There are 50 owner-reported engine complaints for the 2012 Dodge Durangoin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
The contact owns a 2012 Dodge Durango. The contact stated that when the vehicle was started, the check engine warning light illuminated. Approximately three weeks later, while stopped at a light, the vehicle accelerated unintendedly. The gear shifter was shifted to park(P) to stop the vehicle. The vehicle was then taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and it was determined that the timing chain was blown. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure persisted. The vehicle was subsequently taken to an independent mechanic on several occasions, where it was diagnosed and determined that there were failures with Oxygen sensors, head gaskets, oil pan, oil pump, B2S1 heater, that the intake manifold was cracked, there was cylinder #2 misfire, and the circuit harness needed to be repaired, and DTC: P0300 was retrieved. The vehicle was repaired each time, but the failure persisted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 190,000.
My vehicle has had recalls performed multiple times since 1st purchased in 2012. The issue was vehicle stalling. At 1st Chrysler / Dodge addressed it as issues upon start up where the vehicle sounded as though it was skipping when hitting the ignition button. They attempted to remedy this with multiple fuel pump relay recalls. They attempted to do internal which did not work. They then went external which also did not work. Nothing was ever formerly recognized as a suitable resolution, so any of us dealing with this were just forgotten. Well I still have this vehicle and it has gotten worse to the point the vehicle will randomly stall while in motion as it did the other day and on multiple other occasions. Under braking conditions the vehicle stalls where everything on the dash appears normal electronically, there is just no power and the steering locks up. I have addressed this multiple times with Dodge customer service as well as my local dealership. The dealership does not want to attempt any repairs because they want to be paid and the manufacturer is not entertaining it. I am aware the vehicle is out of warranty but I am not paying for something the manufacturer has known about since first purchased. There has been no further actions by the manufacturer to address this. They have moved on to newer existing Durango models.
The 2014 through 2018 3.6L Pentastar motors are covered under a tech service bulletin for their Drivers side valve train being manufactured incorrectly. This can lead to a misfire and hesitation to accelerate in an Emergency. This happened to me recently and I thought it was just a bad spark plug. Mechanic did a full check and believes there is a stuck valve in the engine on the exact same side that the 2014 to 2018 motors are prone to failure. I believe the 2012 and 2013 Engines are also prone to the same failures as their newer counter parts. As I was trying to accelerate to avoid an incident my car stuttered and started to misfire badly. Almost causing a collision. This happened without warning and never previously had this issue. Vehicle was completely mechanically sound before this. This can happen without any warning or signs its going to happen. And after bringing the vehicle to a mechanic and doing much of my own research it appears that the drivers side of the 3.6L v6 in my vehicle is currently under a TSB for the #2,4,6 cylinder head. This can cause the vehicle to have no power for a moment which if I were merging onto the highway and lacked powered could result in a rear end collision. Believe this is a safety issue as well as mechanical issue.
Sudden loud knocking then pop, started smoking pulled over immediately. Due to rod bearing failure rod went through block and all oil came out. Vehicle is available for inspection. Drivers safety was at risk because vehicle lost power and was unable to exit the roadway in a timely manner. No warning was given other than heard a couple of clicks then immediately followed by a loud pop.
The contact owns a 2012 Dodge Durango. The contact stated while driving at approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that the vehicle lost power steering functionality when the failure occurred. The contact was able to restart the vehicle after placing the vehicle in park(P). The contact stated no warning lights were illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the fuel pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle had been repaired. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.
While driving at various speeds, upon slowing down the vehicle stalled. This occurred 50+ times. This occurred while my family was in the vehicle on many occasions. Vehicle was serviced for fuel pump recall, however the stalling continued. My mechanic pointed out the ticking noise, referring to the manifold needing repair. Most recently, the car barely wanted to turn over. Struggling for almost 3 days, thankfully I just pulled into my driveway and turn the car off. Then something told me to try to start the vehicle…well that made something smoke in the motor? Repaired the alternator, battery, and starter. Two days later, check oil light comes on, Back to shop to tell me the cam shaft/lifers need to be replaced!!! Quoted $35-4000 if can find a cam shaft repair kit!!!
The contact owns a 2012 Dodge Durango. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle suddenly lost motive power and stalled without warning. The contact stated that after restarting the vehicle, the vehicle operated normally. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer to be serviced but no additional information was available. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 171,000.
The Engine seized due to rod bearing Chrysler has recall number 11V487000 it has never been done on my truck and is no showing
Engine stops after 2-3 seconds of running. Need to turn off and try again. Happens randomly at startup.
The contact owns a 2012 Dodge Durango. The contact stated while driving approximately 25 MPH, the vehicle started lagging. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact parked the vehicle on the side of the road and noticed the engine coolant was low, but no leaks were found. The contact was able to drive to her residence. The contact stated coolant was added. The contact stated the coolant was low again shortly after filling the reservoir. The contact called the local dealer and made them aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000.
The contact owns a 2012 Dodge Durango. The contact stated while driving approximately 70 MPH, the vehicle started overheating. The contact pulled safely off the highway and turned the vehicle off and waited for nearly an hour before restarting the vehicle and driving back to her residence. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact had the vehicle towed to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the thermostat needed to be replaced. The failure persisted. The thermostat and water pump were replaced by an independent mechanic. The vehicle continued experiencing the overheating failure. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where the thermostat and water pump were replaced a second time. The failure recurred. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 122,400.
My check engine light came on for my engine oil filter housing ! I had it repaired a total of 4 times already ! This recent time it put my vehicle into limp mode while doing 65 mph on the highway I had loss all power to my car ! Now even after repair my check engine still comes on with code and sends my car into limp mode until my PCM gets reflashed
RADIATOR CATASTROPHICALLY FAILED AT 119200 MILES WHILE DRIVING. UPON INSPECTION IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE WHOLE DRIVERS SIDE OF THE RADIATOR RIB FAILED WHERE THE METAL MEETS THE PLASTIC HOUSING RESULTING IN A MASSIVE COOLANT LEAK.
CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. CODE FOR CYLINDER 2 MISFIRE. I'VE CHANGED THE COIL PACKS AND SPARK PLUGS. A DAY LATER LIGHT CAME BACK ON FOR SAME CODE.
MISFIRE CYLINDER 2 CODE WON'T GO AWAY EVEN AFTER CHANGING SPARK PLUGS AND COIL PACK
WHILE DRIVING CHECK ENGINE LIGHT STARTED FLASHING. RECEIVED CODE FOR MISFIRE ON CYLINDER #8. TOOK TO DEALER, DIAGNOSED AS WORN CAMSHAFT DUE TO LIFTER FAILURE. INITIALLY QUOTED $4700 TO REPAIR, THEN TOLD DODGE WOULD NOT WARRANTY THE WORK DUE TO POSSIBILITY OF METAL SHAVINGS IN ENGINE. RECOMMENDED ENGINE REPLACEMENT FOR $10,000. *TR
THE SUV WILL NOT SHUT OFF TILL YOU OPEN AND CLOSE THE DRIVER DOOR
INTAKE MANIFOLD LEAK AT 65,470 MILES. LEAK AT MANIFOLD NEAR BACK OF ENGINE AT THROTTLE BODY. CAUSED ENGINE TO LEAK OIL AND COOLANT WHICH CAN CAUSE FIRE OR ENGINE TO BLOW. DEALER REPAIRED AND REPLACED INTAKE MANIFOLD AND PCS VALVE.
STILL DOESN'T HAVE PART FOR THE FUEL PUMP RELAY PROBLEM THIS IS THE SECOND RECALL ON THIS
ENGINE HAS CUTOUT (TURNS OFF) WHILE DRIVING ON 4 OCCASIONS. ON ALL FOUR OCCASIONS IT HAS OCCURRED WHILE I WAS EXITING A ROAD/RAMP. WHEN VEHICLE CUTS OUT POWER STEERING ALSO DOES NOT WORK. IN ALL OCCASIONS I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO PULL OFF THE ROAD OR STOP BEFORE THE ROAD ENDS. THE VEHICLE THEN STARTS RIGHT BACK UP AND FUNCTIONS PROPERLY. NO CHECK ENGINE LIGHTS HAVE COME ON.
Showing 1–20 of 50 complaints
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 25, 2026