Indiana State Police battling Dodge Durango issues

Thursday, June 20, 2024 at 2:02 PM

The Indiana State Police began the transition from the Dodge Charger, a vehicle which it has used for its police fleet since 2010, to the Dodge Durango police package vehicle in May 2023.

ISP has ordered a total of 516 Durangos (approximate value of $25.8M). Over the last year, a total of 219 of these have been issued into the field for patrol duties.

During this time frame, 39 Durangos (18%) have experienced a mechanical failure due to a defective oil cooler. Using this same ratio, ISP would anticipate having an additional 40 Durangos experience this same mechanical failure for a total of 79 anticipated failures. That means approximately $3.9 million dollars of equipment may not be available for their intended use by ISP personnel.

ISP Superintendent Doug Carter has spoken with a Chrysler representative and was not given a timeline to resolve the matter.

A fully equipped ISP Dodge Durango costs approximately $50,000. During May 2024, ISP had 15 Dodge Durangos experience this oil cooler failure. The average downtime for an engine replacement/repair is four-to-eight weeks. 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.

“ISP has used Dodge as our primary police vehicle provider for the last decade-and-a-half, it is unfortunate that we have found ourselves in this precarious position,"said Carter. “We’re having to sideline brand new vehicles, losing out on their value and functionality… the citizens and taxpayers of Indiana are being shortchanged and deserve better.”