2003 Dodge Durango Problems

What owners report

Owners of the 2003 Durango most often describe front-end suspension wear, particularly upper ball joints and control arms, along with electrical problems involving the central timer module, headlight switches and blower motor resistor wiring. Engine oil pressure loss and stalling episodes also show up, often on higher-mileage vehicles. Many complaints involve the dealer saying the vehicle was not covered by a related recall.

1. 1
   Exterior lighting

   Lights and wipers flicker or fail (timer module)

   • 36 complaints (11%)
   • median 90,550 mi at 7.7 yrs old (32 state mileage)
   • filed 2004–2019

   Headlights and interior lights flicker or stop working, sometimes with a clicking sound, and windshield wipers may only work on high or quit entirely. Dealers commonly identify the central timer module or headlight switch as the cause, and owners frequently note the vehicle was not covered by the headlight switch recall. Some also report melted wiring at the switch or blower resistor. Mostly reported between roughly 35,000 and 160,000 miles, often during everyday driving.

   Recall 02V3220001 related service bulletin

   What to check: Cycle the headlights, dash lights and wipers through all settings and look for flicker or a clicking relay; ask whether the central timer module or headlight switch has been replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Wife driving home from work head lights flashed on and off and wipers front stop working on low just on high and back stop all together lights just work if drivers door is open took to dealer ship was told that the ctm was bad informed dealer ship that I say a recall on this was told not for my Durango.”

   NHTSA complaint #10261666, filed 2009-03, 84,000 miles

   “1. The headlights, parklights, foglights, interior lights, door lock switch, 4wd, key fob, or intermediate wipers would not work at all. Luckily the vehicle was at a low speed and not in motion on a highway when the incident took place. 2. It only occurred one time, but what if I had been driving on the roadway. 3. The central timer module (ctm) was replaced.”

   NHTSA complaint #10327785, filed 2010-04, 86,500 miles
2. 2
   Suspension

   Front upper ball joint and control arm wear

   • 88 complaints (26%)
   • median 41,000 mi at 3.9 yrs old (56 state mileage)
   • 7 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $800 (median of 8 quotes)
   • filed 2003–2020

   Owners describe clunking, vibration, pulling to one side, uneven tire wear and, in some cases, a front wheel detaching. Shops typically diagnose worn or fractured upper ball joints and upper control arms; some report the parts needed replacing again after a few years. Several owners say the dealer told them the vehicle was not included in the related recall. Reported from very low mileage (a few thousand miles) up past 170,000, with many under 60,000 miles.

   Recall 04V5960001 related service bulletin

   What to check: Have a mechanic check the front upper ball joints and control arms for play, corrosion or torn boots, and ask whether the extended warranty on the upper ball joint has been used or the joint replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I have a 2003 dode Durango with 11,841 miles and I already have problems with my wheel sounding like it is going to fall off. I have not taken it to the Dodge dealership yet because I contact cbs news and they told me that you would want to see the car first. I also have a 1999 Dodge Durango with 69,000 miles and its not even drivable at this point because of the wheel. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10045484, filed 2003-11, 10,000 miles

   “The front tire on my Dodge Durango is messed up. It gets stuck sometimes when I'm trying to turn. The shop that I took it to said that the ball joint in the front tire is bad. They told me that they have heard of a lot of durangos that were having the same problems. They also said that my tires are being worn down because of the turn of the wheel. I had to buy a whole new set of tires also. It was very expensive for all the things I had to have done. I saw a website about it so I decided to report mine. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10102587, filed 2004-12, 18,000 miles
3. 3
   Engine cooling

   Stalling, surging and rough idle

   • 26 complaints (8%)
   • median 35,000 mi at 4.3 yrs old (23 state mileage)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2002–2020

   Complaints describe the engine stalling at stops or at speed, sometimes restarting after a few minutes, and idle speed surging enough to push the vehicle forward against the brakes. Dealers replaced parts such as the canister, cam sensor and solenoid without always resolving the check engine light, and some owners were told the problem could not be duplicated. Spread across the mileage range, from under 30,000 to over 200,000 miles.

   What to check: Test drive at idle and at low speed with the engine warm, noting any stumble, surging or stalling, and ask whether the check engine light has been on or any related sensors replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I purchased my vehicle 10/2019. Since then I have taken to repair shop for vehicle stalls when coming to a stop or at a stop, let along when slowing for a stop. Then RPM's drop! I have almost been rear ended multiple times due to this, with my children and grandchildren in car!!! The shop I've taken to can not find out why this is happening. Granted we tried replacing hoses, valve gaskets tune up. I feel there should be a recall to find and fix this before a serious injury happens. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11297845, filed 2020-01, 1 miles

   “My daughter was driving my Dodge Durango when power was lost. She was barely able to get it to the side of the road. She called me very upset as she had just started driving only about one year before this happened. I had her sit with the truck and try to start it again. She was able to get it started and moved about 20 feet to a more secure area along the road. She was on a very busy road, a1a in indialantic, florida. Needless to say she was very upset and afraid. My youngest daughter was with her at the time and she was very upset as well. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10201000, filed 2007-08, 85,000 miles
4. 4
   Engine cooling

   Oil pressure drops to zero and engine fails

   • 16 complaints (5%)
   • median 47,000 mi at 4.9 yrs old (15 state mileage)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2003–2011

   Owners describe the oil pressure gauge dropping to zero, the check gauge light coming on and the engine making a knocking or clicking noise before stopping. Shops in several cases attributed the failure to oil sludge blocking the oil pump pickup screen and recommended a replacement engine; some owners say warranty coverage was denied because of the sludge. Reported from about 79,000 up to 102,000 miles in the sampled complaints, generally during ordinary driving.

   What to check: Check oil level and condition and look for sludge under the oil filler cap; ask for oil change records and whether the oil pressure gauge or sending unit has ever read low.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “While driving my 2003 Dodge Durango in which I am financing the vehicle since 2007 april, without warning my oil light came on and the car started to shake and the engine was banging really bad. The engine died on me., I was stuck on a bridge with 6 children 100 miles from home. The vehicle was well maintained and how could this happen. Now I am stuck paying for a truck that I can not use.”

   NHTSA complaint #10327298, filed 2010-04, 102,000 miles

   “Have a 2003 Dodge Durango 79,000 miles while driving oil pressure dropped to zero. Check gauge light came on afterwards. Took vehicle to two different repair shops both stated we needed a new engine. They said we needed a new engine due to oil sludge build up resulting in engine failure. Looked online only to find hundreds and hundreds of the same complaint on Dodge durangos with low mileage. This obviously is not an isolated incident. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10259482, filed 2009-02, 79,000 miles

Buying note. Have the front suspension, brakes and electrical system inspected before purchase, and ask for service records covering ball joints, the central timer module and oil changes. A vehicle that shows no dash-light flicker, no brake pulsation and clean oil on the dipstick is the more reassuring starting point.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.