--- title: "Indiana Police Will Liquidate Busted Dodge Durangos, Says Stellantis Won’t Help" description: "Stellantis allegedly failed to amend faulty oil coolers in Durango cruisers, leading one department to cut its losses and sell its fleet." date: "2024-09-24" modified: "2024-09-24" authors: - name: "Nico DeMattia" job_title: "Contributing Writer" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/nico-demattia" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/indiana-police-to-sell-busted-dodge-durangos-because-stellantis-allegedly-wont-help" categories: - "Dodge News" - "News" - "News by Brand" tags: - "dodge" - "Durango" - "suv/crossover" --- # Indiana Police Will Liquidate Busted Dodge Durangos, Says Stellantis Won’t Help ![]() *Stellantis* Police departments across Indiana, including the Indiana State Police (ISP), have been experiencing widespread engine failure in their new [Dodge]() Durango Pursuit cruisers. Despite being just a few years old, oil coolers are [failing in so many Durango cop cars]() and killing their engines that one department has decided to sell its vehicles at a big loss because Stellantis has allegedly failed to help. "We are forced to make the difficult decision to prematurely sell these Durangos, incurring significant financial losses for our department and, ultimately, for you, the taxpayers," Merrillville, Indiana Chief of Police Konstantinos Nuses wrote in an [open letter to Merrillville residents](). "This situation is not just disappointing; it is fundamentally unfair," Nuses continued. "All of us—taxpayers and police departments alike—have paid for a compromised product, and Dodge has failed to take responsibility or provide a viable solution. Nor have they offered any type of compensation for the downtime of these vehicles. This has left us in a bind, struggling to fulfill our duty to protect and serve." ![]() **Stellantis** The issue stems from oil coolers failing, leading to coolant and engine oil combining to create that terrifying milky mixture that all car enthusiasts fear. That leads to engine damage, and sometimes complete failure. Many of the Durangos reportedly failed before even reaching 15,000 miles. After trying to manage the problem since late 2022, Nuses wrote that in May of this year, Stellantis finally promised it'd issue revised parts to the department within two weeks. But four months later, the department says it's still yet to receive anything—no parts, no financial compensation, no help. According to *[CBS]()*, Stellantis released the following statement: "The Dodge Durango Pursuit meets or exceeds all applicable federal motor vehicle safety standards and is subject to severe operating conditions to which the standard, retail version of the Durango is immune. Further, certain oil-cooler issues are difficult to detect, which may lead to collateral damage and a highly complex remedy. We sincerely regret any inconvenience caused to our valued police-community customers and are working to expedite service for any affected vehicles. Since the model launched in 2018, it has been deployed with thousands of police agencies across North America, and overall feedback has been exemplary." Are "certain oil cooler issues" really difficult to detect? How about just replacing faulty ones with some that work? Without a fix from Stellantis, police departments were forced to put out even more tax dollars on expensive repairs and even entire engine replacements. Additionally, cruisers would often be out of commission anywhere from four to eight weeks during those repairs. A police cruiser breaking down on the way to an emergency can be disastrous, so you'd imagine Stellantis would want to help. Now, Nuses apparently doesn't have much of a choice but to unload the failing Durangos at a loss, just to recoup some of the sunken costs, and begin replacing them. However, to "mitigate the financial impact" of the situation, Nuses has asked the Indiana Attorney General's office for assistance. *Got tips? Send 'em to tips@thedrive.com* ## Author Nico is a writer and reviewer from New Jersey who probably thinks he’s a lot funnier than he actually is. His love of cars began when he was just a kid playing Gran Turismo 3, grinding out enough race wins with a Mazda Miata to save up for an in-game RUF 911. That passion for small, lightweight sports cars drove his desire to learn more about the industry, get his hands on as many cars as he could, and bring those experiences to life on the page. He cut his teeth writing about BMWs, Volkswagens, and Audis, mostly, and has owned far too many of each. He’s on his fourth 3 Series sedan, but all of his old, cheap German cars have forced him to learn more about car maintenance than his mechanical capability can handle. Too many late nights have been spent scrambling to get a car running by morning so he could get to work. For some reason, he never seems to learn that old Bimmers probably aren’t the best daily drivers. But he loves more than just old German cars. He’ll gladly drive and discuss anything with four (or even three) wheels. Cars aren’t his only passions, though. Nico is also a big nerd and loves movies, video games, comic books, and cares far too much about the New York Giants. So don’t be surprised if you see football references or dumb, obscure movie quotes in any of his car reviews. ### Author social links [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()