DODGE DURANGO · model year

2004 DODGE DURANGO

1420 NHTSA complaints, 65 crash reports, and 9 active recalls for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 2004DODGEDURANGO carries 1420 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 65 crashes, 96 fires, 56 injuries, and 2 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.

Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2004 DURANGO is engine with 326 filings, followed by electrical system (171) and engine and engine cooling (155). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability. This model year has 9 active recall campaigns, which means the manufacturer is obligated to remedy the covered defect at no charge for the life of the vehicle — the full NHTSA campaign numbers are listed below.

NHTSA currently has 5 investigation files overlapping the 2004 DURANGO. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.

1420
Complaints
65
Crashes
96
Fires
56
Injuries
2
Deaths

Total Complaints

1420 filings

Crashes Reported

65 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

Above median complaint volume — review patterns below.

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
ENGINE326
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM171
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING155
AIR BAGS136
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE76
POWER TRAIN64
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL41
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL37
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION26
STEERING25
UNKNOWN OR OTHER22
STRUCTURE:BODY18
EXTERIOR LIGHTING18
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM18
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:INTERIOR/UNDER DASH17

Recalls (9)

15V31300027/05/2015

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain model year 2005-2009 Dodge Ram 2500, 2004-2008 Dodge Ram 1500 and Durango, 2006-2009 Dodge Ram 3500, 2008-2010 Dodge Ram 4500 and 5500, 2007-2008 Chrysler Aspen, 2005-2010 Chrysler 300, 300C, 300S, and SRT8, 2006-2010 Dodge Charger, 2005-2008 Magnum, 2005-2

16V35200024/05/2016

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

Chrysler (FCA US LLC) expanded the affected population to include 73,712 2005-2009 RAM 2500 trucks produced at the St. Louis North Assembly Plant. With this change, Chrysler is recalling certain model year 2004-2008 RAM 1500, 2005-2009 RAM 2500, 2006-2009 RAM 3500, 2007-2010 RAM 3500 Cab Chassis, 2

17V82400021/12/2017

EQUIPMENT

Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling various Dodge, Chrysler, and RAM vehicles equipped with Kidde Plastic-Handle or Push Button 'Pindicator' Fire Extinguishers. A list of the affected trailer models is available at: https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2017/RMISC-17V824-0103.pdf. These extinguishers ma

04V02000014/01/2004

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:CABLES

ON CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH 3.7L AND 4.7L ENGINES, THE THROTTLE CONTROL CABLE MAY INGEST WATER AND FREEZE DURING EXTENDED COLD TEMPERATURE.

03V52800012/12/2003

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:INTERIOR/UNDER DASH

ON CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, AN INSTRUMENT CLUSTER CIRCUIT BOARD CAPACITOR MAY OVERHEAT.

07V09200009/03/2007

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL

ON SOME SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, UNDER CERTAIN OPERATING CONDITIONS, AN INTEGRATED CIRCUIT IN THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER THAT CONTROLS INTERIOR LIGHTING MAY OVERHEAT.

04V57800008/12/2004

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY:CABLES

ON CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES BUILT WITH A 5.7L, 4.7L, OR 3.7L ENGINE, THE POSITIVE BATTERY CABLE MAY CONTACT THE FRONT SUSPENSION UPPER CONTROL ARM MOUNTING BRACKET.

09E01200007/04/2009

EXTERIOR LIGHTING

SABERSPORT IS RECALLING 16,270 COMBINATION CORNER AND BUMPER LAMP ASSEMBLIES OF VARIOUS PART NUMBERS SOLD FOR USE AS AFTERMARKET EQUIPMENT FOR VARIOUS PASSENGER VEHICLES. THESE HEADLAMPS FAIL TO CONFORM TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, "LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES

14V77000003/12/2014

AIR BAGS

Chrysler Group LLC (Chrysler) is recalling certain model year 2004-2005 Dodge Ram 1500, 2500, and 3500, 2004-2005 Dodge Durango, 2005 Dodge Dakota, 2005 Dodge Magnum and 2005 Chrysler 300, 300C and 300 SRT8 vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in geographic locations associated with high ab

Recent Complaints

20241004CrashVEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

I was coming home. As I pulled in my garage, hit the brake to stop and put in park. The vehicle started winding up to a point where my foot on the brake didn't matter. It accelerated forward, going through the wall of my garage, through my backyard, thru a chain guard, and into the corner of the museum wall next door. I was finally able to stop it completely by shutting the vehicle off. Despite the speed and impact to the front of my vehicle, the airbags never deployed.

20241004CrashELECTRICAL SYSTEM

I was coming home. As I pulled in my garage, hit the brake to stop and put in park. The vehicle started winding up to a point where my foot on the brake didn't matter. It accelerated forward, going through the wall of my garage, through my backyard, thru a chain guard, and into the corner of the museum wall next door. I was finally able to stop it completely by shutting the vehicle off. Despite the speed and impact to the front of my vehicle, the airbags never deployed.

20241004CrashSERVICE BRAKES

I was coming home. As I pulled in my garage, hit the brake to stop and put in park. The vehicle started winding up to a point where my foot on the brake didn't matter. It accelerated forward, going through the wall of my garage, through my backyard, thru a chain guard, and into the corner of the museum wall next door. I was finally able to stop it completely by shutting the vehicle off. Despite the speed and impact to the front of my vehicle, the airbags never deployed.

20240514ENGINE

The contact owns a 2004 Dodge Durango. The contact stated that while his wife was driving 10 MPH and making a left turn in the rain, the vehicle shut off. There were no warning lights illuminated. While at a car wash, the vehicle shut off. The contact stated that the water was entering the engine compartment. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where an unknown diagnosis was provided. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 115,000.

Mileage: 115,000

20230703FireELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Was sitting at a traffic light and a driver pull up beside me on my drive side, and ask me was my car running hot because she saw that it was smokeing, and i told her no it's not running hot and i would check it out at the service station down the street. before i could pull off another car pull up on my passenger side and said that my car was on fire and that i needed to get out before it blows up and get on the ground. i got out and look on the passenger side and saw that it was on fire , i saw fire droping on the ground like plastic melting . and said to myself that it might be a electrical fire so i was going to disconnect the battery as i walk back to the front of the car i saw withe smoke coming out from under the hood near the windshiled on the passenger side and before i could get to the front it turn to black smoke in and few seconds later it was on fire by the time i walk over to the dirver side. call 911 police got there frist in about 7 min it was so hot that it melting the

20230323ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

While driving my vehicle this morning my odometer completely shut off while on the freeway and all my little lights on the dashboard went on. My turn signals, as well as my brake lights stopped working as well.

20230323VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

While driving my vehicle this morning my odometer completely shut off while on the freeway and all my little lights on the dashboard went on. My turn signals, as well as my brake lights stopped working as well.

20221028TRAILER HITCHES

2004 DODGE DURANGO. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARD TO RUSTING OF THE HITCH.

20220708ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

While driving in rain my car stalls and gets shaky. I had it cut off in the midst of driving which can cause harm to myself and others. The cowl doesn’t protect the components under the hood from moisture when it rain causing my vehicle not to function properly. As a result of this my engine light has displayed but goes away when it stops raining. Not a safe car to drive in the rain.

20220708UNKNOWN OR OTHER

While driving in rain my car stalls and gets shaky. I had it cut off in the midst of driving which can cause harm to myself and others. The cowl doesn’t protect the components under the hood from moisture when it rain causing my vehicle not to function properly. As a result of this my engine light has displayed but goes away when it stops raining. Not a safe car to drive in the rain.

20220628STEERING

Driving home the steering became very stiff hard to drive , Made it home, power steering pouring out . found out the hydraulic transfer lines had burst Only 100,000 miles on durango. Lucky i was not driving on the express way. dodge durango 2004 5.7 L v8 2wd piece of junk

20220517AIR BAGS

Airbag warning dash light comes on intermittently. The Takata airbag recall has been corrected, but the light still comes on. This warning light first appeared on, or about 6 months ago. I have not taken this vehicle back for dealer to re-inspect the issue. The obvious concern here, is whether or not the airbag will fail, when needed, or the airbag might deploy inadvertently.

20210925UNKNOWN OR OTHER

I brought my vehicle to an Phoenix AZ dealership off of Black Canyon Highway or I-17 on Camelback for airbag safety recall and interior lighting recall and any others needed. When I dropped it off initially I parked on lot by the garage inc front of the rental car business directly in front. I exited my vehicle walking up to repair garage to make sure I could drive into it for recall repair. I walked back opened my driver's door and sat in the seat.(legally able to safely driver by entering through the driver's door) I drove it up there. Upon arriving after they provided the airbags recall, moved my dome light which was located on driver's door module that also has other functions,(moved to another module preventing an interior fire on long trips which I was moving for a job to Audubon MN that next few days) and I was unable to enter the vehicle by my driver's door. I had to physically crawl in the passengers side of car over the middle area and drink holders to squeeze my legs under

20210925ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

I brought my vehicle to an Phoenix AZ dealership off of Black Canyon Highway or I-17 on Camelback for airbag safety recall and interior lighting recall and any others needed. When I dropped it off initially I parked on lot by the garage inc front of the rental car business directly in front. I exited my vehicle walking up to repair garage to make sure I could drive into it for recall repair. I walked back opened my driver's door and sat in the seat.(legally able to safely driver by entering through the driver's door) I drove it up there. Upon arriving after they provided the airbags recall, moved my dome light which was located on driver's door module that also has other functions,(moved to another module preventing an interior fire on long trips which I was moving for a job to Audubon MN that next few days) and I was unable to enter the vehicle by my driver's door. I had to physically crawl in the passengers side of car over the middle area and drink holders to squeeze my legs under

20210925AIR BAGS

I brought my vehicle to an Phoenix AZ dealership off of Black Canyon Highway or I-17 on Camelback for airbag safety recall and interior lighting recall and any others needed. When I dropped it off initially I parked on lot by the garage inc front of the rental car business directly in front. I exited my vehicle walking up to repair garage to make sure I could drive into it for recall repair. I walked back opened my driver's door and sat in the seat.(legally able to safely driver by entering through the driver's door) I drove it up there. Upon arriving after they provided the airbags recall, moved my dome light which was located on driver's door module that also has other functions,(moved to another module preventing an interior fire on long trips which I was moving for a job to Audubon MN that next few days) and I was unable to enter the vehicle by my driver's door. I had to physically crawl in the passengers side of car over the middle area and drink holders to squeeze my legs under

20210601POWER TRAIN

The contact owns a 2004 Dodge Durango. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 mph, the vehicle jerked and automatically engaged into four-wheel drive. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the transfer case needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000.

Mileage: 100,000

20210125ENGINE

CAR WAS PARKED ON A THURSDAY, WAS RUNNING FINE WITH NO PROBLEMS. RAINED ALL WEEKEND. WENT TO START IT ON MONDAY MORNING, PRODUCED A HORRIBLE GRINDING NOISE AND WOULD NOT START. RESEARCH SHOWS THAT THE COWL HAS ALLOWED WATER TO LEAK UNDER THE HOOD AND PUDDLE ON THE MOTOR ALLOWING IT TO SEEP INTO THE INTAKE AND HYDROLOCK THE MOTOR. APPARENTLY THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS YEAR MAKE AND MODEL BUT NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE TO RESOLVE IT. NOW I AM WITHOUT A RUNNING VEHICLE AND CAN NOT AFFORD TO FIX IT OR REPLACE IT.

20210106AIR BAGS

GOOD DAY I OWN A PRECIOUS 04 DODGE DURANGO I'VE BEEN MAINTAINING WELL OVER THE YEARS. BUT AS OF LATE SOME ISSUES AROSE WITH MY AIR BAG SENSOR AND OIL LIGHT FLICKERING ON DASH WHEN BRAKE AT IDLE. I DON'T DRIVE TOO FREQUENTLY EXCEPT THE NORMAL WORK SCHEDULE MON-FRI SO I DONT GO FAR ESPECIALLY SINCE THESE PROBLEMS AROSE NEVER BEEN IN AN ACCIDENT NOR INTERGRATED PARTS

20210106ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

GOOD DAY I OWN A PRECIOUS 04 DODGE DURANGO I'VE BEEN MAINTAINING WELL OVER THE YEARS. BUT AS OF LATE SOME ISSUES AROSE WITH MY AIR BAG SENSOR AND OIL LIGHT FLICKERING ON DASH WHEN BRAKE AT IDLE. I DON'T DRIVE TOO FREQUENTLY EXCEPT THE NORMAL WORK SCHEDULE MON-FRI SO I DONT GO FAR ESPECIALLY SINCE THESE PROBLEMS AROSE NEVER BEEN IN AN ACCIDENT NOR INTERGRATED PARTS

20210106ENGINE

GOOD DAY I OWN A PRECIOUS 04 DODGE DURANGO I'VE BEEN MAINTAINING WELL OVER THE YEARS. BUT AS OF LATE SOME ISSUES AROSE WITH MY AIR BAG SENSOR AND OIL LIGHT FLICKERING ON DASH WHEN BRAKE AT IDLE. I DON'T DRIVE TOO FREQUENTLY EXCEPT THE NORMAL WORK SCHEDULE MON-FRI SO I DONT GO FAR ESPECIALLY SINCE THESE PROBLEMS AROSE NEVER BEEN IN AN ACCIDENT NOR INTERGRATED PARTS

Compare 2004DODGEDURANGO to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2004 DODGE DURANGO have?
The 2004 DODGE DURANGO has 1420 NHTSA complaints, 65 crashes, 96 fires, 56 injuries, and 2 deaths reported.
Are there any recalls for the 2004 DODGE DURANGO?
Yes, the 2004 DODGE DURANGO has 9 recall(s). The most common affected component is AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE. Recalls are issued by NHTSA and manufacturers must provide a free remedy.
What are the most common problems with the 2004 DODGE DURANGO?
The most-complained component for the 2004 DODGE DURANGO is ENGINE with 326 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include ELECTRICAL SYSTEM and ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING.
Is the 2004 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.

Vehicle Safety Guides

Data as of 2025. 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.