Brakes and electrical system issues among the top complaints received by the NHTSA from vehicle owners
The 2020 Dodge Durango is a three-row SUV that is supposed to provide plenty of room and speed. In fact, the automaker claims that “performance is power,” but owners can’t seem to enjoy this performance because of the glaring defects. This SUV suffers from trouble with the electrical system and service brakes, according to customers.
Click on other model year to view more problems: 2019 2021
A solid electrical system is needed to start the vehicle and run the high-tech conveniences. Yet, this is one of the top complaints with the newest models.
Here is one Edmunds review that discusses some problems. “I don’t like having to go into the infotainment to set the climate control. There is a blower knob external for blower speed but I guess you have to have it there if you want to have auto climate.”
It turns out that the electrical system concerns go deeper than the configuration. NHTSA Campaign Number 20V191000 discusses a recall that owners should know about. In fact, this defect affects more than 300,000 vehicles. It turns out that there is a software error that can keep the rearview camera image displayed even after the vehicle is shifted from Reverse. This lingering image can cause distraction, thereby increasing the chance of an accident. Maybe the image is meant to entertain passengers during a longer drive, except most kids have their heads planted in their phones these days and probably won’t even notice.
| Complaint Category | Number of Complaints |
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Exterior Lighting
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Electrical System
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Structure:body
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Vehicle Speed Control
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Engine
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Unknown Or Other
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Power Train
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Seat Belts
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Service Brakes
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Steering
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Stopping the three-row Durango is vital for keeping occupants safe. However, this is another system with complaints issued by customers.
One more Edmunds review states, “Brakes are a little on the mushy side. Too much travel (coming from a German car) before pads actually bite the rotors.”
It turns out that Dodge is aware of numerous braking problems. Service Bulletin #9004258 discusses Park Assist errors. These situations lead to warning messages that could be caused by failing sensors. However, Dodge isn’t offering a solution to the issue. Instead, FCA is simply asking for technicians to send in photos and information regarding the fault. Basically, the company is hoping that customers will figure out the problem for them. So much for owners receiving “performance” or “power” from this vehicle.
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Brian Jones spent more than 30 years working as an ASE Certified Master Tech and Parts Specialist at multiple dealerships. Brian has become an authority in the industry, traveling across the country to consult for car dealerships and contributing his expertise as a writer for several major automotive publications. In his spare time, Brian enjoys working on pickup trucks, muscle cars, Jeeps and anything related to motorsports.
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We bought a 2021 Dodge Durango in Oct 19 2021.
I was driving it and it stalled so I coasted over and restarted it. My daughter borrowed it and as she was getting onto the freeway she accelerated and it died on her. Then she coasted off to the side and it restarted. Then it did it again to her while just driving 45 miles a hour. I drove it last night and it got stuck in a low gear. My husband today going to town had to pull out in traffic and it died on him with cars almost hitting him he had to park on a bridge then restart it. We are taking it back to the dealer today I want them to take it back. I was waiting to get into service to have it checked out but now after this we don’t want the car.