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Dodge Durango Hellcat - Endless Center Console Issues With Video

4421 Views 24 Replies 15 Participants Last post by  Vegas1, 
H
Well, I think it is official, the Durango Hellcat will be the last Dodge I ever own. I have now owned it for less than 1yr and the endless center console problems are no longer acceptable to me after paying $120K for the vehicle. They are so bad it would be comical if it weren't true. Below are the problems I have had so far:

  • Screen Lockups - The touch screen locks up at least 2-3x a week. The only way to fix it is to turn off the car and turn it back on
  • Time 1hr Off - After DST kicked in, the time shown in the console stayed at 1hr off with no way to fix it. I switched off GPS sync and input the time manually, but within 2 days the time had drifted by over 10 min and when using the GPS the time there was still an hr off.
  • Rebooting While Driving - This happens all of the time, in the middle of driving the screen will suddenly reboot
  • On Screen Keyboard Lockup - This is common as well, when I try to use the navigation system the keyboard will lockup with no way to input the address
  • Backup Camera Blank Out - I tow a trailer and a few times right in the middle of lining up the hitch with the trailer the screen will blank out
  • Wrong Side of Road - The GPS has told me to exit Left when there was no left exit. It has also told me the destination was on the right side (of a 5 lane road) when I actually needed to be 5 lanes to the left instead, and it has locked up the little screen in the middle of the speedometer with the last turn I needed to take, it has also frozen the map but just showed the mileage as I continued to drive. I now just use my phone for navigation.
I took it to the dealership and they completely wasted 5 days of my time. After 5 days they could not find a single thing wrong and did a factory reset on the head unit....2 days later the backup camera blanked out while backing up. The dealership experience is also the worst I have ever had in all of the years I have owned cars. There is a 6wk waiting list for a loaner car, and a 2wk waiting list just for an appointment. Instead of partnering with the local car rental agencies (like the other dealerships here do when they run out of cars), the local dealerships don't even try to accommodate you. A $120K vehicle and you are on your own while the vehicle is in the shop.

Like I mentioned, the problems are so bad they are hard to believe so I took a video this time of the newest issue. I took a video like this before and tried to show it to the local dealership but they said it didn't matter one bit...if they couldn't reproduce the problem while it was there then there was nothing they could fix. BTW, after making the video, as I post this it is about 5hrs later and the screen is still frozen. Here's to hoping it is still frozen 2wks from now which is probably going to be the earliest I'm even going to get an appointment.

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rich!
Wait, these option out to 120k?

sarcasm aside, get SRT/ @DodgeCares involved with a case. Email them video, seems like they should just replace the unit. (dodge isn't the only brand who dealers have rental and appointment issues, my vw/audi is just as bad if not worse. the honda one is 4 weeks out as well and i have a recall to get done). I will say, no other brand seems to have a customer care unit patrolling forums to follow up on issues. With VW/Audi, i'm waiting on some regional manager to visit town to approve something and arguing.
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DDC
not to downplay your issues or frustrations.

but every manufacturer and dealer network is having problems right now. the local CDJR dealership that i DO like is at least honest about their issues. I had the '21 TNG in for an oil change a couple weeks ago and after talking shop with the guys at the desk I casually asked them if they were back to normal. two of them literally stopped talking and looked at me and emphatically shook their heads No.

parts supply is still way out of whack. car inventory is of course still zilch.

on your head unit do exactly as rich! suggests. if you have video its gold. get DodgeCares from this forum involved. car Stellantis directly and open a case with them. that head unit should probably just be replaced. if it can't be updated to a new firmware (some early HU will not update according to reports) then it just needs to be replaced.
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rich! said:
Wait, these option out to 120k?

sarcasm aside, get SRT/ @DodgeCares involved with a case. Email them video, seems like they should just replace the unit. (dodge isn't the only brand who dealers have rental and appointment issues, my vw/audi is just as bad if not worse. the honda one is 4 weeks out as well and i have a recall to get done). I will say, no other brand seems to have a customer care unit patrolling forums to follow up on issues. With VW/Audi, i'm waiting on some regional manager to visit town to approve something and arguing.
Click to expand...
Yes they contacted me before about it, it is just so hard to get it into the dealership, I'm working 60hr+ weeks and then to have to deal with this and the dealerships really irks me. My GTR is now 10yrs old and not a single problem; when I take it in to service even to this day I get a loaner just for oil changes and I have an appointment within hrs of calling them. That's kind of what I compare the Hellcat to since they cost the same. I am surprised you are going through that with VW/Audi, I would have thought they would be better.

DDC said:
not to downplay your issues or frustrations.

but every manufacturer and dealer network is having problems right now. the local CDJR dealership that i DO like is at least honest about their issues. I had the '21 TNG in for an oil change a couple weeks ago and after talking shop with the guys at the desk I casually asked them if they were back to normal. two of them literally stopped talking and looked at me and emphatically shook their heads No.

parts supply is still way out of whack. car inventory is of course still zilch.

on your head unit do exactly as rich! suggests. if you have video its gold. get DodgeCares from this forum involved. car Stellantis directly and open a case with them. that head unit should probably just be replaced. if it can't be updated to a new firmware (some early HU will not update according to reports) then it just needs to be replaced.
Click to expand...
Yes they told me that as well when I told him that I couldn't believe they had no loaners and 2wk waiting lists just for appointments. They said they have people who had undrivable cars and some of them had been there for 3 months because they couldn't get parts to fix them. A friend of mine told me Ford had to buy back his brand new Raptor when the engine blew due to Lemon Laws because they could not get the parts in time to get it out of the shop in less than 30 days.

So yes, I know it could be worse but today is definitely the worst it has been. The screen is still frozen and will probably stay that way for months until a replacement screen gets in. The irritating part is I already had a video from the first time and they should have ordered the screen then.
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DDC
herein2018 said:
Yes they contacted me before about it, it is just so hard to get it into the dealership, I'm working 60hr+ weeks and then to have to deal with this and the dealerships really irks me. My GTR is now 10yrs old and not a single problem; when I take it in to service even to this day I get a loaner just for oil changes and I have an appointment within hrs of calling them. That's kind of what I compare the Hellcat to since they cost the same. I am surprised you are going through that with VW/Audi, I would have thought they would be better.



Yes they told me that as well when I told him that I couldn't believe they had no loaners and 2wk waiting lists just for appointments. They said they have people who had undrivable cars and some of them had been there for 3 months because they couldn't get parts to fix them. A friend of mine told me Ford had to buy back his brand new Raptor when the engine blew due to Lemon Laws because they could not get the parts in time to get it out of the shop in less than 30 days.

So yes, I know it could be worse but today is definitely the worst it has been. The screen is still frozen and will probably stay that way for months until a replacement screen gets in. The irritating part is I already had a video from the first time and they should have ordered the screen then.
Click to expand...
totally agree with they should have ordered a new unit the first time.

have they or you tried to update the firmware? what Software Version is the unit?
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DDC said:
totally agree with they should have ordered a new unit the first time.

have they or you tried to update the firmware? what Software Version is the unit?
Click to expand...
They checked while it was there and said no updates were available, I have not checked the SW version. Now the screen is too frozen to check, possibly disconnecting the battery will reset it. I won't have time to even try that until mid next week.
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Vice-White
herein2018 said:
They checked while it was there and said no updates were available, I have not checked the SW version. Now the screen is too frozen to check, possibly disconnecting the battery will reset it. I won't have time to even try that until mid next week.
Click to expand...

Every issue you have is related to old firmware that came with the units.
All you need to do is update the unit with 17.89 firmware then you will get OTA update a few later to 17.99

Do not disconnect the battery, when you are in your DDHC and the system is on or it looks to be on, press the center of the volume control know and hold it for 30 seconds as it will reboot the system. When it comes back up it should work and you can see your firmware.
You have time to do this so no excuses ;)


You should update your system once you verify the version you have, which I am positive is the facotry delivered version which seriously is so bad it is pathetic.
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C
I'm not really convinced it is a firmware issue. It might fix the problem but it sounds more like the unit itself needs to be replaced. Won't hurt to try that first.
You need to be realistic in your expectations with everything surrounding your D. Just because it cost the same as your GTR doesn't mean anything. You paid that premium for the performance, not the build quality. Those of us familiar with Dodge aren't really surprised by much.
And as stated above, EVERY aspect of our lives is going thru something: delays, supply chain issues, rising prices, etc. I was without my D for a month, so I know your frustration. But it's an unfortunate part of life we have to get used to. And from the looks of it, things aren't going to get any better any time soon...:(
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D
I had to reboot my centre screen out of the blue as the radio was emitting a high pitched digital screech sound through the speakers.

I can't remember the button combination to press on the sonsole- someone on this site had a short video on what to do.

Anyway, the push and hold combo worked like a charm for my issue. Totally reset and rebooted itself. Never had that issue again, thankfully. If anything, doing the reboot yourself means that you can use the system and all options on the screen. It gets you up and running.
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D

This is a how-to INFORMATION ONLY, NOT an endorsement of any dealer, person etc
Mods- please remove if this violates the rules.
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D
I tried to locate our fellow D-Net member's video, could not find it.
I'd probably have to put the same "don't ban me statement" with that, too.

Anyway, maybe the procedure will smarten the unit up as it goes through a thorough reset. At least you can use it after...

Also- check battery voltage+ connections.
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wvhemis
I hope you can get this resolved. But as others have stated Dodge is not alone with all the issues. My aunt just traded in her Cadillac because they could not fix her head unit issues after one entire year. She ordered a new Cadillac and they told her 12 to 20 weeks but actually came in 8 weeks later. We are trading in our 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT on a 2022 Durango SRT we currently have on order. We have had a great experience with our 9 years of ownership with the Jeep and we are excited to get our Durango. I feel your pain with your work schedule, I lived that same life until I retired last March.
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DDC
herein2018 said:
They checked while it was there and said no updates were available, I have not checked the SW version. Now the screen is too frozen to check, possibly disconnecting the battery will reset it. I won't have time to even try that until mid next week.
Click to expand...
2 things. 1) research and try the power resets for the HU. for mine I hold the power button down until it reboots. probably about a count of 10-15. I've seen other procedures posted but this is the one I've always used.

2) if you can get it to reboot, check the Software Version by going into Settings. from your description the dealer probably is not one of the best and they could simply be checking your VIN to see if it says an update is needed or available. you want to check this for yourself by finding the Software Version and posting here. the last digits are what you want to focus on. anything less than R17.89 needs to be updated.
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S8ER01Z
My camera froze one time and it displayed an error code about the Uconnect box needing service. Dodge just replaced the telematics module as a result of that event and it appears my issues have been solved. On R17.98 right now and hoping to see R17.99 soon (if things are truly fixed). As others have said it sounds like it might just be firmware but I wouldn’t rule out any hardware issues as well.
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SPD//DMN
OP, when was your DDHC built (MDH)?
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N
herein2018 said:
Well, I think it is official, the Durango Hellcat will be the last Dodge I ever own. I have now owned it for less than 1yr and the endless center console problems are no longer acceptable to me after paying $120K for the vehicle. They are so bad it would be comical if it weren't true. Below are the problems I have had so far:

  • Screen Lockups - The touch screen locks up at least 2-3x a week. The only way to fix it is to turn off the car and turn it back on
  • Time 1hr Off - After DST kicked in, the time shown in the console stayed at 1hr off with no way to fix it. I switched off GPS sync and input the time manually, but within 2 days the time had drifted by over 10 min and when using the GPS the time there was still an hr off.
  • Rebooting While Driving - This happens all of the time, in the middle of driving the screen will suddenly reboot
  • On Screen Keyboard Lockup - This is common as well, when I try to use the navigation system the keyboard will lockup with no way to input the address
  • Backup Camera Blank Out - I tow a trailer and a few times right in the middle of lining up the hitch with the trailer the screen will blank out
  • Wrong Side of Road - The GPS has told me to exit Left when there was no left exit. It has also told me the destination was on the right side (of a 5 lane road) when I actually needed to be 5 lanes to the left instead, and it has locked up the little screen in the middle of the speedometer with the last turn I needed to take, it has also frozen the map but just showed the mileage as I continued to drive. I now just use my phone for navigation.
I took it to the dealership and they completely wasted 5 days of my time. After 5 days they could not find a single thing wrong and did a factory reset on the head unit....2 days later the backup camera blanked out while backing up. The dealership experience is also the worst I have ever had in all of the years I have owned cars. There is a 6wk waiting list for a loaner car, and a 2wk waiting list just for an appointment. Instead of partnering with the local car rental agencies (like the other dealerships here do when they run out of cars), the local dealerships don't even try to accommodate you. A $120K vehicle and you are on your own while the vehicle is in the shop.

Like I mentioned, the problems are so bad they are hard to believe so I took a video this time of the newest issue. I took a video like this before and tried to show it to the local dealership but they said it didn't matter one bit...if they couldn't reproduce the problem while it was there then there was nothing they could fix. BTW, after making the video, as I post this it is about 5hrs later and the screen is still frozen. Here's to hoping it is still frozen 2wks from now which is probably going to be the earliest I'm even going to get an appointment.

Click to expand...
I sold mine just waiting for the tow truck to come get it, these trucks needed a bit more development time. I loved it but Uconnect is horrible, I had a rear seal leak, as well as a trans coolant line pop off. The drone of the exhaust is ridiculous for a 90k plus vehicle. They literally threw a hellcat motor in a SRT, and then said good luck. The build quality is Inexcusable at this price point…my vehicle has been down for three out of the four months I owned it and Dodges answer was a one month reimbursement.
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herein2018 said:
Well, I think it is official, the Durango Hellcat will be the last Dodge I ever own. I have now owned it for less than 1yr and the endless center console problems are no longer acceptable to me after paying $120K for the vehicle. They are so bad it would be comical if it weren't true. Below are the problems I have had so far:

  • Screen Lockups - The touch screen locks up at least 2-3x a week. The only way to fix it is to turn off the car and turn it back on
  • Time 1hr Off - After DST kicked in, the time shown in the console stayed at 1hr off with no way to fix it. I switched off GPS sync and input the time manually, but within 2 days the time had drifted by over 10 min and when using the GPS the time there was still an hr off.
  • Rebooting While Driving - This happens all of the time, in the middle of driving the screen will suddenly reboot
  • On Screen Keyboard Lockup - This is common as well, when I try to use the navigation system the keyboard will lockup with no way to input the address
  • Backup Camera Blank Out - I tow a trailer and a few times right in the middle of lining up the hitch with the trailer the screen will blank out
  • Wrong Side of Road - The GPS has told me to exit Left when there was no left exit. It has also told me the destination was on the right side (of a 5 lane road) when I actually needed to be 5 lanes to the left instead, and it has locked up the little screen in the middle of the speedometer with the last turn I needed to take, it has also frozen the map but just showed the mileage as I continued to drive. I now just use my phone for navigation.
I took it to the dealership and they completely wasted 5 days of my time. After 5 days they could not find a single thing wrong and did a factory reset on the head unit....2 days later the backup camera blanked out while backing up. The dealership experience is also the worst I have ever had in all of the years I have owned cars. There is a 6wk waiting list for a loaner car, and a 2wk waiting list just for an appointment. Instead of partnering with the local car rental agencies (like the other dealerships here do when they run out of cars), the local dealerships don't even try to accommodate you. A $120K vehicle and you are on your own while the vehicle is in the shop.

Like I mentioned, the problems are so bad they are hard to believe so I took a video this time of the newest issue. I took a video like this before and tried to show it to the local dealership but they said it didn't matter one bit...if they couldn't reproduce the problem while it was there then there was nothing they could fix. BTW, after making the video, as I post this it is about 5hrs later and the screen is still frozen. Here's to hoping it is still frozen 2wks from now which is probably going to be the earliest I'm even going to get an appointment.

Click to expand...
I will say that issues with uconnect has increased since FCA became Stellantis. Ever since the take over my wifi has not worked and its a known issue that AT&T and Stellantis has been working on since November 2021. After the latest over the air update my head unit freezes, reboots, won't pair with my phone at times and a host of other issues. It was replaced once before in 2019. My dealer also can't get parts in to fix my pcv and evap issue as the parts are on back order. So despite having warranty I have been driving around since March with a check engine light. Its too the point that despite having lifetime warranty and being paid off its about to be for sale. So I could only imagine the frustrations you are experiencing having a hellcat and paying all that unnecessary ADM.
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SpecOps Vet
herein2018 said:
Well, I think it is official, the Durango Hellcat will be the last Dodge I ever own. I have now owned it for less than 1yr and the endless center console problems are no longer acceptable to me after paying $120K for the vehicle. They are so bad it would be comical if it weren't true. Below are the problems I have had so far:

  • Screen Lockups - The touch screen locks up at least 2-3x a week. The only way to fix it is to turn off the car and turn it back on
  • Time 1hr Off - After DST kicked in, the time shown in the console stayed at 1hr off with no way to fix it. I switched off GPS sync and input the time manually, but within 2 days the time had drifted by over 10 min and when using the GPS the time there was still an hr off.
  • Rebooting While Driving - This happens all of the time, in the middle of driving the screen will suddenly reboot
  • On Screen Keyboard Lockup - This is common as well, when I try to use the navigation system the keyboard will lockup with no way to input the address
  • Backup Camera Blank Out - I tow a trailer and a few times right in the middle of lining up the hitch with the trailer the screen will blank out
  • Wrong Side of Road - The GPS has told me to exit Left when there was no left exit. It has also told me the destination was on the right side (of a 5 lane road) when I actually needed to be 5 lanes to the left instead, and it has locked up the little screen in the middle of the speedometer with the last turn I needed to take, it has also frozen the map but just showed the mileage as I continued to drive. I now just use my phone for navigation.
I took it to the dealership and they completely wasted 5 days of my time. After 5 days they could not find a single thing wrong and did a factory reset on the head unit....2 days later the backup camera blanked out while backing up. The dealership experience is also the worst I have ever had in all of the years I have owned cars. There is a 6wk waiting list for a loaner car, and a 2wk waiting list just for an appointment. Instead of partnering with the local car rental agencies (like the other dealerships here do when they run out of cars), the local dealerships don't even try to accommodate you. A $120K vehicle and you are on your own while the vehicle is in the shop.

Like I mentioned, the problems are so bad they are hard to believe so I took a video this time of the newest issue. I took a video like this before and tried to show it to the local dealership but they said it didn't matter one bit...if they couldn't reproduce the problem while it was there then there was nothing they could fix. BTW, after making the video, as I post this it is about 5hrs later and the screen is still frozen. Here's to hoping it is still frozen 2wks from now which is probably going to be the earliest I'm even going to get an appointment.

Click to expand...
All makes /models have this screen problem. My hc Durango does same thing but I don’t understand why they wasted your time there is a bulletin stating they are aware and are working on it but my dealer said if it makes the factory nav unusable to bring it back at oil change and they’ll document it and order a head unit. So I did. New head unit comes in Monday. Took 15 minutes total both times they looked at it. I can find a copy of the STAR memo if you need it?
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SpecOps Vet
herein2018 said:
Well, I think it is official, the Durango Hellcat will be the last Dodge I ever own. I have now owned it for less than 1yr and the endless center console problems are no longer acceptable to me after paying $120K for the vehicle. They are so bad it would be comical if it weren't true. Below are the problems I have had so far:

  • Screen Lockups - The touch screen locks up at least 2-3x a week. The only way to fix it is to turn off the car and turn it back on
  • Time 1hr Off - After DST kicked in, the time shown in the console stayed at 1hr off with no way to fix it. I switched off GPS sync and input the time manually, but within 2 days the time had drifted by over 10 min and when using the GPS the time there was still an hr off.
  • Rebooting While Driving - This happens all of the time, in the middle of driving the screen will suddenly reboot
  • On Screen Keyboard Lockup - This is common as well, when I try to use the navigation system the keyboard will lockup with no way to input the address
  • Backup Camera Blank Out - I tow a trailer and a few times right in the middle of lining up the hitch with the trailer the screen will blank out
  • Wrong Side of Road - The GPS has told me to exit Left when there was no left exit. It has also told me the destination was on the right side (of a 5 lane road) when I actually needed to be 5 lanes to the left instead, and it has locked up the little screen in the middle of the speedometer with the last turn I needed to take, it has also frozen the map but just showed the mileage as I continued to drive. I now just use my phone for navigation.
I took it to the dealership and they completely wasted 5 days of my time. After 5 days they could not find a single thing wrong and did a factory reset on the head unit....2 days later the backup camera blanked out while backing up. The dealership experience is also the worst I have ever had in all of the years I have owned cars. There is a 6wk waiting list for a loaner car, and a 2wk waiting list just for an appointment. Instead of partnering with the local car rental agencies (like the other dealerships here do when they run out of cars), the local dealerships don't even try to accommodate you. A $120K vehicle and you are on your own while the vehicle is in the shop.

Like I mentioned, the problems are so bad they are hard to believe so I took a video this time of the newest issue. I took a video like this before and tried to show it to the local dealership but they said it didn't matter one bit...if they couldn't reproduce the problem while it was there then there was nothing they could fix. BTW, after making the video, as I post this it is about 5hrs later and the screen is still frozen. Here's to hoping it is still frozen 2wks from now which is probably going to be the earliest I'm even going to get an appointment.

Click to expand...
For the record they didn’t need to “duplicate” I just showed them the videos of it freezing up and the inability to use factory nav. Your dealer is garbage it sounds like I hate hearing ppl have to go thru these issues. Hiester Dodge in Lillington, NC for the win….
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Smitty73
Welcome to 21st Century manufacturing. It's been happening for a long time, but is getting worse the past 6 years or so due to the complexity of interior electronics these days, and the fact that quality control has been an afterthought for the past 15 years or better. No matter what you buy, this is what can happen. In fact you could buy 10 IDENTICAL Hellcats with identical option packages, and maybe all, none, or 3 out of 10, or ANY combination will have issues. Others will have different issues - driveability problems, hard part failures, electrical gremlins, rattles and squeaks in the interior, leaking fluids, burning smells, etc., etc.. There's no rhyme or reason to any of it. Buying new vehicles the past 25 years has been a total crapshoot, but in the past 10 years, your odds of striking out just got greater than ever.

One of my buddies in the technician service industry said recently he gets the least amount of calls on Hyundai and Kia, then Subaru - not what I expected at all. Toyota used to be the go-to for reliability. Not anymore.
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