Common Problems with the 2019 Dodge Durango

Powertrain, Transmission Issues:

“The vent tube leading to the transmission came disconnected and sucked up water into my transmission. Leading to the transmission to not have any power. My son and I were in the the car trying to go up the hill when it lost power and started rolling backwards down the hill into traffic with the gas pedal to the floor. The mechanic at dodge said he has no idea how the vent tube was able to suck up that much water into the transmission. There was no lights that came on about the vent tube until it was too late and even then the check engine light would go on and off every time the car was turned off. The car is un drivable and currently at JT Dodge land in Columbia SC. I have notified my Insurance to see if this is something that would be covered”

“The contact owns a 2019 Dodge Durango. The contact stated while driving approximately 45 MPH, the vehicle started stalling. The contact stated that the vehicle was not accelerating as needed. The contact noticed the drive(d) indicator light was blinking and the vehicle was jerking. There was a park warning light illuminated. The contact was able to drive safely to the side of the road. The contact depressed the brake pedal and shifted the gear shifter into park(P). The contact stated that on another occasion the gear shifter was shifted into reverse(R) however, transmission inadvertently shifted to neutral(N). The vehicle was taken to a local dealer but was not diagnosed. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 53,000.”

Electrical System Problems:

“2019 Dodge Durango Rear Center Liftgate Tail Light Assembly Lift Gate Back Up Light Lamp OEM#68453659AA. Water pools into the rear lights from poor gaskets and has caused my rear lights to go on and off, LED light has burned out due to the water pooling into the electrics. I have seen 100's of reports on the internet on this issue and don't understand why no recall is in place. I believe this is a severe risk to other drivers and myself, especially when driving at night, fog, or rain. I have almost been rear ended a few times and also pulled over by the police multiple times on the issue.”

“The service shifter light comes on, the windshield wipers come on by themselves, the cruise control wont work when the message is on. This happens on A LOT of Chrysler vehicles!! The Durango wont shift into drive when the message is on. It also happens when the durango is being driven. The message appears everytime I turn my durango on.”

“Every 2000 miles, vehicle won’t and keeps asking me for an anti-theft code. I have had it serviced at least 7 times and I have not had the vehicle a year. Every time I take it in they just replaced the battery and the battery cell and it works fine for about a month then it shuts down again”

Exterior Lighting Problems:

“Water continually builds up in the middle part of the tail lights. This is now making the lights in my tail lights go out. These are lights that can't be replaced without replacing the entire piece. I see this often on Dodge Durangos of my model and it's definitely an issue. I still cannot find out how water is getting in and it will continue to make more of my taillight go out.”

“The contact owns a 2019 Dodge Durango. The contact stated that water entered the taillight assemblies, causing the taillights to become inoperable. The dealer was made aware of the failure; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 75,000.”

Engine Problems:

“Coolant leak, due to water pump failure , has 61000 miles There are other older models that already have extended warranties for same issues This should apply to newer models as this issue persists”

“Upon making slow turn I experienced a rapid unintended acceleration. Engine raced to about 4000 RPM. In order to get vehicle under control brakes were applied to maximum and vehicle was shifted into neutral which caused engine to throttle higher but driver was able to turn off vehicle and safely come to a stop. After restarting vehicle throttle returned to normal functioning. I was lucky there were no other vehicles around or a wreck would have happened. I do not know if this related to recall 22V426000. `Dodge dealership advised that there currently is no fix for this recall. If this incident is related to the recall Dodge needs to find a fix ASAP.+”

Steering Problems:

“Goodyear examined my Durango on October 4th 2023. Examination results reported a flawed electromechanical steering gearbox. Price to repair including parts, upwards of 4,000 dollars. I have a prepaid warranty covering repairs and parts. Parts availability from the Chrysler corporation are the issue. The dealership Orange Park Chrysler Jeep Dodge was informed AND examined the vehicle themselves. They related to me the "part isn't available". I returned to the Goodyear dealership. Their response is the same. Neither factory nor aftermarket steering gearbox are available for purchase. Therein lies the reason for this report from me. I've written emails to Chrysler (stellantis) customer service 3 times. The 3rd time being today October 16th. They responded once shortly after the October 4th email. Since then quiet as a church mouse. So far the steering gearbox just pops and makes grinding noises. I'm 67 years old and existing on disability payments. I can't get the parts. I still owe 32,000 plus (9650 for warranty coverage). So I CAN'T get rid of it. If it fails while being driven, State Farm won't cover the damages because I KNEW the vehicle was needing repairs and continued to drive it. I'm FORCED to drive it because of parts UNAVAILABLE by Chrysler or the aftermarket. I can't afford a rental car for what appears to be an EXTENDED period of time. I can't attach the 3 emails here. However the emails WILL be retained for future reference. Any assistance you may provide would be greatly appreciated.”

“While driving 70 mph on the highway, the car gave a light that stated, "power steering unavailable" and in fact, I had no power steering. I had to really muscle the car to get it to turn at all. If this had happened while I was turning a corner, it could have been the cause of an accident. Obviously driving a car with no power steering is dangerous in and of itself, not to mention it happening out of the blue while driving at highway speeds. There was no prior warning to the light coming on. This is a car with just over 40k miles on it and is a used Dodge certified car. We had to wait several weeks for an appointment at our local Dodge dealership at which time they confirmed the steering rack is defective. The part was at least 60 days out, indicating to me that this is an issue with other vehicles as well. Fast forward to last week and we were informed the part was in and we could have the car back by the end of this week. However, yesterday (5/10/2023) we received a call that the part that was delivered to the dealership was also defective. They got the part installed, but could not get the computer to recognize it. Currently we do not have a timeline on when a new, hopefully not defective, part will be delivered. We are lucky because we have MOPAR care on the vehicle and it will cover the cost of the repair and they will reimburse us for the use of the rental car, although the rental car is inadequate compared to the car that I purchased.”

Sources: www.nhtsa.gov, carcomplaints.com

California Lemon Law and How Valero Law Can Assist

The California Lemon Law is in place to safeguard consumers dealing with persistent problems in their vehicles. If your 2019 Dodge Durango has experienced chronic issues, Valero Law is ready to assist. We can guide you through the legal process, ensuring your rights are protected. Reach out to Valero Law for a no-cost consultation, and let us prioritize your satisfaction and peace of mind as we navigate the path to resolution.