Problems · by component

2019 Dodge Durango engine problems

25 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 2019 Dodge Durango cite engine, 17% of all 145 complaints for this model year.

Complaints
25
17% of all complaints
Crashes
0
Reported by owners
Fires
1
Reported by owners
Injuries
0
Reported by owners
01 —Owner reports

What owners say about the engine

Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
“I am writing to formally escalate an ongoing and serious safety issue involving my 2019 Dodge Durango R/T, VIN [XXX], which was originally transported from Canada and is now registered in New York, United States. I have experienced repeated incidents involving sudden loss of engine power, multiple dashboard warning lights, and extensive ABS-related fault codes. Despite multiple visits to my local dealership and substantial diagnostic expenses, the underlying issue remains unresolved. My vehicle is now immobilized at my home, and I am being asked to incur additional expenses for further diagnosis and repairs without a clear explanation of the underlying failure or whether it may be related to an outstanding ABS recall. I am requesting a formal safety investigation, a review of my vehicle’s recall eligibility, and a resolution that does not leave me financially responsible for repeatedly diagnosing what may be a known safety-related defect.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Oct 23, 2026Electrical system, Service brakes, EngineODI 11773167
“At 37008 miles my coolant started to leak and it overheated, when taking to a mechanic they replaced the coolant and tubes and advised that it was rubbing on the hose, so they replaced the hoses and put in new coolant fluid and said it was all addressed, not even a week later, it started to overheat again even though it has all new hoses and they wrapped the hoses so it doesn't wear and cause the leak again and it still happened.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Apr 17, 2026Unknown or other, EngineODI 11731937
“At 30,000 had one blown head gasket and a few thousand miles later another blown head gasket. Regular maintenance and oil changes have been done and maintenance. Then last year my cam Shalf had to be replaced and now again a head gasket again. Several cylinders are missing firing. When I took in and they replaced the cam Shalf, I took it saw it said cylinder 5 was missing firing , now it’s showing cylinder 3 with all my lights on my dash on again and the car has 110,000 miles on it.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Apr 13, 2026EngineODI 11730939
“First, very hard time trying to file a complaint with Dodge, they make it hard to find info. To make it short, I have a Dodge Durango RT, only 83,000 miles. The vehicle would not start, and was smoking out the back. Was hoping it was something simple brought it to my mechanic. Turns out there was an oil leak, manifold leak and the starter died. I had to tow my car. Called the Dodge company, and they flat out said they could NOT HELP me and would not do an escalation because I didn't bring it to a Dodge Dealer but "who knew" I would have all these problems, thought it could be something simple and $2200 later. They were so rude, unhelpful and just horrible service. Keep repeating they would not help me or even have a conversation? The sad part is I really love this vehicle. There needs to be an investigation to see if other customers are having these problems because then it's a manufacturing issue. I know they are a huge company and I just a person to them. But I need to know if this is an ongoing problem??? This is not the normal failure on a vehicle, again maybe this was a factory engine problem while being built.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Feb 19, 2026Electrical system, EngineODI 11719190
“Took vehicle in for cooling issues, leaking coolant. Garage did courtesy inspection and determined oil cooler failure had caused catastrophic damage to the engine, requiring replacement. Mechanic informed me this particular shop deals with this issue 3-5 times every week, with about one per month requiring full engine replacement. The engine is the 3.6L V6 Pentastar, which is standard in Dodge, Chrysler, Jeep and Plymouth vehicles and this is a defect known to the manufacturer. My mechanic informed me that both Dodge and the current manufacturer of the engine had tried and failed to correct the problem, because it is an actual design flaw. Caused in part, by the oil cooler being constructed of plastic and mounted at the top of the engine, it is subject to heat and warping which causes the failure. . Mechanic said this is typical around 100k miles. My Durango has 108k, 6k out of the warranty I bought for $4,500 at the dealership, just shy of 3 years ago. This is a known defect. Why is there no recall or remedy for a consumer now facing a $17,000 engine replacement on a $30,000 used vehicle? Dodge knows this is a problem, what is a consumer’s recourse for…”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jan 6, 2026Power train, EngineODI 11709001
“Twice this year this has happened. I was driving to work when suddenly the lights on the dash came on and the car started over heating. There was a ton of engine coolant under the car. Took the car to get repaired. They said the coolant lines rub against something under the car and caused a hole. They said it was a defect in the way the car is designed and there is nothing to hold up the coolant lines running to the rear of the vehicle. They told us we needed to contact dodge and file a claim. We did and heard nothing back from them. Fast forward 6 months and it happens again. Car is currently at a dodge dealership. Same issue. Filed another complaint and claim with them. Its been 3 weeks. 0 response. Car is still at the dealership.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Oct 7, 2025EngineODI 11691866

Showing 6 of 25 reports. Read every report on NHTSA.gov.

Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 7, 2026NHTSA vehicle page

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.

Other 2019 Durango problem areas