Used Chrysler Aspen Buying Guide: Years, Faults and Recalls

A used Chrysler Aspen is a 2007, 2008 or 2009 truck-based SUV, and the one to look for is a 2008 or later with the 303-hp 4.7 V8, or a Hemi if you tow. It's a dressed-up Dodge Durango of the same years, so it rides and tows like one and burns gas like one. Before you hand over money, run the VIN for the two air bag inflator recalls, which carry a do-not-drive warning, and on a 2009, the rear axle pinion nut recall.

On Sunday evening, October 18, 2026, I went through Consumer Guide's 2007-09 Chrysler Aspen review and pulled NHTSA's recall data for each Aspen model year. That's the whole evidence base here. I left out forum horror stories I couldn't tie to either source, and there are plenty of those for any 15-year-old V8 SUV.

What changed from 2007 to 2009

The Aspen was Chrysler's first truck-type SUV, and Consumer Guide describes it as a retrimmed Durango with a softer ride, less noise and a nicer cabin. For 2007 the standard engine was a 235-hp, 4.7-liter flex-fuel V8, with a 335-hp 5.7 Hemi optional. Both used a five-speed automatic, and you could get rear drive or all-wheel drive, with low-range gearing as an AWD option. Seating was eight with the second-row bench or seven with buckets. For 2008 the 4.7 jumped to 303 hp, the second row started to recline, and a rearview camera became available. Then 2009 added a gas-electric Hybrid and bumped the Hemi to 376 hp, but Chrysler dropped the Aspen and the Durango early in that model year. So 2009s are thin on the ground, and Hybrids even more so.

Consumer Guide's listing for the Limited Hybrid pairs the 5.7 V8 with an electric drive motor, a continuously variable automatic and standard AWD. If you find one, budget for a shop that actually knows that system, because a corner garage may not. Consumer Guide quotes an 8,900-pound maximum tow rating. Fuel economy it calls close to dismal: its AWD test truck with the original 4.7 averaged 15.2 mpg in mostly highway driving.

Trouble spots worth checking on a test drive

• A/C that blows warm, which Consumer Guide ties to an infrared sensor on 2007s, plus evaporator icing after a couple of hours on low blower on 2007-2009 trucks.
• Intermittent no-crank or no-start on 2007-2008s, from static discharge damaging the wireless control module in dry winter weather.
• A steady-speed vibration on 2007s that feels like rumble strips, traced to a bad torque converter.
• A fuel nozzle that keeps clicking off at the pump, fixed with a revised vapor tube, and a hard-drive radio that locks up until it's reflashed.

Honestly, the vibration is the one I'd worry about, since a torque converter isn't cheap. Hold it at 45 to 60 mph on a smooth road for a few minutes and feel the floor.

Recalls to run by VIN

• 15V313, 2007-2008: the dual-stage driver frontal air bag inflator can take on moisture and rupture, throwing metal fragments. NHTSA's entry tells owners not to drive until it's fixed.
• 16V947, 2009: the same driver inflator problem on 2009 Aspens and Durangos built January 17, 2007 to December 18, 2008, which had been left out of 15V313.
• 16V352, 2007-2009: passenger frontal inflators that can rupture after long exposure to heat and humidity. Which years are covered depends on the states where the truck was sold or registered.
• 13V038, 2009: on trucks built January 3 through December 18, 2008, the rear axle pinion nut can loosen and lock the axle. Dealers installed a retainer.
• 06V386, 2007: a right front steering knuckle cast on July 18 or 19, 2006 may be flawed and could fracture.

The API also lists 18V021 under the 2009 Aspen, but that summary only names other Chrysler models, so let a dealer's VIN lookup settle it. Our Chrysler recall check by VIN walkthrough shows how, and you can read the raw 2009 Aspen recall data yourself. If the inflator work isn't on record, read our air bag inflator recall check before you even test drive it.

Aspen or Durango?

Our used Dodge Durango buying guide covers the 2011-and-later Durango, which is a different, Grand Cherokee-based SUV. The Aspen's real twin is the 2004-2009 Durango, and the recall list shows it: 15V313 and 16V352 both name those Durangos right next to the Aspen. Mechanically you're buying the same truck. The Aspen just has more sound deadening and better materials, and fewer people search for it, which can help on price. Decode the VIN with our Chrysler VIN decoder guide so you know which engine and drivetrain you're actually looking at.

Paperwork before you pay

Look, a 2007 SUV has had nearly two decades to get wrecked, flooded or clocked. Search the VIN in NMVTIS for title brands and confirm the basics with NHTSA's vPIC decoder. Then pull a report you bought yourself, because a PDF the seller emails you can be edited in two minutes. We're a licensed CARFAX and AutoCheck reseller, not affiliated with CARFAX, AutoCheck, Experian or Stellantis. As of mid October 2026, guests pay about $5.50 a report, members about $4.50, and the bundle of both runs around $6.75, compared with roughly $39.99 to $44.99 at retail. Confirm at checkout, since that's where the real number shows up.

Sources

• Consumer Guide: 2007-09 Chrysler Aspen
• NHTSA recallsByVehicle, Chrysler Aspen 2007-2009, queried Oct. 18, 2026; NHTSA vPIC; NMVTIS