the vehicle. I called Spitzer and told them about the problem. They had me bring it over for them to look at and then sent me down the road to G&M Body and Paint Shop to look at my vehicle. As soon as the owner walked out he pointed out several more issues with my vehicle and said he has never seen one that was so bad! I went back to Spitzer and they said they would get in contact with the body shop to get an appt set up to fix the issues (ding two on my CarFax).

Time went by and I eventually got my window fixed, I believe they had my car for two days. So I had to take time off work to drive over and drop my car off then to drive back over and pick my car back up. A couple weeks later I again went to drop my car off at Spitzer so they could take it to the body shop and get the paint fixed. After almost a week I got the call that my car was ready. I showed up to get my car and of course all of the management was gone as well as the service adviser I had been working with. When I looked at my car you could not even notice any difference. The paint issues were still there. I let the guy working in the service department know that I was NOT happy and that the issues were not fixed.

A few days later I contacted the detail shop I use to ceramic coat and put PPF on my cars. I took my vehicle to him to see if he could do the services or possibly even fix the issues. A couple hours later after I went back to get my vehicle I was in complete disbelief! He had marked on my car with detail tape and detail marker all of the issues. I had already noticed all of the orange peel and several rough spots. But what he pointed out I could not believe! There are places all over that had some kind of dirt or debris in the paint, the back hatch was not aligned (and the paint has now rubbed off in multiple spots), the doors are not appropriately aligned, and worst of all he said there is no way he could even attempt to fix it because the paint was applied so badly.

On multiple sections the paint thickness had significant variances and in some areas there was barely even any paint coverage. I left all the markings on my car and drove back to G&M Body Shop who was supposed to fix the paint. The owner said he didn’t even need to come look at it because he knew how bad it was and had already told Spitzer that they had no business selling me that vehicle because it should have never passed inspection to even leave the factory. When I asked the owner if they would be the ones fixing it after I went and met with Spitzer he said he already told Spitzer he would not touch my vehicle again because the whole car would need to be sanded and repainted.

I then went down to Spitzer Dodge and talked with the service manager and explained the situation. He told me that he knew their body shop would not do the work and that I would need to take it somewhere else to get an estimate! To say I was livid leaving the dealership is an understatement! So I again took a whole day off work and drove to FOUR body shops who all refused to even attempt to fix my vehicle. I finally found one, Bakers Collision, who was willing to attempt it. I took this quote and all the information to the dealership and have still yet to hear ANYTHING about getting my vehicle fixed.

Fast forward to about 6 weeks ago, I was in a car accident. I had my car towed to Bakers Collision to have the repairs made. My car is still sitting there because it needs a wire harness (Part 68624000AB) and they have been told it is on backorder. When I called the dealership to see if there was anything they could do to expedite getting the part I was told the part is out of stock until possibly the end of November if not longer!

So not only is Chrysler OK with selling poor quality vehicles to people they also do not have parts available for vehicles to be repaired. Between the time my vehicle has been with Spitzer for repairs and now the time it has been at the body shop my vehicle has been in the shop more than it has been with me, but you bet I still have to pay for it. What is the most upsetting is all of the negative items on the CarFax that will greatly affect my resale value, I understand the accident is not the fault of Chrysler but all of the other negative items are. The biggest one being the paint, door alignment and back hatch that Chrysler refuses to take care of.

Next new drive shaft started slinging grease everywhere next Transcooler replacement because of leak and now it looks the water pump just went bad! This worst vehicle experience I ever had. It’s like I bought a old car. I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone especially used being new. Doesn’t mean you’re safe. I think it’s just absolute junk at this point. I’m thinking about how to pursue lemon law. This is all within one year of owning the vehicle, all maintenance was done properly by dealership. It might just be the dealership that’s not maintaining the vehicles on the lot properly or inspecting it for normal warranty changes.

The only real negatives are a somewhat dated exterior due to its old platform and fuel economy isn't the best with the larger 6.2 and 6.4l V8 engines. But it's a reasonable compromise for the excellent performance and V8 rumble. The Durango also hasn't had the most amazing reliability track record, but my personal experience with the latest models has been excellent. It seems they've addressed the big issues. I've had countless makes over the years, everything from Toyota, to GM, to Audi, and much more. And this is the first model I've bought twice. That alone says a lot. Overall, the Durango is an excellent and underrated SUV that's easy for me to recommend.