2012 Dodge Durango buying guide

A data-driven checklist for buying a used 2012 Dodge Durango, built from 637 owner complaints, 10 recall campaigns, 207 service bulletins and federal safety records — not opinions.

Know before you buy

10 recall campaigns affect this model year. Check each one and confirm the repairs were done — recall work is free at any authorized dealer.
Main problem areas: electrical system (344), engine (141), fuel/propulsion system (89), service brakes (70), steering (41).
Symptoms owners describe: stalling (156), won’t start (49), check engine light (38), loss of power (28), misfire / rough idle (14), electrical failures (11). Test-drive with these in mind.
Reported incident mileage: among 463 complaints with a usable odometer reading, half were filed between 44,200 and 100,000 miles (median 67,000). This describes when owners reported problems — it does not predict when a particular vehicle will develop one.
5 federal investigations have named this model year — read what they cover.
Crash-test rating: 4/5 stars overall from NHTSA. Full safety record.
Fuel economy: 15–19 MPG combined (EPA; engines: 3.6L 6-cyl, 5.7L 8-cyl).

When problems get reported

Reported incident mileage among 463 complaints with usable odometer readings.

under 20k		29
20–40k		71
40–60k		94
60–80k		85
80–100k		63
100–150k		91
150k+		30

Before you hand over money

Run the VIN through our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact build.
Check open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls — a recall that was never fixed is a free repair you can claim.
Get a pre-purchase inspection focused on the problem areas listed above.

This guide is generated from official NHTSA, EPA and FARS records. Complaints are unverified owner reports and raw counts are not adjusted for sales volume.