State police dissatisfied with Dodge mechanical problems

Indiana State Police are expressing their frustration with a common equipment failure which has sidelined dozens of their newest police vehicles.

According to the agency, a defective oil cooler has taken 39 of the vehicles out of the field, or about 18 percent of the more than 200 Dodge Durangos they have received so far. In May alone, 15 of the SUVs had to be taken off the road with each taking a month or two to get repaired.

Superintendent Doug Carter said he has spoken with Chrysler but was not given a timeline to resolve the matter. That comes in the midst of a $25.8 million contract with Chrysler. Carter said that the department has used Dodge vehicles for more than a decade and a half, and are now transitioning from Dodge Chargers to the Durangos.