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).
I was in a blizzard a few days ago on the freeway & got caught in a ditch, but thankfully got out. I wasn't going that fast & couldn't due to not being able to see through the snow well so I can drive safely. In order not to crash because there were semi trucks around, I had to whip the steering wheel along with the weight of the car on the snow in order not to crash due to the car being big & it was sliding pretty heavy & somehow a couple things went out of wack after turning my steering wheel. Definitely a scary experience. It is very hard to turn out of no where, as well it's rare at times when it turns just a little smoothly. Also, once when first pulling off, it makes a consecutive clicking noise coming from or by the tires. When I give it acceleration while turning, as well, it makes that clicking sound. …
While driving lights on dash all flash, windshield wipers come on, horn won't work, windows won't work, headlights will turn off, speedometer drops to zero. Problem started a year ago. Took it to dodge and 2 independent auto repair places, with no fix. We were without the car for 4 months while waiting to see if anyone could find a fix-as far as we were told there was none. Car drove fine for a couple of months with some "minor" issues-lights flash speedometer drops- pull over turn car off- everything ok. Today full electric failure! EVERYTHING stated above happened at once, in addition to feeling like I could not accelerate.
Engine stopped while driving and steering was pulling to the right..was able to start back up and park it..has p0303 code..and p0300 code pending...checked number 3 spark plugs. And engine seems to be burning oil..cleaned up spark plugs and white smoke is coming out driver side exhaust pipe..will try changing pvc valve next..
On Thursday, June 8, 2017 I had just exited a major freeway and was coming up to a red light when all of the sudden my A/C started blowing hot air. As I made my left turn to head home all of the lights on my dash came on (saying service park assist, driver seatbelt unbuckled, ABS, and many others) as I crossed 3 lanes of traffic to get off the road and in to a parking lot I lost all power to my vehicle. I parked in the parking lot and turned off the vehicle, opened my hood and it was full of smoke and you could smell the electrical burn from a fire. My vehicle was impossible to get loaded on to a tow truck because in the process of getting it into neutral to load, the wipers began going off, along with all of the dash lights and the smoke began again and started to fill the passenger compartment. By the time we got it home to drop it off there was no power to the vehicle at all.
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. …
Faulty vehicle 180 amp alternator caused a very dangerous situation for me and my passenger and other vehicles driving behind me that required a sheriff to keep other vehicles from wrecking while trying control the vehicle while driving. The dashboard and all eletrical functions started going haywire all at the same time when driving on a very winding curvy busy back road, lost steering controll, all message center lights flashing and wipers going all at the same time hot air blowing through ac vents, then vehicle abruptly stops while smoking acting as it seemed to be over heated or something burning. Had to manually get doors unlocked to get out of vehicle quickly before another vehicle would hit us. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 Dodge Durango. While driving 15 MPH, the air conditioning blew hot air and the instrument panel lighting went haywire. The vehicle started to lose power and acceleration. The contact pulled over, and turned off and restarted the vehicle. To ensure that the vehicle was fine, the contact depressed the accelerator pedal to allow the engine to rev. Afterwards, the contact was able to drive the vehicle without failure and there were no warning lights illuminated. However, after driving a few miles longer, the power steering and power brakes failed. Shortly after, the vehicle lost all power. The vehicle was towed to the contact's home where it had not been able to start. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 80,000.
When ignition on, sitting in vehicle listening to fm radio station, overhead rear electric hatch button was pressed and hatch opened. Just after opening rear hatch, passenger door was opened. Immediately after door opened, radio and dome light shut off for 2 seconds and came back on to 530 am. A few seconds later, smelled electrical smoke. Minute or two later, saw glowing wire under floor carpet between firewall and front passenger seat. Eventually turned into fire totaling vehicle. In the period approx. 2 months to this, power steering went out for 3-5 seconds 3 times and radio went off for 2-3 seconds about 5 times. Vehicle completely stock, all services performed by dealership.
I was driving in the city on a very busy street when the car made a weird siren noise; then my seatbelt lights went off, my park assist started flashing, my traction control other lights were flashing, the radio flashed off and on, then went out. Then my wipers went on, and then I lost power steering, brakes were not working, and the car slowly died. My hazards didn't even work, so I almost caused an accident. My car died in the middle of a very busy street and I had no hazards to warn anyone! A very scary situation to have especially with your 12-year-old daughter in the car.
When driving my car the alternator failed and started smoking without warning. The car lost all power luckily I was able to cost to safely and get off the road. My problem is I seen a recall for this very issue but my VIN was not in the recall. This is completely unacceptable as my failure was exactly what the recall is for. Not only did my alternator short out and almost catch fire it fried my PCM. Now it sits in the shop and is costing me almost $1500 to fix. How is it OK for them to only recall some cars and mine has the exact same safety recall but my VIN is not covered
Steering complaints in other Durango years
Frequently asked questions
How common are steering problems on the 2011 Dodge Durango?
NHTSA has 27 complaints about the steering of the 2011 Dodge Durango, 3% of the model year's 800 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2011 Dodge Durango steering problems?
No. NHTSA lists no steering recall for the 2011 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 2011 Dodge Durango steering problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 58,000 miles, and 23% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 2 fires and 0 injuries 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.