thinking of buying 3rd gen durango? anything i should stay away from? any nice features i should search for? it has to have awd, is there any models with locking diff or anything to make awd better?

 

Ok, I'll take a shot at it.
The early 3rd Gens ('12-'13) had a cylinder head problem and a TIPM (Totally Integrated Power Module) problem which Dodge corrected in later versions. Judging from your post I assume you're looking for a Hemi which a lot of the guys here do have. Maybe they can chime in.
As for the 3.6L 6-cyclindar I've had no problems over 60K combined miles on a '13 and '17. The six is advertised at 295hp and it moves the 5,000# truck pretty good. According to the guys here the DD is an excellent towing machine handling boats, trailers etc. with ease. I haven't heard of any AWD problems with the DD and the later models have an 8-speed tranny which makes city driving a lot easier. If you're concerned about mpg, well, the 3.6L does pretty good in my book. I'm getting 17-ish in suburban driving and racked up 20-22 on the highway at 75-80.
The automobile industry has really matured over the past 30 years and "best car" reports are becoming less and less important. I periodically check Consumer Reports on how the DD is doing and it seems to be in the middle of the pack, though I question their scoring methodology after checking the individual categories they score on.
All in all, a late model DD, in my opinion, is a great truck if you need to haul big loads of people or toys. So it comes down to how much do you want to spend and what options you want/need. The used car market has plenty of DDs so it's just a matter of picking the trim and engine combo you want. Good luck.

 

I have the 2013 Durango with the 5.7L V8 (Hemi) and the only issues I had were just the 3 or so recalls. I don't drive much, about 7,500 miles/year, and I follow the maintenance recommendations in the owner's manual - not the packages that the servicing dealer wants to stick you with. If you're looking for locking differentials or better traction in very slippery conditions, from what I read in this forum and my owner's manual, looks like only the Hemi equipped D's have a dial **** to shift into low range; low range position can be used to lock the front and rear driveshafts together forcing the front and rear wheels to rotate at the same speed. - I don't know if the same holds true for the later 8-speed transmissions. I suggest that once you decide on what model year(s) you want, download the owner's manual and look through all the options and accessories listed and decide from there what you would like to have.

 

Great answers guy I appreciate it

 

I recently picked up a 2013 Crew with the V8 Hemi. It does have the 2 speed TC with low range.
While I haven't had time to put many miles on it yet, a few observations so far:
- The vehicle has a number of "maintenance-free" components. For example, I popped the hood and was looking for the battery, but alas there isn't one as it's a maintenance-free battery. I'm not sure if this a good or bad thing, but I'd prefer to be able to replace a battery myself rather than take it to the dealer for $100/hr.
- The roof rack is awkward at best. It's located to the very rear of the vehicle and the cross-bars are only 28" apart. I was able to mount my sports rack (with minor modifications) and fly rod case, but to be honest they make me a little nervous at high speeds. I wish the vehicle had a more heavy duty design for the rack. The manual does say it's rated to 150 lbs though.
- If you're planning to use it as a platform for an off road vehicle, don't expect a ton of after market parts to be available for it. For example, the dealer won't install a lift for you b/c there isn't one they can warranty. Some WK2 parts fit, but you'll need to know which do and don't.
- Mine gets horrible gas milage around town... However I do have a lift and 33" tires so I suspect that plays in.
- I did notice an occasional glitch with mine where the LOW range light comes on while driving. This has only happened a few times and it doesn't actually put it into low range. I believe its an issue with the transfer case position selector, but it doesn't happen frequently enough for me to repair. I suspect this is a something specific to my vehicle as I've only seen a few people talk about it before.
- The stock setup doesn't have much ground clearance. If you plan to do much off roading this could be a consideration (lift + bigger tires).
- The AWD system seems pretty good. I was climbing some pretty steep hills in snow the other day and didn't need to use LOW range.

Overall I'm liking it so far and it checks all the boxes I need; getting the family around town, off roading and pulling the travel trailer.

 

iirc the battery is under the passenger seat and you CAN change it yourself, sealed/maintenance free doesnt mean its un-replaceable. . .

 

Ah thanks for that.
I didn't see battery access in the users manual, but I see it in the repair manual now and also confirmed on the vehicle.
Interesting setup; I guess they just run the cables up to the engine compartment as I saw jumper pins up there.

I also saw some other folks saying "maintenance free transmission" didn't have a dip-stick for easy access of checking fluid levels.
In the repair manual it seems to indicate there's a "transmission fluid level indicator tube and bolt", but it's not clear to me if that means it's more difficult to service.

 

Hummm.... My 2013 Crew with Hemi does have a transmission dip stick on the left side towards the firewall - same side as the oil dip stick. Both the trans and engine oil dip sticks have a bright yellow pull handle.

 

My advice is look for a 2014 or newer to get the the 8 speed transmission. It works a lot better, regardless of v6 or v8.

Know that the stock Fortera tires will last about 40,000 before they hydroplane. They will be terrible in rain (and worthless in snow) before they look bad. I have the RT model which was the top end performance model until the SRT came along. Earlier years of the RT were not available with roof rack, so if you want the sport model with rack, you might need to look for a newer one. The RT rides low (half inch lower than a subaru outback), i think the other models are about an inch higher.

They added trailer brake control for 2019, so if you want that built in you need a new one (up till now towing package includes a harness under the dash to connect an aftermarket brake controller). The towing package is important if you expect to tow. It adds some stuff that you don't get with a simple bolt on package. Look for a factory installed tow package if this is important to you.

 

DDCREW: you are right; transmission dip stick is in the engine compartment...

wi-steve: good point on the brake controller for towing; I (wrongly) assumed it was there on my 2013 w/the towing package... I'll need to get one installed before pulling my TT. It'll be interesting to see how this thing handles my TT compared my full sized pickup.