2018 Dodge Durango: sudden loss of power

Filed Nov 4, 2025 · Engine · NY

While driving on the Thruway, the vehicle tends to misfire which results in lost power to the engine and shaking of the vehicle. The check engine light starts flashing and it becomes unsafe to maintain speeds. The issue was diagnosed as Cylinder 5 Misfire caused by camshaft and lifter failure. This sudden loss of power while driving at highway speeds could cause an accident if it happens during traffic or passing situations. This is a known issue with the 2018 Dodge Durango GT V6 and should be a recall on the vehicle. This is a major engine issue.

Filed Jun 27, 2025 · Engine · CA

2018 Dodge Durango GT with 47,000. The check engine light came on. Took it to a Dodge dealer for service. Diagnosis was head gasket failure, allowing coolant into the cylinder causing engine misfire and potential overheat and a blown engine. This appears to be an ongoing issue with the Penstar V6 engine. This is a safety concern because the vehicle may break down while driving or overheat without warning, creating a power loss while driving

Filed Feb 5, 2025 · Engine · MI

Right hand and left hand intake camshaft were damaged by the slider rocker finger follower. Cylinder 5 was the worst. Metal was sent through the overhead and got into the intake phaser. Parts were recently removed by the dealer and should be available if request is made shortly. Failure was found prior to catastrophic failure due to noise from the engine compartment. Vehicle was dropped off in the overnight drop box to allow vehicle the best chance to replicate the noise. Noise was only noticeable during cold starts below 30°f at idle and no load. Once the car warmed up, the noise was much less noticeable and could easily have been overlooked. No check engine lights were illuminated. If problem was not corrected, I'm confident this vehicle would have left me stranded by loss of power during driving putting me and my family in an unsafe situation. I first noticed the objectionable noise in November 2024 but was unable to get it to replicate reliably so a dealer could diagnose it. The problem was replicated by a dealer and components were replaced under warranty @ 53,272 miles. Oil changes were completed in line or ahead of the oil life monitor system in the cars instrument cluster. This seems to be a cold climate design issue with no oil being provided to the intake camshaft to sliding rocker finger follower interface during start up as oil appears to be fed from exhaust side lash adjuster. I suspect this same issue will reappear as the replacement parts are the same with no apparent improvements. Since the repair I've noticed improved fuel economy, smoother accelerations and shifts, and overall less noise. The degradation of these things before was slow enough to be unnoticeable.

Filed Aug 1, 2022 · Electrical, Engine · 50,000 miles · OR

The contact owns a 2018 Dodge Durango. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The contact stated that the vehicle lost power steering and braking functionality. During the failure, the vehicle had not lost electrical power with the interior lights and instrument cluster illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer on multiple occasions for the same failure and the power train control module, engine mounts, and an unknown wiring harness were replaced; however, the failure recurred. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The contact was informed that the vehicle was not included in the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 18V524000 (Electrical System). The contact indicated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 50,000.

Filed Sep 24, 2018 · Transmission · 4,000 miles · AE

With less than 4000 miles on my brand new car, the transmission drops from 8th gear to neutral (and would go from reverse to neutral) and lose all power while driving. The engine will rev and nothing happens. You have to place the vehicle in park, turn the car off and back on to get it to work again. It happened while making turns (left and right), driving down the interstate, reversing, pulling out of parking spaces, on city streets, highways and interstates, and while stationary. This is a serious safety issue. This happened several times (after being serviced) and nearly causing accidents. At one point, I was driving at approximately 80mph on the highway, in traffic, and the transmission dropped to neutral with the engine light coming on. The engine light does not stay on. I have done a little research and have found where this has happened to multiple new dodge durango owners. I can get copies of the service records if needed. *dt *js *dt consumer stated entire transmission was replaced. Updated 11/7/18