Dodge Durango
Problems & Worst Years
Every reported problem for the Dodge Durango, model year by model year — ranked from 695 federal NHTSA complaints across 2015–2021.
Water where it doesn't belong is the defining complaint of the Dodge Durango. In the worst year on file, 2015 (337 occurrences), the two top problems are the same failure described two ways: water ingress into the rear tail lights killing the LEDs (104 reports) and rear tail lights failing from water intrusion (95), with a defective liftgate tail light assembly adding 26 more. The theme then repeats for years — tail light water infiltration leads the 2016 file (40 reports, plus 23 more general tail light complaints), the 2017 (30 reports), and the 2018 (45 reports, with water-related electrical complaints adding 17), and still appears in the 2019's shorter list. That's five consecutive reported model years with the same water-intrusion complaint at or near the top.
Two other threads deserve attention. The 2015 logged 88 safety-severity reports of passenger-side head restraint malfunction plus 8 of active head restraints deploying without a collision, and headrest deployment reappears on the 2018 (13 reports, safety-severity). The 2016 recorded 39 reports of rollaway incidents alongside 20 of power steering failure. By 2021 the complaint mix shifts to lighting of a different kind — driver-side daytime running light failure (40 reports) and headlight assembly failure (24) — plus engine misfire with EGR valve malfunction (13).
Recall coverage spans the range: 15V461 and 18V332 on the 2015; 18V332 on the 2016 and 2017; 18V332 and 18V524 on the 2018; 22V426 and 24V838 on the 2019; 22V140 and 22V284 on the 2021. Check the VIN against all of them.
Inspecting a Durango is mercifully concrete: examine the rear tail light assemblies for moisture, corrosion, or resealing work; verify every exterior light functions; ask about headrest history on 2015 and 2018 examples; and test park-holding behavior on a 2016. The 2019's 45 occurrences make it the quietest year here — though these counts are owner filings rather than failure rates, newer years accumulate reports more slowly, and a pre-purchase inspection with service records remains a better guide than model year alone.
Dodge Durango problems by year
Complaint volume by model year (bar = relative to the worst year). Theworst yearsare the most-complained-about, weighted by safety-risk problems.
| Year | Complaint volume | Problems | Safety / High | Most common problem |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015worst | 266 | 9 | 2/4 | Water ingress in rear tail lights causing LED failure Electrical · 104 complaints |
| 2016 | 88 | 6 | 1/4 | Tail Light Assembly Water Infiltration Electrical · 40 complaints |
| 2017worst | 93 | 15 | 1/7 | Water Intrusion in Rear Tail Lights Electrical · 30 complaints |
| 2018worst | 113 | 13 | 2/5 | Tail Light Water Intrusion Other · 45 complaints |
| 2019 | 45 | 8 | 0/4 | Check Engine Light On Due to Electrical System Issues Electrical · 12 complaints |
| 2021 | 90 | 9 | 0/2 | Driver-side DRL Failure Electrical · 40 complaints |
Data source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) owner complaints and recalls, 2015–2021. Problem clustering and year rankings are derived from the complaint record; complaint volume reflects reports filed, not total incidence or fault rate. Vehicle image is illustrative.