2014 Dodge Durango

On February 6, 2026, while driving my 2014 Dodge Durango at normal speed, the driver’s seat headrest suddenly and unexpectedly deployed/exploded, striking the back of my head. The force of the impact caused my head to snap forward, resulting in soft-tissue and muscle injuries to my neck and upper back. I sought medical evaluation following the incident and was diagnosed with soft-tissue injury/whiplash. Treatment has included diagnostic imaging, prescription medication, and follow-up care for ongoing symptoms. I was able to continue driving the vehicle directly to a Dodge dealership, where staff confirmed that the headrest had exploded. This is the second headrest failure on this vehicle caused by a defective plastic component; the passenger-side headrest failed previously in August 2023. The vehicle is unsafe to operate until the headrest is replaced. Due to the part being out of stock, the repair is expected to take more than two months. Prior to this incident, the only indication of a problem was a letter sent by Dodge in August 2020 stating that the warranty on this part was extended from 3 years to 10 years due to a known defect. Given the repeated failures and risk of injury, this condition represents a safety defect that should have been addressed through a recall.

I was coming out of a drive thru car wash and driving towards an intersection with Rail road tracks on the road getting ready to turn left going 15 to 20 mph. As I turned my vehicle began skidding causing me to loose control and hitting 2 vehicles head on . I believe if my traction control (stability control) system or abs were functioning correctly this could have been avoided.

My 2014 Dodge Durango’s VIN is not listed as impacted by Safety Recall P14/NHTSA 14V-154. However, my vehicle is showing symptoms that match the problem described for that recall. I am requesting an investigation to determine if more VINs than originally impacted are affected by the problem described under the recall. System message code C0021-02 brake booster general failure has been displaying on my vehicle when the outside temperature is below freezing because water has seeped into the booster and is freezing which is compromising boost enough to cause the sensor to set the warning message. Given the risk of brake failure I have no choice but to arrange for the repair immediately. I will keep the replaced brake booster in case the investigation resulted in opening up the recall to more VINs. Please advise of any other measures I should take.

The passenger side seatbelt retractor broke, will not release seat belt at all. I am aware that NHTSA did testing in this particular year and model, and some are covered and some are not included in the recall, to be determined by the last 8 digits of the vin #. I wish to dispute that my particular vehicle SHOULD be included in the recall. I can prove it is broken, a manufacturing defect. This is a MAJOR safety concern. I wish for an exception to the validity on the testing that was done on your end, which was found to only be an issue on certain “batches”. Apparently, this is a defect and should be repaired as soon as possible and I should not be charged. I can no longer drive this vehicle as long as I have a person in the passenger side. In case of an accident, because I was aware of this defective part in my Dodge Durango, I could personally be held responsible for anything that happens to my passenger and also for any repairs that happened as a result of the decision made by HHTSA, to pick and choose only particular “vin numbers”on the same make and year of the the 2014 Dodge Durrango. I ask for a reversal on this previously made decision. And to make dodge take care of the replacement of the part necessary and labor. It clearly IS a manufacturing defect, no matter what “batch” was decided as defective

Active Head Rest Inadvertent Deployment

After the straps are tightened, the child can push the straps and they become loose. The straps do not stay tight and locked in like they're supposed to.

While stopped at a stop sign, the passenger headrest airbag deployed.

Driver side front headrest exploded/deployed while the car was parked. The plastic latch inside the headrest is broken so resetting it is impossible. This is concerning and highly dangerous! Upon researching this, it’s a known issue for Dodge models and yet isn’t a recall? My car was parked when this happened.

The contact owns a 2014 Dodge Durango. The contact stated that while making a turn at a slow speed, there was an abnormal sound coming from the front driver’s side headrest, and the headrest deployed unintendedly. The contact had her two children inside the vehicle during the failure. The children had not sustained any injuries. The contact was unable to push the headrest back into the housing. No warning light was illuminated. The headrest struck the back of the contact's head, and the right ear was ringing. The contact drove the vehicle to the residence. The contact had not sought medical attention. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 168,122.

The contact owns a 2014 Dodge Durango. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed and attempting to accelerate, the transmission was slipping while shifting to second gear, and the vehicle lost motive power and failed to respond with the RPM elevated. The message to “Shift to Park and Restart” was displayed. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed, and the contact was informed that the transmission was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 126,000.

The contact owns a 2014 Dodge Durango. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start as intended. The contact stated that an intermittent warning light for EVAP failure was illuminated. The contact performed an inspection of the vehicle and noticed that the fuel pump fuse was blown and had melted into the fuse box. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact referenced an unknown recall; however, the VIN was not under recall. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 104,000.

The contact owns a 2014 Dodge Durango. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed low speed through a parking area, the passenger's side seat headrest deployed inadvertently and hit the passenger in the back of the head. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by a dealer or an independent mechanic. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to Chrysler Campaign Number: X88. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 100,000.

Dodge Durango Rt has developed the Evap system failure. After stopping to refuel the gas tank the engine will not restart till after several attempts and even after restarting it idles erratic and sputters even to point of a miss and shuts off. Then it will restart and slowly clear up, and operate normal till the next refuel. I've had it into several repair shops and dealerships only to have to purchase parts and pay for repair and experience the issue again. Considering it's fuel vapor related and could cause a explosive or flash fire event in the dry summer season possibly if the vapors become a large enough volume under the hood or in a closed space.

The contact owns a 2014 Dodge Durango. The contact stated while driving approximately 75 MPH, the front passenger’s side headrest erroneously deployed. During the failure, there was a loud explosion distracting the contact and the headrest unit struck the rear of the passenger’s head, causing a headache. No medical treatment was required. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, and it was determined that the headrest unit needed to be replaced. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The contact was informed that the vehicle was not covered under an extend warranty coverage related to the failure. The failure mileage was 169,000.

The contact owns a 2014 Dodge Durango. The contact stated that while adjusting the front passenger’s side headrest, the active head restraint (AHR) unexpectedly deployed. No warning light was illuminated. The local dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired due to the cost. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 72,500.

The contact owns a 2014 Dodge Durango. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact was pulled over by a Police Officer, and was informed that both taillights were inoperable. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the taillight assemblies. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure reoccurred. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 122,000.

Active headrest restraint deployed without warning or cause

Driving 2014 Dodge Durango when the active headrest restraint on the passenger seat activated. No accident or impact to the vehicle during incident. Resulted in passenger receiving a solid "punch" to the back of the head and neck resulting in headaches for a week. If this had happened on the driver's seat (and it still could !), I can imagine an accident is possible due to the utter surprise of the noise and being punched in the head while driving. At the time of the incident, we had no idea what had happened but have since learned that our experience is not unprecedented and there are numerous similar reports of "exploding" Dodge/Jeep headrests on NHTSA. Wanting to report incident to NHTSA before taking to dealer for repair (hopefully). No warnings of impending AHR activation and no indication of activation in UConnect after the incident. There is an active NHTSA investigation PE 19014 on this exact component failure.

The passenger-side headrest AHR randomly failed and deployed the headrest (while driving at low speeds on local roads). Pictures have been taken and the headrest is left in place as-is for the dealership to inspect during service hours. The defective plastic retention bracket assembly suddenly broke and released the headrest, and can not be reset. There are no warnings for this now widely known manufacturer defect, yet Dodge has no reasonably effective resolution. Had the seat been occupied at that moment the active head-restraint failed, it would have caused serious head injuries to my family or myself. Had it been the driver-side headrest that malfunctioned at that moment, that could have injured me while driving and created a serious traffic accident. A limited extended warranty to repair a faulty component after an incident on a known cost-cutting defect that randomly injures occupants (at least 71 injuries have been caused by this known defect) with great potential to lead to fatal traffic accidents is unacceptable.

Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2014 Dodge Durango. The contact stated that while attempting to insure the vehicle, it was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 92,000 and at the time of the insurance registration, it was discovered that the mileage was 170,000.