2020 Dodge Durango
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Exterior lighting is the leading concern among 55 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 21st highest complaint count among 25 Durango model years with reports.
Of the 2020 reports, 3 involved a fire. 5 people were injured.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
Air bags, critical fastenersApr 22, 2021
Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Dodge Durango vehicles. The Side Air Bag Inflatable Curtain (SABIC) fastener may be loose or missing.
A loose or missing fastener may cause the side curtain air bag to deploy incorrectly, increasing the risk of injury.
Dealers will tighten or replace the fastener, free of charge. Owner notification letters were sent on May 7, 2021. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is Y16.
Campaign 21V280000 on NHTSA.gov
Back over prevention, sensing system, cameraSep 10, 2020
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2020 Jeep Gladiator and Jeep Cherokee, 2019-2020 Ram 1500 Pickup, Ram 2500 Pickup, Ram 3500 Pickup, Chrysler Pacifica, Dodge Durango, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Jeep Wrangler, and Jeep Renegade and 2019 Dodge Challenger vehicles equipped with 8.4" or 12" radio displays. A software error can cause the rearview camera image to remain displayed after the vehicle has been shifted out of reverse. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 111, "Rearview Mirrors."
The lingering rearview image can distract the driver, increasing the risk of a crash.
Chrysler has notified owners, and dealers will update the radio display software, free of charge. Optionally, owners can choose to remotely update their software via an Over-The-Air (OTA) update available as of May 1, 2020. The recall began April 27, 2020. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is W30-W37.
Campaign 20V191000 on NHTSA.gov
Representative owner complaints: exterior lighting
22 reports, newest first. Show all
Exterior lighting, Sep 16, 2026
Purchased in XXX from Tri Star Motors in [XXX] with approximately 18,000 miles on it. In XXX, I noticed some flickering on the passenger side racetrack light and water entrapment after a somewhat heavy snowfall. After some research, I removed the drain bolt and drained the water out. I left the drain bolt off so that water would not get trapped in it again. I have kept an eye on it to make sure the condensation dried up and keep monitoring for any issues with brake lights. So far, it has not affected my brake lights, rear view camera or back up lights. For the most part, it is just dimmed in that passenger lower side of the racetrack light itself and still flickers some. I do worry about the integrity of the wiring now and if any issues will arise. Especially the integrity of my brake lights. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Electrical system, Exterior lighting, Aug 2, 2026
My entire lighting system in back of truck stopped working. The racetrack lighting system. The license plate lights done. I cannot drive the car at night because I will get pulled over. Dodge saying it is not covered under the extended warranty I purchased.
Exterior lighting, May 8, 2026
Tail light not working, was replaced, replacement also malfunctioning.
Exterior lighting, Apr 25, 2026
Back lights. Bottom of right is out and bottom left is starting to go out. Water collects inside the lights.
Exterior lighting, Feb 11, 2026
The rear tail lights and the rear “race track” running light have allowed water to enter causing premature failure of a large portion of the light(s). These are not user serviceable parts and should be completely sealed from the elements. Eventually, the entire ‘marker light’ portion of the the taillights and race track with be completely non-functioning causing the vehicle to have no rear illumination except brake lights when the vehicle headlights are on. It started out as one small section but has rapidly progressed.
Exterior lighting, Jan 18, 2026
Water had accumulated in the racetrack led light in the center of the trunk. Causing light to short circuit and lose taillight, license plate light, and back up lights as well.
Electrical system, Exterior lighting, Sep 4, 2025
The racetrack lighting on the tailgate had water in it and dodge refused to repair or replace...now I have no racetrack lighting and no tag light and they still will not help.
Exterior lighting, Mar 31, 2025
The break lights do not have a proper seal and the LED lights are shorted out on the rear exterior brake lights. This is a safety issue and should be recalled.
Exterior lighting, Mar 30, 2025
Taillight "racetrack" style went completely due to water and moisture. Had to spend over $1200 and some change just to replace the unit. No license plate light either due to water damage.
Exterior lighting, Aug 19, 2024
Rear racetrack taillight collects water and the leds short out making the taillight not work
Exterior lighting, May 17, 2024
Rear taillamp goes out and is a safety issue , it is a known issue, there is a similar problem with years 2021 and above and a recall was issued , water gets in the light and causes problems , it also causes the license plate light to go out in which a cop can stop you and issue you a ticket , the light has failed in all sorts of ways that can be a safety issue in the day or night , it's all over the forums and general internet, my light has water and is starting to fail as well as the license plate light , I asked a police officer and was told if stopped they may issue me a ticket , im disabled with issues in my arm and can no longer be able to be handy with tools , seeing this is a widespread issue and a recall has been issued for other years why has this 2020 and previous years have been overlooked , it is a Hazzard if you cannot see rear taillights and if your vehicles plates cannot be seen by traffic cameras for bridges, tolls or street cams for various reasons that can include security issues as well as safety.
Exterior lighting, Apr 1, 2024
The rear tailgate bar has been going out due to water leaks. Whenever it rains, water is pooled up inside the light and is causing the light bar to dim.
Exterior lighting, Jan 31, 2024
The L.E.D light strip on the back of the car completely failed so now the whole middle of the rear is non working. Without this working now it is not as safe driving at night because other vehicles might not be able to notice me as well as usual. This has been a continuing problem with absolutely no interest in fixing it or repairing the problem with the manufacturer or dealership which is costing consumers alot of money out of pocket for somthin they shouldn't be responsible for. When this occurred there was no warning signs no sign of any damage at all and not even any water built up inside the components , I have seen other vehicles that had what looked like a cup of water in there light and it still was working except for maybe some dim areas but with my situation I don't see how my whole component could just fail all together more going on then just water getting in it.
Exterior lighting, Jan 3, 2024
The rear lift gate "racetrack" tail light and license plate light bar to include backup lights just stopped working. I suddenly have extremely little visibility of my car from the rear at night. The contact stated with the taillight removed, It is apparent that a deficient factory assembly process resulted in taillight wires impeding the weather seal designed to keep water out of the tail light electronics. The presence of water and corrosion/rust in the immediate area supports this.
Exterior lighting, Dec 24, 2023
The tail light burned out because of water intrusion. I understand there is a leaky gasket that lets water in and, in time, this moisture ruins the LED taillight. Mine gave way at 45k miles. One section on the left started fading, then the whole taillight burned out. I was reading on the Internet a lot of people report the same issue for a number of years, how is this still happening, can you please help?
Exterior lighting, Structure, May 7, 2023
Water intrusion into racetrack tail light. This has apparently been an issue for ten years on this style of light on Durangos with no recall or fix offered. There are hundreds of YouTube videos on how to drain water by removing a bolt, applying silicone caulk or other random fixes. Now my rear tail light is so dim it's nearly undetectable and the dealership wants to charge $1600 to fix it. But I read that even though dealers replace the lights, the problem persists because the problem with design is not fixed. No warning lights to tell me my light was out. My son told me he noticed it when I visited him a few days ago. No inspection has been done. You can see water inside that's filled up the light component. I drive this vehicle less than 1000 mi per month. It can pretty much be inspected at any time in my driveway. The problem doesn't need to be confirmed by a dealer. I can take a picture. It's water in a tail light. Very obvious.
Exterior lighting, May 26, 2022
The center liftgate "racetrack" lamp assembly experienced water intrusion and pooling in the lower RH corner between the clear outer lens and red LED light strip. The concern and defect were confirmed by the local Dodge service department and replaced under the vehicle manufacturer's Basic Limited Warranty. Observation of other 2014-2022 Dodge Durango models with the same lamp assembly and water intrusion problem indicates a partial or full failure of the outer red LED racetrack light band will eventually result. Such a failure could increase the probability of rear-end collision in low visibility or nighttime conditions due to insufficient illumination of the vehicle's rear. Note: the lamp assembly is a sealed, non-serviceable, component and must be replaced as an entire unit.
Exterior lighting, May 19, 2022
It is well known in the Dodge Durango community that the main tail light housing on these vehicles was not properly sealed from weather elements. Over the course of time, water intrusion will cause areas of the tail light to burn out, gradually leading to the entire system to fail. Dodge is well aware of this but does not offer any repair outside of warranty period if this happens on factory housing. The repair cost for this is astronomical considering this is a defect straight from the factory. Dodge needs to make it a point to create a recall for the Durango to have the tail light properly sealed and reinstalled at no cost to the owner. When these lights burn out this causes a massive safety hazard at night.
Exterior lighting, Jan 20, 2022
Bought vehicle new in 2020, has 41K miles. Tonight, I noticed when arriving home that the entire center light on the lift gate is not functioning. I also do not have tag lights and my rear camera is non-functioning. At night, the back of the vehicle is not lit very well without that center light plus the tag is not illuminated. I appears this is a common issue with the Durango. I feel is poses a serious risk due to the rear lighting not functioning.
Exterior lighting, Structure, Other or unspecified, Sep 1, 2021
The rear tail lights have a sharp edge that is beak shaped and if you brush up against it on accident it slices into your skin or clothes. I was loading groceries and my arm skimmed over it and sliced a whole piece of skin off. I have researched the incident to see if others have had the same experience looking for a recall or solution after it happened to me and my husband multiple times most recently myself a big cut and I see forums with other people sharing same story.
Exterior lighting, Structure, Jul 14, 2021
There is a very sharp side on the back rear taillight that connects with the lift gate. This razor sharp edge has cut myself, husband, and almost my son. The only thing that saved him from getting cut was the sleeve on his shirt. I have reported this issue to Chrysler. An investigation is in process. The man came out to take pictures he also agreed this was a safety issue. Both my husband and I have been left with permanent scars.
Exterior lighting, May 17, 2021
Water intrusion into the rear tail lights.