Dodge Durango Reliability by Year
Based on 2M+ real complaints filed with the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
19,209 NHTSA complaints (1997–2026).Complaint rate: 157.0 per 10,000 vehicles sold in the US.
Should I buy a Dodge Durango?
Quick answer from 19,209 NHTSA complaints · 1997–2026
Dodge Durango reliability depends heavily on the model year. Several years show complaint spikes well above the model's own average, while others are meaningfully cleaner. The most commonly reported issue across all years is electrical faults. Pick the right year and this Durango can be a reasonable used buy; pick the wrong one and you're inheriting known problems.
- 2023 Dodge Durango· 5.8/10K sold
- 2020 Dodge Durango· 11.1/10K sold
- 2022 Dodge Durango· 13.7/10K sold
- 2011 Dodge Durango· 228.1/10K sold
- 2012 Dodge Durango· 199.2/10K sold
Keep scrolling for year-by-year complaint trends, recall campaigns, and component breakdowns — or click any year above for a full report.
Why these years are worse
The most common issues driving the complaint spikes:
- electrical faults — 2,427 complaints (1.6% involved a crash)
- suspension:front:control arm:upper ball joint — 1,830 complaints (1.3% involved a crash)
- engine problems — 1,283 complaints (1.6% involved a crash)
- suspension:front:control arm:lower ball joint — 1,128 complaints (1.0% involved a crash)
- headlight/taillight failures — 940 complaints (0.3% involved a crash)
Which Years to Buy & Avoid
Years auto-clustered by complaint volume relative to this model's median.
Rankings based on complaints per 10,000 vehicles sold — normalized for production volume so low-sales years aren't falsely rated "good".
Bottom line: Avoid the 2011–2015 Dodge Durango (148 crash-related complaints). The 1997 models had significantly fewer reported issues. Most common issue across all years: Electrical System.
Avoid These Years
Average
Better Years
Too New
Need 3+ years on the road for reliable complaint data.
A model's reputation is just the start.
Even within the “good” years, individual cars can have hidden accidents, title issues, or odometer rollbacks. Check the actual VIN before you buy — full history report for $4.99 (vs. Carfax $44.99).
Complaint Rate per 10,000 Vehicles Sold
Normalized by US annual sales volume — higher = more complaints relative to sales
Show raw complaint counts
Common Dodge Durango Problems
Most reported component complaints to NHTSA. Bar length = volume; color = crash-involvement rate.
Show full table
| Component | Complaints | Crash % |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical Faults | 2,427 | 1.6% |
| Suspension:Front:Control Arm:Upper Ball Joint | 1,830 | 1.3% |
| Engine Problems | 1,283 | 1.6% |
| Suspension:Front:Control Arm:Lower Ball Joint | 1,128 | 1.0% |
| Headlight/Taillight Failures | 940 | 0.3% |
| Gasoline Fuel System | 935 | 0.1% |
| Fuel System | 843 | 0.6% |
| Airbags | 701 | 21.3% |
| Transmission / Drivetrain | 697 | 7.3% |
| Engine & Cooling | 546 | 1.3% |
Year-by-Year Breakdown
NHTSA complaint count per model year — click any year for full problems & recalls breakdown.
| Year | Generation | Complaints | Rate | US Sales | Crashes | Fires | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997NO DATA | — | 5 | — | — | 0 | 1 | View → |
| 1998NO DATA | — | 1,553 | — | — | 73 | 15 | View → |
| 1999NO DATA | — | 3,172 | — | — | 153 | 36 | View → |
| 2000NO DATA | — | 1,471 | — | — | 138 | 42 | View → |
| 2001NO DATA | — | 964 | — | — | 82 | 25 | View → |
| 2002NO DATA | — | 556 | — | — | 44 | 15 | View → |
| 2003NO DATA | — | 484 | — | — | 38 | 23 | View → |
| 2004NO DATA | — | 1,420 | — | — | 65 | 96 | View → |
| 2005AVOID | — | 2,001 | 173.3 | 115,439 | 59 | 26 | View → |
| 2006AVOID | — | 1,038 | 147.0 | 70,606 | 25 | 12 | View → |
| 2007 | — | 241 | 53.0 | 45,503 | 16 | 1 | View → |
| 2008 | — | 127 | 59.3 | 21,420 | 3 | 3 | View → |
| 2009 | — | 13 | 36.9 | 3,521 | 1 | 2 | View → |
| 2011AVOID | — | 1,179 | 228.1 | 51,697 | 29 | 82 | View → |
| 2012AVOID | — | 917 | 199.2 | 46,024 | 24 | 43 | View → |
| 2013AVOID | — | 903 | 148.7 | 60,727 | 27 | 44 | View → |
| 2014AVOID | — | 1,024 | 159.0 | 64,398 | 30 | 14 | View → |
| 2015AVOID | — | 664 | 103.5 | 64,186 | 38 | 8 | View → |
| 2016 | — | 221 | 32.2 | 68,691 | 30 | 3 | View → |
| 2017 | — | 298 | 43.3 | 68,761 | 15 | 2 | View → |
| 2018 | — | 321 | 48.7 | 65,947 | 16 | — | View → |
| 2019GOOD | — | 193 | 28.6 | 67,598 | 4 | 5 | View → |
| 2020GOOD | — | 64 | 11.1 | 57,828 | 0 | 2 | View → |
| 2021 | — | 234 | 35.5 | 65,936 | 17 | 4 | View → |
| 2022GOOD | — | 76 | 13.7 | 55,510 | 6 | 2 | View → |
| 2023GOOD | — | 40 | 5.8 | 69,195 | 4 | — | View → |
| 2024TOO NEW | — | 13 | 2.2 | 59,358 | 0 | — | View → |
| 2025TOO NEW | — | 11 | 1.4 | 81,167 | 0 | — | View → |
| 2026TOO NEW | — | 6 | 3.0 | 20,300 | 0 | — | View → |
Year-by-Year Breakdown
Tap any year for full problems & recalls breakdown.
Data Sources & Methodology
Complaints: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation consumer complaint database (19,209 records for this model). Public domain data, updated monthly.
Sales data: US annual vehicle sales from goodcarbadcar. Coverage: 72% of model years have sales data. Total US sales: 1,223,812.
Rate calculation: Complaints per 10,000 vehicles sold = (complaint count / US annual sales) x 10,000. This normalizes for sales volume so high-volume models like Civic or Camry aren't unfairly penalized.
Year classifications: AVOID = 1.5x+ the model's median complaint rate. GOOD = 0.6x or below. Years less than 3 years old are marked TOO NEW (insufficient data).
See also: Dodge Durangoaccident & safety statistics from our vehicle history database.
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