Spare Tire Winch

[500]

Many Chrysler trucks use a spare tire winch that has a stranded steel cable to hold the spare tire up against the frame. THEY WILL ALL EVENTUALLY FAIL !!!! Then the spare tire falls down to the road and the danger to following cars is easy to imagine. The winch in my 2003 Durango recently failed but fortunately it was while my wife was going over a speed bump in a parking lot.

If your spare tire falls out and injures or kills someone you can be sure you will be sued along with Chrysler. I'm surprised it's not happened already. It's amazing that there has been no recall.

If you own a Dakota, Durango or full sized truck you should let down the spare tire and check your cable. They will ALL eventually fail.

[Stealthee]

There wouldn't be a recall because something like this goes along with normal wear and tear.

Also Chrysler products aren't the only ones to use that style of spare tire holder. They wouldn't be sued because they would not be at fault as it would go as a owner neglect issue if it occurred.

[500]

I'll have to look in my owners manual to see where it says to change the spare tire winch at XXXXX miles....

[shorod]

You message/reminder is a good one. As Stealthee mentions, Dodge is far from the only manufacturer to use this type of system. GM uses the system as well, and they are well known for failing on the GM system. Typically it's the interlock that fails first on a GM version, and there if you don't perform regular maintenance you'll likely find yourself not being able to lower the spare enough to get it off the cable, making the spare unusable. And over time, those cables can fail too, especially in Rust Belt states.

I'm pretty sure there was sarcasm in your above post, and you're right, you probably won't find such a comment in your owner's manual. It comes down to folks routinely checking their vehicles over to make sure the safety features will work when needed. You probably won't find anything in the owner's manual telling you to clean your windshield periodically either, but obviously if you don't, you'll eventually find yourself struggling to safely see where you're going.

I'll admit, I likely would never have discovered the seized spare tire jack on my former Escalade had I not decided to drop it down to make sure the spare was properly inflated after I bought it used. Making matters worse on the Durango, the Schrader valve is accessible without having to lower the spare.

Thank you for the helpful reminder to other Durango owners to add the spare tire hoist to the list of items to perform preventive maintenance on.

-Rod

[500]

On the Chrysler winch there is no maintenance, only inspection and replacement. The problem is that it SHOULD BE listed in the owners manual as needing inspection. What really sucks is the cost, nearly $150 at the dealer although there is a MI dealer selling the OEM part for a discount on Ebay.

And the new one is the same design as the old one and will fail eventually.

[Stealthee]

I wouldn't complain over an OEM part costing $150. And it's the same design, because there is not a better design.

[500]

Originally Posted by Stealthee

I wouldn't complain over an OEM part costing $150. And it's the same design, because there is not a better design.

My 40+ years involved with the transportation industry says otherwise. In about 60 seconds I've figured out a fail proof design that's only a bit more of a pita to stow. It would cost the factory $15 extra so forget about that.

You sound like the people that the Hilliary campaign is paying to fend off criticism of her on the web. You working for corporate Chrysler ?