I could really use some input as to what the issue with my durango might be. I am currently deployed in afghanistan and my wife has been trying to get a newer vehicle for us. She found a 2004 Durango with the 4.7 v8 4x4 with 103,xxx miles on it. i wasnt to excited about the high milage but she drove it and loved it. She said it ran great, looked int the maintanence record and said it was well maintained. It was a good deal and we needed to pick up a 4 wheel drive vehicle so we went ahead and bought it. When she picked it up from the dealer and drove it home (and hour and a half drive) she said it ran great. the next day my wife and my uncle drove back to the dealer to pick up my car that she left there to drive the durango home. about 15 minutes from the dealer this is what she sayed happened.

"it has stalled out on me 3 times..when i am driving at about 45-49 mph and i take my foot off axelerator it feels and sounds like i hit a small pothole in the road but you can feel it in the vehicle..they said it was the AWD switching the power to another tire..i doubt it..jay was with me and when it happened we both looked at each other and was like wtf was that..it revs up really high...has stalled out."

Now the dealer says they wont take the vehicle back and expects us to pay to fix it. It had only been 27 hours since she drove it off the lot. But Im not here to argue about the dealer or any of that. I would just like to know if anyone else has seen this problem before or could tell me what it is. Im mechanichaly inclined so dont be afraid to get technichal. I just dont know much about these vehicles. Any advice or input would be greatly appreciated.

 

What state is this in? Many states have laws that require the dealership to cover the vehicle (like a warranty) for 30 days. It may be the transmission.

I hate it, but many dealerships try to take advantage of women. They automatically assume women will not be as confrontational as men, and are more ignorant about vehicles, so they sometimes try to pull more stuff on them that they may not try on men.

 

Its in Florida. I looked into the laws about it, but the lemon laws dont extend to used vehicles. My wife is gonna talk to some attornies about it though. Yea I hate it when dealers think that about women, especialy my wife, since I can actualy have a conversation about the mechanics of a car and she uinderstands exactly what im saying. I mean i got it some women dont get cars, but some guys dont either. She knew what she was looking for but she didnt find a problem til after she left the dealer with it.

I guess I didnt get quite what the problem was. When she puts it in reverse and stops then puts it in drive and hits the gas it stalls. Ive heard of this happening before, I cant remember what the problem was though. The other thing she found was that at 45-49 if she gets off the throttle then back on it the truck will rev up then she will feel a big thud. they said it was because of the alwheel drive shifting power from wheel to wheel. Im pretty sure it shouldnt do that though. What would cause these problems? Ill figure out the issue with the dealer, one way or another

 

Very easy to change...all you need is a Torx T25 and 5 minutes....it's like $35 at Autozone.

 

I had a very similar problem with mine about 6 months ago. My problem was the throttle body was covered in carbon deposits. I took the throttle body off and cleaned it with brake cleaner and have not had the problem since. I hope yours is something that simple as well..

 

My thoughts:

1. TPS, like mentioned above
2. EGR valve

Was it raining when this happened? I believe there is a TSB to replace the cowl if this is the case.

 

Thanks for the input. It did end up being a problem with the TPS and the MAF was leaking too. They cleaned it up and fixed where the MAF wasnt connected correctly and was not getting a good seal. So now its running just fine. My wife loves it.

As far as the issue with the dealer too. They called my wife back ,after she let all her stress out on them, and they said that they will fix any issues for free till she leaves for NY in a couple weeks. So everything worked out. Thanks for the help!

 

Nice job. Sometimes all it takes is one sensor to throw everything out of whack.

Good for her! That is pretty much EXACTLY what you need to do in that situation. You got a good one there.

 

Sweet. Glad she got it fixed and is enjoying her new car!

FYI, you have a full time AWD system, none of this BS transfering power to the wheels after the slip has already occured.

TRANSFER CASE: NV144HD
Availability Std. with 4.7L engine
Type Single-speed, electronically shifted
Operating Modes AWD; Locked (4 Lock)
Low-Range Ratio None
Center Differential Planetary
Torque Split, Front/Rear 48/52


Pretty good system...not the best 4x4 out there (no limited slip), but it does the job!

 

Thanks jasonw I do have a good one. She doesnt let people run her over if she has anything to say about it. She has to be tough without me there. She will deffinately be enjoying it now. Atleast it was a cheap easy fix. Gotta love computers, one thing goes wrong and the whole system has no idea what to do. Also Im glad you posted that PokerMunkee. I have been tryin to figure out what exactly the drivetrain system was. I can only learn so much without the truck in front of me. Thats just how I learn