2005 Dodge Durango Problems & Complaints

Use caution2.0× as many complaints as a typical year of the Durango at the same age

Owners have filed 1,567 complaints about the 2005 Dodge Durango with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. That is 2.0× as many as a typical Durango model year at the same age — above average, so look closely at the problem areas below before you buy. The most reported problem area is the fuel & propulsion system (751 complaints, typically around 72,000 miles). 8 recalls cover this model year, including 2 with a do-not-drive or park-outside warning.

1,567complaints
8recalls
38crashes
21fires
35injuries
3deaths

Most common 2005 Dodge Durango problems

Share of the 1,567 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.

Dodge Durango complaints by model year

’98’99’00’01’02’03’04’05’06’07’08’09’11’12’13’14’15’16’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25’269652.0k1.1k6654233391.1k1.6k852275971780064064078350316121323314455204593214814
Owner complaints per model year, Dodge Durango. Colour = our verdict for that year (red: avoid, orange: caution, green: better than average, blue: too new).

Best Durango years: 2020, 2024, 2022. Years to avoid: 1999, 2005, 2000, 1998. Compare all years →

2005 Dodge Durango recalls (8)

Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module

NHTSA recall 16V-352 · May 24, 2016 · 4,648,270 vehiclesDo not drive

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, 2008-2010 RAM 4500 and 5500 Cab…

Remedy: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicle until the recall repair is complete. Chrysler will notify the Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and RAM owners. Mitsubishi owners will be notified by their company.

Air bags › Frontal › Driver side › Inflator module

NHTSA recall 15V-313 · May 26, 2015 · 4,077,169 vehiclesDo not drive

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, 2005-2011 Dodge Dakota, and…

Remedy: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicle until the recall repair is complete. Chrysler will notify the affected Chrysler and Dodge owners and Mitsubishi will notify the affected Raider owners.

Air bags

NHTSA recall 14V-770 · Dec 3, 2014 · 250,896 vehicles

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 absolute humidity.

Remedy: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. For vehicles that were sold, or are currently registered, in Florida, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, and the U.S.

Fuel system, gasoline › Storage › Tank assembly

NHTSA recall 09V-003 · Jan 8, 2009 · 18,951 vehicles

Chrysler is recalling 18,951 my 2005 Dodge durango vehicles. The fuel tank filler tube inlet check valve May not fully close at the end of refueling. This could allow some fuel to escape from the vehicle through the filler neck at the end of refueling.

Remedy: Dealers will inspect the fuel tank inlet check valve. Vehicles found to have a suspect inlet check valve will have the fuel tank assembly replaced free of charge. The recall is expected to begin during April 2009.

Electrical system › Instrument cluster/panel

NHTSA recall 07V-092 · Mar 9, 2007 · 328,424 vehicles

On some sport utility vehicles, under certain operating conditions, an integrated circuit in the instrument cluster that controls interior lighting May overheat.

Remedy: Dealers will inspect the cluster for damage and replace it free of charge. The recall began on April 2, 2007. Owners May contact daimlerchrysler at 1-800-853-140.

Visibility › Windshield wiper/washer › Motor

NHTSA recall 06V-067 · Mar 8, 2006 · 268,800 vehicles

On certain vans and sport utility vehicles, the front windshield wiper motor armature shaft May break.

Remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace the windshield wiper motor free of charge. The recall began on June 19, 2006, to Dodge durango owners. Minivan owners will be notified during July 2006.

Show 2 more recalls

Power train › Automatic transmission

NHTSA recall 05V-460 · Oct 6, 2005 · 256,409 vehicles

On certain pickup trucks, sport utility and passenger vehicles equipped with 42rle automatic transmissions, the cup plug that retains the park pawl anchor shaft May be improperly installed. If the shaft moves out of position, the vehicle May not be able to achieve 'park' position.

Remedy: Dealers will inspect the transmissions and install a bracket to ensure the park pawl anchor shaft is retained in the proper position. The recall began on November 28, 2005.

Fuel system, gasoline › Storage › Tank assembly › Filler pipe and cap

NHTSA recall 05V-034 · Feb 3, 2005 · 26,000 vehicles

On certain sport utility vehicles, the fuel tank filler tube inlet check valve May not fully close at the end of refueling. This could allow some fuel to escape from the vehicle filler neck.

Remedy: Dealers will inspect the inlet check valves and replace the fuel tank assembly free of charge. The recall began on April 4, 2005. Owners May contact daimlerchrysler at 1-800-853-1403.

NHTSA defect investigations

Federal safety investigators have looked into 10 possible defects involving the 2005 Dodge Durango:

Fuel spit-back during refueling

NHTSA investigation RQ08005 · opened Jul 28, 2008 · closed Jan 9, 2009 · led to recall 09V-003

In its letter dated January 6, 2009, Chrysler informed the agency that it will expand the scope of recall 05v-034 to include approximately 19,000 additional my 2005 Dodge durango vehicles built from 10/13/04 through 11/30/04 (refer to recall 09v-003).dealers will inspect the inlet check valves and replace the fuel tank assembly if necessary.in March 2005, Chrysler initiated a safety recall of approximately 24,000 my…

Air Bag Inflator Rupture

NHTSA investigation PE14016 · opened Jun 11, 2014 · closed Mar 2, 2015 · led to recall 13V-172

The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE14-016 in June 2014 based on six inflator rupture incidents involving consumer owned vehicles produced by five vehicle manufacturers.All six vehicles were operated in Florida or Puerto Rico at the time of the rupture and for the majority of their service life, and were equipped with inflators produced by Takata, a tier-one supplier of automotive air bag…

Steering wheel and shaft bolts

NHTSA investigation PE05056 · opened Oct 26, 2005 · closed Mar 9, 2006

On October 26, 2005 odi opened pe05-056 to investigate allegations of loose or missing steering wheel or steering shaft coupling bolts in model year (my) 2004 and 2005 Dodge durango sport utility vehicles and my 2005 Dodge dakota pickup trucks manufactured by daimlerchrysler corporation (dcc).during pe05-056 odi identified 3 owner complaints to odi or dcc, 21 field reports to dcc and 142 warranty claims related to…

ENGINE STALL

NHTSA investigation PE05027 · opened May 16, 2005 · closed Nov 3, 2005

On May 16, 2005,odi opened preliminary evaluation pe05-027 to investigate complaints of engine stalling in model year 2004-05 Dodge durango suvs and Ram 1500 series pickups equipped with the 5.7l v8 engine.information provided by daimlerchrysler during pe05-027 indicated that a large percentage of the complaints are related to an idle undershoot condition that May cause the engine to stall during turning…

Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture

NHTSA investigation EA21002 · opened Sep 17, 2021 · open

From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant to burn too quickly when ignited.

Air Bag Inflator Rupture

NHTSA investigation EA15001 · opened Feb 24, 2015 · open · led to recall 14V-668

The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE14-016 in June 2014 based on six inflator rupture incidents involving consumer owned vehicles produced by five vehicle manufacturers.All six vehicles were operated in Florida or Puerto Rico at the time of the rupture and for the majority of their service life, and were equipped with inflators produced by Takata, a tier-one supplier of automotive air bag…

Instrument panel fires

NHTSA investigation EA06015 · opened Aug 28, 2006 · closed Mar 15, 2007 · led to recall 07V-092

This investigation originated from complaints received by the agency reporting instrument panel (ip) fires on vehicles that were covered under a prior recall (recall 03V528) by daimler Chrysler (dcc) to correct a cracked capacitor in the ip.dcc has now identified another condition that can cause overheating of an integrated circuit that controls interior lighting.this condition affects certain model year 2004-2006…

Steering wheel and steering shaft bolts

NHTSA investigation EA06004 · opened Mar 9, 2006 · open

On March 9, 2006 odi upgraded preliminatry evaluation pe05-056 to engineerning analysis ea06-004 to investigate allegations of loose or missing steering shaft coupling bolts and steering column retaining bolts in model year (my) 2004 through 2006 Dodge durango sport utility vehicles and my 2005 through 2006 Dodge dakota pickup trucks.either condition could result in a loss of steering control.although odi identified…

ENGINE STALL

NHTSA investigation EA05018 · opened Nov 2, 2005 · closed Aug 29, 2007

Analysis of the complaint, field report and warranty data shows that the majority of stalling incidents in the subject vehicles appear to be related to the engine calibration concerns that daimlerchrysler addressed with service bulletins releasing revised PCM software.analysis of the complaints and odi's survey of owners of vehicles that received engine management software updates under TSB #18-013-05 show that…

Fleet Vehicle Recall Completion Audit

NHTSA investigation AQ10001 · opened Nov 18, 2010 · closed Dec 28, 2015

On November 18, 2010, NHTSA's Recall Management Division (RMD) opened an audit query (AQ10-001) to investigate recall remedy completion by rental car companies on safety recall campaigns.It was expected to provide the agency an indication of how completely and how quickly rental car fleets perform necessary recall-related remedies on the vehicles owned and then rented/leased for use on the roadways.RMD queried three…

What 2005 Dodge Durango owners say

Fuel & propulsion system all 751 →

The contact owns a 2005 Dodge Durango. The contact stated that the vehicle was previously repaired under NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 16V352000 (Air Bags) and 05V034000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) however, the failure occurred after the recall repairs were performed. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the air bag warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the dashboard was damaged, and the passenger's side air bag compartment was opened. Additionally, fuel was spilling out of the filler tube while refueling the vehicle. The dealer was made aware of the failure; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 215,000.

215,000 miles · Aug 2022

The contact owns a 2005 Dodge Durango. The contact stated while refueling the vehicle, the fuel started leaking from the filler neck. The contact waited for a while to refuel the vehicle. Additionally, the contact stated that a message was displayed on the instrument cluster "Gas Cap". The contact stated that she checked the gas cap and was properly placed then replaced the gas cap however, the message recurred. The dealer was notified of the failure and confirmed that the VIN was not included in a recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact refenced the NHTSA Campaign Number: 09V003000 (Fuel System, Gasoline. The manufacture was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 126,337.

126,000 miles · Sep 2023

Engine & cooling all 329 →

I almost died, I escaped my car moments before it completely exploded into flames. I was driving down the interstate and it said it was overheating for a couple seconds and then the car went completely dead going 70 miles per hour. My steering wheel locked up so I fought to pull it off the road and stop it, I had a bad feeling so I checked the front of the car but it was inflamed once I got out and my seat was consumed in fire

Sep 2022 · fire

Was driving 2005 dodge Durango when it stalled and stopped running at a bottom of a hill. Would not start . Replaced idiole control sensor, starter, battery, crank shaft sensor and relays. Started ran for 30 minutes again just died in the middle of the road. Will not start. If someone would of come over the hills could of hit us with sever injury or possibly death. Still wont run crank over wont run.

Mar 2022

Transmission & drivetrain all 217 →

The contact owns a 2005 Dodge Durango. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the gears inadvertently shifted from AWD to 4WD-Low. The contact also stated that while attempting to unlock the front driver's side door, she heard the gears shifting inadvertently. The contact then stated that the driveshaft made a loud grinding sound. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The mechanic retrieved DTC code: P0700 (Transfer Case motor and possibly snap ring) failure. The vehicle was not repaired. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 180,000.

180,000 miles · Oct 2022

My 2005 Durango all of a sudden has decided to stall while driving . I've bought this vehicle almost 2 years ago, and this is by far the scariest experience I've had in it. The first time it happened was as I was slowing down to stop at a red light on January 17th. Since then it has been stalling one at least 3 to 5 times a week . Something isn't right. I did receive a code from my Milewise ins OBD reader today, that said P1794 URGENCY UNKNOWN - contact your mechanic . That's one of 3 I got . The other two are p 0700 Transmission control system ( MIL request ) Urgent - have checked ASAP AND - P0430 CATALYST system efficiency below threshold. Urgent - have checked ASAP This tells me something is seriously wrong and it's going to cost me a fortune. Which for me is impossible to even try to contemplate. I am disabled and my income is not enough. …

Jan 2023

2005 Dodge Durango engines & fuel economy

EngineTransmissionDriveMPG city / hwy / combined
3.7L 6-cyl4-speed automaticRWD14 / 19 / 16
4.7L 8-cyl5-speed automaticRWD13 / 17 / 14
5.7L 8-cyl5-speed automaticRWD12 / 17 / 14
4.7L 8-cyl5-speed automatic4WD/AWD12 / 17 / 14
5.7L 8-cyl5-speed automatic4WD/AWD12 / 17 / 14

EPA ratings. Class: SUV.

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2005 Dodge Durango a good car?

Based on 1,567 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2005 Durango rates use caution: 2.0× as many complaints as a typical year of the Durango at the same age. It is one of the Durango years we suggest avoiding. Complaint counts don't account for sales volume or individual maintenance, so have any used car inspected before buying.

What is the most common problem with the 2005 Dodge Durango?

The fuel & propulsion system — 751 complaints, 48% of all complaints for this model year, most often about storage › tank assembly. Next are the engine & cooling (329) and transmission & drivetrain (217).

How many recalls does the 2005 Dodge Durango have?

There are 8 recalls for the 2005 Dodge Durango, the most recent from May 24, 2016 (inflator module). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer — check whether yours has been done with the VIN recall check.

What are the best and worst years of the Dodge Durango?

The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2020, 2024 and 2022. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 1999, 2005, 2000 and 1998. See the full Dodge Durango years comparison.

At what mileage do 2005 Dodge Durango problems happen?

The median mileage reported in complaints is about 74,000 miles; 27% of problems with a recorded mileage started before 50,000 miles.

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.