Oil Pump problems of the 2000 Dodge Durango

2000 Dodge Durango, has sludge build up in engine. I have changed oil regularly ( 3000-5000) miles. I have had the oil pump replaced and now am having problems with oil pressure light. I have done research and have found that many owners of the Durango's have had engine problems. . Read more...

My 2000 Durango slt was being driven by my son when the check gauges light came on. It was towed to a garage since they told us not to drive it. They proceeded to change the oil first, since the oil pressure gauge was jumping up and down. They then started the Durango and revved the engine for a while. We then had it towed to our house since my husband is a mechanic. He was going to look at it and when he did he discovered that one of the rods were bent so this means the engine needs replaced. Oil changes on my Durango were done as scheduled by my husband, in fact he had checked the oil 2 days prior to the incident and went and bought a new oil filter and a new case of oil to change the oil. My son called dahmler-Chrysler and they told him that there had never been any complaints made to them about the engine and that there was no recalls done on the vehicle. These checks were even done with us giving them the VIN of the vehicle. We are now looking at having to spend $2000 for an engine and that is one with 60,000 miles on it and being rebuilt. Seeing the other complaints on the websites that I have been to, Dodge has to be at fault for a defect on the engine or oil pump which would cause the oil to gum up just sitting there and not being pumped through the engine to keep crucial parts lubricated to function properly. To be honest it makes me worried about going out and paying the money for another engine seeing that maybe next month it would end up tearing up again. I feel that Dodge should do something about the problems with this engine in this particular vehicle before someone gets killed due to engine failure and the family of that person finds this information and dahmler-Chrysler is involved in a class action lawsuit and that could be even more devistating the company than a recall on the engines that don't work correctly to begin with.

I have a 2000 Dodge Durango with engine failure and sludge buildup at 64k miles. For the past 8 months I have changed the oil 6 times as a result of the oil pressure dropping to zero, replaced the oil sensor and oil pump. Last week I had the car towed because the oil pressure dropped 2 hours/98 miles after I had just had the oil changed and the engine made a loud clicking noise and was not drivable. I was informed that I needed a new engine and that the oil pan and engine were completely filled with sludge. I have religiously maintained my vehicle over the past 41/2 years. Chrysler will not send a rep to look at the engine. They claim that there is no problem and that it is my fault for not using the right oil and not maintaining the vehicle. The type of oil I used was recommended in the manual and I followed Chrysler's maintainenance schedule to a t. The Dodge dealer said I needed to have the car towed to the dealer at my expense (because the engine failed) if I wanted the engine examined. Chrysler needs to be accountable for the obvious intrinsice engine defect.

While driving at 60 mph the consumer noticed that vehicle lost oil pressure, would shake, and stall. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, and the mechanic determined that engine died due to poor maintenance. The dealer never took apart the motor, only the fuel injector and spark plugs. The vehicle was in for a crank sensor repair a week or two before the oil pump problem occurred.

While coming home from vacation in vermont in our 2000 Dodge Durango the check gauge light came on and the oil pressure light dropped to 0. We immedialty pulled over and checked the oil and it was full. My husband had just changed the oil a week earlier. We started the car again and everything went back to normal for a mile or two when now the oil pressure was jumping up and down. We pulled the car over immediatly and called for a tow truck after 2 hours in the cold we had the car towed to a dealer in vermont. Where are car still is. We were told there was sludge build up and the oil pump needed to be replaced. Then after further review we need a new engine or they could pathc it together with no guarrenty we will not need a new engine in the future. I did some investigating and found this is a reoccuring problem with this vehicle. Daimlerchrysler would do nothing for us and blamed it on neglect. My husband does regular maintenance on the vehicle and it is in excellent condition. This vehicle is only 3 1/2 years old with 67,000 miles. I'm furious that Dodge is aware of the problem and is selling this vehicle to consumers.

On 8/7/02 my oil pressure suddenly dropped to 0. A Dodge mechanic replaced the oil pump, which was under warranty since the vehicle had only 28,000 miles on it. On 8/19/03 my oil pressure again suddenly dropped to 0. My car was towed to a Dodge dealership where an asst. Service mgr. Told me I would likely need a new engine. He said that although he had only seen this problem "one other time" my extended warranty might not cover it because it was caused by poor maintenance. I told him that I averaged only 10k miles a year on my car and had most, if not all, of my oil change records. His demeanor tells me that this won't be covered without a fight. My Durango has 40,600 miles on it. Through the internet I have learned that there are literally hundreds of people who've been stuck with thousands of dollars of unjustified charges because of Dodge's failure to admit that the engines of some Durangos develop sludge (apparently it's known as a smog sludge motor in trade terms. ) when you check the following websites you'll immediately see the pattern: consumeraffairs. Com, NHTSA. Gov, carsurvey. Org, or simply google "oil pressure Durango" or "durango sludge".

2000 Dodge Durango oil pump failure it caused the motor to quit and loss of brakes and steering ability Dodge knows about this and wont do anything about this they say it is from poor maintaince please help thanks tim.

My engine is filled with sludge although we ahd regular oil changes. Because we could only find teh last three oil change receipts, the dealer says they are not going to make the repair. At first, they sid it was an oil pump. I called Chrysler and they were willing to replace the pump although I am 19k miles out of warranty. This tells me they knew there was a problem. Now, after searching the interet and calling an attroney, I find 182 like complaints for the 2000 model year Durango and dakota. No one at teh corporate or dealer level will work with me unless I pay $6,000 for the repair. Can anyone say class action lawsuit?.

The oil pressure failed while driving on the freeway. The consumer had taken the vehicle to the dealer and had the oil pump replaced three times. Both heads have been replaced. The sludge has been cleaned out, and the engine still had no oil pressure. No leaks have been noticed. The vehicle can be driven for about 3 miles, and then the oil pressure will drop.

The last oil change done by a friend found clumps of oil in the motor. Today I need a new engine. Apparently the oil pump was not working correctly from the beginning. The damage is major. It appears as though the oil had never been changed in my vehicle. My engine light never lid up, until the moment my engine came apart. I am out of warranty. Is there anything I can do to receive assistance from Dodge?????.

2000 Dodge Durango experienced sludge in vehicle's engine. The oil pressure suddenly dropped. This occurred twice and the consumer had a new oil pump put in. After the second time, a serviceman advised the consumer the engine needed to be replaced. The consumer would like Dodge to replace her vehicle.