2018 Dodge Durango Electrical Problems

Water in racetrack tailgate taillights

NHTSA ID

11730341

Incident

Apr 1, 2026

The contact owns a 2018 Dodge Durango. The contact stated that while driving approximately 20 MPH on the highway, the vehicle stalled. The electronic stability control(ESC) warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was restarted. However, on other occasions, when the vehicle stalled, the contact was unable to restart the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was taken to a second dealer, where it was diagnosed with starter failure, but the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 102,000.

NHTSA ID

11728001

Incident

Jun 6, 2025

Mileage

102,000 mi

Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2018 Dodge Durango. The contact discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a dealer sale purchased on December 27, 2025. At the time of purchase, the mileage was 82,000. While attempting to purchase an extended warranty, the contact was denied the warranty extension due to the odometer fraud. The contact was presented with a report, which indicated that in October of 2025, the mileage was documented at 186,000. After viewing the Carfax Report, the contact discovered that the mileage was 194,000. The contact informed the dealer of the odometer fraud.

NHTSA ID

11726621

Incident

Mar 24, 2026

Mileage

194,000 mi

Manufacturer Recall Number94B NHTSA Recall Number24V-838 Recall has been active but without a solution since 2022 and reopened in 2024.

NHTSA ID

11709881

Incident

Jan 9, 2026

(Initially) March of 2023 I had an issue with this vehicle 2018 Dodge Durango RT 2wd 5.7L serious electrical problems gauge cluster All lights and warnings indicators showing on Gauge Cluster..failure to start. I had the vehicle Towed to Dodge dealership in Fontana California and it was diagnosed as a power control module failure it fell short of a factory warranty and no recall .. after diagnostic I had the vehicle repaired at my expense .. they repaired the faulty module and vehicle worked Normally until this day 2 years later November 24th 2025.. I went to go start my vehicle this afternoon and I have the same exact problem as I had before all warning lights lit up on the gauge cluster and no start accompanied with no emergency flashers and no turn signals and no exterior lights.. this would be the second time the power control module has failed this is a frustrating issue as it is expensive for this repair this vehicle absolutely has a serious problem for this being the second time in 2 years the power control module has failed this needs to be addressed and further investigated please and thank you

NHTSA ID

11701129

Incident

Nov 24, 2025

Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2018 Dodge Durango. The contact discovered a mileage discrepancy after purchasing the vehicle. The vehicle was a dealer sale. At the time of purchase on January 10, 2025, the vehicle's mileage was 36,020. After checking the Carfax, the vehicle was flagged for odometer fraud with a current mileage of 74,624. The contact had filed a report with the State Attorney General, Mayor, and the business that the loan was taken out for the vehicle.

NHTSA ID

11691847

Incident

Jan 10, 2025

Mileage

74,624 mi

The contact owns a 2018 Dodge Durango. The contact stated while driving approximately 60 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that there were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the TIPM needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent. The contact stated that the vehicle occasionally failed to start. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled and was taken to another dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the TIPM needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure reoccurred. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 84,000.

NHTSA ID

11675705

Incident

Jul 17, 2023

Mileage

84,000 mi

Rainwater or going through a car wash leaks water into backend lighting compartment which leads to backend lights not working. You can see the water into the lights. Water leaks out the backend when you open or close the back door. No brake lights could cause accidents. Wiring also corrodes and needs replacement due to water corrosion.

NHTSA ID

11671214

Incident

Oct 14, 2021

Rear Racetrack LED lightning is failing due to water intrusion. This could also possibly cause electrical issues to the license plate lights and back up camera. When in bad weather, other drivers could fail to see the back of my car, and could get into an accident. Yes, dealer stated that the cost is 1500 to fix. The Durango has 60K miles. Dealer only. No warning just a fellow driver reported my Racetrack light flickers and dim.

NHTSA ID

11659700

Incident

May 1, 2025

The contact owns a 2018 Dodge Durango. The contact stated while driving at approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle had started to lose motive power and nearly stalled. The contact stated that the check engine, a yellow "P" and several other unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact pulled over and shifted into park(P) and became aware that the vehicle was in neutral(N) when the vehicle rolled forward. The contact was unable to restart the vehicle and had the vehicle towed to an independent mechanic. The vehicle was diagnosed by the mechanic, and it was determined that the PCM needed to be replaced and referred the contact to a dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact had the vehicle towed to the residence. The contact attempted to restart the vehicle and there were several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the windows independently rolled down and the vehicle was in park(P) but the vehicle rolled forward. The contact turned off the vehicle but observed that the ignition was in the "RUN" position and while attempting to restart the vehicle to properly shut the vehicle off, the vehicle failed to restart. The contact had the vehicle towed to a dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the starter motor had burned out and the batteries were drained and needed to be replaced due to an electrical failure. The contact requested information from the dealer about the PCM and was advised that he had missed a software update. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 170,000.

NHTSA ID

11659333

Incident

May 2, 2025

Mileage

170,000 mi

The contact owns a 2018 Dodge Durango. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the rearview camera was intermittently inoperative and there was an abnormal sound coming from the infotainment system. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the infotainment system needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 82,000.

NHTSA ID

11646552

Incident

Mar 5, 2025

Mileage

82,000 mi

First we thought the fuel pump went bad due to the vehicle not starting. Pump was replaced and about 3 weeks later the same issue persisted. When the shop investigated it turns out the fuel tank harness and body side connector needed to be replaced due to connections becoming loose and delivering low voltage to the fuel pump causing it to burn up

NHTSA ID

11643724

Incident

Feb 13, 2025

The main control screen acts erratic while driving. A variety of outcomes happen all unprompted - apps and functions open and close, navigation maps bounce locations, phone calls place, radio stations change, volume adjusts, etc. The more worrisome part is the distraction of these things to the driver. And attempts to control the erratic behavior. If not also attempt to turn on, turn off certain aspects (air/heat included) while the system is uncontrollable. Upon researching it - the issue is widespread. Experienced by many others. Is known by the manufacturer that a factory had assembled central consoles with the wrong adhesive. Specifically one was used with a low melting point. When heated by the car heater, it delaminates the screen. Experienced first as some slight bubbling. With each reheat, the adhesive have liquifies again, creating the erratic response by the electronics if not perhaps other more worrisome damage inside the dash as it melts down. Some owners with savvy skills have disassembled the dash, separated the two parts that are adhered with the bad glue (screen and digitizer), cleaned out the adhesive, reassembled without the adhesive and found the erratic uncontrollable behavior of the center console resolved. Dealers quote $1000-$2000 prices to replace the unit, without providing confidence that the new one will be free of the same problematic adhesive. Forums are loaded with owners looking for solutions. Durango is aware. Operation of the vehicle is affected. Drivers distracted. Please look into the issue. It seems both a safety issue and an ethical issue not to fix what is clearly a simple quality issue that has become a profound distraction for so many. This complaint portal does not allow for us to upload videos, but we'd be happy to provide them.

NHTSA ID

11636945

Incident

Jan 1, 2025

10/28/2024 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Office of Defects Investigation Subject: Report of Safety Issue - Dodge Uconnect Radio Malfunction The infotainment system in my Dodge vehicle, equipped with Uconnect radio, has malfunctioned, affecting safe operation. The radio’s touchscreen has a “delaminating” defect, as described by a Dodge technician, causing erratic, uncommanded screen activity, sometimes leading to unintentional actions such as an inadvertent 911 call. This random, uncontrollable behavior affects critical functions like navigation, radio, and climate controls, creating a significant safety risk by distracting the driver. The issue also impacts the rear-view camera when the screen freezes. The problem has been reproduced and confirmed by a Dodge technician as a screen delamination defect, who noted this is a recurring issue with Uconnect in Dodge vehicles. No other entities, such as police or insurance representatives, have inspected the component, but the dealership quoted $900 for repairs since my vehicle is no longer under warranty. Given that this defect is widespread and the financial impact is substantial, I am filing this report in hopes of a broader resolution. No specific warning lamps or dashboard messages indicated the problem before it began. The erratic behavior first occurred during normal operation and has continued intermittently. I believe this issue should be investigated as it presents a serious safety concern for Dodge owners. Thank you for your attention to this matter. Sincerely, [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11622357

Incident

Oct 27, 2024

System that failed in my 2018 Durango is the Electrical. Multiple reports from myself as well as other customers as to why the electrical fails in these vehicles is due to heavy rain storms and/or car washes. This issue has cause my electrical to fail and now a costly repair for myself that I should not be responsible for. I have reaches out to the dealership many times with this issue and they failed to help me. The Electrical issue has been diagnosed by the dealership and are unwilling to help rectifie this issue. This issue is not just affecting me as a customer, but thousands of others. The issue has been inspected by certified technicians at the dealership and they have contacted the warranty company to let them know of the issue and will not fix the issue because of water damage but this is a well known issue in the 2018 Durangos that then intern affects the Electrical in these vehicles. Multiple warnings were giving and I reaches out to the dealership multiple times regarding the issue. These issues have been ongoing since owning the vehicle and kept getting swept away by the dealership for the repairs.

NHTSA ID

11602815

Incident

Jun 1, 2021

Between the transmission slipping since 30k, the engine knocking. The check engine flashing. I have changed the coil packs spark plugs, all filters and still nothing, the auto stop/start does not work it flashes Boggs out and loses power. The whole steering wheel and truck vibrates and shakes to a point you feel like you’re on an incline going up a roller coaster. I have replaced batteries 2x the windows no longer auto roll down when using fobs even w new batteries and re programming electrical system power randomly fails and all lights go out the. Screen goes out stops working for days on end .

NHTSA ID

11598418

Incident

Jul 23, 2022

Engine shuts off randomly by itself. Could be hazardous when it happens while driving on Highways. Vehicle must be stopped and placed in park to restart.

NHTSA ID

11591217

Incident

May 28, 2024

Water entered into the rear tail light from rain and shorted the light and caused it to stop working. And is burnt out. This doesn’t have a bulb to replace it’s the entire running light system.

NHTSA ID

11578453

Incident

Mar 18, 2024

There is a problem with the rear middle light on the lift gate. Water is getting into them and shorting them out then leading it to need a replacement. This is an on going issue with dodge Durangos. Something needs to be done with this design flaw on the Durango’s because they charge 1400 for the part plus labor for it to be replaced when the light wasn’t built right

NHTSA ID

11575875

Incident

Feb 1, 2024

There is a known problem with the rear brake lights allowing water into it. It can ruin the electrical and cause brake lights to go out without the drivers knowledge and could cause and accident. Lucky I was able to fix it for now.

NHTSA ID

11574810

Incident

Jul 13, 2023

While driving on the highway, the computer system shut down and all screens went black. The car still drove but none of the controls worked anymore. We could not roll the windows down or turn the fans or a/c on and it was summer so the interior of the car immediately became unbearably hot. We pulled over as soon as it was safe to do so and turned the car off and back on. The system came on partially and we were only able to open the sunroof and roll the rear windows down half way before it stopped working again. We tried cycling the car on and off several more times but the computer system and all controls remained unresponsive and the screens black. The door locks did not work either so we couldn’t secure the vehicle. It was Sunday so no dodge dealerships were open. We were on a family vacation and half way to our destination so we drove an additional 3-4 hours to reach our destination. I took the Durango to the dealership the following day and they kept it for a week. They disconnected and reconnected the battery cable and the system worked again and they could not replicate the problem. We drove home after that without issue. Two weeks later, the same thing happened. This time, I pulled over and disconnected and reconnected the battery cables and that seemed to solve the issue again. We took it back to our local dealership and they could not replicate the issue.

NHTSA ID

11572693

Incident

Jul 12, 2020

I received recall 22V-426, the dealer reflashed my vehicle but the problem still exists. My brake lights stay on, stability, auto park, traction control and engine lights come on. The dealer now says I need to replace the exact part listed in recall at my own cost. My state inspection has expired and fails a new safety inspection due to this problem.

NHTSA ID

11571456

Incident

Feb 12, 2024

The "racetrack" lights have pooling water in them and are now not working at all. the back end of the truck is a hazard as you are not able to see it.

NHTSA ID

11570567

Incident

Apr 1, 2023

The Radio is flashing a message and beeping asking me if I want to reset the clock. Reverse backup doesn’t work when this is happening and it is a huge distraction while driving.

NHTSA ID

11560605

Incident

Dec 18, 2023

TIPM failure

NHTSA ID

11557988

Incident

Nov 27, 2023