After waiting months for repairs to resolve a design issue with Dodge Durango patrol vehicles, Merrillville, Indiana's police chief announced Friday the "difficult decision" to sell the SUVs at a financial loss.
In an open letter to the town's roughly 36,000 residents, Merrillville Police Chief Konstantinos Nuses said "the situation is not just disappointing; it is fundamentally unfair."
"Our primary concern must always be the safety of the community," he said. "It is heartbreaking to acknowledge that we cannot provide the reliable service you deserve when our vehicles are prone to unexpected breakdowns in the line of duty."
The department had used Ford Police Interceptors for years, but encountered challenges in acquiring the vehicles during the COVID-19 pandemic and turned to Dodge Durangos, which were advertised as a "suitable alternative," the chief said.
But beginning in late 2022, an unspecified number of vehicles - most of which had less than 15,000 miles - sustained catastrophic engine failure as a result of a design flaw in the oil cooler, according to the department. Merrillville police "tirelessly sought" resolutions through their local dealer and Dodge's parent company, Stellantis, and in May, were promised a part to fix the problem would be available in two weeks.
But as of Friday, the department was still waiting on repairs.
"All of us - taxpayers and and police departments alike - have paid for a compromised product, and Dodge has failed to take responsibility or provide a viable solution," Nuses said. "Nor have they offered any compensation for the down time of these vehicles. This has left us in a bind, struggling to fulfill our duty to protect and serve."
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The chief said the department was continuing to explore "all possible avenues to mitigate the financial impact" and in communication with the Indiana Attorney General's office.
It wasn't immediately clear how many patrol vehicles were affected.
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The issue isn't isolated to the Merrillville Police Department, however.
The Indiana State Police said in June that dozens of its Durango patrol vehicles encountered the same issue. Thirty nine of 218 Durangos ISP received in the past year experienced the mechanical problem, state police said, causing the vehicles to be taken out of service temporarily.
The average downtime for an engine replacement/repair is four to eight weeks, according to ISP.
"This downtime creates a huge burden on fleet operations, a significant loss of confidence in the vehicle by ISP personnel, and an ineffective loss of public service while the Trooper cycles in and out of a pool car to perform their daily duties," state police said in a news release.
Stellantis released the following statement to NBC Chicago:
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.
