Transfer Case problems of the 2005 Dodge Durango - part 1

While driving on highway, vehicle just threw itself into 4lo 4wd and started grinding. I had to slam the brakes to save the truck and come to a quick stop from highway speeds. Had to limp it home at 15 mph. Before limping it home, it decided to throw itself into neutral and I couldn't get any motion. After being at a complete stop for a while, the vehicle went back into one of it's 3 modes (I don't know which), awd, 4hi or 4lo. I limped it home and parked it. Dodge dealer says I need a new transfer case and online information from other users shows this as a "known issue" with no real resolution. I have read that other folks have replaced their transfer case and still have the same issue. This is ridiculous to have happened to me after all these years of people reporting this issue in the past. I could have been killed and I'm not happy. I have stayed on top of all repairs on this vehicle and have had no issues. This was a shock. Where is the recall for this?.

The transfer case is changing from all wheel drive into four wheel drive high and low by itself at random. It first happened to my 16 year old daughter. She was driving 65 mph when the transfer case switched on its on. This could have been a horrible accident. Dodge says they know nothing about this issue. This needs to be a recall. This is a serious issue. Your vehecile's transfer case moving all by itself. When the vehecile is parked you can hear the transfer case motor actuating with nothing on. Car parked. This issue is all over the internet with no answers and Dodge knows nothing or is pretending to. This is big. Dangerous issue. Please issue a recall bobby young. 9364044872. Tha car is parked until. This is a Dodge problem not the consumer.

While driving, svc awd light comes on, then goes out. No problem there but that is only the beginning. In a slow hard turn on reverse, the wheels seem to bind up with an uncontrolled lock into four wheel drive. With my research into this problem, I discovered many other people with the exact same problem. 72 pages of the same complaint !! some even tell the of car shifting into 4 wheel drive on the highway slowing the car into dangerously slow speed . I traced complaints back to 2004 , all deal with the transfer case shift motor or the wiring controlling it. Also related to the a/c connection, or the awd, 4 high and 4 low lock switch. I experienced the shift into four wheel drive in slow speed turning and backing but to have it shift into 4 lo lock during driving has me afraid to drive it at all. Over 350 complaints of the same problem, with only one web site sounds like a major design problem that Dodge has not addressed at all. Fyi I bought this car used at koch 33 dealer and they did not disclose the problem in advanced. Thanks rich.

4 lo light flashing. Service 4wd light flashing. Shifted to 4 lo on its own. Stuck in 4 lo. Have to unplug transfer case to drive vehicle. Back wheels locked up. This happens in a parking lot after turning car off and using key to fob to lock doors. Lights flash going down highway and on city streets at all speeds. Car will make shifting noises when turned off in park and key removed.

Transfer case control motor shifts into 4wd and 4lo on its own while driving and while vehicle is off. I wrote about this a while back, still no solution. Many others are having this issue. Check out this website. . Read more...

Transfer case is engaging 4hi and 4 lock while driving automatically. Blinks lights on dash and goes away. Can hear the transfer case actuating when vehicle is parked after engine runs. Then goes away.

The vehicle began making a clicking sound after turning the key off and removing the key. It sounded like it was trying to lock into 4-wheel drive mode. I stuck my key back in and turned it to just before starting engine to see if any dash lights come in and the svc light flashed once. When I've turned the ignition on but let it in park I hear the same clicking sound. I've turned the knob that changes mode from 4lo, 4x4, and awd but this changed nothing. I was told the sound comes from the transfer case motor but none of the local dealerships can find anything wrong. Please investigate several of the on-line forums are full of these same type of issues with the same make, model, and year as mine; and even with the same dealership act of ignorance issues I experienced.

The transfer case make clicking counts when driving and while car is idle. It also makes these clicking noises while the car is off putting the car into 4 lo on its own. The car will sometimes shut off while driving low speeds and attempting to make a turn. The battery dies frequently after a week of not is use.

"takata recall" I took the Durango to orange coast Dodge in costa mesa to fix the recall. They inserted a diagnostic device that showed that the air bag system was off line. No warning light was showing on the dash. When starting the vehicle the airbag light and the restraint system indicators on the dash light up for a few seconds then go off. The dealer ran a diagnostics and found that the airbag system was not initialized and that the warning light does not come on because the vehicle computer cannot connect to the system. He said its as if the system is not installed. The service associate said that he's seen this before and doesn't know for sure how it happens - maybe a voltage spike or battery issue. They performed the recall, initialized the system, tested and say everything works. Cost me $155. How will I know for sure that my airbags are online if the indicators don't show me? I had a front end collision in the vehicle in 2015 and the airbags did not deploy - see attached photo. After the collision the transfer case motor was stuck in 4 wheel drive mode even though the switch is in awd position. At no time have I seen any indicator on the dash that shows the air bags or restraint system not working.

Started with the ser 4 wheel drive light coming on intermitly . . Then passenger side window intermitly stops working . . Next the transfer case motor switches all by its self into 4 wheel lock and 4 wheel lo with no lights on the dash. . When its in 4 wheel lock its very hard to drive and turning almost imposable this creates a very unsafe condition when your driving when its in lock you can barely get out of a parking spot or get turned around even more scary on the road when it shifts all by its self . . Many times no lights on the dash to tell you it has changed . . . Other time while driving at highway speeds the 4 lock of 4 lo lights come on . . Very dangerous . . . Sometime the key fob also makes the transfer case motor change when the truck is not even running.

Vehicle switches into 4x4 with vehicle turned off Chrysler says they don't know what's wrong but if you go to car gurus . Com lots and lots of people have this problem and no one will help us cause is transfer case motor engages on its own causing our car to lock 4x4 and yes vehicle will skid around corners and is dangerus.

The transfer case puts itself into 4 wheel drive while driving. It also seems to be affected by the door locking mechanism as you can hear the transfer case moving. When it's in 4 wheel drive it makes turning very difficult and dangerous because it just won't turn. I am grounding this vehicle and will have it towed to Dodge but after reading all the posts about these vehicles it appears Dodge doesn't know how to fix it either.

The vehicle doesn't want to drive like the brake is on this happens even worse when trying to turn. The service 4 wheel drive light is on. I got on a forum and was blown away by all the people having the same problem. Some say electrical some say transfer case. They was 2005 or all in this area. The vehicle only has 69000 miles on it.

Driving the Durango the vehicle will shift into 4 wheel low at any speed,also when I turn the car off and take out the key you can hear the transfer case or transfer case motor engaging,also the service 4wd system light blinks on and off all the time. Dodge dealer have no clue whats wrong.

Two days ago I was driving down the highway about 75 mph when my service 4 wheel drive light came on and then it switched itself into 4 wheel drive by itself. And then I herd a load pop and it started smoking. I managed to get pulled over while it was yanking me to the left the hole time. I popped the hood to fined what smelled like burned tranny fluid all over my engine. I managed to move the vehicle to the exit in front of me and had it towed from the gas station back home. I had my mechanic from the car lot I bought it from come and take a look he said the transfer motor was ready a faulty voltage and triggered the 4 wheel drive and going 75 mph when it engaged blew my transfer case and maybe more. He have to get it back to the shop to find out more. I looked on several forums to find that for over the past 5 yrs a lot of Dodge Durango owners have had the same issue and have spent thousands to fix an issue that obviously was a defect from the factory. They replaced front control module, transfer case, transfer case motor and had it rewired. Some did part and later had to do it all just to fix. If I had not had durby driving experience when this happened I could have been killed. I feel this is a major safety issue for the people that don't have knowledge of controlling a vehicle that you have shift on its own and put you all over the road. . Read more...

Several incidents of uncommanded engagement of the four wheel drive from the all wheel drive mode. No indication at the dash or at the switch located on the dash. This has occurred while in motion at highway speeds and while the vehicle is stopped and turned off (the sound of the transfer case servo motor operating is quite obvious). This presents a very dangerous situation since engagement of the 4wd at highway speeds, particularly when the road surface is slippery, could easily results in lose of control.

While driving, turning, parked, vehicle on or off, the 4wd selector will switch between awd, 4lock and 4lo. The svc4wd light sometimes blinks after start up, sometimes while driving. This happens in park, neutral or drive and the transfer case motor can be heard switching under the vehicle. . Read more...

Vehicle started showing an intermittent "svc 4wd" light and vehicle would shift itself into low 4wd while making low speed turns. Had it checked by dealer, who said codes showed "unequal tire pressure". Tires were within 1 psi of each other. Drove vehicle again, and codes said "unequal tire speed". Dealer advised we replace all four tires, which we did. During our next trip (yesterday), the "svc 4wd" light came on and off several times, then vehicle suddenly lost all forward momentum while driving at highway speeds. Vehicle's transfer case had shifted itself neutral, leaving vehicle stranded in highway with no shoulder. While starting the car to try to troubleshoot the problem, it suddenly and without warning shifted itself into low 4wd and lurched forward. I have researched the issue online in various Dodge forums, and have found dozens of similar cases where there have been vehicles stranded in the highway due to the same problem. Several Dodge dealers evidently have had problems diagnosing the problem, replacing all possible parts only to have the issue recur within days. There are others who say they have filed complaints here and urge us who experience the same problem demand a recall. Please investigate and force Dodge to fix this obvious safety flaw that could easily cause a loss of life accident.

Transfer case motor engages by itself while driving and while parked. 4-lock light flickers on and off can hear the motor trying to engage. While driving it will engage and lock up the power train. Have to have a person push the neutral reset button while rocking vehicle to free. Have had vehicle stop in middle of intersection on a city street in front of on-coming traffic. Motor has tried to engage while driving at 35 mph. Told by mechanic that the transfer case could explode if the motor tries to engage while vehicle is moving at high speed. First happened approximately four years ago and had to wait over a year for the part. Had to disable 4wd until part arrived. Same thing is happening again.

The contact owns a 2005 Dodge Durango. The contact stated that the transfer case shifter would shift automatically without warning . The four wheel drive warning light illuminated whenever the transfer case shifter would shift independently. The contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic, who attempted several repairs. However, the failure recurred. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 153,661.

On my vehicle the 4 wheel drive will automatically engage while I am driving. It has switched into 4lo a few times which almost caused a serious accident. There is also a clicking noise that sounds like the gears are switching back and forth, when I use the remote lock/unlock on the key fob. The Dodge dealership did not know why it was happening and said maybe I should replace the transfer case but they did not know for sure if that would do anything. So I lost over $100 and got nothing out of it. I took it to my mechanic who said that unplugging at the transfer case would stop the issue but the 4 lo and other switches would not work and the service 4x4 light would remain on. Since I have to drive I had him do this and it did fix the problem but now I don't have any 4 wheel drive which really sucks living in utah with all the snow. The fact that the vehicle would switch into 4 lo when I was doing 70 mph on the freeway is a major safety concern. There needs to be a recall on this problem.

It is switching between awd 4x4 lo and high on its own. Backing up it felt like a spring propelling me forward. Fearing that I could lose control on the highway. Mechanic is looking into lower the transmission for the issue but online I found a forum under topix and the issue was very clearly a $200 part that can be purchased and installed in under an hour of labor. Its the transfer case switch which has all the symptoms my vehicle is experiencing.

I placed the vehicle into reverse and could feel that it had shifted into four wheel drive by itself. The dash warning light did not come on but the vehicle did not operate correctly on the dry pavement. After parking and shutting down the vehicle I could hear the transfer case motor shift the transfer case with no key in the vehicle. Now I hear the transfer case switching modes after the vehicle is shut down, and it has shifted to four wheel drive at least two more times on its own while driving.

The contact owns a 2005 Dodge Durango. While driving approximately 45 mph, the vehicle switched independently to drive and immediately decelerated in the middle of the road. The contact pulled over and restarted the vehicle. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The failure recurred and the vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed that the transfer case motor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 155,000. The VIN was not provided.

The vehicle transfer case changes from awd to 4hi and 4lo without the switch being moved. This has most often happened at low speeds such as when pulling into a parking space, but when switching to 4lo causes difficulty steering due to the front wheels being locked together. Twice I have come close to hitting another vehicle while parking due to this issue. I have also heard the transfer case switching between modes with the vehicle turned off. I am very concerned about this happening at higher speeds.

The transfer case shifts by its self. The vehicle shifts into lock all on it's own, then the svc 4wd light comes on. Sometimes when the vehicle is turned off you can hear the transfer shift back and forth from awd to 4 lock now its stuck in 4lo this happens stationary and in motion.

Driving on I-43 to work, the 4 wheel lo light flashed and went out. A few minutes later it flashed again, except this time it locked in 4 wheel lo at 70 mph during morning rush hour traffic. This caused the vehicle to rapidly slow down from 70 mph to 25 mph. I had check the vehicle codes with no errors. On the way home, I had to stop several times to cycle the transfer case, in order to disengage the 4 wheel lo. Reading many blogs on the internet, this seems to be an issue with 2004 through 2007 Dodge 4 wheel drive vehicles. Mechanic states that without a code, they will just start replacing parts until the correct one is found. This could take $2000. 00 to $3000. 00.

My 2005 Dodge Durango will go into 4 wheel low with out warning and will shift into 4 wheel lock with out waring there is something goin on with the 2005 Dodge Durango I have read many forums with 500 people saying the same thing . Please make Dodge recall this as it is going to result in fatalities . A lot of people are changing the transfer case , transfer case motor and electrical and it keeps doing the same thing to make these vehicles unreliable and can cause death to my family and others as well please make Dodge recall the 4 wheel drive . Thank you.

My 2005 Dodge Durango keeps locking up when I'm turning. When the vehicle is on or off it will start flashing 4lo. The vehicle shifts into lock all on it's own, then the svc 4wd light comes on. After a few minutes the light will go off and the transfer case will shift back to awd. Sometimes when the vehicle is turned off you can hear the transfer shift back and forth from awd to 4 lock.

Was driving on the freeway. The service 4wd light started flashing, and the transmission shifted into 4lo by itself. All efforts to shift back out of 4lo failed. Had the vehicle towed. Service shop diagnosed transfer case as the problem, and replaced it. The problem persists. Vehicle continues to shift into 4lo by itself which impacts the ability to turn the vehicle.

Tl-the contact owns a 2005 Dodge Durango. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 mph, the vehicle's 4 wheel drive light began to illuminate, and a unusual noise was heard coming from within the vehicle. The contact stated that before the issue began the transfer case was replaced. The vehicle was not seen for diagnostic testing. The issue has occurred frequently. The manufacturer was not notified of the issue. Mm.

My 2005 Dodge Durango switched from awd to 4x4 while I was driving. Which almost made me loose control of the vehicle with family in the car, this was very scary and dangerous, thank god we weren't on the highway. Svc 4wd light is coming on, 4loc and 4lo flash and transfer case motor clicks while driving or just idling, sometimes clicks when I unlock the doors. Researched issue on the net and found several forums and discovered that this is happening to a lot of people, this needs to become a recall fast before someone gets hurt or worse. I currently pulled plug on transfer case motor and have it locked in awd drive, hope this holds, but I paid for 4 wheel drive as did many other people. From what I've read this has been going on for years. Dodge needs to make this right. Thank you.

As I went to work today, I noticed my truck was kicking when accelerating down the street. As I would come up to a complete stop, the truck would still keep on going. I have been hearing clicking when I open up the driver door , and on occasion on my daily commute to work, I was noticing the 4lo light blink. Well, today, I drove to work, and on the interstate, the 4lo light came on without blinking. A solid color. I started to see a lot of white smoke come from under the hood of the car, and from the bottom of the car as well. I pulled over to look at the vehicle and noticed that the truck was leaking all the tranny fluid. I was blocks from work, when I went back into the Durango and noticed that the extreme heat light had turned on in the dashboard. I waited about 30 minutes until I turned my truck back on , and begin to drive to work. It was still kicking and now it felt like the tranny was slipping. I finally made it to work. The truck was engulfed in smoke . Ive noticed that when the 4lo lights start blinking, I have a hard time trying to turn the wheels left or right, and my wheels lock. This should be a transfer case recall. . . Its a real big safety issue.

While driving on the freeway, I noticed that my 4 lo warning light was flashing on my instrument panel. Once I came to a safe stop, I could hear what sounded like my 4 wheel drive actively trying to engage itself by making a clanking noise. Several days later, it did the same thing, only this time, it succeeded in shifting itself into 4 wheel drive but only for a brief period. Now it does this on a daily basis and will even do this in my garage with the keys out of the ignition. It will also do this when I use the key fob to unlock my doors. Please look into this as there are several other Durango owners who are experiencing the same issue. My worry is that it will find a way to shift itself into 4 lo while either my wife or myself are driving down the freeway. If that happens, it could be catastrophic. This is something that Dodge needs to recall to prevent any injuries or deaths. People have attempted to replace the transfer case, replace wiring, and several other fix attempts but to no avail. As a 16-year career firefighter, I am pleading with you to look into this.

My 2005 Dodge Durango has an issue with the transfer case. When using the key fob to unlock the doors, the transfer case will switch from awd to 4wd hi on its on. Also while driving the service 4wd light will appear and it will switch to 4wd hi and if going around a turn. My wheels have locked up causing me to slide and almost hitting another vehicles. I believe this is unsafe and have been many complaints. How many more of these have to happen and ends up taking someones life. I would like to see this issue resolved.