2017 Dodge Durango Complaint Log

My vehicle only has 112,008 miles on it and it suddenly/randomly blew a head gasket. I have been told to purchase a new engine. I get ALL my regular and routine maintenance done on time. This has to have been a bad engine that was in my vehicle originally.

The rear lights on the tailgate on these vehicles continue to fail due to water inclusion. This affects night time visibility. I've noticed this trend on many Dodge Durango models spanning many different years. My vehicle had this occurrence with roughly 70,000 miles. Many vehicle owners have had much earlier failures.

Bought brand new in 2017 with regular car maintenance, this 2017 dodge durango starting having engine problems now with almost 100k miles on it. at first we had the check engine light on. It has smoke and misfire on cyl 3car didn't star. Mechanic repaired head on rt head on all related gaskets, replaced starter. Now, out of the sudden car starting leaking oil, took it to the mechanic and they said the engined must be replaced because a cylinder rod went through engine block. The car only has 103k miles, it always had regular and proper maintenance.

While driving, the transmission gave out. There was no prior indication of any issue - no warning light and no different noise. The car wouldn't change gears, which was an extremely dangerous situation in traffic. This transmission is "supposed" to be so good that there isn't a way to even check the transmission oil - there is no dipstick. Dodge claims that the oil doesn't need to be checked, it is that good. Howerver, after the failure and having it towed to the dealer, the report was that the transmission was was black! How is a consumer supposed to be able to check a basic, required fluid with no dipstick? There isn't a way to have any preventative check on the transmission, yet it just fails without warning? There are at least two design flaws that compromise safety - no way to check the transmission oil, and the transmission completely going out without so much as an engine light coming on first. I purchased the car new, and it only has 70,000 miles on it - a transmission should not have black fluid and go out with that little use.

Water intrusion on Track Light started with small section becoming dim March 2023. Left license plate bulb/housing went out october 2023 with corrosion on plug. February 2024 entire hatch lighting out (track light + both license plate lights).

Apparent defect in racetrack light. Water gets into the racetrack light and causes it to burn out. This will cause the racetrack light to not fully light up when braking. Multiple people have almost rearended me. Did some research and other owners have reported an electrical smell or possible burning smell. Defect was confirmed with car dealership that water is getting into the racetrack light. Sometimes its part of light sometimes its the full light. Unable to pass inspection in NYS without light being completely lit up so this needs to be recalled as it is a safety issue and should be fixed by Dodge.

The car shut off while in drive. I was at a stop sign behind another car. They pulled away, I went to pull up and the car shut off. It started back up after being turned off and restarted.

The contact owns a 2017 Dodge Durango. The contact stated that after a visual inspection of the vehicle, he became aware that the taillights were not functioning properly. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the taillight sealant, resulting in water leaking into the casing and short-circuiting the wiring. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure reoccurred. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was 79,000.

The sunroof spontaneously exploded and shattered all over while driving on the highway at approximately 65 miles an hour. Mother and child were in the vehicle. The sunroof was opened on "vent" position. The sunroof cover was also opened (cover inside the vehicle) Mother and child sustained minor physical injuries however, this could have been a major much bigger accident with many other vehicles on the road involved.

The oil cooler/ filter housing leaked causing oil to pool on the motor and leak from the vehicle. It’s apparently a common problem with this engine. It’s said that if the oil leak wasn’t noticed at first the engine would’ve seized. Definitely a defect on the manufacturers end.

Rear Tracklights has water intrusion. This is a safety hazard and should be a recall asap

I took my 2017 Durango RT AWD in for my steering rack locking up on me while driving and after being parked out in the cold for about 10 min. The two technicians working on it did there multi point inspection and stated that my CV boot had a slight tear and needed replacement as the gears had sediment but were not able to recreate my issue as no codes came out minus a message stating Steering Rack was hot and was limited. A few hrs later they called and said it was done and when I picked it up after paying over $1000 I was not able to leave parking lot because the steering was locked. The brought out the techs and tried to get some codes with no luck. I did even ask to see the old CV boot to see what happened and they told me that they could not show it to me because it was a core they had to swap out. Either way, they told me that the worst thing they did not want was that I needed a new rack and pinion and was looking upwards to $5000 with labor($2K for part alone). It took me about 20 min in their parking lot moving forward and backwards until it unlocked on me. Essentially, I made it home 45 min later fighting with steering which locked up on me while driving almost crashing into the bridge rails on certain occasions or other obstacles as I had to get to the median so I could turn the wheels back in order to warm them up or vehicle to warm up as I was driving in cold weather. When i got home i looked under the vehicle and noticed the passenger steering rack boot cover being really stiff. I waited an hour and cut open the boot and noticed water had accumulated and there was lack of grease. Purchased another dust cover boot for $50 and cleaned and lubricated the steering rack and lucky that has stopped my issue for a while but keeps locking the wheel momentarily.

All of my lights on the back of my vehicle are out due to water damage. This is a known problem with these vehicles. The vehicle has less than 50,000 miles. The cost for a replacement is $1500. Dodge has known of this issue for many years has done nothing to correct it. It will not pass the state safety inspection with the lights out. It is a safety issue because I have no rear lights. We contacted Dodge. They told us if this becomes a recall, they will reimburse us for repairs. This has been an issue for many years and they have neglected to repair the problem. Thank you for your assistance in this matter.

The whole back panel of tail, break, blinker, licenses plate lights do not work. The seal does not perform properly and causes water to build up in the lights and fries them. It causes the vehicle to be unsafe when driving due to no lights working. No warnings were given at all just completely quit working.

Passenger Seat Headrest deploys

When driving on the freeway I went to accelerate the car then begin to accelerate by itself even when I was hitting the brakes it would not slow down. Finally after a few seconds it slowed down. About a week after that started feeling like the transmission was having issues. Now I cannot drive my car. And this happened about three times with the acceleration of the car doing that by itself.

Driving down the road around 35mph and front passenger active headrest deployed out of nowhere. Luckily my daught wasn't taller than what she is or it would have impact the backnof her head.

The electrical power steering failed making it nearly impossible to steer.

No lights on the dashboard were on but the radio/ climate control center screen was flashing. Shut screen off. Was involved in motor vehicle accident with front end collision. Police report and insurance notified. Air bags did not deploy. Approximate speed on impacted was 30mph. Two days prior the auto stop and start system was flashing on dashboard.

The car has a defect on the construction or installation of ridge coolant lines making them very susceptible to failure. Countless reports online of coolant leaks that were not easily recognizable and requires extensive maintenance to correct. My car will requires the transmission to be completely removed and drop to be able to fix a coolant leak.

The rear “track light” which includes the camera within the assembly collects water from a failed seal. This causes lights and electrical components to be damaged and stop working. Drivers losing function in their brake/tail lights and cameras causes dangerous situations on the road. This is a common issue in the 14’-‘20 models.

Started car and got a C2217-00 code Electic power steering module internal. Electric Power Steering is disabled. The part is unavailable. Making the vehicle useless. Can't use a used part, the VIN is programmed into the unit, on starting you get a VIN mismatch error and the Electric Power Steering is again disabled.

Airbag warning light comes on and off when vehicle is moving or when vehicles is in park. It’ll take off at times but will re-appear randomly.

Back tail track light has water intrusion from a bad gasket that dodge installed on these durangos and I'm scared that it will cause an electrical fire

Have had ongoing issues with the electrical system since I purchased this vehicle new yet the dealership continued telling me they couldn't find anything until now. My SUV is 5 years old and now all of a sudden needs a new wiring harness.

Approximately 3 years ago we noticed water accumulating in the rear light. They refer to it as a race track light bar. Went to dealer who said not covered under warranty, and it would be $1,455 to replace. I did not have the money at that time to replace it. So we kept draining the water, as I noticed the light getting dimmer. I charged the $1455 and replaced it. 1/8/23. I did find that there were numerous complaints. and this week I found water in the entire light had approximately 3 inches of water in it. We drained it and I contacted the dealer who advised that the 24 month warranty was up Jan 2026 (two months ago. I just found information that there is a class action lawsuit regarding this and since they determined ti is a safety issued there is a jury trial scheduled end of this year. and the manufacturer refused to repair or replace. I just took pictures and noticed a fair vertical crack. l am trying to included a picture but cant convert to jpeg. I am very concerned as the rear lights will dim and hopefully I dont get rear ended.

Water leaking in the race light and now for the third time water is in there again and now the right side is burnt out!

Water is able to leak into the rear hatch “racetrack” tail light by means of a faulty sealing system used on the tail Light across the back hatch. The water then grounds out the break and tail light function as well as numerous other electrical systems (in my case the radio and whole vehicle control system located in the dash). The seal on the light is a non serviceable item and the manufacturer claims the only fix is to replace the entire light at a cost in excess of $1,500.00. The gap in the seal is large enough for insects to enter the light as well, so not at all water tight as a external light should be.

There is a gap between the lift gate lamp and the frame of the vehicle allowing for water build up in the lighting causing for the brake lights to malfunction and go out at random times. Dealer wants to charge 1,500 to replace light but refuses to acknowledge that the issue is cause by the gap between the frame and the light. Constantly have to bleed out water from my brakes until they went out

When shifting the vehicle it says “service shifter”. Once again I look up this issue on the web and hundreds of others are saying they have the same issue with jeeps and a variety of dodge vehicles.

The tail light on the tail gate accumulates water and causes the light to go out. This could cause the entire brake light to short and could result in a rear end collision. 85 percent of the Dodge Durangos I see have the same issue. This isn’t a wear and tear problem, the lights weren’t sealed properly from the factory. Attached are just a few photos demonstrating the problem. Dodge owes it to the consumer to have this recalled

The contact owns a 2017 Dodge Durango. The contact stated that the taillights failed to operate as needed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that a circuit chip was burned due to contact with an unknown fluid. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 40,000.

The contact owns a 2017 Dodge Durango. The contact stated the engine overheated and fluids of different colors and consistencys leaked from the vehicle. The contact stated that the leaks were coming from the coolant reservoir due to engine overheating. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a P0476 small evaporator leak and the hard line going to purge solenoid was cracked. The contact stated that the dealer replaced the oil filter housing system four times. The vehicle was taken to another dealer who performed a diagnostic test and stated that there was a crack in the cooling line. The contact stated the failure persisted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and provided the contact with 2-star cases. The approximate failure mileage was 99,414.

UNKNOWN

The rear tailgate lights, which operate in conjunction with the tail lights, fills up with water over time. The water then shorts out the LED lights.

The suspension rod that lifts and holds the liftgate open snapped at the bolt and broke. The liftgate can only be opened and close manually now. It has fallen on my arm and caused bruises multiple times. I fear it can fall on my head or my children's. I haven't taken it to get repaired as I'm sure it will be costly and money is very tight. I only had this vehicle for 4 years when this happened and it has low mileage. I have read about other Durangos having this same issue.

We have had engine issues since the first couples months of having this car, the engine has been replaced 2 times, and now tipm and start/stop is having issues, this car needs to be recalled

Vehicle was traveling around 60 moh.. Jumped curve and hit a tree. Air bags failed to deploy. Driver sustained multiple injuries including fractured pelvis, torn aeorta, hemothorax under ribcage, and several cuts, scrapes, and bruises requiring stitches.

Back on Aug 24th, I brought in my 2017 Dodge Durango for what I suspected was a burnt out headlight bulb on the left side. Turned out, I needed a new ballast. Today, it's now my right side that needs a new ballast. I have looked over the complaints for this SUV and it is not an uncommon issue.

I have taken it twice to the dealership. There is an issue with the rpm and i receive several light on my dash. The most dangerous is when I try to speed the RPM goes so high and it stops driving. They told me it had something to do with the recall but the recall has expired so now i have to fix it.

The contact owns a 2017 Dodge Durango. The contact stated while driving 40 mph, the contact was pulled over by the police and was informed that their rear center taillight was inoperable. Additionally, the license plate light was also inoperable. The contact was able to continue driving back to the residence. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer to be inspected. The contact was informed that there was a cost for a diagnostic test. The contact declined due to the cost. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 84,506.

The vehicle has a rear parking assist function. Via a Uconnect (touchscreen) system, the function can be enabled or disabled. The Uconnect system allows the operator to select whether the function will provide an audible warning or brake automatically if an object behind the vehicle is detected by any of 4 sensors installed in the rear bumper. The function can also be enabled or disabled via a physical button below the Uconnect system. I purchased the vehicle new and have owned the vehicle for 3 years. I have towed boats many times. Until recently, I was able to successfully use the touchscreen or physical button to disable the function when backing up with a trailer connected. Now I cannot disable the function or braking via either method. It appears to turn off for about 1 second before turning back on. I've tested in various conditions such as park/neutral, with/without a trailer, etc. to no avail. I thought I would try resetting software in the rear parking assist controller, so I disconnected both batteries and removed the proper fuse, but that didn't fix the issue. That got me worried because the failsafe should be that if the control system goes bad, the function should be disabled. I believe this to be true, because sometimes you need to back up to avoid collisions with irresponsible drivers, etc. If you are towing a trailer, you wouldn't be able to back up if the system failed. I understand about failsafe design from working on safety-critical aircraft computers. I reviewed the users manual and information online, and found that if connected to a trailer or exceeding 7 mph in reverse, the function should disengage. However, the function has NEVER, in 3 years, disengaged when towing a trailer, and I am unable to exceed 7 mph when towing due to the automatic braking. I tested this again by plugging a trailer into both factory-installed electrical receptacles provided with the tow package. I could not disable it. Other vehicle owners have the same issue.

Passenger headrest deployed without being in a car accident

BOTH SECOND ROW SEAT BELTS FAILED. THE DEALER COMMENT IS THAT BOTH RETRACTORS BROKEN. THE SEAT BELTS FAILED WITHIN 3 YEARS, BUT OUTSIDE THE MILEAGE RESTRICTION FOR WARRANTY REPAIR. THE VEHICLE IS PREDOMINANTLY FOR BUSINESS TRAVEL, WITH LIMITED SECOND ROW PASSENGERS, AND AVERAGING 25K MILES PER YEAR. A DODGE CASE WAS OPENED ON MY BEHALF, BUT I WAS INFORMED THAT THE VEHICLE IS OUT OF WARRANTY AND NO ACTION WILL BE TAKEN. THE PARTS ARE ROUGHLY $250, BUT LABOR TO INSTALL THEM IS SUBSTANTIALLY MORE, AS THE INTERIOR HAS TO BE DISASSEMBLED. IT IS UNREASONABLE FOR SEAT BELTS TO FAIL WITH 75,000 MILES ON THE VEHICLE, AND UNDER 200 USES.

Water in the rear tailgate light(race track)

The contact owns a 2017 Dodge Durango. The contact stated that the headlights would turn off inadvertently after driving for 30 minutes. The contact was made aware of the headlight failure when she was pulled over by the police. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and diagnosed that the headlight assemblies were faulty, but only the light bulbs were replaced. The failure recurred. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unavailable. The Vin was unavailable.

The climate control system is malfunctioning, and the windows will not roll down. The heat comes on full blast and cannot be turned down or off, and it is summertime. On a hot day the car cannot be driven more than a couple of miles because the interior becomes so hot that it becomes difficult to breathe and remain conscious with the heat on full blast and the windows up. The controls for the windows do not work. The controls for the heat do not work. The climate control system is connected to, or is controlled, by the Uconnect System, which also does not work. I cannot safely operate this vehicle for more than about 5 minutes on a hot day. The vehicle is available for inspection. The problem was reproduced by an auto dealer, who said that it is likely a problem in the electrical system and would take about 3 hours to diagnose. The vehicle was not inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others. However, I called FCA. They told be to do a software update for the Uconnect System. I successfully updated the software, but it did not resolve the problem. There were no warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure. However, about three months ago the Uconnect System began malfunctioning by occasionally and intermittently rebooting – i.e., flashing on and off. After a couple of weeks, the rebooting occurred more frequently, and now it will work at all.

THE RACETRACK LIGHTS HAS WATER IN IT AND IT HAS FLASHED OFF AN ON. ONCE THE WATER WAS OUT IT CAME BACK ON

MY CENTER TAIL LIGHT KNOWN AS THE RACE TRACK LIGHT HAD GOTTEN MOISTURE IN IT AND SOME OF THE LED LIGHTS WENT OUT. I WAS IN THE PROCESS OF TRYING TO FIND A SOLUTION AS TO WHY THIS HAPPENED AS MY VEHICLE IS NOT EVEN 4 YEARS OLD YET. THIS ISSUE STARTED NOVEMBER OF 2020. WELL FAST FORWARD TO 2-13-21 THE WHOLE CENTER PART HAS NOW COMPLETELY WENT OUT AND DOESNT WORK AT ALL. I HAVE BEEN DOING ALOT OF RESEARCH AND SEE THERE IS ALOT OF ISSUES WITH PEOPLE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEMS AND THE MANUFACTURER NOT DOING ANYTHING ABOUT THE ISSUE TO FIX THEM. THIS IS A HUGE SAFTEY CONCERN AND WOULD LIKE SOME MORE FEEDBACK ON WHAT COULD BE DONE TO HAVE IT FIXED AS ITS NOT A CHEAP FIX AT ALL. THANK YOU IN ADVANCE AND HOPEFULLY WE CAN GET SOMETHING GOING FOR THIS.

HAVING ISSUES WITH WATER IN RACE TRACK TAILLIGHT AND NOW. THE WHOLE RACETRACK TAIL LIGHT IS OUT