Seats Problems of Dodge Durango - part 1

Headrest on driver seat ejected at a stop and threw my wife’s head forward.

See all problems of the 2018 Dodge Durango 🔎.

While driving, the passenger front headrest suddenly popped forward hitting the passenger in the back of the head aggressively and unexpectedly. No accident involved or any aggressive braking. The vehicle/headrest is available for inspection upon request. The safety of my passenger was put at risk as it punched them in the back of the head. It gave her an instant headache and mildly upset stomach. I have not taken the vehicle to the dealership yet, planning to try and go this week. The headrest has not been inspected by anyone besides me yet. No error messages or lights before or since the event.

While driving normally, not in an accident, the active head restraint system failed and slammed into my head. If there was traffic this would have likely caused an accident because it was unexpected, severe, and abrupt while leaving me disoriented and with a persistent headache. This is absolutely ridiculous and unsafe.

See all problems of the 2020 Dodge Durango 🔎.

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? passenger and driver seat caught on fire spontaneously, engine or battery has also been dying/ malfunctioning, touch screen also has issues. Yes available for inspection. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? almost burned by seat of if I didn’t smell a burning smell. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? not yet. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? not yet. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? no.

See all problems of the 2015 Dodge Durango 🔎.

03/27/2026 driver headrest popped open while I was sitting in the driver's seat in my driveway for no reason. Other than a very load bang and a headache from being struck in the head, nothing else was damaged.

On Saturday, March 7, 2026 my husband was driving our 2015 Dodge Durango when the driver seat head rest popped out unexpectedly. There was no accident, no sudden breaking, no impact of any kind, no hitting bump in the road, etc. There was no serious injury or accident caused by this happening, however the sudden and unexpected occurrence caught my husband by surprise as he was driving and startled him. There were no warning lights or sounds. This was completely unexpected. The disengaged head rest is still in on the driver seat. This makes for a very uncomfortable position for the driver and should there be an accident, it could cause injury to the driver.

On February 6, 2026, while driving my 2014 Dodge Durango at normal speed, the driver’s seat headrest suddenly and unexpectedly deployed/exploded, striking the back of my head. The force of the impact caused my head to snap forward, resulting in soft-tissue and muscle injuries to my neck and upper back. I sought medical evaluation following the incident and was diagnosed with soft-tissue injury/whiplash. Treatment has included diagnostic imaging, prescription medication, and follow-up care for ongoing symptoms. I was able to continue driving the vehicle directly to a Dodge dealership, where staff confirmed that the headrest had exploded. This is the second headrest failure on this vehicle caused by a defective plastic component; the passenger-side headrest failed previously in August 2023. The vehicle is unsafe to operate until the headrest is replaced. Due to the part being out of stock, the repair is expected to take more than two months. Prior to this incident, the only indication of a problem was a letter sent by Dodge in August 2020 stating that the warranty on this part was extended from 3 years to 10 years due to a known defect. Given the repeated failures and risk of injury, this condition represents a safety defect that should have been addressed through a recall.

See all problems of the 2014 Dodge Durango 🔎.

Active head rest inadvertent deployment.

Passenger active headrest deployed while parked on driveway.

See all problems of the 2016 Dodge Durango 🔎.

While the vehicle was parked and not in operation, the passenger-side active head restraint suddenly deployed forward on its own. There was no collision, no braking event, no external force, and no warning lamps, messages or other systems of the problem or that it was going to occur. The deployment was unexpected and presents a risk of head or neck injury, as the active head restraint is designed to move only during a rear-impact event. This appears to be a known defect, as the manufacturer previously issued warranty extension x88 related to unintended active head restraint deployment on certain 2014–2015 Dodge Durango vehicles. A Dodge dealership refused to repair the defect, stating the warranty extension expired, and quoted over $800 for repair. The dealership did not provide a written denial or repair order. This condition involves a federally required safety system and constitutes a safety defect.

Headrests popped off.

I had just parked my vehicle in my drive and turned it off. I opened my door then sat back in my seat to stretch my back, sitting straight up with my head against the headrest, before getting out. As soon as I leaned my head against the headrest it, for lack of better terms, exploded into the back of my head. It hit me with such force I was not sure what had happened as there was nobody around me that could’ve cause it. Sure enough there was no accident to cause it. I have had a headache and back pain for a week due to it.

See all problems of the 2017 Dodge Durango 🔎.

The driver's side head rest deployed while I was driving on the highway without any collision and struck me in the back of the head hard. I did experience some whiplash symptoms for a few days as was confirmed by my chiropractor doctor. Post inspection revealed the plastic retaining brackets failed and the spring force released and deployed the headrest. I contacted Chrysler customer care (reference case #94643848) and was told my vehicle was just past the 10 year warranty period by 3 months and they would not cover the replacement cost. The replacement would be nice but what about the safety aspect? why wasn't this a mandatory recall? like the air bags issue years ago.

While driving, the active headrest restraint deployed on the passenger side without accident. It appears the plastic piece that holds the pin broke. Luckily there wasn't a passenger present but this could've done serious head injury. This also puts the driver at risk for the driver side could deploy randomly. There were no messages or warnings or any symptoms indicating to the failure.

While stopped at a stop sign, the passenger headrest airbag deployed.

Both headrests in front seat deployed while driving causing neck pain and almost caused an accident. I was driving on the highway and it popped and hit my head forcing my head forward and me losing focus. No warning signs. Looked up the issue and it seems to be a known issue for the vehicle. Have not taken to the dealer as I do not have the money to replace them.

Driver side front headrest exploded/deployed while the car was parked. The plastic latch inside the headrest is broken so resetting it is impossible. This is concerning and highly dangerous! upon researching this, it’s a known issue for Dodge models and yet isn’t a recall? my car was parked when this happened.

Seat headrest popped out while driving. First it was the passanger seat and the driver seat followed. Part is broken and unable to be popped in.

See all problems of the 2013 Dodge Durango 🔎.

The drivers side head rest busted open while driving down the highway. Smacked my head pretty good and startled me while in the roadway.

The passenger seat head rest exploded without any impact to the vehicle. Fortunately, no one was sitting in the passenger seat at the time it exploded because it could have caused a head injury. After checking on the head rest, the plastic pin that kept it together broke.

Walked out to my car and noticed that my passenger seat headrest had deployed and I am not able to get it to reset back into place. The car was not involved in an accident and hasn’t been driven for several days, this just happened on its own. I’m thankful I wasn’t driving and it didn’t happen to the driver seat and even more thankful that it didn’t happen with a passenger in that seat.

Active headrest restraint deployed without warning or cause.

Driving 2014 Dodge Durango when the active headrest restraint on the passenger seat activated. No accident or impact to the vehicle during incident. Resulted in passenger receiving a solid "punch" to the back of the head and neck resulting in headaches for a week. If this had happened on the driver's seat (and it still could !), I can imagine an accident is possible due to the utter surprise of the noise and being punched in the head while driving. At the time of the incident, we had no idea what had happened but have since learned that our experience is not unprecedented and there are numerous similar reports of "exploding" Dodge/Jeep headrests on NHTSA. Wanting to report incident to NHTSA before taking to dealer for repair (hopefully). No warnings of impending ahr activation and no indication of activation in uconnect after the incident. There is an active NHTSA investigation pe 19014 on this exact component failure.

My car was parked in a parking lot and the headrest deployed, exploded into my head, I blacked out was taken to hospital with a concusion. I did not or even see a recall or any warning this just happened a few days ago, I have not taken it to dealers. Speaking with lawyers at the moment. There was no accident or movment to cause it to deploy. It was random. It is available if needed to be inspected. No police inspection or insurance inspection.

The passenger-side headrest ahr randomly failed and deployed the headrest (while driving at low speeds on local roads). Pictures have been taken and the headrest is left in place as-is for the dealership to inspect during service hours. The defective plastic retention bracket assembly suddenly broke and released the headrest, and can not be reset. There are no warnings for this now widely known manufacturer defect, yet Dodge has no reasonably effective resolution. Had the seat been occupied at that moment the active head-restraint failed, it would have caused serious head injuries to my family or myself. Had it been the driver-side headrest that malfunctioned at that moment, that could have injured me while driving and created a serious traffic accident. A limited extended warranty to repair a faulty component after an incident on a known cost-cutting defect that randomly injures occupants (at least 71 injuries have been caused by this known defect) with great potential to lead to fatal traffic accidents is unacceptable.

My system keeps saying my seat needs serviced for airbag system. Something electric is burning and something is happening with my radio system. It keeps changing to different stations or settings while music is playing.

The driver’s side headrest deployed while I was driving. There was no warning and no impact. The headrest pushed my head forward, slamming into the back of it. This could have been a disaster, gigantic safety risk.

Passenger seat, headrest exploded part of cars, active restraint system, hitting my son in the head.

Active head restraint failure in passenger side headrest. It is available to be inspected. This is a known issue for the 2014 Dodge Durango from 2011 to 2018 among other Dodge/Jeep vehicles.

While vehicle was being driven, passenger headrest spontaneously deployed/exploded, hitting passenger in the head with strong force, causing significant head, neck and shoulder pain.

On the morning of 10/09/2024, I started my 2019 Dodge Durango and exited the vehicle, after 2 minutes the entire interior of the vehicle was engulfed in flames. The drivers side seat warmer appears to have malfunctioned causing the vehicle to set of fire, including glass break, paint peeling and interior burning.

See all problems of the 2019 Dodge Durango 🔎.

Started the vehicle, my wife was in the passenger seat. The headrest exploded apart and hit her in the back of the head. It hit her pretty hard in the back of the head. She had a headache but no medical attention was needed. I'm hoping this does not happen to the drivers side while I am driving.

While parked, the front passenger headrest split apart. The active headrest appears to have broken or deployed. The vehicle was in park. No collision. Drive seat did not deploy. Reset of headrest doesn’t not seem possible. Latches appear broke. No noise when this occurred. Back seat passenger witnessed the headrest randomly split open.

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? the passenger active head restraints (ahr) deployed for no reason. I was sitting in in the passenger side seat talking to my wife, in the driveway, when the ahr deployed without cause. The head restraint struck me on the back left side of head with force. My neck is starting to stiffen up. Yes it is available for inspection. I will send pictures. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? the force generated during the deployment of an active head restraint (ahr) system is significant, I know because I was hit on the back of the my head thankfully I was not driving. My safety concern is two fold, one injury from ahr deploying inadvertently and elderly person might be at more risk for this type of injury. Two, ahr deploys striking driver while the car is in motion causing an accident. Also, this might be related to an open investigation by the national highway traffic safety administration (NHTSA action number: pe19014) has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? no has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? no were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? no.

There is definitely something wrong with the headrests on the Durangos. I was vacuuming my seats and I used the passenger lever to push it back and the headrest on the passenger side popped out and now the clips are broke & it wont pop back in. They definitely need to look into the headrests and fix this issue.