Total Complaints
5 filings
Dodge Durango · model year
1997 Dodge Durango
5 NHTSA complaints. A VIN lookup is required to determine whether a specific vehicle has an unrepaired recall.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
- Complaints
- 5
- Recalls
- 0
The verdict
The 1997 Dodge Durango posts top-1% complaint standing (fewest filings) among its own model-year siblings.
- Top 0%
- fewest complaints, own model years
- 0
- recall campaigns
The 1997DodgeDurango carries 5 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 1 fire, 0 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.
The most frequently selected component label in reports for the 1997 Durango is service brakes, hydraulic:antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip with 1 filings, followed by suspension:front:control arm:lower ball joint (1) and suspension:front:control arm:upper ball joint (1). Complaint categories reflect owner reports and intake categorization; they do not establish a defect pattern or cause.
NHTSA currently has 5 investigation files overlapping the 1997 Durango. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should read the complaint-by-year trend as report volume, not a causal diagnosis. Use the related-complaint feed and the official recall lookup when researching a specific vehicle.
5
Complaints
0
Crashes
1
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths
F
PlainCars Safety Score
0/100
1997 Dodge Durango
PlainCars' own composite of NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings and rollover-risk assessment, each dimension normalized against the federal scale or the full national model-year corpus. Not an official NHTSA figure, and not a substitute for a specific vehicle's VIN-level recall check.
NHTSA Overall Rating N/A
Not rated
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program overall crash-test rating.
Front Crash N/A
Not rated
Frontal barrier crash-test rating.
Side Crash N/A
Not rated
Side barrier and pole crash-test rating.
Rollover Resistance N/A
Not rated
Static stability factor + dynamic rollover test rating.
Rollover Risk N/A
Not reported
NHTSA single-vehicle rollover probability, dynamic test.
Crashes Reported
0 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
Complaints vs. fleet median (215)
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
Complaints by Component
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP | 1 |
| SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM:LOWER BALL JOINT | 1 |
| SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM:UPPER BALL JOINT | 1 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:CRUISE CONTROL | 1 |
| SUSPENSION | 1 |
Recent Complaints
20060111FireSUSPENSION
1999 DODGE DURANGO LEFT FRONT WHEEL ASSEMBLY CAUGHT ON FIRE WHILE DRIVING. *TS THE CONSUMER STATED HE HAD SOME SUSPENSION WORK DONE ON NOV 21, 2005. *JB
20041215VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:CRUISE CONTROL
CRUISE CONTROL WAS ON WHEN VEHICLE UNEXPECTEDLY ACCELERATED ON ITS OWN. CONSUMER HAD TO STOMP ON ACCELERATOR IN ORDER TO STOP VEHICLE FROM INCREASING SPEED FOR THE SECOND TIME IN A WEEK. CONSUMER WILL CONTACT MANUFACTURER.*AK......WHEN CRUISE CONTROL STUCK CONSUMER TURNE DIT OFF AND VEHICLE CONTINUED TO ACCELERATE TO 79 MPH BEFORE GETTING ACCELERATOR UNSTUCK. *AK
20040116SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM:LOWER BALL JOINT
THE DEALER REPLACED THE UPPER BALL JOINTS TWICE. NOW THE UPPER AND LOWER BALL JOINTS NEED TO BE REPLACED. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. *NM *LA
20040116SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM:UPPER BALL JOINT
THE DEALER REPLACED THE UPPER BALL JOINTS TWICE. NOW THE UPPER AND LOWER BALL JOINTS NEED TO BE REPLACED. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. *NM *LA
20000710SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
BRAKE FAILURE INTERMITTENTLY WHEN APPLYING BRAKES IN HEAVY TRAFFIC WITH A/C ON, CAUSING PEDAL TO HARDEN BRIEFLY AND RESUME AGAIN. DEALER CONTACTED. FEEL FREE TO PROVIDE FURTHER DETAILS. *AK
Compare 1997DodgeDurango to Similar Vehicles
NHTSA Investigations
PE19014Preliminary EvaluationClosed
Active Head Rest Inadvertent Deployment
EA07003Engineering AnalysisClosed
SIDE CURTAIN AIR BAG FAILURE
EA06011Engineering AnalysisClosed
VEHICLE UNDER-SEAT FIRE
EA06004Engineering AnalysisClosed
STEERING WHEEL AND STEERING SHAFT BOLTS
PE05056Preliminary EvaluationClosed
STEERING WHEEL AND SHAFT BOLTS
Vehicle Safety Guides
Frequently Asked Questions
How many complaints does the 1997 Dodge Durango have?▼
The 1997 Dodge Durango has 5 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 1 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1997 Dodge Durango?▼
The most-complained component for the 1997 Dodge Durango is SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP with 1 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM:LOWER BALL JOINT and SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM:UPPER BALL JOINT.
Is the 1997 Dodge Durango safe to buy?▼
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?▼
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.
Data vintage: August 2026. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.
Every figure on PlainCars is rendered directly from NHTSA complaint and safety data, no number is typed in by an editor. This year-specific record is rendered from NHTSA ODI, recall, and NCAP rows for the 1997 Dodge Durango; no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.