Dont use your Durango to back your boat into the lake.

[beaverretriever]

My wife and I just bought a new 06 Dodge Durango with the Hemi. With only 2000 miles on it, it has been in the shop going on a month. The dealer told me this has happened on other Durangos as well, but our issue became more severe than most.
I guess when we backed it into the lake some fuel pressure sensor/valve down by the exhaust got wet and sucked water into the intake. All the CELs came on and started running extremely poorly.
We got it back last week after 18 days in the shop, now its going back in due to the problem not being fixed. Hopefully it will go 30 days and a new vehicle will be coming our way.
Anyone else have a Durango with this problem?
What do people do back east where the fricken water goes up to the doors during flooding? Bad design on Dodges part. I mean come on, every damn SUV commercial shows the fricken things towing boats and watercraft...LOL

[Outnumbered]

Got an 04 (same as 06) 4x4 with 28,000 miles, most towing boats and a 25 foot TT. On some ramps we have had the exhuast under water and bubbling. Never heard of this type of problem. Is it a 4x4?

[beaverretriever]

Got an 04 (same as 06) 4x4 with 28,000 miles, most towing boats and a 25 foot TT. On some ramps we have had the exhuast under water and bubbling. Never heard of this type of problem. Is it a 4x4?
No, ours is a 2wd. I was told this has happened to both 4x and 2wd . A few more days in the shop and we will be looking at a lemon.

[Hardly Satisfied]

First Mistake , Buying A Dodge

[Outnumbered]

First Mistake , Buying A Dodge
Here we go :rolleyes:

[Legal Chemistry]

2001 (Different Style) 2x w/the 5.9L and not a problem... hmmm What happened to newer and BETTER???? WTF!

[bigq]

How do you suck water into the intake from the back of the car? Where is this sensor located?

[Outnumbered]

2001 (Different Style) 2x w/the 5.9L and not a problem... hmmm What happened to newer and BETTER???? WTF!
I had an 01 Durango and now have an 04 Hemi. Two totally different trucks. I like the 04 much better but the 01 was more truck-like and could be off-roaded mildly, where the 04 is a street machine even in 4x4 trim. Towed to capacity with both nearly all the miles used on them because we have other cars to drive around town. Both were excellent trucks.
This seems like a wierd deal. Just like Bigq said, why/where is there an intake in the exhaust??? Never heard of this.

[bigblockbill]

I guess when we backed it into the lake ...<snip> it sucked water into the intake
I usally use my boat in the lake and the truck on the road
:)
Honestly, that sucks and it does not sound like your the only one with the problem. Even if you were to call it a lemon and give you another I am not sure I would want to use it either.

[Outnumbered]

...it does not sound like your the only one with the problem. ...
You have heard of this problem before?

[beaverretriever]

You have heard of this problem before?
Yeah, sounds weird sucking water into the intake, but it happened.
There is an inlet down by the back of the exhaust system, that lets air in to a canister that pressurizes the fuel system to check for leaks and if found sets a CEL. Some how this canister has an inlet to the air intake and intake plenum as well. When the valve happened to open to pressurize the system, we were backed in to the lake, and it sucked water through the whole system. :mad:
The dealer says they may have to put a new engine. I will go for the lemon law if they say that needs to happen. We are pushing 24 days in the shop now.
BTW, I have owned Fords my whole life, and I bought a brand new 06 F-150 4wd quad cab with the 5.4, and I had more problems with it than the Durango. We went through 3 rear ends, two drivlines, and a steering collum.
We had an 04 Hemi P/u that was one of the best trucks I have ever owned, except for the mileage. We own a 400hp SRT-4 as well that has been flawless.

[Outnumbered]

Yeah, sounds weird sucking water into the intake, but it happened.
There is an inlet down by the back of the exhaust system, that lets air in to a canister that pressurizes the fuel system to check for leaks and if found sets a CEL. Some how this canister has an inlet to the air intake and intake plenum as well. When the valve happened to open to pressurize the system, we were backed in to the lake, and it sucked water through the whole system. :mad:
The dealer says they may have to put a new engine. I will go for the lemon law if they say that needs to happen. We are pushing 24 days in the shop now.
BTW, I have owned Fords my whole life, and I bought a brand new 06 F-150 4wd quad cab with the 5.4, and I had more problems with it than the Durango. We went through 3 rear ends, two drivlines, and a steering collum.
We had an 04 Hemi P/u that was one of the best trucks I have ever owned, except for the mileage. We own a 400hp SRT-4 as well that has been flawless.
I don't doubt this happened to you I was quoting "Bigblockbill" because he said it sounds like you were "not the only one" to have this. So far, it seems like you are the only one. Since I have the same truck and do back it in pretty deep sometimes I am concerned. It sounds like this may have happened when the truck was started? Maybe by leaving it running I have escaped the problem? Please keep us posted. BTW, just how deep were you in? All vehicles have a "fording depth" which the manufacturer recommends you do not exceed. It typically is not very deep, maybe 20-25".

[OGShocker]

My wife and I just bought a new 06 Dodge Durango with the Hemi. With only 2000 miles on it, it has been in the shop going on a month. The dealer told me this has happened on other Durangos as well, but our issue became more severe than most.
I guess when we backed it into the lake some fuel pressure sensor/valve down by the exhaust got wet and sucked water into the intake. All the CELs came on and started running extremely poorly.
We got it back last week after 18 days in the shop, now its going back in due to the problem not being fixed. Hopefully it will go 30 days and a new vehicle will be coming our way.
Anyone else have a Durango with this problem?
What do people do back east where the fricken water goes up to the doors during flooding? Bad design on Dodges part. I mean come on, every damn SUV commercial shows the fricken things towing boats and watercraft...LOL
How deep were you?:D
Sorry to hear of you problems....Good luck!

[beaverretriever]

We were not deep at all. The water was not even at the bumper. I think that you should be able to run up to the middle of the headlights...LOL. As long as there is no water going in to the intake, I should be able to tread pretty deep water.

[Outnumbered]

We were not deep at all. The water was not even at the bumper. I think that you should be able to run up to the middle of the headlights...LOL. As long as there is no water going in to the intake, I should be able to tread pretty deep water.
Did you turn it off while the exhaust was under water?

[Jeanyus]

No, ours is a 2wd. I was told this has happened to both 4x and 2wd . A few more days in the shop and we will be looking at a lemon.
Better read the fine print on the lemon laws. If you backed the vehicle into the lake and damaged it,it does not qualify as a lemon.

[Outnumbered]

I did a search on Dodge Talk and nothing came up. This model has been out for 2-3 years. I would think that if it was a design flaw it would have come up and be quite known by now.

[beaverretriever]

Better read the fine print on the lemon laws. If you backed the vehicle into the lake and damaged it,it does not qualify as a lemon.
Not true. We have already checked into it. We did nothing to the truck that was out of the ordinary. I could tell them that it rained and there were puddles. That would be considered normal use. If the dealer is covering it under warranty, then it can be considered a lemon.
If it was damage that we caused like running into a railroad tie and causing the thing to not drive straight that would be a different story.

[Outnumbered]

Did you turn it off while the pipe was under water???

[gochappy]

did they make the jeep the same way? my friend just got an 06 and are getting ready to start using their boat.

[beaverretriever]

Did you turn it off while the pipe was under water???
No. The vehicle was never turned off while in the water. Dodge said it wouldnt matter anyways. The sensor will open the inlet to the canister anytime it feels, we just happened to have it in the lake at the time.
Luck for us, my wife and I have bought 4 vehicles from this dealer in the past 2 yrs, and we are friends with the GM and Sales mngr. Monday they are calling Dodge to see if they will do a buy back so I dont have to go through the lemmon law crap.
They have been awesome and gave us a brand new new truck to tow the boat while ours is down.
I will keep you posted on what happens.

[bigq]

Yeah, sounds weird sucking water into the intake, but it happened.
There is an inlet down by the back of the exhaust system, that lets air in to a canister that pressurizes the fuel system to check for leaks and if found sets a CEL. Some how this canister has an inlet to the air intake and intake plenum as well. When the valve happened to open to pressurize the system, we were backed in to the lake, and it sucked water through the whole system. :mad:
The dealer says they may have to put a new engine. I will go for the lemon law if they say that needs to happen. We are pushing 24 days in the shop now.
BTW, I have owned Fords my whole life, and I bought a brand new 06 F-150 4wd quad cab with the 5.4, and I had more problems with it than the Durango. We went through 3 rear ends, two drivlines, and a steering collum.
We had an 04 Hemi P/u that was one of the best trucks I have ever owned, except for the mileage. We own a 400hp SRT-4 as well that has been flawless.
Wow, you have some bad luck with vehicles. Maybe you should go back the horse and buggy. :p
Hope it all works out.

[Outnumbered]

No. The vehicle was never turned off while in the water. Dodge said it wouldnt matter anyways. The sensor will open the inlet to the canister anytime it feels, we just happened to have it in the lake at the time.
Luck for us, my wife and I have bought 4 vehicles from this dealer in the past 2 yrs, and we are friends with the GM and Sales mngr. Monday they are calling Dodge to see if they will do a buy back so I dont have to go through the lemmon law crap.
They have been awesome and gave us a brand new new truck to tow the boat while ours is down.
I will keep you posted on what happens.
That is great that they are taking care of you. Please let us know what the exact part is that is at fault when you get it figured out.

[beaverretriever]

Not final yet, but Dodge is giving us a new truck. I will keep you posted.

[RitcheyRch]

Atleast Dodge doing the right thing.

[Beer-30]

First Mistake , Buying A Dodge
Second mistake, Buying A Dodge

[meaniam]

Yeah, sounds weird sucking water into the intake, but it happened.
There is an inlet down by the back of the exhaust system, that lets air in to a canister that pressurizes the fuel system to check for leaks and if found sets a CEL. Some how this canister has an inlet to the air intake and intake plenum as well. When the valve happened to open to pressurize the system, we were backed in to the lake, and it sucked water through the whole system. :mad:
The dealer says they may have to put a new engine. I will go for the lemon law if they say that needs to happen. We are pushing 24 days in the shop now.
BTW, I have owned Fords my whole life, and I bought a brand new 06 F-150 4wd quad cab with the 5.4, and I had more problems with it than the Durango. We went through 3 rear ends, two drivlines, and a steering collum.
We had an 04 Hemi P/u that was one of the best trucks I have ever owned, except for the mileage. We own a 400hp SRT-4 as well that has been flawless.
you have 28k miles on the durango. i imagine the ford didnt act up right away. dodge has a shitty rep. and the factory warrenty not offering rental cars unless cust buys extended warrenty is bs to i worked for dodge and feel any diamler product is a problem. my happyness real is knowing i wont buy from diamler. let them lemon law your truck and run with the cash. find something that will be less hassle free for you

[Lightning]

Not final yet, but Dodge is giving us a new truck. I will keep you posted.
Unfortunately that doesn't solve the problem you had...according to them. I would be looking for a refund and a Chevy.

[beaverretriever]

you have 28k miles on the durango. i imagine the ford didnt act up right away. dodge has a shitty rep. and the factory warrenty not offering rental cars unless cust buys extended warrenty is bs to i worked for dodge and feel any diamler product is a problem. my happyness real is knowing i wont buy from diamler. let them lemon law your truck and run with the cash. find something that will be less hassle free for you
Not 28k, but 2800 miles.

[Playbuoy]

We were not deep at all. The water was not even at the bumper. I think that you should be able to run up to the middle of the headlights...LOL. As long as there is no water going in to the intake, I should be able to tread pretty deep water.
"not even at the bumper" - ummm, that would be WAY TOO DEEP. Saying "not even" throws some red flags.
You mentioned that the sensor was located at the back of the exhaust. Sensor must be before the muffler...and if that's the case, I say you backed in too deep. Just my opinion.
Use to have an '05 Durango Hemi and loved it. Used at the lake all the time. Never had problems, but also never put the muffler in the water. (tips maybe, but not muffler)
With that said, don't know how the laws of physics would change on your Durango once the muffler was submerged. There would still be backpressure being forced out the exhaust. Water could never be sucked in the other way............unless the engine was turned off and re-started.

[beaverretriever]

Dodge gave us a new truck last night. Not only did they give us a new truck, they gave us even a better one with DVD system, leather, and all the goodies. The other one was nice, but didnt have DVD or the leather package. I had to make sure it had the Alpine system too. The new stock Alpine systems rock.
Dodge told me yesterday, that the factory has been relocating the sensors now before they even reach the dealers.

[beaverretriever]

"not even at the bumper" - ummm, that would be WAY TOO DEEP. Saying "not even" throws some red flags.
You mentioned that the sensor was located at the back of the exhaust. Sensor must be before the muffler...and if that's the case, I say you backed in too deep. Just my opinion.
Use to have an '05 Durango Hemi and loved it. Used at the lake all the time. Never had problems, but also never put the muffler in the water. (tips maybe, but not muffler)
With that said, don't know how the laws of physics would change on your Durango once the muffler was submerged. There would still be backpressure being forced out the exhaust. Water could never be sucked in the other way............unless the engine was turned off and re-started.
Unfortunately the ramps around here are so shallow you have to back way far in. Dodge admits there is a problem. The sensor is actually a valve that opens to pressurize the fuel system. Water was sucked into the fuel system and intake mani.
It must happen a lot, because Dodge sees the problem.

[CBadDad]

Sounds like Dodge is doing the right thing.
I hope this one works out better for you.

[mikec500s]

the sensor is locatedon the charcoal cannister and pressurizes the gas tank and cannister to check for evaporative emissions loosing pressures the test can be run up to 5 hours after the vehicle is turned off so shutting the truck off wont matter if you have completed the correct drive cycle the computer needs to see to test the evaporative emissions . starting the vehicle up after it sits at least 8 hours and drivivg a predetermined time and speed is what the computer is looking at . starting the car after a 8 or longer hour period and running the engine 2 minutes and then shutting it off wont be a completed drive cycle. when the test is running a vacuum valve that is purging is probably sucking the water through the charcoal cannister through a bypass hose onnthe cannister and filling the cannister up with water which is then getting sucked into a port in the intake manifold and if enough water is getting dumped into the motor it will eventually score the cylinder walls or hyrdrolock the engine and the engine will lock up. i assume the bypass hose or vent hose was mounted too low towards the back of the vehicle and when you back down the ramp into the water it was low enough to suck water instead of air. several years ago when they put the cars on the car carriers and back them on in on a steep angle the gas cannisters would fill up with gas and then when the car was started about 2 gallons of gas would go into the engine and the oil which didnt make the motors too happy. now they come in with about a 1/4 of a tank. all this too reduce evaporative emissions to keeep the air pollution down.

[beaverretriever]

the sensor is locatedon the charcoal cannister and pressurizes the gas tank and cannister to check for evaporative emissions loosing pressures the test can be run up to 5 hours after the vehicle is turned off so shutting the truck off wont matter if you have completed the correct drive cycle the computer needs to see to test the evaporative emissions . starting the vehicle up after it sits at least 8 hours and drivivg a predetermined time and speed is what the computer is looking at . starting the car after a 8 or longer hour period and running the engine 2 minutes and then shutting it off wont be a completed drive cycle. when the test is running a vacuum valve that is purging is probably sucking the water through the charcoal cannister through a bypass hose onnthe cannister and filling the cannister up with water which is then getting sucked into a port in the intake manifold and if enough water is getting dumped into the motor it will eventually score the cylinder walls or hyrdrolock the engine and the engine will lock up. i assume the bypass hose or vent hose was mounted too low towards the back of the vehicle and when you back down the ramp into the water it was low enough to suck water instead of air. several years ago when they put the cars on the car carriers and back them on in on a steep angle the gas cannisters would fill up with gas and then when the car was started about 2 gallons of gas would go into the engine and the oil which didnt make the motors too happy. now they come in with about a 1/4 of a tank. all this too reduce evaporative emissions to keeep the air pollution down.
LOL, that is exactly what happened. Im not sure if you got that off of a forum, or you are a Dodge tech but that is correct.
We recieved a brand new Durango from Dodge. No only did they give us a new one, they upgraded us into one that was originally 5,000.00. The new one has also been updated with the relocated check valve so we wont encounter the same problem.
So things worked out for the best. We were out of our new vehicle for a month, but ended up getting a much better truck. The best part is that we didnt have to start our contract over so we are 5 months into our contract with 0 miles on our truck.
Thanks Dodge.

[Outnumbered]

Sweet. We've been very happy with our Durango. Its an 04 and has been great. I think you will be happy with it. It pulls great. I got 17 mpg on our last non-towing trip in a full-time AWD (4x4) Hemi. Good trucks. Sounds like the engineers f ucked up and did not take the boaters into account. Looks like they learned the hard way on this one.

[beaverretriever]

Sweet. We've been very happy with our Durango. Its an 04 and has been great. I think you will be happy with it. It pulls great. I got 17 mpg on our last non-towing trip in a full-time AWD (4x4) Hemi. Good trucks. Sounds like the engineers f ucked up and did not take the boaters into account. Looks like they learned the hard way on this one.
Funniest part of the whole thing is that in the Durango catalog it shows one towing a big ass boat. LOL

[lucky]

D= dang , we couldn't afford a chevy
O= Ohhh don't worry the parts will be in
D= "Don't get it Wet
G= got it wet
E= Ever think this problem will go away ? :crossx: