Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2003 Dodge Durango owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2003 Dodge Durango. The contact stated that the battery had been replaced after being drained due to an unknown electrical failure. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the alarm would inadvertently sound while the vehicle was turned off. Additionally, the lights would flash on and off intermittently. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. The contact stated that she was able to restart the vehicle however, the vehicle would only restart while in Neutral. The local dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle would be an out of pocket expense. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 110,000.
"Takata recall"on January 2017 my 2003 Dodge Durango. Became a blaze under my carport. Attach to my home. Causing a total loss to my home and vehicle. I purchased my vehicle April of 2003 brand new. At liberty Chrysler dogge Jeep. In hinesville georgia. This happened at approximately 1:25 a.m. On the morning of January 27th. The vehicle had not been droven since a promptly 9 the night before. After the fight ilearn that there was a recall on the year of this vehicle. This is the recall# 06V339000. I was never made aware of this recall by mail or phone.
I have a 2003 Durango that has been showing some very unusual electrical problems. The headlights and dash lights will sometimes flicker at night. The door chime sounds like the speaker has a short in it. I noticed that my garage door opener no longer works and sometimes the compass and temp gauge in the overhead freezes. The worst thing that happened was the passenger headlight went out and refuses to work with a new bulb. I tested the circuit and it is dead. I looked into the issue and found out that it has a central time module that controls many of the electrical functions of the truck. Mine has all the classic symptoms of a bad one. I also found out that a few hundred Durango's and dakota's were recalled for this problem, however mine was not one of them. I have seen multiple threads on the internet of customers complaining of the same thing and Dodge is not replacing them. …
Since purchasing this vehicle new it has had major electrical issues. The sad part, nobody at Dodge cared. It would shift into 4wd low at dangerous speeds. After taking to several Dodge dealers none could or would fix it. Dodge themselves basically laughed at ripping off yet another customer. Nhtsb has totally ignored the thousands of consumers with issues on these vehicles. Ours is another that have the pulsating lights problem that apparently NHTSA and Dodge feel it isn't an issue to have your lights turn off while driving in traffic at 70 MPH. Apparently in the automotive/govt. Relationship as long as the vehicle hasn't killed all of us yet everything is okay. At least the Dodge dealers are doing well. They've raked in more cash by denying the issue and throwing expensive parts at these lemons. …
Chief complaint: purchased vehicle used with approx. 30,000 miles on it. Have been experiencing engine/electrical issues which require me to change spark plugs and engine coils about every 50,000 miles. I have done this three time in the last six years costing me about 900+ each visit. I have taken it to several different mechanics for opinions. I recently started getting misfiring again. Repaired again one at a time as well as some spontaneous occurrences that were very frightening. For example: wind shield wipers going crazy, lights blinking, doors locking and unlocking, windows rolling them selves down at night, horn blaring when turning on head lights, and the best one random small acceleration while driving. I have been told I have a faulty TIPM. The dealership will not take any responsibility for this vehicle due to it being on year out of the documented recall year. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 Dodge Durango. The contact stated while driving at the speeds of 60 MPH, she noticed that there were sparks coming from the passenger side heater wiring harness. There was a burning odor and noticed the plastic on the wires had melted. The vehicle was taken to a private mechanic where they confirmed that the wiring harness melted. The wiring harness lasted nine months after it was repaired. The failure was repaired twice. The dealer was contacted and did not acknowledge the failure. The vehicle was not repaired for the recent failure that occurred. The failure mileage was 101,000 and the current mileage was 173,000.
Wife started the truck this morning and had the windshield wipers going and turned on the headlights before backing up. The headlights started flashing and interior lights along with the lights in the dash were all flashing and going crazy. I had my wife turn off the windshield wipers and returned to normal. Research on all the forums says its the "ctm" central timer module. I called the dealership and was told it would cost $520. Just for the part and that didn't include any labor. This is a known issue and some models do have a recall for this very thing but my VIN was excluded.
This issue happens randomly: vehicle is parked: power door locks do not work you have to manually unlock all doors, vehicles starts fine but "service 4x4" appears on the cluster, all dome lights stay on, cluster lights (gage's etc.) do not light up, no exterior lights work (I.e headlights, parking lights, brake and so on). Vehicle will not return to normal state until I disconnect the battery and reconnect. It has happened multiple times on different days. Sometimes it will happen within a day of each instant, other times it will go a month and then do it again.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 Dodge Durango. The contact stated that smoke emitted from under the dashboard. The contact also stated that the heat and air conditioning failed and the front end of the vehicle made a thumping noise and became louder as vehicle speed increased. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and was informed that the wiring harness emitted the smoke and it along with the front hub unit, needed to be replaced. The failure and current mileages were 113,000....updated 04/25/13 updated 05/16/2013
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 Dodge Durango. After starting the vehicle, the headlights, tail lights, and interior lights started to flash on and off with the emergency indicator illuminating on the instrument panel. The contact mentioned that the failure recurred intermittently. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the central timer module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was 119,000.
Related recalls
Electrical system
On certain sport utility vehicles equipped with front bench seats only, if fluid is spilled from the floor mounted cup holder, an unused console power outlet connector located under the seat May become contaminated.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the console wiring connector for corrosion, clean as required, and install a cap to prevent additional fluid from contaminating the connector free of charge. The recall began on October 30, 2006.
NHTSA investigations
Fire under the driver's seat
Odi is aware of 10 reports alleging that a fire originates underneath the driver's seat.six of thefires occurred while the vehicle was parked with the ignition switch turned off (key not in the ignition).the subject vehicles are equipped with manual seats. This investigation has been upgraded to an engineering analysis, (ea06-011), to allow further investigation of the issue.
Vehicle under-seat fire
Daimlerchrylser corporation (dcc) will recall 35,103 my 2001-2003 Dodge durango vehicles equipped with front bench seats (recall # 06V339, see defect report for details).the subject vehicles are equipped with either front bucket seats or a 40-20-40 split front bench seat.vehicles equipped with front bench seat contain an uncapped, unused connector located under the front edge of the seat.the connector provides power…
Electrical complaints in other Durango years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 2003 Dodge Durango?
NHTSA has 57 complaints about the electrical system of the 2003 Dodge Durango, 17% of the model year's 339 complaints. The component named most often is instrument cluster/panel (4 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2003 Dodge Durango electrical problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 06V-339 (electrical system, Sep 7, 2006). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2003 Dodge Durango electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 98,000 miles, and 10% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 9 fires and 0 injuries to electrical system problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.