Dodge Durango

[Skippy722]

I used to own a 2011 Citadel that I bought CPO with 55k on it in 2014, with every option except the 730n radio, I had the 430n (pictured left). While I had some issues, it was also the first model year of the new platform and they've ironed out most of those issues. I did eventually trade it in after 4 years for a 2016 300S.

Common issues for 5.7 v8 models are water pump failures, which FCA has extended the warranty on. Exhaust manifold studs like to break. There is also (to me at least) an alarming number of lifter/camshaft failures, which was the ultimate reason I traded it in. Didn't want to pay to fix that.

3.6 v6 models had some cylinder head issues in early model years that was fixed. They're known to have a rocker fail causing a loud tick, but it's a much easier fix than the cam and lifters on the hemi. The oil filter housing is known to crack and leak oil if over tightened.

If you do end up buying one, try to find one that's less than 4 years old and under 48k miles. You can get a lifetime, unlimited mileage AND unlimited time, warranty directly through Mopar for a very very reasonable cost. Last I checked, under $4,000 for that warranty. I have a friend who has it on his Durango and he has had over $18,000 in warranty work done (new front axle chasing down a clunking noise that ended up being front and rear subframe bushings, new transmission, CAM AND LIFTERS, front and rear shocks, 4!!!! Water pumps, and a handful of other things I can't remember right now). His is a fully loaded 2013 Citadel with the 5.7 hemi and pushing 160,000 miles.

 

[oblivion]

I agree with the complaint of no physical switch for the seat heaters, but I do appreciate that you have the option to turn them on upon immediately starting the car, even before the lawyer warning appears. I also appreciate physical controls for commonly used functions such as front and rear defrost, fan speed, temp adjust, and turning off the display if desired to avoid distractions at night. Overall, I think the U-Connect system is good, intuitive, and responsive, but my complaint would be that while my system will read texts to me, it requires me to subscribe to a fairly expensive service if I want to use the voice commands to respond to a text. Not only is this simply a scummy attempt to get more money (voice recognition is simple and cheap these days), but could be even considered to be a safety hazard--clearly the capability is there to make responding to texts easier and safer, but you must pay for it. You know most people would get out their phone to unsafely reply to the text they received after receiving it in a form that didn't require them to take their eyes off the road for more than a few seconds.