Owners have filed 1,540 complaints on the Dodge Challenger, covering 2008–2023. The system named most often is Electrical System (499 reports). Worst years by volume: 2010, 2012, 2011; cleanest: 2008, 2022, 2021. 97 reports describe a crash, 48 a fire. On average the car was 4.3 years old when the problem happened.
What breaks on Dodge Challenger
Grouped by the system owners named — percentages are shares of all 1,540 Challenger complaints. Open any row for the full reports in owners' own words.
Electrical System 499 Read
Unknown
The vehicle was parked in driveway sat for 10minutes then the headlights started flashing on and off when we got near the car they stopped we move the away lights would go again. So we opened doors to find the front passenger floorboard and edge of front passenger seat begin to burn. At this point we have not been…
The cars light notifications on instrument cluster panel turned on all of them at the same time while accelerating jerking the car on freeway I have video of that happening and can provide it upon request it did caused a minor accident but I settled the accident with other driver with cash with out involving insurance…
Air Bags 217 Read
The contact owned a 2021 Dodge Challenger. The contact stated that while driving on the highway at approximately 55-65 MPH when the vehicle hydroplaned, as a result, the vehicle struck a guard rail head-on and spun out of control. The contact stated that the frontal air bags failed to deploy. There were no injuries…
Left frontal Collision between drivers side head assembly and center front of car- with white tail deer about 100-120 lbs. , causing extensive damage to car. $19,000. Payout from progressive for those extensive repairs. And airbags never deployed. This seems highly alarming to me. The abrupt stop, or the sudden heavy…
On [XXX] I was involved in car accident on [XXX] around 4 o’clock in the afternoon. When the impact happened the airbags deployed and cut my wrist (left) and burned my left forearm. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Power Train 156 Read
In november and december of 2017 and again in january 2018 and series of power-train gear changing while driving occurred while on interstate I-20 and 285 and 85 and generally around town which caused to have to pull over and call a tow truck or park until the issue would stop. The vehicles was taken to don jackson…
I wanted to report that I was injured on 10/6/2020. When my 2017 v6 challenger went out of gear from "park" and drug me down, as it rolled backwards (while in "park"). I sustained multiple injuries all over my body. I went to the e.r. And followed up with primary doctor. I also have an appointment with an orthopedist.…
Was taking off from a red light, got to about 15 MPH and there was a loud bang and I felt it from under the car. It then felt like I was dragging something under the car, but that couldn't be as I was behind another car and if there were something in the road, they would have hit it. I managed to pull over to the side…
Steering 136 Read
The lower control arm and lower ball joint broke causing me to hit another vehicle ,plus had to be towed due to damage , highway patrol called and took a report, was inspected my insurance adjuster after the accident this part would have broke while driving and caused more damage or injuries to me or my wife, the rack…
I was driving at 35 mph on cruise control, I tried letting go off the acceleration as I did the car would not slow down and it started to wobble side to side it hit a curb and the front passenger wheel side came off and back side flattened and made a couple of dents into the right side
I was in the city of old san juan, in motion driving down a two lane street. I was in a straight way I had been pressing the brake down to 55 miles approaching a a slight curve ( not even hard, the curve only deviated few feet to a right and then a couple feet to left, in pr traveling to the in the historical area…
Engine 107 Read
The contact owns a 2021 Dodge SXT. The contact stated while the vehicle was at a standstill, it caught on fire without warning. The fire marshals extinguished the flames. A report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a tow lot. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately…
I got the car on 4/13/2025 from a Toyota dealership with about 31000 miles they told me the car fax showed the car had 2 owners a regular customer and another dealership, they also told me they change the battery but they failed to disclosed that they took the car to a body shop to fix a dent and to be repainted, by…
The contact owns a 2017 dodge challenger. While driving 55 mph, the contact noticed smoke coming from the rear of the vehicle. The contact pulled off the roadway and turned off the engine as smoke engulfed the interior and exterior of the vehicle. There were no warning indicators illuminated and no fire. The contact…
Fuel/propulsion System 43 Read
Fuel leak: auxiliary fuel pump leaks when over 14 gallons in tank. Causing fire to road, not vehicle. 62,000 mi when leak was identified. *dt consumer stated saw cracks in the fiberglass, a tire blowout, wire was exposed. Updated 12/6/18
I know this has probably been posted. Driving last night with the wife and I smell fuel. Then the gas gauge starts to drop from full to empty in less than 3 minutes. I pull over, the car shuts down. I see fuel on the passenger side , just in front of the tire. Get the car safely towed home. I pop the back seat and…
Fuel leak from gas tank to engine
Engine And Engine Cooling 42 Read
The contact owns a 2011 dodge challenger. The contact stated that while driving 65 mph, the vehicle caught on fire from under the rear driver's side. The fire department was contacted and no injuries were reported. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who was unable to diagnose the failure. The manufacturer was contact…
The contact's mother owns a 2017 Dodge Challenger. The contact stated that while driving 20 MPH, she noticed an abnormal water odor inside the vehicle and the vehicle was overheating. The contact veered to the side of the road for a moment and then continued driving; however, the failure persisted. The contact stated…
My car hesitates when taking off sometimes and the engine is ticking like it has bad valves
Service Brakes 34 Read
Car is a manual transmission. Multiple occurrences- when emergency break is set and the engine is off and in park the car will still roll by itself. Complained to dodge, dodge says software issue and it will not happen again. Still happening, I am lucky it did not hit a car but today (2/22/18) it hit a tree- rolled 2…
I parked my car in back row of a parking lot to avoid dings. Set parking brake. Approximately 1 hr later my car was seen rolling across parking lot and impacted another parked vehicle. I went to dealer who after I explained what happen said he saw no recalls and would not cover. I then called dodge srt and explained…
The contact owns a 2011 dodge challenger. While driving approximately 5-10 mph, the contact noticed a burning odor and the ABS and oil warning lights illuminated. The vehicle stalled and was not able to restart. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, but was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was…
Challenger years to avoid — and the clean ones
Complaints per model year. More reports usually means more cars on the road as well as more trouble, so read the crash and fire columns alongside the count.
| Model year | Complaints | Top system | Crashes | Fires |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Electrical System | — | — | |
| 2022 | Electrical System,air Bags,service Brakes | 1 | — | |
| 2021 | Air Bags | 4 | 1 | |
| 2020 | Air Bags | 1 | 1 | |
| 2019 | Air Bags | 5 | 3 | |
| 2018 | Air Bags | 9 | 2 | |
| 2017 | Air Bags | 7 | 2 | |
| 2016 | Air Bags | 7 | 2 | |
| 2015 | Air Bags | 16 | 3 | |
| 2014 | Air Bags | 12 | 5 | |
| 2013 | Air Bags | 6 | 10 | |
| 2012 | Air Bags | 11 | 6 | |
| 2011 | Air Bags | 2 | 7 | |
| 2010 | Air Bags | 7 | 3 | |
| 2009 | Air Bags | 8 | 3 | |
| 2008 | Air Bags | 1 | — |
The same model year, different builds
Every complaint carries the first 11 characters of the VIN — plant, year, body and engine. That is a production series, and complaints are spread across them very unevenly.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Distinct production series | 473 |
| Average complaints per series | 3.3 |
| Worst single series | 21 complaints |
| Average age at failure | 4.3 years |
A model average of 3.3 hides a worst series at 21. Enter a VIN above to see the numbers for that exact build instead of the model as a whole.
Owners reported these. Find out if yours is one of them.
- Complaints matched to the exact production run, not just the model
- What the car is worth given what tends to fail on it
- The original window sticker and factory options
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How we count
Every figure here comes from complaints owners filed with NHTSA — 1,100,006 of them, covering 1,982 models built between 1981 and 2026.
A complaint is an unverified report: someone wrote down what happened to their car. It is not a confirmed defect and not a recall. What makes the volume useful is the pattern — when thousands of owners of the same build describe the same failure, that is a signal no marketing brochure will give you.
Two things we do that the source does not. First, we compute the age of the car at the moment of failure from the incident date and the model year. Second, we group complaints by the first 11 characters of the VIN — the production series — so a bad plant run does not disappear into a model-wide average.
Frequently asked questions
What are the worst years for the Challenger?
By complaint volume, 2010, 2012, 2011 drew the most owner reports. Bear in mind that popular years put more cars on the road, so check the crash and fire columns too.
Which Challenger years are the cleanest?
2008, 2022, 2021 have the fewest complaints on file. For recent years that can simply mean the cars are young.
How many complaints does the Dodge Challenger have?
1,540 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, covering 2008–2023. Of those, 97 describe a crash and 48 a fire.
Are these complaints verified?
No. They are unverified reports from owners. NHTSA publishes them as filed and investigates only a fraction. The value is in the pattern, not in any single report.
Can I check complaints for one specific car?
Yes — enter its VIN above. We match the first 11 characters, which identify the plant, year, body and engine, so you get complaints on that exact production series rather than the whole model.