2021 Dodge Durango
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Exterior lighting is the leading concern among 202 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 16th highest complaint count among 25 Durango model years with reports.
Of the 2021 reports, 10 involved a crash and 4 involved a fire. 5 people were injured.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
Structure, body, hatchback/liftgateAug 13, 2026
Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2021-2023 Dodge Durango vehicles. The rear spoiler may not be aligned properly with the roof, possibly resulting in damage to the spoiler during liftgate use.
A damaged rear spoiler may detach and create a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash.
Dealers will inspect and replace or repair the spoiler and align the liftgate as necessary, free of charge. Interim notification letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed September 10, 2026. A second notice will be sent once the final remedy is available. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is 61D. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will become searchable on NHTSA.gov on August 20, 2026. Vehicles in this recall were previously recalled under 21V842 or 23V115. Vehicles repaired under the prior recalls will need the new repair completed.
Campaign 26V528000 on NHTSA.gov
Back over prevention, sensing system, cameraJun 13, 2024
Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Dodge Durango, 2021-2023 Chrysler Pacifica, Jeep Grand Cherokee L, 2022 Ram 1500, 2500, 3500, Chrysler Voyager, 2022-2023 Jeep Compass, Grand Cherokee, Wagoneer, Grand Wagoneer, and Ram Promaster vehicles. The radio software may prevent the rearview image from displaying. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."
A rearview camera image that does not display decreases the driver's visibility, increasing the risk of a crash.
Dealers will update the radio software or the software will be OTA, "Over-The-Air," free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed beginning July 9, 2024. Owners may contact FCA US, LLC customer service at 1-800-853-1403. FCA US, LLC's numbers for this recall are 66B and 79B.
Campaign 24V436000 on NHTSA.gov
Structure, body, hatchback/liftgateFeb 23, 2023
Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2021-2023 Dodge Durango vehicles. The rear spoiler may not be aligned properly with the roof, resulting in damage to the spoiler during liftgate use.
A damaged rear spoiler can detach and become a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash.
Dealers will inspect and replace the rear spoiler, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 9, 2023. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is 20A. This recall is an expansion of recall number 21V-842.
Campaign 23V115000 on NHTSA.gov
Engine and engine cooling, exhaust system, emission control, gas recirculation valve (egr valve)Apr 28, 2022
Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2021 Dodge Durango, Jeep Grand Cherokee WK, 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee, and 2021-2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee L vehicles equipped with 3.6L engines. The exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) valve may stick open, resulting in an unexpected loss of drive power.
An unexpected loss of drive power increases the risk of a crash.
Dealers will replace the EGR valve assembly, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 23, 2022. Owners may contact FCA US, LLC customer service at 1-800-853-1403. FCA US, LLC's number for this recall is Z31.
Campaign 22V284000 on NHTSA.gov
Steering, rack and pinionMar 14, 2022
Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Dodge Durango and 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee vehicles. The steering gear rack bar may have been insufficiently hardened during manufacturing, possibly allowing it to bind within the steering rack, and resulting in difficulty steering or a loss of steering control.
Difficulty steering, or a loss of steering control, can increase the risk of a crash.
Dealers will replace the steering gear assembly, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on May 12, 2022. Owners may contact FCA US, LLC customer service at 1-800-852-1403. FCA US, LLC's number for this recall is Z18.
Campaign 22V154000 on NHTSA.gov
Service brakes, hydraulic, antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip, control unit/moduleMar 10, 2022
Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2019-2022 Ram 2500 and 2021-2022 Dodge Durango vehicles, and 2019-2022 3500 cab chassis with GVWR less than 10,000 lbs. The ABS control module software may prevent the electronic stability control (ESC) malfunction indicator light from illuminating during certain conditions. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 126, "Electronic Stability Control Systems."
An ESC malfunction indicator light that fails to illuminate during an electronic stability control problem can increase the risk of a crash.
Dealers will update the ABS control module software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 29, 2022. Owners may contact FCA US, LLC customer service at 1-800-853-1403. FCA US, LLC's number for this recall is Z20.
Campaign 22V140000 on NHTSA.gov
Structure, bodyOct 28, 2021
Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2021 Dodge Durango vehicles. The rear spoiler may not be aligned properly with the roof, resulting in damage to the spoiler during liftgate use.
A damaged rear spoiler could detach and become a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash.
Dealers will inspect and replace the rear spoiler, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 21, 2021. Owners may contact FCA US, LLC customer service at 1-800-853-1403. FCA US, LLC's number for this recall is Y73.
Campaign 21V842000 on NHTSA.gov
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
Representative owner complaints: exterior lighting
90 reports, newest first. Show all
Exterior lighting, May 23, 2025
Daytime running lights stopped working at 40,000 miles. Only fix would be to get an entirely new headlight.
Electrical system, Exterior lighting, Apr 29, 2025
The daytime running light on the drivers side stopped working. Appears to be a very common problem on 2021 durangos. After inspection of the headlight assembly, it appears the DRL are 2 separate strips which makes it highly unlikely that both LED strips failed at the exact same time. This leads me to believe the issue is electrical. I dont want to replace the headlight assembly with an underlying electrical issue and dodge does not want to take responsibilty and investigate further. They want to replace the headlight assembly. This is an ongoing issue with many durangos and it needs to be properly addressed
Electrical system, Exterior lighting, Apr 24, 2025
Rear brake light got water in it and now the brake light is partially out.
Exterior lighting, Apr 15, 2025
The driver's side, daytime running light LED suddenly went off and stopped working
Exterior lighting, Mar 27, 2025
DRL’s stopped working
Exterior lighting, Mar 21, 2025
DRL on left side does not work. After looking online it looks as if this is a common issue and most likely 2021 models are no longer working. It is safety hazard due to it being a light.
Exterior lighting, Mar 13, 2025
The driver side headlight fixture has gotten moisture into it. This has caused the "racetrack" LED daylight running light around the headlight to fail. After doing research, this is a common issue amount 2021 and up Dodge Durangos. At this time, there is also a class action lawsuit for the rear LED lighting using probably the same design that is also failing. The fix is replacing the headlight housing which is approximately $1,500+ for part and repair. Yes, this can be inspected upon request. The safety risk is that only one of the daylight running lights works so visibility will be poor for other drivers. My inspection mechanic noticed this issue and described it being the moisture in the headlight to be the most direct cause of the malfunction. There were no warnings that the equipment was failing. It would be on one day then off the next and then it stopped working completely.
Electrical system, Exterior lighting, Mar 10, 2025
Racetrack taillight got water inside of it. Full Rear taillight is now not functioning and I have no brake lights.
Exterior lighting, Mar 4, 2025
The racetrack tail LED lights burn out and fail. It is a safety concern because of visibility and since they are vulnerable to water damage from rain or car washes, the light assembly can get corroded and burn out other electrical components. This leads to failure of backup lights, license plate lights, and rearview backup camera. The problem has been reproduced thousands of times as is evident by all the Durango's on the road exhibiting the same burned out tail lights. There is no warning or message, etc. prior to failure. The cost to repair is an outrageous $2000 (parts & labor) at minimum.
Exterior lighting, Jan 16, 2025
The day time running light on the driver's side has gone out. Being a lighting issue, this affects visibility of the vehicle and therefore is a safety issue.
Electrical system, Exterior lighting, Jan 6, 2025
I've read a bunch of complaints about the drivers side daytime running lights having an electrical issue and the lights stop working. It's a common theme that it's only the drivers side which indicates faulty wiring which could possibly lead to a fire sometime. Ours is now not functioning. It just stopped working yesterday and I started to investigate it on my own.
Exterior lighting, Dec 19, 2024
The drivers side daytime running light led failed at approximately 56,000 miles and less than 4 years. The dealer (Dover Dodge) has informed me that the LED can’t simply be replaced , but the entire headlight has to be replaced for $1,400 dollars including labor. This component is not supposed to fail so early. It is unreasonable and premature for a component like this to fail and the only recourse is to replace the entire headlight assembly. I believe this is a design flaw that Dodge should recall or at the minimum extend the warranty on. It is not safe that my daytime running light will remain off on the drivers side. This condition will certainly lower my visible presence on the road.
Exterior lighting, Dec 13, 2024
Driver's side daytime running light (part of the headlight) stopped working. Internet search indicates this is a common problem. Vehicle & part are available for inspection upon request. I have not brought this issue to the dealer yet. I only noticed it when someone else was driving it.
Electrical system, Exterior lighting, Nov 27, 2024
Drive lights on driver side always stop working or work improperly, after looking into it I see its such a common complaint and always on drivers side, dodge refuses to look into it although it cant be a coincidence that its always on Durangos and always on the driver side exact same light. Theres was no warning lights on dash and fuses are good.
Exterior lighting, Nov 19, 2024, crash
Daytime running LED does not work and headlight is not properly lit in the dark. Headlight assembly is not covered by extended warranty.
Exterior lighting, Nov 17, 2024
The drivers side daytime running lamps no longer work. This feature is supposed to allow other drivers to see me during the day when headlights are not needed to see. I have checked the fuse and it is good. I also toggled the option off and back on in settings. Passenger side works but not the drivers. This part has to be faulty since everyone on the dodge forums state that only the drivers side on their vehicle quit working.
Exterior lighting, Oct 21, 2024
LF DRL not working only on this side. Vehicle was taken to dealership, I have an extended warranty but was told this was not covered. There are 4 other Durangos in my town with the same problem. I have also been online and found numerous forums with other people having the same issue. I would like have this noted so that Dodge can acknowledge this issue and fix it.
Exterior lighting, Oct 15, 2024
Drivers side LED running light died - this issue has been all over the internet on 2021 Durango SXT Plus, and other Durango vehicles with LED bulbs. Bulbs themselves cannot be replaced - the entire housing must be, and the price is extreme for the product. This is a Dodge safety issue, not a personal one!
Exterior lighting, Sep 15, 2024
The daytime running light on the drivers side went out mind you the car only has 65000 miles on it and appears to be an ongoing issue with this vehicle upon research.
Exterior lighting, Sep 9, 2024
Drivers side DRL goes out very quickly. This is a VERY common issue on 21 Dodge vehicles.
Exterior lighting, Aug 31, 2024
My drivers side headlamp that is sealed the running light is out and apparently several other Dodge Durango owners have the same issue like it’s a defect when they were being made and it seems to be the one on the drivers side every time when you look up all the complaints about it! I am very unhappy about this situation and that a recall already hasn’t been made with all the vehicles that have this same exact problem instead because it’s sealed the dealerships want us to pay $1800 to get it replaced! If several other Dodge Durangos are having the same problem they should fix this issue moving forward! Our vehicle is only 3 years old! This could definitely cause an issue when it’s foggy outside and make it a very dangerous situation since we cannot change it ourselves! So this needs to be fixed!
Electrical system, Exterior lighting, Aug 31, 2024
Known issue of major electrical problems. Fuse block, alternator, and batteries needed to be replaced after car completely died while driving, leaving us stranded at major intersection. Daytime running light also died.
Exterior lighting, Aug 21, 2024
I own a 2020 Dodge Durango. The daytime running lights malfunctioned after one year of use. The vehicle warranty does not cover this issue, and all dealers and insurance companies will charge over $1200 to repair the lights. This issue has been known to affect the 2020 Durango model since its release. The lights cannot be repaired by replacing a bulb; instead, the entire headlight module must be replaced. Dodge has stated that this issue is considered normal wear and tear on the vehicle, even though they acknowledge that it is a known issue. Dodge does not know why the lights malfunction after just one year, but their resolution is to charge the consumer to replace the module and also advises that the issue may recur after the repair.
Electrical system, Exterior lighting, Aug 8, 2024
Driver side headlight Dlr LED running and turn signal went out.
Exterior lighting, Aug 7, 2024
The DRL on these models seem to stop working within 3-4 years. I have only one working on the vehicle currently. Dealer is stating the light cost is $1000 plus install to fix. Apparently it’s a “known” issue by FCA. The safety concern is that when people first see it they have told me they thought I was a motorcycle. As only one DRL is working. The whole headlight should not have to be replaced in these as it is only the DRL that is bad. How do they expect people to pay for this.