2016 Dodge Durango Problems and Recalls (159 Complaints)
The most-reported problem on the 2016 Dodge Durango is Lights (33% of 159 owner reports). There are 3 safety recalls. Check the VIN and inspect Lights — this is the NHTSA file, not a score.
What problems show up on the 2016 Dodge Durango?
52 of 159 filings named Lights (33% of the file). That is what owners wrote, not a shop diagnosis of the vehicle in the driveway.
Second is Transmission / driveline (25 reports).
There are 3 official safety recalls on this year. They were filed about Brakes, Fuel system, and Electrical. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov — a campaign on this page can still be open on a specific truck.
The 2015 has 501 reports on file; this year has 159. A smaller lifetime total is not a clean bill of health. If you need a fairer comparison, use the equal-time view.
What owners reported
- Crashes 23
- Fires 1
- Injuries 12
- Deaths 0
Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.
Which systems owners named
Share of owner complaints filed against each vehicle system. These shares are not adjusted for how many vehicles were sold.
“Unclassified NHTSA leftover” is not a car part. It is a filing bucket and always sits last.
View component data as a table
| System / Component | Complaints | Share of Reports | Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lights (EXTERIOR LIGHTING) | 52 | 32.7% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN) | 25 | 15.7% | 8 crashes · 0 fires |
| Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) | 11 | 6.9% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| Engine (ENGINE) | 7 | 4.4% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| Cruise / speed control (VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL) | 7 | 4.4% | 3 crashes · 0 fires |
| Airbags (AIR BAGS) | 5 | 3.1% | 2 crashes · 0 fires |
| Body / frame (STRUCTURE) | 5 | 3.1% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| Suspension (SUSPENSION) | 4 | 2.5% | 1 crashes · 0 fires |
| Automatic braking / collision warning (FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE) | 3 | 1.9% | 1 crashes · 0 fires |
| Unclassified NHTSA leftover | 42 | 26.4% | 8 crashes · 1 fires |
Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.
When reports and recalls showed up
When owners filed reports, and when recall campaigns showed up.
View timeline records as a table
| Date | Record type | Count | Record identifier |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016-Q1 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2016-Q3 | Owner reports | 9 | |
| 2016-Q4 | Owner reports | 7 | |
| 2017-Q1 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2017-Q2 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2017-Q3 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2017-Q4 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2018-Q1 | Owner reports | 7 | |
| 2018-Q2 | Owner reports | 5 | |
| 2018-Q3 | Owner reports | 5 | |
| 2018-Q4 | Owner reports | 5 | |
| 2019-Q1 | Owner reports | 12 | |
| 2019-Q2 | Owner reports | 11 | |
| 2019-Q3 | Owner reports | 6 | |
| 2019-Q4 | Owner reports | 13 | |
| 2020-Q1 | Owner reports | 7 | |
| 2020-Q2 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2020-Q3 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2020-Q4 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2021-Q1 | Owner reports | 7 | |
| 2021-Q2 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2021-Q3 | Owner reports | 6 | |
| 2021-Q4 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2022-Q1 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2022-Q2 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2022-Q3 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2022-Q4 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2023-Q1 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2023-Q2 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2023-Q3 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2023-Q4 | Owner reports | 5 | |
| 2024-Q1 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2024-Q2 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2024-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2024-Q4 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2025-Q1 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2025-Q3 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2025-Q4 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2026-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 16V168000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 16V814000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 18V332000 | |
| Defect investigation | 1 | PE16014 | |
| Defect investigation | 1 | PE19014 |
Safety Recalls (3)
Official campaigns. Each one says what could go wrong and what the dealer was told to fix.
In short, these campaigns were filed about Brakes, Fuel system, and Electrical.
-
Recall campaign 16V168000
Brakes
- Report date
- Component:
- Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES)
- Consequence:
- A cracked brake caliper may lengthen the distance needed to stop the vehicle and increase the risk of a crash.
- Remedy:
- Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the front left brake caliper and depending on its casting date, replace it, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin on May 12, 2016. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is S16.
-
Recall campaign 16V814000
Fuel system
- Report date
- Component:
- Fuel system (FUEL SYSTEM)
- Consequence:
- A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source, can increase the risk of a fire.
- Remedy:
- Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the engine assembly for damage to the fuel rail crossover tube, replacing it as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on December 23, 2016. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is S85.
-
Recall campaign 18V332000
Electrical
- Report date
- Component:
- Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM)
- Consequence:
- If the vehicle maintains its speed or accelerates despite attempts to deactivate the cruise control, there would be an increased risk of a crash.
- Remedy:
- Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the software, and perform a software flash on the engine or powertrain control module, free of charge. The recall began June 4, 2018. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Note: Owners are advised to stop using cruise control until the software update has been performed. In the event that cruise control cannot be disengaged while driving, owners should firmly and steadily apply the brakes and shift the transmission to neutral, placing the vehicle in park once it has stopped.
Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.
What owners actually wrote
Short excerpts from the public NHTSA file. Look for the same symptom repeating.
Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems on the 2016 Dodge Durango?
Owners named Lights most often — 52 of 159 reports (33%). That is the NHTSA file, not a diagnosis of every vehicle.
Are there recalls for the 2016 Dodge Durango?
NHTSA lists 3 safety recall campaigns. They were filed about Brakes, Fuel system, and Electrical. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov; a campaign on this page can still be open on a specific vehicle.
What should I inspect before buying a 2016 Dodge Durango?
Look up the VIN for open recalls. Walk around the vehicle: headlights, brake lights and turn signals all working. Then skim owner filings for the same symptom and take that list to a mechanic.
Does a high complaint count mean I should skip this year?
No. Counts are reports people chose to file and they are not adjusted for sales volume. YearTell does not publish scores or a list of years to skip. Inspect the vehicle.
Estimated Ownership Cost
EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates
Adjacent Model Years
Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records
Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.
Methodology & Data Integrity
Source: NHTSA ODI / recalls, snapshot 2026-09-07. YearTell is not a government agency.