Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (headlights, tail lights, turn signals, interior lights).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2004 Dodge Durango owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
On Saturday 2/16, the dome lights were not dimming and going out and there was a slight smell of hot wires. By Sunday the smell was very intense. We left he car parked and planned on getting it to the dealer on Monday. Monday morning I went out and started the truck to let it warm up before I took it to the dealer. I went back inside for a couple minutes. While I was inside, a neighbor rang the door bell and told me that the car was on fire. I called the fire department they came and extinguished the fire. We had the fire inspector come out so we could have a report on file. Both the fire investigator and the insurance claims agent felt that the fire was caused by the wiring under the dash. The car was a total loss with a gaping hole straight through the dash, behind the instrument cluster and the interior completely gone.
This complain involve several issues that constantly happens. The first issue is that the interior lights and instrument panel lights illuminated intermittently and I can hear a buzzing sound when it does this. The second is that the battery dies and I have to jump start or charge it manually most days. Third, every day I have to pour coolant into my radiator because there is a leak somewhere either the water pump or radiator. Fourth, when it rains, water gets inside via the door seams. Fifth, then my radio/dvd player stopped working and I had to pull the fuse because it would not turn off. Sixth, my head lights goes very dim and even sometimes shut off. This is very scary in the middle of the night coming home from work. Seventh issue involves the engine stalling on several occasions, mostly when its pouring down raining.
I had stopped at a stop sign and attempted to turn left. As soon as I took my foot off brake & onto gas, car completely stopped and shut off, leaving the car in the middle of the intersection. It was raining & similar has happened twice before during rain. Both previous times though, all electrical systems would work but I would have to wait about 15 minutes until car would restart. This time however, nothing was working, not even hazard flashers. Every time I tried restarting, dashboard lights would blink randomly. I took the battery to be tested, which tested fine. It has now been 3 days and car will not restart, same lighting issues when ever I have the key in the ignition, and nothing electrical is working including the key to unlock the doors remotely.
In early November 2015 while driving 45-50 MPH the instrument panel randomly went haywire and all the lights started flashing and the interior lights at the same time. About two weeks later I realized that the outside headlights were also flickering when the inside lights flickered. I took to the local dealership and after 4 day's I was told they could not re-produce the issue. I quit driving after dark due to the lack of control in keeping the lights on then noticed I would have intermittent flickering with the headlight knob off. After researching the Dodge forums and ruling out the fuses I purchased a new "redesigned" headlight switch and installed it. Took care of all the flickering light issues and now I can drive at night again.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 Dodge Durango. The contact stated that the vehicle was repaired per NHTSA campaign number: 07V092000 (electrical system); however, the repair did not correct the failure. The interior lighting system failed to illuminate when the door was opened. The manufacturer was notified. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 197,800.
2004 Dodge Durango interior lights would not go off. Next morning went to start the truck smoke and then flames engulfed the trucks had to call 911 to have fire put out. I was told by local dealer after recall came out not to worry about the recall that it was a pain to change the part out and that they never saw any problems with any of the ones they had changed before.
2004 Dodge Durango 5.7 Hemi these vehicles are shutting off without warning no steering, brakes lights, hazards, nothing is operable vehicle doesn't stutter or stall at all no waring lights just shuts right off multiple people are reporting the exact same problem this is a serious defect as there aren't any codes or signs of failure
Takata recall and electrical interior lights stay on dimmer don't work needs cluster replaced dealer says that it May not be available after keeping my car for 5 days as of today 12 -31-18 they say they can't give it back to me because of the electric recall!?
03/15/20013 I and my son were getting out of the winn dixie, a heavy spoke coming out of the panel. I called fire dept. And triple a to pick up the vehicle, the vehicle shot down complete after that. Wiper when off and light . 03/19/13 for the 2nd time, I took the vehicle to the dealer as per Chrysler instructions ( miami lakes auto mall) to repair the recall g07 back in 2009 or 2010 that was perform there. 03/20/2013 they called from the dealer to pick up the vehicle. When I went to pick up, they told me, they brought the wrong parts with a huge miles they need it to return same and request another one. They didn't knew the miles they put me 94,000 something miles without confirm with us. The assistant service manager was very un professional, he told me that was the computer in other words they didn't knew. …
Water is getting under the cowl and onto my motor. I have taken my 2004 Hemi Durango to several shops/dealers and the water is causing all kinds of problems. The cylinders are misfiring, some of the metal parts under the hood have rusted irreparably (ie. Motor heat guards), the windshield gets ice on the inside of the vehicle, my headlights blink on and off while driving, the heat works only sometimes due to the wires under the passenger side dash getting wet, and this water getting through is also causing my car to stall or almost stall every time it rains or take it through a car wash. This water is causing electrical problems. It is also rusting horribly fast near the wheel wells and on the back trunk hatch. Within only 2 weeks of cold weather I now have a solid hole from the rust. Why can't they recall some parts and fix this? …
Headlight complaints in other Durango years
Frequently asked questions
How common are headlight problems on the 2004 Dodge Durango?
NHTSA has 31 complaints about the lights of the 2004 Dodge Durango, 3% of the model year's 1,115 complaints. The component named most often is fog lights (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2004 Dodge Durango headlight problems?
No. NHTSA lists no lights recall for the 2004 Dodge Durango, though it has 8 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2004 Dodge Durango headlight problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 83,000 miles, and 7% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 3 fires and 0 injuries to lights 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.