CarComplaints.com Notes: The second generation Durango was introduced in 2004 and instantly came under fire for, well, catching on fire.

From 2004-2006 electrical overloading in the driver's side instrument panel caused numerous reports of interior fires. The interior infernos became so commonplace that Chrysler eventually issued a recall.

The problems didn't stop there, however. Owners of the recalled vehicles complained about being treated unfairly and given take-it-or-leave-it low ball settlement offers. "They offered me $2000 under NADA retail as a settlement," said one owner, "and have been rude and hostile to deal with." Nothing says awesome service like treating your customers rudely after their cars have caught on fire.

Have we mentioned all the reports of complete engine failure due to oil sludge?

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 29
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
62,575 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2004 Dodge Durango electrical problems

electrical problem

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2004 Dodge Durango Owner Comments (Page 2 of 9)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #150

Apr 102017

Durango

  • 129,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Takata recall. The contact owns a 2004 Dodge Durango. During inclement weather, water intrusion occurred near the front of the windshield on the driver's side. The contact owned the vehicle for less than 30 days. Also, when the vehicle was driven through an automatic car wash in neutral, the vehicle failed to restart and only restarted after several attempts. In addition, the vehicle made an abnormal noise. The VIN was included in NHTSA campaign number: 16V352000 (air bags). The manufacturer provided no solution other than advising the contact to take the vehicle to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The approximate failure mileage was 129,000. Parts distribution disconnect.

- Los Angeles, CA, USA

problem #149

Jan 102017

Durango 4WD 8-cyl

  • 88,000 miles
Driving at 30mph on city road the Durango lost full power. No power steering, brakes or acceleration with gas. Had to put Durango in neutral and turn key off and back on. Afterwards it was normal again. Very dangerous and scared to drive with family in it.

- Fort Collins, CO, USA

problem #148

Nov 112016

Durango 8-cyl

  • 150,000 miles
Head lights flicker off and on while driving at night!

- Greenville, SC, USA

problem #147

Dec 132013

Durango

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The black box on the inside of the dash got so hot that it melted off the actuator for the blend door. I currently have no control of my air placement. I was sitting idle with the heat on then noticed a plastic burning smell coming from the dash area.

- Williamston, NC, USA

problem #146

Aug 152016

Durango

  • 197,800 miles
The contact owns a 2004 Dodge Durango. The contact stated that the vehicle was repaired per NHTSA campaign number: 07V092000 (electrical system); however, the repair did not correct the failure. The interior lighting system failed to illuminate when the door was opened. The manufacturer was notified. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 197,800.

- Wedgefield, SC, USA

problem #145

Jul 182015

Durango

  • 150,000 miles
The contact owns a 2004 Dodge Durango. While driving at approximately 70 mph, the four wheel drive engaged independently. The vehicle shook violently, veered to the right, and the service four wheel drive warning indicator illuminated intermittently. The failure recurred numerous times. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that there was an open short in the electrical system that needed to be repaired. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000. The VIN was unavailable.

- Orwell, OH, USA

problem #144

May 232016

Durango

  • 140,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2004 Dodge Durango. While the vehicle was parked, it failed to start without warning. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the push rod fractured and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000.

- Richmond, VA, USA

problem #143

Apr 242016

Durango

  • 148,000 miles
My vehicle is having problems with the instrument panel that previously had a recall for electrical issues and it is showing electrical issues again every light is coming on and going off and at times I am not able to take my car out of park and it none of the gauges work.

- Steelton, PA, USA

problem #142

Apr 042007

Durango

  • miles
Takata recall. The contact owns a 2004 Dodge Durango. The contact received several notifications for NHTSA campaign number: 14V770000 (air bags). The parts for the repair would not be available for several months. The contact was unable to determine when the vehicle would be repaired. The VIN was also included in NHTSA campaign numbers: 15V313000 (air bags) and 07V092000 (electrical system). The dealer did not inform the contact of the two recalls. The contact was waiting on instructions from the manufacturer to remedy the three recall repairs. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

- Indianapolis, IN, USA

problem #141

Jul 102015

Durango

  • 135,000 miles
The contact owns a 2004 Dodge Durango. While the vehicle was parked, the power outlet in the center console started smoking. The contact and the passenger found the source of the smoke, pulled the panel off the center console, and noticed the outlet was on fire. The contact extinguished the fire. There were no injuries and a police report was not filed. On another occasion, the contact heard loud grinding noises coming from the engine. While driving 50 mph and without warning, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was able to be restarted and driven to the contact's residence. Once home, the vehicle stalled. Upon further investigation, the contact stated that the spring separated from the engine and that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failures. The failure mileage was 135,000.

- Graniteville, VT, USA

problem #140

Nov 032015

Durango

  • 145,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

In early November 2015 while driving 45-50 mph the instrument panel randomly went haywire and all the lights started flashing and the interior lights at the same time. About two weeks later I realized that the outside headlights were also flickering when the inside lights flickered. I took to the local dealership and after 4 day's I was told they could not re-produce the issue. I quit driving after dark due to the lack of control in keeping the lights on then noticed I would have intermittent flickering with the headlight knob off. After researching the Dodge forums and ruling out the fuses I purchased a new "redesigned" headlight switch and installed it. Took care of all the flickering light issues and now I can drive at night again.

- Clarksville, TN, USA

problem #139

Feb 072014

Durango

  • miles
Rod pierced thru the bottom of engine and locked up (110K miles), family on board and happened while turning at busy intersection.. had to replace engine used( found one with 70K, waiting on this one to do the same) consumes tons of oil. Electrical within driver seat and cd player are faulty/broken. Rust on rear outer wheel wells. (noticed this rust is apparent in every same model make year that I run across)

- Elgin, IL, USA

problem #138

Nov 012014

Durango

  • miles
I have a 2004 Dodge Durango 5.7 and it has been having an issue with the battery continuously draining. It started in Nov 2014 when the battery drained and would not hold a charge. I let the vehicle sit until March 2015, when I need an inspection, the shop recommended I purchase a new battery. I did and the battery drained with 3 weeks, so I eventually schedule an appt. With the dealer to have a drain on the battery check, they sent the vehicle back stating there was no drawl on the battery, it sat for months again, because it drained back out. In Nov. 2015 I found out about the G07 instrument panel recall and took it back to the dealer for that. They claimed they repaired a wire in the panel and that fixed the drain, however I still lost power 2 weeks later. I then took it to another dealer to have the recall checked again, because of a dead battery again the headlights and interior dash lights would flicker on and off. 3 days later still nothing they stated they were unable to duplicate failure and they did not find any drain or flickering. The very moment I picked up the vehicle and drove it home with my headlights on they began to flicker on and off. Two days later my battery was dead again. This makes no sense to me that the dealer can not pin point anything, so I began to proceed to fix on my own, I have found that the headlight switch was shorted out causing the lights to go on and off, and I replaced it. I still have a drain somewhere though, battery died within 8 hours of the last start.

- Pittsburgh, PW, USA

problem #137

Apr 132011

Durango

  • 105,520 miles
I purchased the vehicle in 2009, within a 1 years, I noticed while driving during a heavy downpour the car would shake and sometimes stall out. I took it to the dealer in 2011 and they replaced the intake gaskets. I am now realing that this seems to be a common problem and should have had a recall on it.

- Pittsburgh, PA, USA

problem #136

Oct 132015

Durango

  • miles
Takata recall. The contact owns a 2004 Dodge Durango. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign numbers: 07V092000 (electrical system) and 15V313000 (air bags) and stated that the part needed for the repair was not available. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

- El Paso, TX, USA

problem #135

Aug 192015

Durango

  • 229,500 miles
This complain involve several issues that constantly happens. The first issue is that the interior lights and instrument panel lights illuminated intermittently and I can hear a buzzing sound when it does this. The second is that the battery dies and I have to jump start or charge it manually most days. Third, every day I have to pour coolant into my radiator because there is a leak somewhere either the water pump or radiator. Fourth, when it rains, water gets inside via the door seams. Fifth, then my radio/dvd player stopped working and I had to pull the fuse because it would not turn off. Sixth, my head lights goes very dim and even sometimes shut off. This is very scary in the middle of the night coming home from work. Seventh issue involves the engine stalling on several occasions, mostly when its pouring down raining.

- Groveland, FL, USA

problem #134

May 272015

Durango 4WD 8-cyl

  • miles
The contact owns a 2004 Dodge Durango. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 15V313000 (air bags) however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. The consumer stated the vehicle would not start at times, and the only way to get it to start, was to pump the gas. Updated 12/09/15. *

- Pickerington, OH, USA

problem #133

Jul 012015

Durango

  • 199,990 miles
When it rains the vehicle starts to "chug". when I approach an intersection/ stop light or attempt to slow down the vehice will cut off. I then have no power and can not restart the vehicle for several minutes. Last week while going to cross the highway in the rain the vehcle cut off in the middle of the road. I was almost hit by oncoming traffic. I have taken it to 2 mechanics and they can not find the problem. It has happened several times over the years but has gotten much worse. I have just been made aware of this site to file a complaint.

- Machipongo, VA, USA

problem #132

Jun 012014

Durango

  • 103,000 miles
The contact owns a 2004 Dodge Durango. While driving approximately 55 mph, all of the instrument panel lights disengaged. The contact continued to drive and the lights illuminated after approximately four minutes. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but the failure was unable to be determined. The failure recurred on several occasions. While driving in the rain at 75 mph, the vehicle stalled after the check engine and the battery warning lights illuminated. The failure recurred each time it was driven in the rain as well as when driven through a car wash. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but the failure was unable to be determined. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 103,000.

- Aurora, CO, USA

problem #131

Jan 232015

Durango

  • miles
The contact owns a 2004 Dodge Durango. The contact stated that the air bag warning lamp illuminated indicating a malfunctioned. The contact received notifications of NHTSA campaign numbers: 14V817000 (air bags) and 14V770000 (air bags); however, the parts were not available within a reasonable timeframe to schedule the recall repairs. The dealer did not give a specific date for when the part would become available. The contact mentioned that the vehicle was also included in NHTSA campaign number: 07V092000 (electrical system), but did not recall receiving a notification letter and was not sure when the dealer would remedy this recall repair. The manufacturer was contacted and could not provide an estimated date for when the vehicle would receive the recall repair. The contact had not experienced a failure.

- Lindale, GA, USA

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