2006 Dodge Durango Problems & Complaints

Average1.2× as many complaints as a typical year of the Durango at the same age

Owners have filed 852 complaints about the 2006 Dodge Durango with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. That is about average for the Durango at the same age. The most reported problem area is the fuel & propulsion system (552 complaints, typically around 60,000 miles). 9 recalls cover this model year, including 2 with a do-not-drive or park-outside warning.

852complaints
9recalls
16crashes
9fires
19injuries
0deaths

Most common 2006 Dodge Durango problems

  • 55265%
  • Electrical system~80,000 miles
    8410%
  • Air bags~98,000 miles
    769%
  • Engine & cooling~84,000 miles
    688%
  • 556%
  • Brakes~60,000 miles
    283%
  • Steering~73,000 miles
    233%
  • 212%
  • Body & structure~89,000 miles
    172%
  • Lights~51,000 miles
    152%
  • Other / not specified~118,000 miles
    121%
  • Suspension~100,000 miles
    101%
  • Speed control & acceleration~15,000 miles
    91%
  • Wheels & tires~90,000 miles
    71%
  • Seat belts~85,000 miles
    71%
  • Stability & traction control~144,000 miles
    61%
  • Equipment & accessories~37,000 miles
    40%
  • A/C & heater~19,000 miles
    40%
  • Seats~113,000 miles
    30%
  • Locks & latches~38,000 miles
    10%

Share of the 852 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 →

2006 Dodge Durango recalls (9)

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.

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.

Suspension › Rear

NHTSA recall 06V-240 · Jul 7, 2006 · 230 vehicles

On certain sport utility vehicles, the left rear suspension watts link May have been damaged during vehicle assembly and could fail.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the left rear suspension watts link free of charge. The recall began on July 19, 2006. Owners May contact daimlerchrysler at 1-800-853-1403.

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.

Air bags

NHTSA recall 06V-044 · Feb 13, 2006 · 335 vehicles

Certain sport utility vehicles fail to conform to the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 208, 'occupant crash protection.' the wrong occupant restraint controller (orc) was installed on these vehicles.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the occupant restraint control module. The recall began on February 27, 2006. Owners May contact daimlerchrysler at 1-800-853-1403.

Show 3 more recalls

Visibility › Windshield wiper/washer › Switch/wiring

NHTSA recall 06V-039 · Feb 9, 2006 · 79,701 vehicles

On certain pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles, a static electricity spark between the operator and the vehicle can cause the turn signal, headlamps or windshield wipers to malfunction without warning.

Remedy: Dealers will re-flash the instrument cluster. The recall began on March 6, 2006. Owners May contact daimlerchrysler at 1-800-853-1403.

Service brakes, hydraulic › Antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip › Control unit/module

NHTSA recall 05V-554 · Dec 8, 2005 · 16,317 vehicles

On certain sport utility vehicles with anti-lock brake system (ABS), the ABS control module software program May cause the rear brakes to lock up during certain braking conditions.

Remedy: Dealers will reprogram the ABS control module. The recall is expected to begin on December 12, 2005. Owners May contact daimlerchrysler at 1-800-853-1403.

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.

NHTSA defect investigations

Federal safety investigators have looked into 7 possible defects involving the 2006 Dodge Durango:

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…

Side curtain air bag failure

NHTSA investigation PE06045 · opened Oct 19, 2006 · closed Feb 14, 2007

Odi has upgraded this investigation to an engineering analysis (ea07-003) to continue its investigation of the subject issue.

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…

Side curtain air bag failure

NHTSA investigation EA07003 · opened Feb 14, 2007 · closed Feb 8, 2008

Odi's investigation identified no issues in the design, manufacturing process, or quality control process of the side curtain air bags used in the Dodge durango vehicles.there have been no reported field incidents of side curtain air bag failures similar to the failures that occurred during the NHTSA research testing of the durango air bags.additional NHTSA testing conducted during this investigation resulted in no…

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…

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 2006 Dodge Durango owners say

Fuel & propulsion system all 552 →

The contact owns a 2006 Dodge Durango. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, there was an abnormal gasoline odor coming from the vehicle with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact inspected the vehicle and discovered fuel leaking on the top of the fuel tank. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 180,000.

180,000 miles · Sep 2026

Vehicle: 2006 Dodge Durango VIN: [redacted] Issue Type: Fuel System / Safety Hazard Description: During refueling, the vehicle repeatedly shuts the pump off and then sprays gasoline back out of the filler neck, creating a fire and injury hazard. This is a known defect covered under Dodge Customer Satisfaction Notification X39, which extends warranty coverage for the inlet check valve / ORVR failure on 2006-2008 Durango models. The symptoms match the documented defect exactly: pump shutoff, fuel expulsion, and fuel spray. This occurs at multiple stations and with different pumps. Stellantis customer service and local dealers have been unresponsive and will not acknowledge X39 unless forced. The defect poses a clear safety risk to me and others nearby during refueling. …

Jun 2026

Electrical system all 84 →

TIPM / PCM (Computer modules) these items are affecting most Dodge vehicles that is listed already for recalls only in 2011-2013 and one earlier. This is happening in a lot of Dodges, mine is 1D4HB48N76F[redacted] (2006 Durango 4.7 SLT). They will stop running anywhere, it shuts the fuel pump off where the vehicles no longer gets gas and you have a full tank. It is only a computerized Dealer fix. Their recall for some vehicles will fix my 2006 also by the simply relay bypass that they are installing. PARTS OF THIS DOCUMENT HAVE BEEN REDACTED TO PROTECT PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

Jun 2021

Been losing power to the car while driving which cause me to lose my steering ability and the 4 wheel drive keeps kicking on and off while driving plus the wiper motor works sometimes and sometimes it don't. The navigation system comes on and off whenever it wants to and the rear end keeps popping

May 2021

Air bags all 76 →

The contact owns a 2006 Dodge Durango. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, another vehicle abruptly merged into his lane in front of him, prompting him to rapidly decrease speeds. However, the vehicle ahead was too close; as a result, the contact collided with the rear of the other vehicle, forcing his vehicle to careen to the shoulder of the roadway before coming to a complete stop. The air bags did not deploy. The air bag warning light was illuminated. A police report was filed, and no injuries were reported. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V313000 (Air Bags); the VIN was included, and the vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 231,000

231,000 miles · Apr 2024 · crash

Tl* the contact owned a 2006 Dodge Durango. While driving approximately 35 to 40 MPH, the contact's vehicle crashed into the rear of a semi truck. The air bags failed to deploy. A police report was filed. There was one injury that required medical attention. The vehicle was destroyed and towed to a tow company. The contact referenced NHTSA campaign number: 15V313000 (air bags). The air bags had not been replaced. The approximate failure mileage was 119,000.

119,000 miles · Jun 2016 · crash · 1 injury

2006 Dodge Durango engines & fuel economy

EngineTransmissionDriveMPG city / hwy / combined
3.7L 6-cyl4-speed automaticRWD14 / 19 / 16
5.7L 8-cyl5-speed automaticRWD13 / 19 / 15
5.7L 8-cyl5-speed automatic4WD/AWD13 / 18 / 15
4.7L 8-cyl5-speed automaticRWD13 / 17 / 14
4.7L 8-cyl5-speed automatic4WD/AWD12 / 17 / 14

EPA ratings. Class: SUV.

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2006 Dodge Durango a good car?

Based on 852 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2006 Durango rates average: 1.2× as many complaints as a typical year of the Durango at the same age. 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 2006 Dodge Durango?

The fuel & propulsion system — 552 complaints, 65% of all complaints for this model year, most often about storage › tank assembly › filler pipe and cap. Next are the electrical system (84) and air bags (76).

How many recalls does the 2006 Dodge Durango have?

There are 9 recalls for the 2006 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 2006 Dodge Durango problems happen?

The median mileage reported in complaints is about 64,000 miles; 31% 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.