2018 Dodge Durango
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Electrical system is the leading concern among 232 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 14th highest complaint count among 25 Durango model years with reports.
Of the 2018 reports, 9 involved a crash. 5 people were injured.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
Service brakes, hydraulic, antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip, control unit/moduleNov 7, 2024
Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Jeep Grand Cherokee and Dodge Durango vehicles. A malfunction in the antilock-brake system (ABS) module may incorrectly illuminate the brake lights and disable the ABS and electronic stability control (ESC). In addition, the vehicle operator may be able to start and shift out of Park without the brake pedal being applied.
A vehicle that can be started and shifted out of Park without applying the brake pedal can result in a vehicle rollaway. Disabled ABS and ESC systems can reduce vehicle handling and control in certain driving situations. Brake lights that incorrectly illuminate can fail to properly indicate the driver's intention to following traffic. Any of these scenarios can increase the risk of a crash.
Dealers will replace the integrated pressure transducer and update the ABS module software, as necessary free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 16, 2025. Owners may contact FCA customer service at 1-800-853-1403. FCA's number for this recall is 94B. This recall replaces previous recall number 22V-426. Vehicles previously remedied under 22V-426 will need to have the new remedy completed.
Campaign 24V838000 on NHTSA.gov
Service brakes, hydraulic, antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip, control unit/moduleJun 9, 2022
Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Jeep Grand Cherokee and Dodge Durango vehicles. A malfunction in the antilock-brake system (ABS) module may illuminate the brake lights, and allow the vehicle to start and shift out of Park without the brake pedal being applied.
A vehicle that starts and shifts out of Park without applying the brake pedal can result in vehicle rollaway, increasing the risk of a crash without prior warning and/or injury to others outside of the vehicle.
This recall is replaced by NHTSA recall number 24V838. Vehicles already repaired under this recall will need to have the new remedy completed. The remedy includes updated HCU/ABS module software that prevents the HCU/ABS module from falsely reading pressure in the primary circuit. FCA has decided to do a two-Phase Campaign remedy schedule. Phase 1 began November 17, 2022. Phase 2 begin date has not been determined yet. Interim owner notification letters explaining the safety risk were mailed July 28, 2020. Owner notification letters were mailed on November 29, 2022. Owners may contact FCA US, LLC customer service at 1-800-853-1403. FCA US, LLC's number for this recall is Z48.
Campaign 22V426000 on NHTSA.gov
Electrical system, wiring, front underhoodAug 9, 2018
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2018 Jeep Renegade, Compass and Grand Cherokee, RAM 1500 and Promaster, Fiat 500x, Dodge Journey, Challenger, Charger and Durango and Chrysler 300x vehicles, 2017-2018 Jeep Wrangler, Dodge Grand Caravan and Chrysler Town and Country vehicles and 2018-2019 Jeep Cherokee and 2018 Chrysler Pacifica and Pacifica Hybrid vehicles. The powertrain control module may be equipped with a voltage regulator chip in the circuit board that may fail, causing a stall or a no start condition.
A vehicle stall can increase the risk of a crash.
Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the powertrain control module, free of charge. The recall began October 2, 2018. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is U87.
Campaign 18V524000 on NHTSA.gov
Electrical system, wiringMay 17, 2018
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2014-2018 Dodge Journey, Charger and Durango, RAM 2500, 3500, 3500 Cab Chassis (more than 10,000lb), 4500 Cab Chassis and 5500 Cab Chassis, Jeep Cherokee and Grand Cherokee and Chrysler 300, 2014-2019 RAM 1500, 2015-2018 Dodge Challenger, 2015-2017 Chrysler 200, 2016-2018 RAM 3500 Cab Chassis (less than 10,000 lb), 2017-2018 Chrysler Pacifica and 2018 Jeep Wrangler vehicles. These vehicles are being recalled to address a defect that could prevent the cruise control system from disengaging. If, when using cruise control, there is a short circuit within the vehicle's wiring, the driver may not be able to shut off the cruise control either by depressing the brake pedal or manually turning the system off once it has been engaged, resulting in either the vehicle maintaining its current speed or possibly accelerating.
If the vehicle maintains its speed or accelerates despite attempts to deactivate the cruise control, there would be an increased risk of a crash.
Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the software, and perform a software flash on the engine or powertrain control module, free of charge. The recall began June 4, 2018. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Note: Owners are advised to stop using cruise control until the software update has been performed. In the event that cruise control cannot be disengaged while driving, owners should firmly and steadily apply the brakes and shift the transmission to neutral, placing the vehicle in park once it has stopped.
Campaign 18V332000 on NHTSA.gov
Power train, automatic transmissionMay 1, 2018
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2018 Dodge Charger, Durango and Challenger, Jeep Grand Cherokee and Wrangler, Chrysler 300, and RAM 1500 vehicles. An incorrect transmission park lock rod may have been installed in the transmission.
If the incorrect park lock rod is installed, the transmission may not shift into 'PARK' and keep the vehicle from moving, increasing the risk of unintended vehicle movement and the risk of a crash.
Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will install the correct park lock rod, free of charge. The recall began June 28, 2018. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is U43.
Campaign 18V280000 on NHTSA.gov
Representative owner complaints: exterior lighting
56 reports, newest first. Show all
Exterior lighting, Jan 27, 2024
My racetrack light in back has blown LEDs due water getting inside. I’m to the entire light and back up camera needs replacement. It’s a major issue according to other owners who have the same problem.
Exterior lighting, Dec 29, 2023
Vehicle tail light housings (3ea) are not adequately sealed and protected from the elements and allow water/debris to intrude. Water accumulation has caused dimming and shorting of lights. Dodge customer service was contacted and stated they are not currently and will not warranty repair.
Exterior lighting, Dec 26, 2023
Center tail light failure in the lift gate. On further inspection all tail lights have water intrusion. Obviously tail/brake light failure is a safety hazard, especially at night. Dodge not owning the problem and the repair parts are extremely hard to find.
Electrical system, Exterior lighting, May 28, 2023
The infotainment system screen is delaminating like on many others and cause the screen to act like there’s a ghost touching the screen randomly Val’s people changes stations and scares me it will be full blast out of nowhere And then there’s the rear center racetrack taillight it fills with water and the bottom right is burnt out like on millions of otheres it should be a recall it does it it on all model years starting with 2014 to current it’s not sealed properly from factory I even bought a new assembly at 1,400$ and it lasted a year my Durango is a 2018
Exterior lighting, Mar 30, 2023
When using the auto high beam headlights. The headlights will dim and the high beams do not always come back on. this appears to happen after seeing yellow signs on the roads. To fix I have to turn the head light knob to on (which turns the lights off for a second). This is very dangerous on the dark roads i ride on. I was told by dealer this is a known issue on many brands and there is no fix. This has been an on going issue for the last couple of years.
Exterior lighting, Mar 17, 2023
Tracklight has water intrusion. Replaced twice already. New light has water. Less than 6 months old. Causes rear lighting to fail, including plate light, which is illegal in my state. Failure causes drivers approaching from the rear not to see vehicle on approach, potentially causing an accident.
Exterior lighting, Mar 16, 2023
Tail lights fill with water. This caused a safety risk both of electrical fire and lights failing and increasing risk of an accident when due to not being visible from behind. This is a known issue with Dodge Durangos from 2016 to 2020. There are class action lawsuits and petitions requesting dodge fix the problem. I called Dodge corporate and was advised the situation has not been addressed and that it is not under warranty or recall
Exterior lighting, Mar 7, 2023
My 2018 Dodge Durango leaked water into the taillight assembly. I initially removed the bottom taillight screw located inside the liftgate so water would drain. Later I had to remove the light itself and run a bead of silicone caulking along the top edge where the water leaked into the light assembly. Generation 3 Dodge Durangos are notorious for leaking water into the "race track" shaped taillight which leads to taillight failures. It's the biggest complaint on my Facebook Durango groups, with almost daily postings. Once water collects inside the assembly, it leads to taillight partial or total failure.
Exterior lighting, Jan 19, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Dodge Durango. The contact stated that the taillights were not functioning properly. The contact stated that the taillights failed to illuminate as needed. The vehicle was diagnosed by an independent mechanic, and the contact was informed that the taillight assembly seal was not functioning correctly and was allowing water to enter the taillight assembly. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was contacted and stated that there was no recall for the failure. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 30,000.
Exterior lighting, Jun 30, 2022
Not just mine but many Durangos from 2014-2022 has a defect in which the rear light bar which has no seal gets wet and burns the led light out, this needs to be addressed and recalled asap, I also have pictures of random Durangos I’ve seen at night with the light out in the same spots.
Exterior lighting, May 27, 2022
Track lighting starting to fail. Water accumulation inside the bottom passenger side of track light. 44,000 miles on vehicle. No damage. Presents safety issue with rear visibility. Can cause short in wiring, causing potential fire.
Exterior lighting, Mar 9, 2022
unknown. I have a dodge Durango that the racetrack lights on the tailgate not all are working and I've seen some with all the lights out causing a safety hazard.
Electrical system, Exterior lighting, Other or unspecified, Jan 21, 2022
I noticed an air bubble looking thing on my radio screen. You can see it in the attached video which is just one example from recent. Then my screen starting doing things on it's own. Changing from on thing to the next on it's own. I spoke with my mechanic who was having similar issues and told me about a group he is part of because there are so many people with this same issue. The screen is delaminating and causing what people are referring to as ghost touches. I think this is a safety hazard because it is distracting to have your screen changing constantly. It will make phone calls on it's own, change from heat to AC and turn the fan from high to low. Having your AC blasting in the middle of winter is no treat. Having your heat blasting summer won't be great either. This is a safety issue as well. This is all controlled by the screen. Imagine someone has epilepsy and this crazy screen causes a seizure? I have contacted Dodge and my local Dodge dealer. Nobody wants to acknowledge the issue because I am out of warranty. Warranty or not it's a safety issue that needs addressed before it causes someone to go off the road due to distractions of the radio doing whatever it wants and controlling all kinds of things in your vehicle. I know I am not the first person to reach out or report this issue. I really hope there is something that can be done before someone gets hurt. Thank you for your time and consideration. I wasn't able to get the filed uploaded for the video but when I hear from someone I will try again.
Exterior lighting, Jan 15, 2022
Water Intrusion caused rear lift gate "racetrack light" tail lights including license plate lights to become inoperable. This poses an obvious risk to safety as the lighting is relied upon by drivers, in dark conditions, to detect the rear of my vehicle. If a driver behind me were to fail to detect the rear of my vehicle, in dark conditions, they could easily collide with the rear of my vehicle. If this were to happen, there is a great possibility that persons in either vehicle could be seriously injured or killed. A simple Google search of this issue would reveal that there are hundreds if not thousands of complaints on the same issue. So far dodge has refused to acknowledge this manufacturer's defect or the possible safety implications it can cause.
Exterior lighting, Jan 11, 2022
The contact owns a 2018 Dodge Durango. The contact stated that the taillights failed to operate as needed. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed with needing the taillights to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and was awaiting a response. The failure mileage was approximately 55,000.
Electrical system, Exterior lighting, Sep 5, 2021
The racetrack light strip on the trunk isn’t water tight. Rain water, melting snow, car washes, etc, cause water and condensation to build up inside the light. This builds up and fries the LEDs in the rear taillights. This then caused an electrical problem that caused a headlight to malfunction. Dodge/Chrysler refused to help me with this. I had to replace it out of pocket and 2 months later my new one had the same problem. I see tons of Durango’s on the road with burnt out taillights due to this issue. The part is over $1,000 and is always on back order because of how often it fails. My car has less than 30k miles and has never been in an accident. This is a safety issues as my taillights are less visible and it causes other lights, such as my headlight to fail as well. They will not issue a recall, this is ridiculous. An over $40,000 car that isn’t waterproof and the manufacturer won’t remedy the problem.
Electrical system, Exterior lighting, Aug 11, 2021
The tail light and license plate lights on my 2018 Dodge Durango have shorted out. This issue is happening on models of earlier and later years of the Dodge Durango and there are many forums all over the internet discussing this issue. The light accumulates water in it and shorts out. I have not found any evidence of water in my lights as the thousands of other owners have but the same symptoms of this issue are happening to my Durango even though I keep it in the garage. My lights just went out today and there are less than 45,000 miles on the vehicle. The lights are LEDs so they should last quite awhile. I know the lights are not burnt out because I replaced the license plate lights with new oem ones a few months ago and they are already out again. The tail light on the Durnago is split into three sections, left, center, and right. The center part which is the largest, provides the most visibility for my vehicle while on the road is the section that commonly burns out for the Dodge Durangos as it has with mine. Owners are reporting this issue with less than 7,000 miles on the vehicles. A short can cause a fire. My Durango is garage kept so if that vehicle sets fire, my house, myself, my wife, and my 3 children will all be burned alive. The fact that it is garage kept also makes this issue very ridiculous because it is hardly out in the weather. Especially since I work from home and my wife is a stay at home mother. We hardly go anywhere, especially if it is raining. Another safety issue this may cause is if the tail light is blinking or suddenly begins to blink, drivers behind me may think I am slamming on my breaks and this could cause a pile up on the highway. Pile ups can kill numerous people on the road. While the light is not shinning at all, other vehicles on the road lose visibility of my vehicle. This is especially the case in foggy weather or at night. If people cannot see me, they may hit me possible killing my family or their own.
Exterior lighting, Jun 28, 2021
Rear center track light gaskets/seals leak causing lighting failure. This is commonly known, particularly among late model Dodge Durango community. So many can't be wrong.
Electrical system, Exterior lighting, Apr 28, 2021
RAIN WATER LEAKS INTO THE BRAKE LIGHTS AND RUINS IT ALL. THE DEALERSHIP SAID IT COSTS $1,400 BECAUSE THEY HAVE TO REPLACE EVERYTHING. EVERYWHERE I CALLED IS BACK ORDERED ON THE PARTS BECAUSE THIS HAPPENS SO FREQUENTLY. THE CAR BARELY HAS 20K MILES ON IT.
Exterior lighting, Apr 22, 2021
WATER LEAKING INTO REAR LIFTGATE LAMP(RACETRACK LIGHT) SHORTED OUT ABOUT 6 INCHES OF THE LED LOWER LEFT SIDE. REMOVED WATER THROUGH MOUNTING SCREW HOLE. VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY HOWEVER WATER ENTERED WHILE DRIVING IN RAIN ALSO
Exterior lighting, Apr 1, 2021
THE RACETRACK LIGHT BAR (ATTACHED TO THE DECK LID) HAS GOTTEN WATER INSIDE IT, (IT WAS THIS WAY WHEN I BOUGHT IT) AND NOW THE LIGHT IS NO LONGER WORKING. THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM ON THE DODGE DURANGO, AS I HAVE SEEN MULTIPLE PEOPLE WHO ARE HAVING THIS PROBLEM.
Exterior lighting, Mar 28, 2021
LIFTGATE LAMP HAS WATER INFILTRATION AND DAMAGES THE LED LIGHTS PART NUMBER 68156575AG THIS HOUSING ALSO INCORPORATES THE REVERSE LAMPS AND REVERSE CAMERA SYSTEM
Exterior lighting, Structure, Mar 14, 2021
2018 DODGE DURANGO WITH 48,000 MILES. REAR TAILLIGHTS FILL WITH WATER. (ALSO KNOWN AS THE RACETRACK LIGHT). THE TAILLIGHT ASSEMBLLY WILL FILL WITH WATER FROM RAIN WATER OR A SIMPLE CAR WASH. THIS CAUSES THE REAR TAILLIGHT TO FLICKER ON AND OFF OR BURN OUT COMPLETELY. THIS IS AN ON GOING ISSUE WITH THE 2014 AND NEWER DURANGO. THIS IS A DESIGN FLAW FROM DODGE AND THEY WILL NOT COVER IT AND MAKE IT RIGHT. DODGE HAS ALSO NOT UPDATED THIS DESIGN TO IMPROVE IT EITHER. AFTER REPLACEMENT IT WILL ONLY BE A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE IT WILL DO IT AGAIN. THIS IS A BIG SAFETY ISSUE AND THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL ON THIS POORLY DESIGNED PART. THEN ON TOP OF IT, THE LOCAL DODGE DEALER WILL CHARGE YOU $1200 FOR A NEW ONE. I ATTACHED SOME PICTURES. I ALSO TOOK VIDEO OF THE WATER DRAINING OUT OF THE TAILGATE AND TAILLIGHTS FLICKERING ON AND OFF BUT COULDN'T UPLOAD THEM.
Exterior lighting, Feb 7, 2021
2018 DODGE DURANGO LAMP LIFTGATE FILLS WITH WATER AND CAUSE THE LIGHT TO FAIL.
Exterior lighting, Jan 4, 2021
THE TRACK LIGHTING (TAIL LIGHT) ON THE HATCH HAS WATER IN IT ALONG WITH CONDENSATION. I ONLY HAVE 24K MILES ON MY DURANGO.