1999 Dodge Durango — Known Issues & Recalls

While driving at 75 mph, your vehicle suddenly lost all electrical power without any warning. An independent mechanic diagnosed a defective electronic control module (ECM) as the cause. Even after the module was replaced, the same problem happened again. The fix will involve replacing or reprogramming the electronic control module that manages your vehicle's engine and electrical systems.

Your Durango's engine suddenly shuts off while driving, causing complete power loss—this has happened multiple times on the highway and created near-accident situations. The shutdown also occurs when the car is parked, typically about 15 minutes after you start it. This issue may require diagnosis of the electrical system to identify whether it's related to the ignition switch, battery connections, or other power distribution components.

Your vehicle suddenly loses all electrical power and won't start, and the odometer displays "NO BUS" on the dashboard. After waiting several minutes (sometimes up to 15 minutes), the engine restarts on its own, but no diagnostic codes appear when you check with an OBD2 scanner. This suggests an intermittent electrical connection issue rather than a specific component failure.

Your vehicle experienced a fire incident. This is a serious safety concern that requires immediate inspection by a qualified mechanic or dealership to identify the fire source and prevent future occurrences.

Your Durango stalls out while driving and won't restart until you wait several minutes. You've already replaced the cam sensor, crank sensor, throttle position sensor, transmission sensor, and the engine computer, but after 6 months the problem returned with rough idling and multiple sensor-related error codes appearing. The vehicle now won't run well enough to drive to a dealer for diagnosis. Fixing this may require extensive electrical system diagnostics, replacement of additional sensors, or a complete engine control computer replacement along with reprogramming.

Your Durango is struggling to shift from first to second gear—the engine revs climb to 5,000-6,000 RPM before it finally shifts, and it feels like the car is running out of gas with a chugging sensation when you accelerate. You've already replaced sensors and done a transmission flush, but the problem persists. The transmission may need a more thorough diagnostic or internal repair to address the shifting delay.

Your brake lines have burst due to rust and corrosion, and this has happened multiple times even after replacing them with factory parts. When steel brake lines corrode and burst, your brakes can fail completely, making it impossible to stop your vehicle. The repeated failures suggest a systemic corrosion problem rather than isolated incidents. A fix would involve replacing the brake lines with new ones and potentially investigating why they're corroding so quickly (such as checking for water intrusion, poor drainage, or using protective coatings).

Your engine randomly misfires and can drop RPMs or stall without warning at any speed, which is especially dangerous at low speeds when it can cause you to lose power steering and brake function. Despite replacing sensors, fuel pump, injectors, and the entire ignition system, no check engine light appears and diagnostic readers show no misfire codes or history. The fix may involve deep electrical diagnostics to find intermittent faults in the ignition or engine control systems that don't trigger standard trouble codes.

Shortly after purchasing this 1999 Dodge Durango, you discovered multiple serious problems: the steering wheel is loose, the vehicle needs a tune-up, and most critically, the car began smoking inside and outside the cabin, eventually catching fire underneath near the firewall. The seller had mentioned an electrical issue between the battery and transmission. The fire suggests a potentially dangerous electrical or fuel system fault that requires immediate professional inspection.

When the outside temperature exceeds 80 degrees, your engine shuts off unexpectedly while driving at any speed, and a "no bus" error code appears on the dashboard for a few seconds. When this happens, your power steering and brakes become very hard to use, which is dangerous on the highway. Pulling over and letting the computer cool down restarts the engine. The fix likely involves diagnosing the computer's thermal management system or replacing a faulty engine control module that's overheating in warm weather.

Your Durango has multiple electrical issues: the oil pressure gauge drops sharply when turning, wheel speed sensors trigger a persistent dashboard warning light, and spark plugs foul prematurely. You've already replaced the PCM computer twice, and the factory anti-theft system has stopped working—suggesting an intermittent electrical short somewhere in the system. Most concerning, your engine has stalled while driving, which is a serious safety issue. These problems likely require a thorough electrical system diagnosis to locate the short circuit, along with possible replacements of the wheel speed sensors, PCM, and fuel/ignition system components.

While driving at 55 mph, your vehicle lost all electrical power without warning, making the power steering and brakes stop working. The engine control module overheated due to being positioned too close to the exhaust manifold, and a stripped nut on the steering knuckle made steering difficult to maneuver. After restarting, the vehicle lost power again after about one mile. Repairs may involve relocating or heat-shielding the engine control module, replacing the steering knuckle hardware, and checking related steering and suspension components.

Your engine has stalled without warning multiple times while driving in heavy traffic, causing all dashboard gauges to drop to zero and cutting power to your steering and brakes. After stalling, the engine turns over but won't start right away — usually requiring 4-6 restart attempts before running normally again. This is a serious safety issue since you lose steering and brake power while moving, though you were able to coast to safety each time.

Your vehicle's engine control computer (PCM/ECU) fails when it overheats, causing the engine to stall and disabling power steering and brakes — a critical safety issue that has happened multiple times at highway speeds. The problem is caused by solder joints coming loose on internal chips due to heat, and even replacement units from Dodge dealerships have failed within months. Fixing this requires replacing the PCM/ECU with a properly soldered unit, though finding a reliable replacement has been difficult.

Your vehicle's engine is shutting off unexpectedly while you're driving, even though the computer module (PCM) was already replaced and worked fine for 2 months before the problem returned. This has happened multiple times at various speeds (45 mph on city streets and 65 mph on the highway), creating a serious safety hazard that has nearly caused accidents. The issue likely involves a faulty electrical connection, sensor, or a replacement computer module that isn't functioning properly, and will need diagnostic testing to identify the root cause.

Your Durango stalled without warning while slowly approaching a stop sign at about 5 mph. The engine would restart when you put the shifter in Park or Neutral, but stalled again as soon as you shifted into Drive. This suggests a problem with the transmission, idle control, or fuel delivery when the vehicle is under load.

Your ABS and brake warning lights turned on after you bought the vehicle, and your mechanic found a potential rear wheel sensor issue. However, multiple diagnostic scans haven't produced a clear error code, making it difficult to pinpoint the exact problem without replacing parts speculatively. The check engine light has also come on. The fix will likely involve diagnosing and replacing the faulty ABS wheel sensor or related brake system components once the problem is properly identified.

Your vehicle is stalling unexpectedly while driving and when coming to a stop, both on streets and highways. You've already replaced the idle air control valve, MAP sensor, and throttle position sensor, but the problem persists. The mechanic will need to diagnose the fuel system and engine control components further to identify what's causing the stalling.

Your steering feels unstable at high speeds, making it difficult to control the vehicle—you suspect the steering wheel or airbags may be involved. You've replaced front and rear brake components and had a hub replaced, which helped somewhat, but you're still experiencing skidding when trying to stop. Your headlights aren't working properly. A mechanic should inspect your steering system, braking components, and electrical system to diagnose these interconnected issues.

Your fuel tank strap broke while you were driving in the city, causing the tank to hang unsecurely. You discovered a recall existed for this exact issue, but your dealer said your vehicle doesn't qualify for the recall repair. The tank strap will need to be replaced to secure the fuel tank properly.