Other Fuel System Fuel Gauge problems of the 1999 Dodge Durango

Durango was parked at a business lot when my mother tried to start it the gas gauge didn't register, so she called my husband to come and see if he could get the vehicle started. He couldn't get it started after about half and hour of trying so he called a friend to tow it home. I went with them to tow it and tread before we hooked it up to start the Durango. The gas gauge registered and the vehicle started. I drove it about three blocks before the vehicle shut down on me in the middle of traffic. It started back up and I drove about half a block before the Durango shut off on me again. I was lucky enough to manage to pull over to the side of the road this time, but I was still in the lane the vehicles were driving in with a vehicle that wouldn't start. Once again the gas gauge wouldn't register and vehicle wouldn't start. A police office stopped by to check on me and to inform me that where my vehicle had broken down in a very bad place. We then towed the vehicle home. After ariving home we checked the Durango and it started for about 3 min. After whitch it died again, it restarted right after it died but only to shut off wiht in another minute or so. This is the vehicle I use to take my child places, and other children also, I am only glad that my mother had barrowed the car for the day and I wasnt stuck with my son in a vehicle that could have turned in to a death trap had I been on the freeway. We just put on a new startd last week and have had no problems before this, other than the heater not working.