Owners have filed 5,192 complaints on the Dodge Charger, covering 1984–2025. The system named most often is Electrical System (1,407 reports). Worst years by volume: 2006, 2011, 2012; cleanest: 1984, 1985, 2024. 226 reports describe a crash, 197 a fire, 7 a death. On average the car was 5.5 years old when the problem happened.
What breaks on Dodge Charger
Grouped by the system owners named — percentages are shares of all 5,192 Charger complaints. Open any row for the full reports in owners' own words.
Electrical System 1,407 Read
The contact owns a 2011 dodge charger. The contact stated that while braking to a stop, the vehicle started smoking as all of the lights on the instrument panel and dashboard started to flicker. The contact then crashed into the rear of another vehicle. There were no injuries. The contact and several child passengers…
The vehicle was completely dead on the morning of 2/24/2026. Following the proper jumping procedure, the vehicle was jumped to restore power. A message on the dash stated to "check charging system". This message is generic in nature and usually indicates a 12V battery problem. The vehicle was left on and then plugged…
Melted headlight connector.Have replace headlight connector and headlight bulb several times. Using the manufacturers recommend bulb. 9005LN. On 3/21/23 it overheated again an cause a electrical fire behind the headlight assembly. It is fleet police car and I have several cars that have the headlight connector melted…
Air Bags 485 Read
The contact owned a 2020 Dodge Charger. The contact stated that while driving at 12 MPH and attempting to complete a right turn, the vehicle suddenly began to jerk left to right. As a result, the contact briefly lost control of the vehicle, coming to a complete stop after colliding with a pole that pierced through the…
I am very need to the car free report I need to theis please jkhjhk
I bought the car brand new 2014 first problem burning smell then check engine light came on hydrolic module went out an had to be changed some how the brakes so called needed bleeded upon leaving the ralph sellers dealership service department the car brakes had to be pushed all the way to the floor just to stop…
Power Train 462 Read
Driving home from work when my vehicle lost control, when trying to steer my steering wheel straight the rear end of my vehicle locked up and ended up in a guard rail , there was nothing in the road or any pedestrian or other cars I have no idea what caused my car to lock up but I don’t know what caused my car to lock…
Unknown . Nothing appeared and there was no warning. Should I have been warned? There was no warnings or anything to prevent me from crashing except to make the best decision possible and crash into a less dangerous position
My car was parked on a hit and run on august of 2018. My car was parked on a flood march 2019, my car has repairs covered by the insurance of $19,000 and it's still in the shop. I honestly think that my vehicle is not safe for me to drive
Steering 299 Read
While driving on dirt road at about 15 or 20 mph, I was steering straight in the intended direction, without any swaying, fishtailing, the vehicle accelerated and veered left thus, coming to rest in a drain ditch....updated 10/11/17 *bf updated 10/18/17 *bf updated 7/24/18*jb
As i was driving getting ready to make a turn i suddenly lost control of my car. The steering wheel became stiff and was unable to move it ultimately causing me to crash, Dodge/Chrysler needs to get there stuff together and do something about this, this is ridiculous, would not recommend buying anything involved with…
Sudden electric power steering failure while driving along telegraph road in dearborn, michigan
Engine 245 Read
The contact owns a 2019 dodge charger. The contact stated while the vehicle was at a stand still, she saw black/blue smoke exiting from the rear and stated the vehicle began shake and make an abnormal noise. The contact stated no warning lights were illuminated at the moment. The contact stated days later, the check…
Engine fire: total loss
The contact owned a 2016 dodge charger. While the vehicle was parked, the contact noticed that the front of the vehicle was on fire. The fire department extinguished the fire. A police and a fire report were filed. No injuries were reported. The fire department determined the engine was the result of the fire. The…
Exterior Lighting 138 Read
Testetest
The contact owns a 2012 dodge charger. The contact stated that the vehicle was repaired by the previous owner per an unknown recall regarding the plug in part for the headlight, which was melting. After the contact took ownership of the vehicle, the failure recurred. The contact called jim cogdill dodge chrysler jeep…
The contact owns a 2012 dodge charger. The contact stated that the driver's side headlight failed. The contact replaced the bulb but continued to experience the failure. The contact inspected the vehicle and noticed that the low beam headlight wiring connector was melted. The contact referenced NHTSA campaign id…
Fuel/propulsion System 126 Read
To Whom It May Concern, I am writing to formally report a serious safety malfunction involving my 2025 Dodge Charger Daytona R/T Stage 1 EV. This incident has caused significant property damage. I arrived home and pulled into my driveway as I routinely do. I opened my garage door and waited for it to fully open before…
Fuel leak at the bottom of fuel filler tube around flange seal
Gas smells in vehicle recall no remedy vehicle smells unsafe. Health hazard concerns
Structure 116 Read
The contact owns a 2015 dodge charger. While the vehicle was parked and the engine was running, the vehicle accelerated, knocked the contact down, and crashed into trees. A police report was not filed. The air bags did not deploy. The contact was injured and received medical attention. The vehicle was driven to a…
04/15/2015 there was a mutual accident or faulty due to second driver being blinded by a truck on a merge into a drive thru banking at pnc bank n 87th and cottage grove chicago, illinois. I was sitting in the turn and the other car hit the vehicle at 45 mph on a 30 mph speed limit. There was minimal damage to the…
Vehicle was parked in a private condominium parking lot in lubbock, tx and popped out of park while it was running. It rolled backwards and hit a curb and bush. Driver's door was left open and driver was standing nearby. Attempted to move but was hit by the door causing some injuries. $7200 dollars worth of damage was…
Charger 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Electrical System | 1 | — | |
| 2024 | Electrical System | — | 1 | |
| 2023 | Air Bags | 3 | — | |
| 2022 | Air Bags | 3 | — | |
| 2021 | Air Bags | 2 | — | |
| 2020 | Air Bags | 10 | 2 | |
| 2019 | Air Bags | 7 | 3 | |
| 2018 | Air Bags | 5 | 1 | |
| 2017 | Air Bags | 3 | 3 | |
| 2016 | Air Bags | 7 | 2 | |
| 2015 | Air Bags | 9 | 1 | |
| 2014 | Air Bags | 36 | 7 | |
| 2013 | Air Bags | 23 | 20 | |
| 2012 | Air Bags | 19 | 44 | |
| 2011 | Air Bags | 25 | 52 | |
| 2010 | Air Bags | 11 | 8 | |
| 2009 | Air Bags | 9 | 4 | |
| 2008 | Air Bags | 17 | 21 | |
| 2007 | Air Bags | 15 | 17 | |
| 2006 | Air Bags | 21 | 10 | |
| 1985 | Electrical System | — | 1 | |
| 1984 | Electrical System | — | — |
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 | 1,139 |
| Average complaints per series | 4.6 |
| Worst single series | 85 complaints |
| Average age at failure | 5.5 years |
A model average of 4.6 hides a worst series at 85. 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
- Full research report as a PDF for the pre-purchase inspection
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- No ads, no tracking — and much more
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 Charger?
By complaint volume, 2006, 2011, 2012 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 Charger years are the cleanest?
1984, 1985, 2024 have the fewest complaints on file. For recent years that can simply mean the cars are young.
How many complaints does the Dodge Charger have?
5,192 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, covering 1984–2025. Of those, 226 describe a crash and 197 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.