Indiana State Police move to Durangos hits a glitch (updated)

The Indiana State Police, which has used Dodges for most of their pursuit cars for around 15 years, has complained of problems with the Dodge Durango.

They ordered 516 Durangos at a cost of $50,000 each; part of the cost may be factory outfitting. 219 have been delivered so far, and 39 of them had defective oil coolers, according to the state police, which said Dodge has not provided a timeline for resolution. Fifteen Durangos had the problem in May, requiring a full engine replacement, according to a press release from the police which was reported without question or analysis by Scripps Media.

According to a Stellantis representative, the engines involved are all Hemi V8s, which are being phased out of the Durango at the end of this model year in favor of more-powerful inline engines. The special oil-to-antifreeze coolers are not part of the standard Durango.

A Stellantis representative told Stellpower that the Durango pursuit vehicle meets or beats applicable safety standards, and is also subjected to severe conditions which do not apply to the standard, retail Durango. More to the point:

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 the Indiana State Police and are working to expedite service for these 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.