2014 DODGE DURANGO Complaints

HEADREST DEPLOYED WITHOUT REASON WHILE DRIVING. THERE WAS NO FORWARD OR REAR IMPACT TO VEHICLE.

I WAS DRIVING ON AN AIR FORCE BASE, HEADING HOME AFTER I PICKED UP MY CHILDREN FROM THEIR AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM. THE ACTIVE HEADREST SUDDENLY BURST OPEN, WHILE I WAS DRIVING, HITTING ME IN THE BACK OF THE HEAD AND NECK. IT WAS SO SUDDEN AND UNEXPECTED THAT I SWERVED OUT OF MY LANE. FORTUNATELY, I WAS ABLE TO REGAIN CONTROL OF THE CAR WITHOUT CAUSING AN ACCIDENT. HOWEVER, IT DISTRESSED MY CHILDREN, PUT US ALL IN DANGER, NOT TO MENTION THE OTHER CARS ON THE ROAD. MY NECK FELT LIKE I HAD WHIPLASH SO I WENT HOME, ICED IT AND MADE A DOCTOR'S APPOINTMENT. I WISH THE MANUFACTURER HAD CONTACTED US ABOUT THERE BEING A RECALL, SO THAT IT DIDN'T CREATE THIS UNSAFE SITUATION.

WHILE SITTING IN THE CAR WITH MY FAMILY AT WALMART WAITING FOR FROCK PICK UP THE PASSENGER SEAT HEADREST AIR BAG BURST OPEN. WE WERE NOT IN ACCIDENT OR HAD WE WENT OVER ANY LARGE SPEED BUMPS. ACTUALLY THE CAR WAS IN PARK.

CAR SPUTTERS AND ENGINE STALLS. APPEARS TO HAPPEN MORE FREQUENTLY ON 1) QUICK ACCELERATION (I.E., MERGING, ON-RAMP, ACCELERATING FOLLOWING A RIGHT TURN) AND 2) WHEN CLIMBING A HILL (THERE IS A BRIDGE THIS ROUTINELY HAPPENS ON). OCCURS DURING CITY DRIVING AND ON THE HIGHWAY. ENGINE SHUTS OFF WITHOUT WARNING, SOMETIMES NOT EVEN ENOUGH TIME TO COAST OVER TO THE SHOULDER. CAN TYPICALLY WAIT 2-2.5 MINUTES AND IT WILL START AGAIN ON ITS OWN. IF YOU ATTEMPT TO RESTART IMMEDIATELY, THE ENGINE WON'T TURN OVER. THIS ISSUE BEGAN IN AUGUST WITH SOME SPUTTERING, PROGRESSED TO STALLING OCCASIONALLY (FIRST TIME LATE AUGUST/EARLY SEPT), AND NOW WILL SOMETIMES STALL MULTIPLE TIMES WITHIN A DAY. HAVE HAD INTO TWO DIFFERENT DEALERSHIPS OVER MORE THAN THREE OCCASIONS AND THEY HAVE NOT YET BEEN ABLE TO DIAGNOSIS THE PROBLEM BECAUSE IT DOESN'T APPEAR TO HAVE A CODE ASSOCIATED WITH IT.

THE VEHICLE WAS OCCUPIED BY MY WIFE AND TWO SMALL CHILDREN. THEY WERE STATIONARY SITTING AT IDLE IN A PARKING LOT WHEN THE ACTIVE HEAD RESTRAINT SYSTEM IN THE DRIVER SEAT DEPLOYED NARROWLY MISSING MY WIFE'S FACE AS SHE WAS TURNED AROUND LOOKING AT THE CHILDREN IN THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE. THERE WAS NO FORCE OR INADVERTENT CONTACT MADE TO THE SEAT OR IN THE VICINITY OF THE HEADREST THAT WOULD CAUSE ACCIDENTAL DEPLOYMENT AT THE TIME OF OCCURRENCE. THE HEADREST IS NOW UNSERVICABLE AND UNABLE TO BE RESET AS THE PLASTIC HARDWARE IN THE TRIGGER MECHANISM FAILED.

CAR IS HAVING ISSUES PERIODICALLY WHEN CRANKING, IT WILL SOMETIMES TAKE 2-3 SECONDS FROM PUSH THE "START" BUTTON UNTIL THE CAR CRANKS OVER. FROM TALKING TO MY GARAGE AND DOING ADDITIONAL RESEARCH ON NHTSA, I UNDERSTAND THAT THIS WAS A PROBLEM THAT THE 2011-2013 MY DURANGOS WERE RECALLED UNDER, HOWEVER IT APPEARS THIS IS A PROBLEM FOR MY 2014 AT LEAST ALSO. I CALLED THE DEALER WHO ALMOST IMMEDIATELY ACKNOWLEDGE THE ISSUE BUT ON A LOOK-UP ON MY VIN DID STATE THAT THIS HAD NOT BEEN RECALLED YET FOR THE 2014S. I WOULD NOTE THE ISSUE MORE FREQUENTLY OCCURS WHEN COLD BUT IT'S NOT CONSISTENT. GIVEN THAT THERE ARE OTHER COMPLAINTS ON THE NHTSA.GOV WEBSITE AND DODGE ENTHUSIAST SITES FOR THIS ALSO, I'D STRONGLY SUGGEST THAT NHTSA GET CHRYSLER/DODGE/STELLANTIS TO ISSUE A FORMAL RECALL FOR THIS ASAP!

REAR LIGHT BAR BEGAN CRACKING ON ITS OWN. MOISTURE AND WATER IS GOING INSIDE OF IT AND COULD CAUSE A SHORTAGE. CONTACTED DODGE BUT THEY STATE THEY CAN'T DO ANYTHING AND I JUST HAVE TO BUY A NEW ONE ON MY OWN BUT IT IS OVER $1000 NEW.

2014 DODGE DURANGO, WITH 125,000. HAS RECENTLY REQUIRED REPLACEMENT OF THE OIL/COOLAND HOUSING, WHICH HAS A KNOWN DEFECT AND COST $1800 (MEINEKE). NOW REQUIRES REPLACEMENT OF ROCKER/LIFTERS/CAM AT A COST OF $4,200 (RAMSEY DODGE, CHRYSLER JEEP). BOTH REPAIRS ARE KNOWN DEFECTS, BUT NOT WARRANTIED OR SUBJECT TO RECALL BY CHRYSLER DESPITE THESE WELL KNOWN ISSUES AND A RECENT LAWSUIT.

THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED IN MY DRIVEWAY AND HAD NOT BEEN USED SINCE 10PM THE NIGHT BEFORE. AT 7AM I NOTICED SMOKE COMING FROM THE BACK OF THE VEHICLE AS I LOOKED OUT MY WINDOW. I WENT OUT AND THERE WAS A SMALL FLAME UNDER THE BUMPER NEAR THE EXHAUST PIPE ALSO SOME WIRES SEEMED TO BE ON FIRE. I WENT TO GET A HOSE, AND WHEN I RETURNED THERE WERE FLAMES ERUPTING UP NEAR THE TAIL LIGHT. A NEIGHBOR PUT OUT THE FIRE WITH A DRY CHEMICAL EXTINGUISHER. I CALLED THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, AND THEY SAID THEY HAD NO IDEA WHAT COULD'VE HAPPENED, BUT SUSPECTED AN ELECTRICAL SHORT. I AM TAKING TO THE DEALER TO UNDERSTAND.

DRIVING HOME AND HEADREST FORCEFULLY DEPLOYED STRIKING BACK OF MY HEAD. I WAS IN FAIRLY HEAVY TRAFFIC AND, AT FIRST, THOUGHT I HAD BEEN REAR ENDED. I DISCOVERED WHAT HAD HAPPENED ONCE I GOT HOME AND SAW THAT THE HEADREST WAS NOT INTACT.