Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (power steering, steering column, rack and pinion).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2006 Dodge Durango owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
design issue on rack and pinion assembly. Basically metal transfer pipes on side of assembly rust out. This is my second Durango 2006 model to have this problem. Complete loss of steering assist occurs because of loss of power fluid out of fore mentioned pipes. The pipes cannot be repaired, entire rack and assembly must be replaced. Exposure to road salt is cause of rusting as assembly is totally exposed under vehicle. Stainless steel pipes are a better way except to bean counters.
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
My 2006 Dodge Durango stalled out in the middle of traffic and caused me to be injured in a rear end collision because my PCM shut my engine down per design of the vehicle because my oil sending unit had a faulty wire and my PCM thought I didn't have any oil in my car which disabled my car completely by design of the manufacturer to keep my engine from damage because it thought I had. O oil. I have a faulty design product and not enough warning. I have been off work for a year with the injuries from the accident and luckily I wasn't hurt worse. My car shut down immediately without proper warning someone could be killed I have photos and a service repair documents stating the faulty oil sending unit disabled my vehicle..updated 09/21/17 updated 10/23/17..updated 11/13/2017 updated 7/18/18
We were driving our 2006 Dodge Durango for about 5 minutes when all of a sudden the dash board lights started flashing. My husband was able to veer off the road on a side street and coast down into a parking lot. By this point the car was completely unresponsive. Smoke started to come out of the vehicle vents on the dashboard. We thought maybe a part broke at first. My husband opened the hood and there was no visible fires and not a lot of smoke. Smoke started coming more and more quickly out of the vents. We got our 3 children out of the car. By this point smoke was billowing out. My husband ran into a building and called for help. The business gave us a fire extinguisher and called the fire department. As my husband ran back to the Durango flames he saw the dashboard start to collapse. Next thing we knew flames were flying up the front window. He used the fire extinguisher on it. …
While trying to start the vehicle from the parking lot the ignition switch would not turn. I had to insert the key in the switch 10 to 12 times before it would turn. I tried to unlock the steering wheel by turn it the best could to get the ignition to turn but it still would not turn. This happened on more than one occasion to myself and my wife. In 2012 we had to after the situation continued we had the ignition replace, a cost of almost $1200.00. I want to know if this was caused by what happened in the latest recall of over 1.4 million vehicles? ...updated 09/11/15 the vehicle was repaired. Updated 09/29/15
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 Dodge Durango. The contact stated that at startup the steering ceased. The contact stated that extra effort was needed to maneuver the vehicle. The vehicle was not taken to be diagnosed nor repaired. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 230,000. The VIN was not available.
While driving power steering seems to go out and the vehicle in unable to be turned. It is very dangerous to have this happen while driving, I was almost in an accident because of it. If you turn the car off and back on it will usually start turning again but is happening intermittently while on the road since the first occurrence.
My 2006 Durango will shift into four wheel drive automatically without warning. Sometimes this occurs when unlocking the vehicle when not running, using the remote to unlock the door. I feel that this is a life and death safety issue and should be resolved by the manufacturer. I have seem many other complaints of this happening.
My Dodge Durango will engage by itself into 4 wheel drive while driving at slow or very high speed-it is an issue with the transfer case electricly-could cause accident when this does it on it's own out of nowhere & many complaints have been filed about this issue-it does it at stopping,going slow or even at 75 MPH
I've had problems with this vehicle since I bought it. Somedays the truck won't crank, check engine light goes on and off took it so salisbury Dodge kept my vehicle for 4 days gave it back to me said they couldn't find anything wrong with it said they turned the light off for me 2 weeks later same problem like truck not getting gas, truck just cut off on me and my family while driving down the highway. Took it to dealership where bought kept vehicle for almost 2 weeks catalytic converter was bad every since they gave me vehicle back which has been about 2 months still having problems radio turns by itself hit bump the truck turned off almost got rear ended trying to pull to shoulder, check engine light goes on and off, every time I call the dealership to get appt they say they can't give me one I just need to drop the truck off and they will get to it when they can,so what do I suppose …
NHTSA investigations
Steering wheel and steering shaft bolts
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…
Steering complaints in other Durango years
Frequently asked questions
How common are steering problems on the 2006 Dodge Durango?
NHTSA has 23 complaints about the steering of the 2006 Dodge Durango, 3% of the model year's 852 complaints. The component named most often is column (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2006 Dodge Durango steering problems?
No. NHTSA lists no steering recall for the 2006 Dodge Durango, though it has 9 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 2006 Dodge Durango steering problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 73,000 miles, and 25% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 1 fire and 1 injury to steering 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.