CarComplaints.com Notes: When the 3rd-generation Durango was introduced in 2011 owners almost immediately started having a wide range of issues -- from water pump failure to stalling engines. Turns out the TIPM is to blame and those problems carried into the 2012 model year.

TIPM (Totally Integrated Power Modules) is responsible for controlling and distributing power to all the vehicle’s electrical functions. So when the TIPM starts acting up, so do all sorts of problems in the vehicle.

The problems have been so bad -- and replacement parts became so hard to find -- that a class-action lawsuit was filed against Chrysler focusing on the 2011-2012 Durango. The lawsuit accuses the automaker of ignorning the problem until it spiraled out of control.

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
48,844 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2012 Dodge Durango miscellaneous problems

miscellaneous problem

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2012 Dodge Durango Owner Comments (Page 2 of 2)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #16

Jan 052015

Durango

  • 20,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

There's a crayon smell within my vehicle that can be overbearing. I've read other forums about this. I've read it can be the glue that's used in manufacturing. The smell still hasn't gone away.

- Miami, FL, USA

problem #15

Oct 272017

Durango

  • 112,000 miles
Vehicle stalls while driving, once while exiting the freeway and another while driving 35 mph to work, I have reached this on the internet and found that many Durango's have had this problem I think it falls under NHTSA reference #15V115000 but my vehicle VIN number is not listed under this recall

- Chubbuck, ID, USA

problem #14

Oct 102017

Durango

  • miles
Headlites are shorting out..passenger has a short somewhere in ground..drivers corroded..cleaned it..but code saying there's a problem..now remote start..starts and shuts off car after 2 it 3 seconds.its all stationary..I have no hi or lo beams on passenger side and remote I

- Forked River, NJ, USA

problem #13

Oct 102017

Durango

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

My truck shuts off in motion. Doesn't happen all the time, but it seems to happen more when coming off the highway. No recall yet for the body module, but was told that is what it could be. Am I gonna half to get rear ended before this is fixed!

- Raymond, NH, USA

problem #12

Aug 182017

Durango

  • 80,000 miles
My Dodge Durango stopped working one week ago. At that time I looked online to find the alternator recall but that they would be notifying people at a later date. For a week they had my car and replaced the alternator knowing Dodge had bad alternators and made me purchase a battery. My car again died the same day after my partner left the lot. After it was again towed for the second time they found that my car was now under the recall even though I had already told them there was an issue with my car. The website states there is no solution to the problem and now I am stuck with a broken car with my car value dropping significantly. Dodge needs to refund me the money I have already spent plus mileage and gas communiting to and from viera to titusville Florida driving my partner to work and picking my son up from school and going back and forth and emotional distress. This company should be ashamed of themselves. I am now stuck with a rental car and left in the dark as to what is happening to my car. In a separate incident I paid out almost 1,000 to go out to my car at the dealership to find it did not work. At that time the man walked inside and came back out with a piece for the fuel relay recall. I again want to know why this Dodge dealership continues to charge me and play me for a fool. Dodge should be embarrassed. How does someone now check for recalls before operating on a vehicle?

- Rockledge, FL, USA

problem #11

Apr 292017

Durango

  • miles
Car complete shutdown without warning. Smoke was coming out. Alternator is not working and drain battery life

- South Gate, CA, USA

problem #10

Oct 282016

Durango

  • 67,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

My alternator suddenly failed causing all systems in the vehicle to fail. My ABS light came on battery light came on radio powered off heat came on and it smelled like smoke the windshield wipers came on when I was at a light then I turned at light and had no control over the vehicle pulled over and turned the vehicle off since I smelled smoke. Then no systems in the vehicle worked had to use shift override to tow the vehicle. There is a P60 recall on the 160 amp alternator which isn't the alternator in my car but same year make and model as my car was recalled. The same symptoms as that recall happened to my vehicle. I believe that the recall should be applied to the same amp alternator that is in my car as well.

- Orlando, FL, USA

problem #9

Jan 192016

Durango

  • 35,496 miles
I purchased this used vehicle around the turn of the year. It came on the ferry January 15, 2016. By Monday, the check engine light had turned on. C&F ran a diagnostic on January 20, and found code PO456. Within several days, I noticed water intrusion. The floorboards were wet and becoming drenched in the front ' and in the middle seats. Every time I came to a stop or turned, I could hear water rolling through the car. I took it to rc February 15. When the water problem was looked at, I was informed it is not a normal leak, but what is called a "phantom" leak. To fix this, they would have to gut the interior of the vehicle. When they went to restart, it would not start with the push button. The vehicle was taken to midtown auto where they found the battery compartment under the passenger seat 3/4 full of water. They were unable to diagnose the push button problem after 2 hours of diagnostic. They stated the water intrusion could be a danger to my life when I picked up the car after they had it for 3 weeks. On 3/9/16, the check engine light came back on. As of today, 3/25/16, the sensor for "check gas cap" comes on. This car will be returning in the morning to the dealership in anchorage via the ferry, but you should know that there are major issues with this vehicle. The water in the car is clean with no dirt. In the morning, there are puddles that distribute themselves from the front to the back of the car during regular driving. The entire floor from the front to the back is saturated with a lot of water. Rc enterprise said there is no window leak, no door leak, no roof leak. This must be something in the frame. This car collects water while driving or sitting in park. Due to the battery being under the passenger seat and in the floor and then filling with water, this is not a safe car.

- Kodiak, AK, USA

problem #8

Oct 022015

Durango

  • 70,000 miles
My 2012 Dodge Durango is has been giving me intermittent fits for a few months now. Sometimes I can crank it other times not. Sometimes it will crank and run fine then all of a sudden a big red Z flashes on my dash, the engine feels like it dies, I lose power an many of the lights on my speedometer come on, such as anti skid light, etc. The only thing I can do is pull to the side of the road, turn it off and back on. When I restart it everything clears up and is fine. It has gotten worse as of late and neither my mechanic nor the local Dodge dealer fully understand why the truck is acting possessed!! I am worried that it will shut down trying to go up a bridge or around a sharp turn and I will get in a wreck. My mechanic said the Dodge forums are shouting bad tipm modules so I went online to research and found the article that you are listed in. My mechanic said if they can find a tipm is may cost me $1,200 to replace. I don't have that kind of money laying around so is there any help available for me to get this fixed" are there used tipm's or Dodge financial assistance"

- Baton Rouge, LA, USA

problem #7

Jun 122015

Durango

  • 55,000 miles
Chrysler has published a technical service bulletin (tsb) number 17-007-14. I experienced the symptom of this tsb as a clunking sound from the rear of the vehicle. It is caused by the self leveling suspension (sls) shock strut upper mount failing. The sls is a component of the optional tow package. Before I understood what the issue was, I towed a 23' 4,500 lbs trailer over 1,200 miles. I equipped my Durango with a weight distribution and anti-sway hitch assembly rated at 8,000 lbs and ensured both the tow vehicle and trailer were near perfectly level. Additionally I was required by the state of Maryland to have the trailer safety inspected which confirmed the axles were properly aligned, wheel bearings were serviceable, and the electronic brake controller was functional and adjusted properly. Despite the fact the trailer was well within the tow vehicle operating limits, the tow vehicle and trailer exhibited unsafe levels of dynamic instability. This dynamic instability manifested as a one-to-one lateral oscillation of the tow vehicle, lateral sway instability of the trailer, and what I would characterize as a dangerous reduced controllability of the tow vehicle and trailer. I ask that the NHTSA examine this issue and that this tsb be elevated to a manufacturer funded recall on all affected vehicles. Vehicle owners may not recognize the significance of the issue or understand the effects on towing stability. This not only puts the tow vehicle at risk, but all other vehicles sharing the road. Additionally, the high cost of mitigating this issue (greater than $1,000) will very likely cause a large number of vehicle owners to delay the repair or even decide not to have it addressed at all. Chrysler and Dodge have an intrinsic responsibility to address this issue with a recall for the safety of their customers as well as all drivers who share the road.

- Owings, MD, USA

problem #6

Jul 142009

Durango

  • 53,101 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I was driving my vehicle and the engine stall while driving, this ocurr in two different days and last Friday, July 31, 2015 my grandson was driving and ocurr the same thing.

- San German, PR, USA

problem #5

Jul 212015

Durango

  • 54,000 miles
There was a smell of something burning, then my wipers came on ( clear day of sunshine), shortly after that the battery light came on right before the car cut off.

- Plainfield, IL, USA

problem #4

May 252015

Durango

  • miles
My car has a failed alternator, it failed a test 3 times, the place I took it to says my car is to new and has to low of miles for it to have failed.

- Pittsburg, CA, USA

problem #3

Sep 152014

Durango 6-cyl

  • 46,523 miles
I have tried on numerous occasions with Dodge service department in midland, tx to get in to have the recall serviced on my vehicle and I have yet to get in. They at first told me that there is a waiting list and that they would contact me. In October, I contacted them again and they set me an appointment on November 11 to get my vehicle in to get the recalled fix. I went in on the 11th and they kept my vehicle for about four days and when I called to check the status they stated that they still have not gotten to my vehicle and that they are not sure when they will get to it, but that if I needed my vehicle that I can come pick it up and then they will contact me when they are ready for it. Here it is in January and still nothing.

- Midland, TX, USA

problem #2

May 262014

Durango

  • 24,000 miles
While traveling on I-75, had the vehicle on adaptive cruise control, the vehicle slammed the brakes and then accelerated back up to 75mph. No vehicles in front, not debris, no reason why it did it. Vehicle has had constant issues with the forward collision system alerting to brake when nothing is in front, turning itself off and on by itself, and the console giving the message that the back sensors are blocked when no debris is present or even when driving. Multiple other "computer" issues that they can't figure out, from lights turning on/off, to the wipers not activating when they need to and the opposite. Dvd player acting funny. It has been endless

- Washington, DC, USA

problem #1

Mar 262013

Durango 8-cyl

  • 21,800 miles
On numerous occasions when I get in the vehicle to start it, via push button start, the vehicle will start an immediately shut down. Attempts to restart the vehicle result in a 15-30 second repetitive start loop without the vehicle starting, at which point a red light will begin blinking on the center console. Typically the vehicle has to rest for approximately two minutes before attempting a restart, some of which are successful and some are not. The vehicle is also taking up to 10 seconds to shut down once the push button is depressed to turn of the vehicle. This is beginning to become a real safety concern as in an emergency I cannot trust that I can shut down the engine.

- Wake Forest, NC, USA

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