Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2011 Dodge Durango owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2011 Dodge Durango. The contact stated that while driving 40 MPH, the brake pedal became extremely firm however, the contact was able to avoid a crash and pulled over to the shoulder. The brake was inoperable. The traction icon was displayed with the vehicle with the wiggly lines. The vehicle was restarted moments later. The contact was able to drive to the residence. The Police were on the scene and attempted to assist. There was sulfur and a burned odor after the failure. The vehicle was driven to the local dealer, and the failure was confirmed and was associated with the brake booster. The brake booster was losing vacuum pressure. The brake booster was destroyed by water internally. The manufacturer recall customer service was contacted and confirmed there was no warranty on the vehicle. The vehicle was repaired in 2018 under recall T59. …
vehicle keeps staling on road while operating, AND has THE BRAKES SYTEM failure. No brakes, brake booster had failed and also has recall part for brake booster.. the safety of my entire family was put at risk, I almost crashed into traffic. vehicle was taken to local dealership, was told FUEL PUMP relay has recall. no parts available, ONE YEAR LATER, STILL WAITING AND STILL NO PARTS AVAILABLE. VEHICLE HAS CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ON. ITS APPEAR AFTER BRAKES SYSTEM GAVE OUT.
Had an oil check in which they checked the breaks. Reported breaks as a 3. They recommended new brake pads. I only put 6000 miles on the car since I purchased it. It has 24747 miles and needs new rear brakes. I spoke to the service rep Jake and he could not do anything to help with repair. Feel like there is a problem with rear brakes going bad
Traffic slowing down in front of me, I applied the brakes and the pedal went slowly to floor and the brakes did not work causing me to hit the car in front of me, reapplied the brakes and they did work causing me to hit that car again. Thought that maybe my foot was depressing both the accelerator and brake so ii used my left foot, result the same. I did this many more times and the brakes did not work. I applied the parking brake and pulled off to the left side of the road when I was sure it was safe. This happened in a construction zone, I managed to avoid hitting any of the workers and the 3 trucks that they were using. One of the workers asked what happened, I explained to him and he tried the brakes, they went were spongy and went slowly to the floor. Checked to see if the driver of the vehicle to see if she had any injuries, she said she was alright. …
While on the highway I a check battery light appeared on my dash, I planned on checking into it at the upcoming gas station which was about 3 miles away, as I approached the offramp to the gas station all kinds of check engine lights and ABS and you name it started showing in my dash followed by the wipers and next thing you know the car dies out. Lucky for me there was no vehicle in front of me because I could not steer or brake because it was very hard or locked, I managed to pull over just before the gas station and sensed the smell of burned wire, I noticed I was not completely off the road so I tried putting vehicle in neutral but it was locked in park, also my key was stuck in the ignition. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 Dodge Durango. The contact stated that while driving at 30 MPH, the contact heard an abnormal noise when the ABS warning light illuminated. In addition, all of the warning lights illuminated, the A/C failed then the radio and then the vehicle loss all power. The contact was able to pull the vehicle to the side of the road. The vehicle was not able to restart. An eyewitness (family member) was contacted and able to assist and notice the battery was extremely hot and the power cable to the alternator. The eyewitness disconnected the alternator, replaced the battery, and drove to the contact's home. …
2 separate recalls on my vehicle after my vehicle has already had 2 other recalls repaired. The first one is t59 regarding a brake booster water shield. I received a letter regarding the recall a week or so before thanksgiving and it just stated 'important safety recall'. I start making phone calls to dealers and even schedule an appointment with the provided phone number at huntington beach Dodge to have the vehicle inspected. When I showed up to my appointment, the service advisor was rude and ended up telling me that he just put his last parts on another vehicle. I had an appointment. I showed up for nothing. So I call around since November of 2017 to find a dealer with the parts. Nobody had them and not one dealership seemed to be in a hurry to remedy the recall, telling me 'it's not that big of a deal'. …
Follow up to previous complaint, running out of characters and files not uploading. The vehicle has slowly but increasingly becoming harder to slow down. Day by by, the vehicle requires more and more brake pressure. Not a single dealership has parts for both outstanding recalls on my vehicle (t59- brake booster water shield and t-36 - alternator at exceptional risk of catching fire.) mopar has no idea when the parts will be available either. According to the NHTSA policy for automobile manufacturers who issue recalls, they must do so in a timely manner. For t59, the water shield affecting braking ability being issues in November of 2017, coming into January of 2018 still with no parts is absurd even more absurd than that is the t36 recall of several different models, stating that the alternator can potentially catch fire which could also lead to a very devastating situation. …
I was the extremely proud owner of a 2011 Dodge Durango. By far the best vehicle I have ever owned. On January 11, 2014 while on our way home with our (2) children, we were heading down a mountain coming into a turn. It was foggy that night and unsure if there was ice on the road I was driving a maximum speed of 20 miles an hour. I drive this road every day, as I have for the past 25 years. When I started to apply my brakes, they locked up/grabbed at which point we started to gain speed and went directly into a guard rail ultimately totaling my vehicle. I thank all that is good in this world that no one was seriously injured, but extremely terrified and thankful that we were not going any faster. This was the worst night of my life as we stood in the middle of the night a long the road waiting for help. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 Dodge Durango. While reversing the vehicle to park in a parking area, an abnormal noise was heard. The vehicle was turned off and, when it was restarted, the abnormal noise continued. Upon inspection under the hood, the contact observed smoke and flames. A fire extinguisher was present to extinguish the flames. The alternator assembly was disconnected, but it had burned along with other nearby parts. The vehicle was towed to the dealer (dwayne lane's Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram, 10515 evergreen way, everett, wa 98204, [phone]) and the part was replaced with the same part and the battery. The dealer indicated that the part was unavailable for NHTSA campaign number: 17V435000 (electrical system). The vehicle was included in NHTSA campaign number: 17V572000 (service brakes, service brakes, hydraulic) the manufacturer was notified of the failure. …
Related recalls
Service brakes
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2011-2014 Dodge Durango and Jeep Grand Cherokee vehicles. The affected vehicles had brake booster shields installed under a previous campaign to prevent water from entering the brake booster and limiting braking ability.
Remedy: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the brake booster shield, correcting the installation as necessary, free of charge. The recall began November10, 2017.
Service brakes
Chrysler Group LLC (Chrysler) is recalling certain model year 2011-2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee and Dodge Durango vehicles manufactured from January 5, 2010, through September 8, 2013. The subject vehicles have a brake booster with a center shell that may corrode and allow water to get inside.
Remedy: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will add a water diverter shield to the booster after the booster has been tested to confirm it can hold an acceptable amount of vacuum pressure.
Brake complaints in other Durango years
Frequently asked questions
How common are brake problems on the 2011 Dodge Durango?
NHTSA has 83 complaints about the brakes of the 2011 Dodge Durango, 10% of the model year's 800 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2011 Dodge Durango brake problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 17V-572 (service brakes, Sep 18, 2017); NHTSA recall 14V-154 (service brakes, Apr 1, 2014). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2011 Dodge Durango brake problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 73,000 miles, and 6% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 7 crashes, 1 fire and 1 injury to brakes 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.