Instrument Panel problems of the 2004 Dodge Durango - part 1

2004 Dodge Durango. Consumer writes in regards to electrical issues with vehicle. The consumer stated had a recall for airbags and the instrument cluster. The consumer stated battery discharged in a very short period of time after the ignition switch was moved to the of position. The consumer stated it was over 2 years and the recall repairs still had not been completed.

2004 Dodge Durango. Consumer states problems with interior lights not turning off. The consumer noticed the interior of the vehicle was on fire. The fire department was called to the scene and put the fire out. The consumer discovered a recall had been issued regarding the instrument panel which could catch fire. She then contacted Chrysler and they informed her that what she described sounded like the previous recall. After an investigation was done, the consumer received a letter from Chrysler stating they were denying her claim due to failure to have the recall work performed. The consumer stated she never received any recall notices in the mail. The insurance company declared the vehicle a total loss.

The contact owns a 2004 Dodge Durango. The contact received a recall notice for recall 07v092000 (electrical system: instrument panel). The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealership for the repair but upon arrival, the contact was informed that the part needed to be ordered; she was told that it was safe to drive the vehicle home. While driving home, the contact noticed smoke emitting from the instrument panel and the vehicle suddenly caught fire. The fire department extinguished the fire; a report was filed. The vehicle was totaled and the insurance company planned to investigate. The contact called the manufacturer who also stated that they would investigate the failure. The current and failure mileages were 107,154.

I bought my 2004 Dodge Durango in 2005 January with 666 miles on the truck. The first year I had no problems at all until about March 2006 I was driving from washington state to California when I notice the check engine light came on. I took it to the dealership and had it cut off in California. Well, on my way back to washington state after a week I notice the check engine light came back on I took it back to the dealership for repair. The dealership cut off the light and told me there was a recall out on the 2004 Dodge Durango to fix the instrument panel. So I took the 2004 Dodge Durango back in to fix the recall problem and they said it was fixed. Well, in the summer of 2006 I was driving my 2004 Dodge Durango when the lights starts to go off and on while I was on the highway. It was raining hard and then my check engine light comes on again, so I just left the light on. Now I'm driving around in my 2004 Dodge Durango in the rain when I go to put gas in it when I stop. All of a sudden all my interior lights starts to go on and off with my headlights going off and on. The windshield wipers did not work so I cut the vehicle off for a minute. When I turn on the vehicle I could not move it out of park and all the lights was on. So, I left the vehicle there in a parking spot and walk back to work. I later came back to the vehicle about 2 hours later and I started up the vehicle and the gear shift worked. So I drove back to my office and use the computer to see if anyone else was having these types of problems and what do you know I'm not the only one. I took it to the dealership like I was told by headquarters and they gave me some paperwork to go to me local Dodge dealership. The dealership made me pay for a diagnostic on my vehicle and said it was from water intrusion in the junction block and my warrant does not cover it. Headquarters told me to open a blog and try to get a recall started. But in the mean time call your insurance company. Lives are at stake.

The contact owns a 2004 Dodge Durango. The contact took his vehicle to the dealer for routine inspection and various warning indicators were illuminated on the instrument panel. A technician stated that NHTSA campaign id number 07v092000 (electrical system: instrument panel) was outstanding on his VIN. The technician further stated that he would have to replace the cluster at the cost of $700 because the remedy was to repair the dome lights. The vehicle has not yet been repaired. The VIN was unknown. The failure and current mileages were 69,940.

My 2004 Dodge Durango is having electrical issues. Most of my lights on my instrument panel stay on at all times, my speedometer or odometer will not work and my heating and a/c will not work. My rear defrost and rear wiper will also not work. Dealership reflashed my computer and updated computer but had no affect at all. Everything on the exterior works great and runs great.

The contact owns a 2004 Dodge Durango. The contact stated that the interior lights and instrument panel lights illuminated intermittently. She received a recall notice for NHTSA campaign id number 07v092000 (electrical system: instrument panel) and called the dealer to schedule an appointment for June 30, 2008. The contact was unable to keep the appointment; therefore, it was rescheduled for July 7, 2008. Once at the dealer, she was informed that the computers were down and they would need to reschedule for another day. The new appointment was made for July 14, 2008. The failure mileage was 58,000 and current mileage was 62,765.

The contact owns a 2004 Dodge Durango. While driving approximately 30 mph with the air conditioning activated, smoke appeared from the dashboard. There were no warning lights illuminated on the instrument panel prior to the failure. The interior dome light illuminated and would not dim. The contact pulled off the road and she and her children exited the vehicle right before it caught fire. The fire department and state patrol were called to the scene and filed an incident report. The vehicle was completely destroyed. The fire chief stated that the failure was related to the electrical system: instrument panel. There were no injuries. The VIN was unknown. The current and failure mileages were unknown.

I have been getting a continuous all the gauges on the dash will start fluxuating like the computer is resetting it self while driving down the road. Also the air bag system shows a malfunction during the same time the gauges flux. I have taken it to the dealer and they say they can't do anything unless it happens while it's hooked up to the computer to read it while it happens. The recall for the instrument panel has been completed and the problem seemed to go away for a couple of weeks but now it doing the same thing again. Sort of getting concerned if there is an electrical problem will the vehicle catch on fire.

The contact owns a 2004 Dodge Durango. While driving 35 mph, the interior light illuminated. The contact pulled the vehicle over after driving for one mile. He noticed smoke coming from the light switch and instrument panel. He exited the vehicle before it burst into flames. The vehicle was towed and a police report was filed. The manufacturer stated that the fire was not caused by a manufacturer defect, but appeared to be from aftermarket wires. The manufacturer also stated that the VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign id number 07v092000 (electrical system: instrument panel). The contact has a video of the incident. The current and failure mileages were 59,900.

The contact owns a 2004 Dodge Durango. After stopping the vehicle, the cabin lights illuminated and would not dim. There were no warning indicators present. The contact smelled smoke inside the passenger compartment and drove the vehicle to her residence. The weather was not a factor. In June of 2007, the recall repair was performed for NHTSA campaign id number 07v092000 (electrical system: instrument panel). After the repair was made, the check engine light remained illuminated, the windshield wipers did not work, the door open chime would not sound, and the key would not lock and unlock the doors. The current mileage was 82,397 and failure mileage was 77,000.

The contact owns a 2004 Dodge Durango. While driving at an unknown speed, the interior roof light illuminated on its own and would not shut off. The contact exited the vehicle and, approximately 30 minutes later, the vehicle caught fire on the driver's side of the instrument panel. He received a recall notice for NHTSA campaign id number 07v092000 (electrical system: instrument panel) six months after the fire occurred. There were no injuries. A police report was filed. The failure mileage was 61,000.

I purchased a 2004 Durango in Nov of 2006. I had no real problems with vehicle until recently. Took vehicle in to dealership for recall of instrument panel. Dealership took care of this and 2 weeks later temperature gauge started reading hotter then usual. Contacted dealership who then stated unrelated. Recently went on vacation and 300 miles from home vehicle temp gauge read hot. Pulled off interstate to nearest service station. No dealership near here. Mechanic found no codes to indicate problem. Replaced water pump, thermostat, hoses, check radiator, new fluids, bill total 377 dollars. 3 miles later car still trying to over heat. Towed to va for 1,000 dollars now at dealership. Car also seems to sometimes not be in gear when placed in drive and you try to accelerate engine just revs. At dealership now we shall see what they say.

The check engine light in the vehicle keeps coming on for no reason. I have taken vehicle to dealer several times to be fixed , but it always comes back on. I have received a notice that there is a recall on the instrument cluster that may result in fire, but I don't want to take it in again , would be the fifth time, just to have the light keep coming on.

The contact owns a 2004 Dodge Durango. While driving 5 mph, the lights on the instrument panel illuminated. The dealer stated that they repaired the failure, but did not inform the contact of what caused the failure. The contact received recall notice # 07v092000 (electrical system: instrument panel). The dealer made the repair listed in the recall. The contact stated that the abs light on the instrument panel illuminated the same day as the recall repair work was completed. As of July 5, 2007, the dealer has been unable to diagnose the cause of failure. The current mileage is 30,000 and failure mileage was 200.

My vehicle underwent inspection for safety recall #g07. It was determined by the dealership that the electronic cluster in my 2004 Dodge Durango had to be replaced, due to fire hazard. When they pulled the old cluster, an electrical surge damaged the electrical components in the driver's side door of my vehicle. The dealership replaced the cluster, and told me that the driver's side door had been damaged when they pulled the old cluster. They instructed me to pick up my vehicle and told me that it was drivable. They ordered a part to repair the door and told me they would repair it. When I picked up my vehicle, I was not able to open the door from the outside or the inside. This was on June 14th. I have not been able to enter or exit my car via the driver's side door for over 1 week. This is a safety issue, and the vehicle should not have been returned to me as "drivable". I contacted the dealership, and asked for a rental until the issue with the door is resolved. They informed me that Chrysler had to approve the rental, and I would have to pay the rental fees myself. The dealership created a safety hazard in my vehicle, and returned it to me as drivable, and they are going to make me pay for a rental car. The drivers side door on my vehicle has been locked for 9 days - I have been climbing through the passenger side of the vehicle, for 9 days.

The contact owns a 2004 Dodge Durango. The contact received recall notice# 07v092000, electrical system: instrument panel. The dealer stated that the parts would not be available until the end of may or the beginning of June. There is one Dodge dealer located near his residence. The current and failure mileage were 71000. The engine size is not available. There are no failures at this time.

05/25/07 daimler Chrysler safety recall g07- test and reprograms instrument cluster. Customer wants reimbursement for payments made for repairs* the consumer has provided a copy of the invoice repair and the recall notice for the vehicle. The dealer informed the consumer that only a circuit for the dome light was included in the recall.

The contact owns a 2004 Dodge Durango. The vehicle was taken to the dealer due to NHTSA recall # 07v092000 (electrical system: instrument panel). The dealer stated that the instrument panel wires were burned. The dealer performed the recall repair and stated that the keyless entry no longer worked and they would not repair the failure. The contact stated that the keyless entry worked properly before the vehicle was serviced for the recall. The VIN and engine size were unknown. The current and failure mileages were 73,000.

On the morning of April 14, 2007, I was driving home when the instrumental panel on my Dodge Durango 2004 began to smoke. It was a matter of seconds before the smoke turned black and thick. I immediately pulled to the side of the road and called 911. It was a matter of seconds before flames came blasting out of the electrical panel of my vehicle. The fire spread very quickly through the plastic on the dashboard breaking the windshield. Thankfully, a gentleman that happened to live near by, brought out a fire extinguisher managing to put out the flames as the police got there, followed by the fire department. The police then disconnected the battery and the fire department proceeded to hose down the entire car as a precaution since the car still was extremely hot to the touch. I immediately reported the incident to the insurance company. After some research, I found a recent recall for the same year and model of my vehicle. However, until today, April 22, 2007 I still haven't got a letter of notification from daimler Chrysler. Even worse, they haven't even had the courtesy to return my numerous phone calls. I initially filed the complain with them on April 16, 2007. Its been over a week and I still haven't heard a word. According to the insurance adjuster, my car is a total loss, which it means that I not only need to come up with a down payment for another vehicle, which I can't afford at the moment, but that I also lost faith in the Chrysler corporation. I refuse to risk my children's life in another Chrysler vehicle. For now I want daimler Chrysler to face their responsibility. Meanwhile, I have been careless and I have no way to get to school (I am a full time college student) or to get my children to their normal activities. The Chrysler corporation says that they can't authorize a rental until whenever their adjuster contacts me. I have called them at least five times with no response.

2004 Dodge Durango customer states that the car caught on fire in driveway after they arrived home at 12:00 in the afternoon customer believes the instrument panel was the problem* consumer states that vehicle is a total loss and would like to be reimbursed the payoff amount due on the vehicle. Consumer states went online and saw a recall for this vehicle.

At approximately 2 pm on March 24, 2007, my 2004 Dodge Durango caught fire in the driveway at home. We arrived at home at approximately 12:00 in the afternoon on Saturday after driving the vehicle approximately one hour (rural driving). I went inside for approximately two hours and when I went outside to leave, I noticed smoke coming from a whole in the windshield. The instrument panel was on fire. I called for my husband to come outside and he immediately call the local fire department. The fire department arrived within a few minutes and extinguished the fire. The vehicle was a total loss (purse, two car seats, clothes, umbrellas, cds, etc. ) I have not received an official recall notice from daimler Chrysler corporation. After searching online after this incident, I found a letter from the us department of transportation regarding electrical system: instrument panel recall. The letter stated that recall notices will be sent in April 2007. After five days, our insurance company (state farm) will not cover the payoff amount due on the vehicle. Daimler Chrysler corporation has not accepted any responsibility for this instrument panel fire. Therefore, we are left without a vehicle, $2,700 loan balance and loss of personal belonging.

- the contact stated that the 2004 Dodge Durango with 38,000 failure mileage caught on fire while parked in the driveway. The contact thought that there was a short in the electrical system. There was recall 07v092000 that was established on March 2,2006. The vehicle will be towed today. The consumer provided a report from the fire department. Updated 05/21/07.

- the contact owns a 2004 Dodge Durango with a current mileage of 46,000 miles. The contact's vehicle hd the same problems as mentioned in recall 07v092000 concerning the instrument panel. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer, and was told that this vehicle was not included in the recall due to the VIN, and that he would have to pay for the repairs.

I was driving down the highway for about 3 minutes and I noticed the interior lighting was on. At this time my instrument panel started smoking. Once this happened the gauges started acting crazy and the windshield wipers came on. The switch was not on and there were no lights in the dash. By the time I got to the side of the road the dash had black smoke coming from it. Within 5 minutes the vehicle was completely engulfed with flames. By the time the fire and rescue got there the traffic on the highway had slowed considerably and the smoke was so bad you couldn't even see the highway. The vehicle was a total loss. There are a number of things that could have happened. Thankfully no one was injured and my children were not in the vehicle.

- the contact owns a 2004 Dodge Durango. The interior lighting in the instrument panel will not turn off. The failure caused the battery to lose its charge on several occasions. The radio and the door chime turned on intermittently. The dealer stated that the vehicle needed a new cluster module. The manufacturer stated that recall#07v092000 related to the instrument panel did not pertain to this vehicle due to the VIN. The current and failure mileage were 43,000. The consumer states there is another recall pertaining to his vehicle recall #03v528000 and also has invoices for service provided to vehicle. Update 4/23/07.

On March 2, 2007 I got in my 2004 Dodge Durango limited (hemi) to take my kids to school, I noticed my radio had no sound, the power came on, but no sound at all was heard. After I drove about 1/2 of a mile the speedometer and tachometer gauges started acting erratic, jumping up and down, the radio came back on for a few seconds, then cut out again. The overhead temp control was jumping from 54 degrees to negative 40!. My airbag light came on and stayed on as well as the etc light. After dropping my kids at school, I have not drove this truck, with less than 41000 miles. After reading that fires have started in many other 2004 Durango's, I would like to know why my truck has not been issued a recall, what are they waiting for? I can not put my kids in this truck. In October 2006 my truck was leaking from above my drivers side door (34713 miles), we took it to the dealer and they had to re-seal seams above my door as well as other possible areas water could be getting in, one week later my truck started stalling at stop signs, my husband took it do the dealer again (35050 miles) the dealer schaefer and strohminger Dodge whitemarsh of course tells us that it is lack of maintenance (not true) and we need the throttle body cleaned ($169. 00 and a tune up $182. 00) yet just the week before when my truck was there they did the multi-point inspection report and checked that everything was fine. After doing research I found out the issue with the leak above my door was sent out as a customer satisfaction notification no. D10, dated March 2004, why didn't I get this notification? better yet, why didn't the dealer fix this before I bought it in sept. 04? what good is the warranty from them when everything is denied? I will never buy a Dodge/Chrysler vehicle again. I have had many vehicles and never had an issue with a dealer not honoring a warranty and fixing problems, this is ridiculous and unsafe.

- the contact has a 2004 Dodge Durango with an odometer reading of 43000 miles on it when the instrument panel caught on fire. The contact stated that on 1-4-06 while driving at 15 mph the lights on the instrument panel started to blink off and on and he detected smoke. The contact was able to get out of the vehicle before the instrument panel caught on fire. The fire department extinguished the fire. The fire report will be available.

2004 Dodge Durango. Initially interior dome lights would not automatically dim and turn off upon entering the car. Lights would turn off by manually pushing button twice- once to dim/ needed to wait a period of time/ then again to turn off. This began 5 days ago. After back hatch was opened and closed, back hatch light stayed on continuously, this began 3 days ago. Bottom of instrument panel/ heater area failed to illuminate on occasion. This began about 3 days ago. Drove yesterday, driving fine other than these electrical issues. About 1 hour after driving car, horrible smell occured in interior- smelled like a cross between something burning/ melting and paint fumes. Upon starting the car the windshield wipers started on high speed and the tow light was flashing- could not turn off wipers. More of instrument panel lights were out, electrical system seemed crazy. Immediately turned off car, afraid of a fire. I've found other similar reports of 2004 Dodge Durangos and have had auto towed to dealer. Initally they need to replace the circuit board as it is fried and then look at the tcm. This car is only 2 years old .

At approximately 10:30pm on December 26, 2006 our 2004 Dodge Durango caught of fire. We originally noticed the interior lights would not go off either manually or automatically. After driving the vehicle for about 45 minutes smoke poured out of the dash board and within minutes fire erupted and ignited the interior of the vehicle. Flames broke through the windshied and caused additional damage to the roof of the vehicle. Firefighters arrived on the scene within 10 minutes and extinguished the fire. All of our personal property was damaged and my daughter (7) and son (5) will still not fall asleep at night in fear the house will catch on fire since we have an attached garage.

On 12/31/2006, as we were leaving in our 2004 Dodge Durango, the automatic door lock mechanism engaged, and then the interior lights came on by themselves and would not dim. We initially could not get them off, but we finally were able to turn off most of the interior lights except for liftgate light. Since that time, none of the interior lights come on when opening the door. Also, on the awd and 4wd switch panel, the neutral light stays on all the time. The alarm also goes off when using the key. We took the vehicle to the dealer on 1/2/2007, and then had to bring it back the next day for an actual appointment. They informed us that the instrument cluster panel, which is what is causing the issue, is on back order, and we have to wait 3 weeks to take it in so they can order parts. We will have to have a rental car as it will take possibly 4 days, and apparently we cannot accrue miles on the Durango during that time. In the meantime, with the other complaints that have been filed with similar problems like this and the possibility of fires, we are leaving the car out in the driveway just in case.

(1) I got into my 2004 Dodge Durango slt and began driving. I noticed that the interior lights were on. I attempted to turn them off but they would not go out with the overhead switch. I read the manual that stated lights would go out after 8 minutes if there was no key in the ignition (2) when I arrived home I got out of the car and went inside my home. A few hours later I went back out to the car. When I opened the door a vapor cloud billowed out and a very strong odor of burned electrical components was in the driving compartment. When I started the car I noticed a number of non-working components including. 1 - all guages (needles non responsive to actual running conditions) 2 - odometer and gear selector (digital readouts not working) 3 - interior lights 4 - backlighting for termperature controls and various other controls (3) this woccured just over a month after purchasing the vehicle used. I have yet been able to afford to fix the problem, and the Dodge cetified dealers refuse to give me any kind of quote on the approximate cost to fix this problem. I will update this when I finally get this fixed.

The contact owns a 2004 Dodge Durango. After performing a recall repair, the technician stated that the vehicle was safe for the contact to drive. While traveling to pennsylvania at 45 mph, the vehicle caught fire and the contact and her family were locked inside the vehicle as the flames continued to spread. The vehicle is included in recall # 07v092000 (electrical system: instrument panel) and is also known as safety recall go7 regarding the instrument panel. Daimler Chrysler stated that she needs to get a rental car and to bring the vehicle to the dealer. The manufacturer was unable to help. The contact spoke with the corporation fourteen times and continually claimed that they could not help. Furthermore, she would have to pay for the rental car that was suggested. A police report was filed. The current and failure mileages were 37,000.

The contact owns a 2004 Dodge Durango. The vehicle was parked when the contact noticed all interior lights were illuminated. The contact then started the vehicle and the dashboard caught on fire. The contact confirmed the failure had occurred on four different occasions. On the fourth incident, the engine blew out. The vehicle was towed to the dealer all four times in regards to the failure. The dealer replaced the dashboard cluster on each occasion. The VIN was not available. The approximate current and failure mileages were 109,000.

The contact owns a 2004 Dodge Durango. The contact stated that the accelerator pedal went all the way to the floorboard when depressed. In addition, the radiator constantly overheated and the speedometer was registering hot. The dealer replaced the radiator, and stated that it was clogged and no longer under warranty. Another dealer stated that there was a hole punctured in the radiator. When the contact returned to the original dealer, they stated that they also noticed the hole. The instrument panel indicator light illuminated, and the passenger's side windshield wiper constantly became unscrewed. This was the contact's second Dodge Durango, and was having the same failures. She stated that she never received any recall notices for any of the ones that existed. The dealer did not record the VIN to research if the vehicle had any defects. The vehicle was brought to dealer for service for all of the failures except the instrument panel light and windshield light. The current mileage is 68,000 , and failure mileage was 30,000.