CarComplaints.com Notes: When the 3rd-generation Durango was introduced in 2011 owners almost immediately started having a wide range of issues -- from water pump failure to stalling engines. Turns out the TIPM is to blame and those problems carried into the 2012 model year.

TIPM (Totally Integrated Power Modules) is responsible for controlling and distributing power to all the vehicle’s electrical functions. So when the TIPM starts acting up, so do all sorts of problems in the vehicle.

The problems have been so bad -- and replacement parts became so hard to find -- that a class-action lawsuit was filed against Chrysler focusing on the 2011-2012 Durango. The lawsuit accuses the automaker of ignorning the problem until it spiraled out of control.

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
3 / 4
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
67,076 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.

2012 Dodge Durango engine problems

engine problem

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2012 Dodge Durango Owner Comments (Page 5 of 7)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #54

Mar 302017

Durango

  • 93,322 miles

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

I came to a stop at a stop light to turn right and the vehicle stalled. I didn't have time to record it because there were cars coming down the exit behind me. I immediately kept my foot on the brake and placed the vehicle in park and restarted it. The mileage is at 93,322. The flight recorder the dealership placed on the vehicle didn't work so there was nothing to capture.

- Houston, TX, USA

problem #53

May 042017

Durango

  • 90,000 miles
We had a recall fixed on the fuel pump relay and since then the vehicle stalls while driving.didn't do that before the work

- Waynesboro, PA, USA

problem #52

Apr 152017

Durango

  • 87,000 miles
My battery light came on. Within minutes all the other lights on my dashboard came on, my air starting blowing hot and then it started to stall. Luckily I was on a small road and was able to coast off onto the grass. The car was dead and smoke was pouring from the alternator. I went and bought a new battery and alternator. Within in 2 minutes of installing both, my car did the same exact thing. I had to have it towed to the dealership. I was told it was the alternator. I explained that I had already replaced it and think it could be more severe. They told me they would replace the alternator with labor I'm looking at $1200. That's not including if that doesn't fix the issue. They sais it could have fried my (PCM) power control module which could cost me at least $1000 more plus labor. How is it they aren't recalling the 2012 Durango with 180 amp alternator but all the others? this car is only 5 years old, I shouldn't have had to replace the alternator going on 3 times now. I don't feel safe driving my son in this car anymore. I've seen enough complaints saying this caused accidents since the car just dies while driving.

- Debary, FL, USA

problem #51

Mar 302017

Durango

  • 80,000 miles

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

Upon arriving home, a strong odor of electrical burning was present coming from the engine compartment. The electrical light came on and smoke was visible coming from the engine compartment. The car was parked in the garage and was immediately turned off. Similar to recall P60; however our car was not included in the recall because of a different alternator and slightly different engine type.

- Jupiter, FL, USA

problem #50

Feb 022017

Durango

  • miles
My Dodge durando 2012 have to many problems my car stop withn is running several times a take to dealer the change the fuel pump and the nex day have enegine ligth take back to dealer now the said is catalyst, and arent but my car 2012 I believe is not to old to have to many problems I believe it's all factory default.

- Houston, TX, USA

problem #49

Feb 032017

Durango

  • 76,000 miles
The vehicle stalls while driving (very intermittently). Does not log any engine codes and mainly happens on deceleration. But has happened at highway speeds when exiting the freeway and also at low speeds when coming to a stop sign. When the engine stalls you loose power steering and brakes but all of the electronics keep working radio, lights, etc... I have called Chrysler care opened a case, which they assisted in scheduling an appointment for the vehicle at the local Dodge dealer. The case was closed by Chrysler since the dealership could not duplicate the problem. We bought this vehicle with 50,000 miles on it and it now has 76,000 and has stalled on us several times I would say (12) over the 26,000 miles we have pout on it. If you google this complaint/problem with the 2011/2012 Durango it is widely known and a very serious issue to be ignoring, someone is going to be killed because of this.

- Grand Haven, MI, USA

problem #48

Feb 012017

Durango

  • 89,947 miles

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

Around 7:20 am I had just exited a ramp to go beneath the underpass to turn left. The mileage change was 60 mph to 35 mph. Before the car could come to a complete stop applied by brakes, it stalled. There were other vehicles behind us who had to go around. My children were with me and one recorded to show that the vehicle was still in drive and that the brake and the gas would not receive a response from the car. This is the third day in a row that vehicle has stalled since we received in back from the dealership.

- Houston, TX, USA

problem #47

Jan 312017

Durango

  • 89,939 miles
I was in the process of turning left at an intersection. As I turned the wheel locked up and the car slowed down and eventually stopped. I had to veer to the right as much as I could. I put the car in park and when I started it again, it shook. I proceeded to drive home. Due to it being night and where I was positioned, I couldn't record the issue, but I did document the mileage.

- Houston, TX, USA

problem #46

Jan 302017

Durango 8-cyl

  • 89,900 miles
I was in line to turn left under the underpass. When I pressed the gas, the vehicle would not move. The wheel locked up as I tried to move forward. I had to turn on my emergency lights and signal other to go around on the right because no one could pass me on the left. I put the car in park and restarted it. There was no dashboard light to indicate that anything was wrong. My son was able to record and show that the vehicle was still in drive and not moving. I contacted the area manager to ask if this known, unsafe vehicle could be bought back at the highest nada value. His response was, 'I'm not offering a repurchase.' He shared that he would get another technician personally involved. We just received the car from the shop on Wednesday, January 25, 2017 after the entire tipm was replaced and it stopped again!

- Houston, TX, USA

problem #45

Dec 312016

Durango

  • 88,952 miles
As I was turning left into a community the steering wheel locked up while the vehicle was still in drive. I immediately put the emergency lights on. I put my foot on the brake for safety while the vehicle was still in drive. I lifted my foot from the brake and the car remained still. I pressed the gas pedal and the car remained still. I then placed my foot on the brake again and it was stiff. When I pressed the gas the vehicle wouldn't move while still in drive. I placed my foot back on the brake and put the vehicle in park. I pressed the engine button and the vehicle engine came on. I turned the emergency lights off, put the vehicle in drive and continued my destination. I have a video, but it exceeds the upload size for this site.

- Houston, TX, USA

problem #44

Dec 182016

Durango 8-cyl

  • 88,300 miles

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

I had just exited an uphill ramp after coming off the highway from about 65 mph to 35 mph. After entering the ramp I had to stop at a red light. When it was time to turn right, the gas would not accelerate the car and the steering wheel had locked up. I had to restart the vehicle in order to proceed with my route. This is the sixth time that this has occurred while the vehicle has been either in motion or turned on in the process of driving.

- Houston, TX, USA

problem #43

Sep 132016

Durango

  • 83,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Dodge Durango. While slowing down or while at a complete stop, the vehicle lost engine power. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, but they did not resolve the failure. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 83,000.

- Plainfield, IL, USA

problem #42

Jul 212016

Durango

  • 92,000 miles
Driving on a major highway in NJ on 7/21/16, all the car warning lights went on randomly and unexpectedly, windshield wipers went on on their own, radio shut off, all power was lost and car shut down almost immediately with limited or no braking or steering power and the car would not turn on any longer. I tried to make it safely to the side of the road (left shoulder was the closest) with big trucks and fast moving cars going by. Had it towed to an auto body shop which took 2 days to diagnose the problem which they deemed a failure of the main board which caused the alternator to fail which caused the battery to seize and fail as well. The costs of repair I had to pay to fix the issue on my 4 year old car with 92K miles on it was approx $1,500. The symptoms and diagnosis were almost identical to the P60 recall issued by chrylser but when I inquired with Chrysler about getting my vehicle covered under the recall and reimbursed for the costs of repair, they claimed that the recall did not apply to my car bc it is 180 amp vs 160 amp (?) but it is very obvious and clear to me that what happened to my car was exactly the same as the P60 recall. Not to mention it was a very dangerous situation that I encountered with my car stopping in the middle of a busy highway. It could have been tragic had I not been able to navigate it well. Chrysler is basically refusing to extend the recall to my VIN # and not reimbursing my repair costs.

- Succasunna, NJ, USA

problem #41

May 012016

Durango

  • miles
Dash lights started flashing car shut off, charged battery, alternator started smoking, replaced alternator, replaced battery, battery is still draining.

- Goose Creek, SC, USA

problem #40

May 022016

Durango

  • 88,000 miles
The alternator in my Durango failed suddenly. We luckily had just arrived at my daughter's day car when the car shut off on its own and we noticed smoke. When we got out to check under the hood, the alternator was smoking! I had to have the Durango towed to my dealership as there was no power to the Durango at all. The dealership attempted to start the vehicle, and could not start the car using a jumper box, or by jumping it with another vehicle. The alternator had completely drained the battery. We were told a few days later that they were attempting to locate an alternator as it was back ordered, and it could be up to 6 weeks or more before they could get one. When we inquired as to why, we were told there was a recall on the alternator for many Chrysler and Dodge vehicles and that even though our Durango falls in the specific years, it was not part of the recall. When they finally called to let us know the Durango was ready to be picked up, we drove maybe a half mile down the road and the battery light came on. We returned it immediately back to the dealership. A couple of days later, they informed us that because of the alternator failure, the engine control module was bad and needed to be replaced. Now, the dealership is telling us that the ECM is no longer functioning properly because of the issues with the alternator and that we will not be able to drive the vehicle without it. They contacted Dodge to inform them of the faulty alternator that caused the ECM failure and Dodge told them, too bad.

- Waverly, NY, USA

problem #39

Jan 252016

Durango

  • 24,271 miles
Recently the starter has failed 2 days after the recalls have been updated at the dealership relating to the alternator and the fuel pump relay. The SUV only has 24,271 miles on it. The vechicle was stationary when it failed

- Lihue, HI, USA

problem #38

Nov 182015

Durango

  • 37,000 miles
My issues began last November with the lift gate. While driving through my neighborhood, the lift gate decided to open. Alarmed, I stopped quickly and closed the lift gate. After I arrived home it would not open again. This continued for a week. The latch, interior button, and key fob would not open it. I scheduled an appointment and it magically started working fine just 2 days prior to the appoinment. The second issue we experienced came shortly after. The car would shut down after using the remote start after a few seconds. I found that the engine light was illuminated and re-tightened the gas cap. The light did not shut off, so I decided to take it very easy and monitor the vehicle for the rest of the day. The light eventually turned off. A week later and it is back on again. Not sure what is going on as everything appears to be fine. My wife drove my son to basketball practice and said she witnessed the heater turn on all by itself (after having been shut completely off). She turned it off and didn't give it much thought until it did it again. It continued to do this the entire drive to practice. It seems like this vehicle is possesed and I think this is just the tip of the iceburg. Hopefully, something dangerous will not happen with some other system.

- Fayetteville, NC, USA

problem #37

Nov 192015

Durango

  • 27,000 miles
Alternator failed and needed to be replaced along with battery. Please see recall P60 (NHTSA action # PE14022) for similar recall for this vehicle. Mine was not included in this recall but, recall might need to be expanded for my VIN. Car without warning would not start. Completely dead even electrical. Had to be towed to dealer. Car has less than 30,000 miles, less than 4 years old and well maintained.

- Palm Beach Gardens, FL, USA

problem #36

Nov 112015

Durango

  • 80,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Dodge Durango. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 mph, the steering wheel became difficult to maneuver as the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact mentioned that the failure recurred intermittently. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 80,000.

- Lexington, KY, USA

problem #35

Aug 182015

Durango

  • 44,000 miles
While driving on the highway the car's engine shut down. I placed the car in neutral and restarted the engine with no difficulty. Days later the car was parked and would not start. The engine turned normally but it seems like the fuel is not reaching the engine. It almost seems like a flooded engine. I researched it online and it seems to be an known issue with this car. The tipm (totally intergrated power module) seems to be the issue.

- Miami, FL, USA

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