Today she's having a really bad day. In addition to the chugging, stuttering, the vehicle is now "surging", where you hear the tone of the drivetrain go up and down, and the vehicle feels like she's pulling ahead/falling behind any number of times in a row under steady pressure on the accelerator.

Secondly, I started the vehicle up from a stop today (had it on/off several times throughout the day), and heard a strange noise and felt something slip/engage without being in drive, just as the engine caught. It felt like it sometimes feels when it feels (and sounds) like you run over something but don't.

Just thought I would add these couple of new observations into the mix to see if it triggered any ideas. Thanks!

 

I think you need to get real tough with you service dept. real quick and make them give you a loaner ‘till it gets fixed. If you keep driving it like this they may try to say you made it worse or caused more damage and try to stick you with part or the entire bill. If the problem is this noticeable they should have no argument. I have been buying vehicles from the same dealership for the last 16+ years; the service managers know very well not to try feeding me any BS, therefore a good relationship ensues.

 

I believe it's time to call up a different dealership to see if they can diagnose. At the very least, our looking into answers from a different dealer may instill a sense of 'fear' in the local service department, since they obviously are not fully motivated at this point to get to the bottom of it.

By the way, does anyone know the TSB# on the Rams for the torque converter - the one mentioned earlier in this thread?

 

I'm having the same issue with mine, but it does not have AWD. I just got it back from the shop today (spent 3 days in there) and they said the found nothing. I've noticed it for a few days and it was worse thru hilly terrain during the heat of the day..then it did it in town first thing in the morning on the way to the shop. Seemed like it was losing power as well. I don't normally punch the gas or dog the vehicle since I prefer them to last, but sometimes you just have to to get out of the way from someone who isn't paying attention. It took a full second or 2 before it responded, yet it has also responded immediately.

I also got a BREAK message with a chime telling me to break. The cruise was not on (thinking it was part of the ACC, etc) and I was probably doing less than 20mph since I was going thru a construction zone..and noone was in front of me. It did that 3 or 4 times in a row. Dodge also couldn't find anything there, but recalibrated some sensor. So after picking it up today, I got the same warning while going down the ramp to the parking garage.

All this makes me nervous considering I also bought a 2010 ram with 16000 miles on it a week later and it seems to surge from time to time. Lifetime warranty on the truck tho

 

So, it has been quite some time since I posted on this forum with further updates on the issue under consideration. I do apologize for that; it has been crazy over here.

We have now abandoned our local CDJ dealership in favor of one about 45 minutes away which also happens to be where we bought this Durango from. So far they seem to be an incredibly professional operation.

With just a few minutes' searching, they managed to find a bulletin regarding the Durango. It comes up if they search through their notices, TSB's, etc., under the term "fishbite", and it precisely describes the problem that I experienced with my vehicle. I never would have thought to look under that particular term, but they did. According to the notice, Chrysler is aware of the problem on some (but not all) Durangos, and is working to fix the software, shooting for an update in December of this year. This is the bulletin verbatim (including original capitalization variances):
-----------------
STAR Case
Case Number: S1118000038
Release Date: 5/11/2011

Symptom/Vehicle Issue:
Surge Or FishBite (Tug-Pull Sensation) Sometimes Felt On Smooth Roads Between 40-80 MPH Accelerating

Discussion:
Some customers may voice a concern that there is a Surge or Tugging (tug) or even a Fishbitelike condition that they are experiencing. These customers typically complain under specific conditions (Transmission in 4th or 5th gear with the torque converter locked, vehicle accelerating with the throttle position 30% or greater, and vehicle speed between 40 and 80 MPH.

New PCM Software is in development as is tentatively timed to be available by December 2012.

Recommend that these Customers use 89 Octane as their fuel. This condition is significantly reduced with 89 octane fuel.

The Owner Manual does recommend 89 Octane fuel for best performance.
----------------

Now, one major thing I disagree with on this bulletin is that - at least in our case - this "condition is significantly reduced with 89 octane fuel". Rubbish. We have been using 89 octane fuel since day one, and the problem is very pronounced. A friend of ours who bought the identical vehicle after he saw ours uses 87 octane all the time, and has never had a "fishbite" sensation. So I suspect that if your particular Durango is predisposed to the condition, changing fuel grades on its own will have little effect. However, that is merely my opinion; it isn't like I would ever use 87 octane fuel at any rate, whether the fishbite goes away or not.

The new dealer reset our adaptives first thing on our first visit. The vehicle felt like it did when it rolled off the lot on day one. It was like an entirely different car: more powerful, different response from gas pedal, increased highway mileage, and less of the 'fishbiting'. We were stunned. However, within four days of normal use, the vehicle's old tricks began to reassert themselves; it became apparent that something is throwing the adaptives out of whack, not that there is some significant flaw with the engine.

The new dealer we are working with is not going to wait for the update from Chrysler. They are going to have one of their top technical diagnosers take the car (next week, I believe), and start from scratch as if they have never heard of the problem, to see if they can get to the bottom of it on their own. They say that this guy is really good, and some of his work has been turned into TSB updates, so I have high hopes.

Other than a few little quirks, this vehicle is rock-solid and bulletproof. If we could only get these few bugs ironed out by a competent dealer, then I'll keep it until the day it falls apart. But if it isn't fixable, then I will strongly consider moving on to another car.

I hope that this update is helpful, and I will come back and post whatever new information we receive from this new service department as quickly as I get it. Take care, everyone!

Best wishes,
Kent

 

Thank you for the update.
I've been hunting the same problem and it 's really getting annoying...
Run good for few days after pcm flash and jerking (Fishbite) start again.
And I agree, 89 or 93 doesn't change anything to the problem.

 

I know it's been a while since an update was posted to this thread. However, I was curious if this PCM software has been released as I am also experiencing this same issue.

On a side note, I also notice that on warmer days or at least when the transmission has fully warmed up (trans temp gauge in 150 range) while in stop and go traffic if i go from about 10-15mph down to 0mph rather quickly (lots of city driving) there is a clear/loud bang coming from what seems to be the transmission.

 

I just saw your last request for information, so let me share what I know about this.

We switched our primary service dealership from our local one (which is not good for much more than oil changes and basic things) to one in Syracuse, NY (Burdick at Driver's Village). It's a much longer drive, but they really know what they are talking about. Here is what they told us:

Chrysler has been working on the issue, which seems to be limited to about 1,000 2011 and a few 2012 vehicles. The release date for the revised software was last fall, then it was pushed back, then pushed back again to February of 2013. When we contacted the dealership at the end of February to see if they were ready to make the fix, they told us that they had just gotten out of the conference call with Chrysler, and Chrysler was basically stumped with the problem. As of then, there is no known date for when such a repair will be ready to roll out.

The reason the date kept getting pushed back is that Chrysler apparently took one or more of the troubled vehicles, input the new software, and the "fix" started burning out torque converters.

Our vehicle was also suffering from the banging you refer to, by the way.

Upon receiving the news that the "fix" was not coming down the pipes, we immediately decided to trade the vehicle in on a new one. Except for the drivetrain issues, we absolutely loved the Durango. So the dealer found us a new 2013 Citadel Durango with the Hemi and a six-speed transmission, with the same color exterior and same options as the 2011, and only a couple of minor variations (but not downgrades) on the interior; they gave us a terrific deal on it, and we got ourselves out of the whole mess for a smaller car payment every month.

The new vehicle's drivetrain is a completely different beast. No more banging and clanging when you shift gears or come to a stop sign and start again. The 6-speed is also much more eager to downshift rather than to try to keep it in top gear with the torque converter locked and the drivetrain shuddering. The new car is a dream compared to what we were dealing with.

So I would say that you're faced with two possibilities: 1) keep your current vehicle with the issue and wait for Chrysler to come up with a fix, or 2) try to extricate yourself from the vehicle as we did. If you decide to stick with Durango, our experience with the new one suggests you won't be disappointed. I hope this helps!

 

Thanks so much Kent for the detailed and quick response! LOL figures I get one of the possible 1000 being referenced..HAHAHA. A bit frustrating that the fix is not slated anytime soon.

Luckily with 32,000 miles on my car, the only thing to have gone wrong is the solenoid pack which was quickly replaced (not sure if this is related to the current issue). I appreciate the honest feedback and glad to hear you were able to work out a different plan and are happy with the new durango!! I am going to do some thinking to figure out if i want to go down the route of trading the car in for a new replacement.

Thanks again!!

 

Anytime, I'm happy to help. Fortunately, the value on the Durango holds very well; if you know your KBB, Edmunds and NADA values on your current car going in (printing each, and averaging all three, and bringing those numbers with you helps), if you know how much you should pay for the new one you want (they're averaging below dealer invoice right now), you know your rebates, and you stand your ground with the salesmen and are willing to walk out a couple of dealerships' doors if they're unreasonable, then you can usually work out a good deal in the end.

>> LOL figures I get one of the possible 1000 being referenced..HAHAHA.<<
Exactly how we felt.

>>...glad to hear you were able to work out a different plan and are happy with the new durango!<<
Yes, we are extremely pleased with it. We've put 1,000 miles on it in the last week and a half, and she is smooth-as-silk. We just took her in for her first oil change yesterday (we do the first couple of oil changes early to help break the engine in on every car we buy). There vehicle is literally perfect - no issues to report of any kind.

I hope everything works out well for you one way or the other!