2012 Dodge Durango Engine Problems
Owners have filed 141 complaints with NHTSA about engine problems on the 2012 Dodge Durango, 22% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 80,000 miles. The words owners use most often: “chrysler jeep” (9% of reports).
- 141engine complaints
- 80,000median miles at failure
- 3mention a crash
- 0mention an injury
- 1related recalls
- $6,200typical repair cost reported by owners
- 37%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Chrysler jeep: mentioned in 13 of 141 complaints (9%)
- Fuel pump relay: mentioned in 11 of 141 complaints (8%)
- Stalled without: mentioned in 10 of 141 complaints (7%)
How much does it cost to fix?
Owners who wrote down what they paid or were quoted put the typical engine repair on the 2012 Dodge Durango at $6,200, and half of them between $6,100 and $7,700.
Based on 5 NHTSA complaints about this problem alone that state a repair bill or quote (2015–2020), converted to 2026 dollars with the U.S. consumer price index. These are owners' own figures, not a quote: they include dealer quotes, and owners who file complaints often faced larger repairs, so they can run higher than typical shop prices. Prices vary by shop, region and warranty coverage. How we calculate this.
At what mileage do engine problems happen?
Based on 114 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 141 complaints, 3 mention a crash, 4 a fire.
Dodge Durango engine complaints by model year
| Model year | Engine complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Durango | 1 | 7% | — |
| 2024 Durango | 3 | 21% | — |
| 2023 Durango | 5 | 16% | 55,000 |
| 2022 Durango | 10 | 17% | — |
| 2021 Durango | 22 | 11% | 19,000 |
| 2020 Durango | 7 | 13% | — |
| 2019 Durango | 24 | 17% | 10,056 |
| 2018 Durango | 27 | 12% | 29,000 |
| 2017 Durango | 28 | 13% | 15,500 |
| 2016 Durango | 16 | 10% | 36,000 |
| 2015 Durango | 38 | 8% | 61,000 |
| 2014 Durango | 74 | 9% | 54,000 |
| 2013 Durango | 116 | 18% | 80,000 |
| 2012 Durango | 141 | 22% | 80,000 |
| 2011 Durango | 180 | 23% | 68,000 |
| 2008 Durango | 8 | 8% | 106,185 |
| 2007 Durango | 14 | 7% | 107,000 |
| 2006 Durango | 48 | 6% | 95,000 |
| 2005 Durango | 113 | 7% | 100,017 |
| 2004 Durango | 326 | 29% | 120,000 |
| 2003 Durango | 12 | 4% | 74,910 |
| 2002 Durango | 10 | 2% | 183,500 |
| 2001 Durango | 13 | 2% | 173,399 |
| 2000 Durango | 29 | 3% | 155,000 |
| 1999 Durango | 31 | 2% | 146,000 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (1)
Engine and engine cooling
Problem: Chrysler is recalling certain model year 2012 chrysler vehicles, including 200 and town and country models, dodge vehicles, including charger, durango, grand caravan and journey models and jeep grand cherokee vehicles manufactured from august 31, 2011, through september 13, 2011, that are equipped with 3.6l engines. These engines may experience connecting rod bearing failure due to debris inside the engine block.
Risk: Connecting rod failure may lead to engine seizure which may increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Chrysler will notify owners and replace the engine free of charge. The safety recall is expected to begin on or about november 18, 2011. Owners may contact chrysler at 1-800-853-1403.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
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…
Electric problem
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…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2012 Dodge Durangos have engine problems?
No. NHTSA has 141 owner complaints about engine for the 2012 Dodge Durango (22% of the 640 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 2012 Dodge Durango engine?
Yes: 1 safety recall list engine. Check your VIN on NHTSA.gov to see whether the fix was done on your car.
At what mileage do engine problems start?
The median reported mileage is 80,000 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
How much does it cost to fix engine problems on the 2012 Dodge Durango?
Owners report a typical cost of $6,200 (half paid between $6,100 and $7,700), from 5 complaints that state a repair bill or quote, in 2026 dollars.
What do owners say about engine problems on the 2012 Dodge Durango?
The most frequent phrase is “chrysler jeep”, in 13 of 141 complaints, followed by “fuel pump relay” (11).
Other 2012 Dodge Durango problems
See all 2012 Dodge Durango problems or engine problems across all Durango years.