U.S. public vehicle records

Dodge CHALLENGER problems and owner complaints

Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.

Key facts

1,691 owner complaints analyzed

44 distinct recall campaigns

40,000 mi median reported failure mileage

Scope: 1970 to 2023 model years. Data snapshot: 2026-09-12 (September 12, 2026). 1,087 complaints include usable failure mileage.

Owner-reported patterns

Most common problems

Electrical System is the most frequently named component, appearing in 594 of 1,691 complaints (35.1%). A complaint can name multiple components.

Recurring terms in complaint narratives
Topic	Matching reports	Share of complaints
Electrical and battery issues	392	23.2%
Steering behavior	219	13.0%
Braking behavior	210	12.4%
Engine operation	194	11.5%
Transmission and shifting	127	7.5%
Fuel system concerns	43	2.5%

Topic matches use published keyword rules. They describe mentions, including negations or comparisons, and do not confirm a diagnosis. Read the matching rules.

Component breakdown

Number of unique complaints naming each component. Top eight shown.

Electrical System

594

Engine

283

Air Bags

279

Unknown Or Other

184

Power Train

173

Steering

146

Service Brakes

Fuel/Propulsion System

Electrical System: 594; Engine: 283; Air Bags: 279; Unknown Or Other: 184; Power Train: 173; Steering: 146; Service Brakes: 95; Fuel/Propulsion System: 80

Reported problems by failure mileage

Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.

Under 25,000

371

25,000 to 49,999

274

50,000 to 74,999

232

75,000 to 99,999

100

100,000 to 149,999

150,000 and above

Under 25,000: 371; 25,000 to 49,999: 274; 50,000 to 74,999: 232; 75,000 to 99,999: 100; 100,000 to 149,999: 85; 150,000 and above: 25

Under 25,000 miles has the most reports with usable mileage (371). 604 complaints have missing, zero or invalid mileage.

Complaints over time

Year the complaint was filed, not the vehicle model year or incident year. The snapshot year is partial.

1995

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

118

2015

264

2016

143

2017

165

2018

150

2019

155

2020

134

2021

2022

2023

2024

2025

2026

1995: 1; 2009: 10; 2010: 31; 2011: 46; 2012: 45; 2013: 61; 2014: 118; 2015: 264; 2016: 143; 2017: 165; 2018: 150; 2019: 155; 2020: 134; 2021: 89; 2022: 50; 2023: 60; 2024: 71; 2025: 64; 2026: 34

Pattern summary

Electrical System leads the component reports. Electrical and battery issues appears in 392 complaint narratives. Steering behavior appears in 219 complaint narratives. Braking behavior appears in 210 complaint narratives. Use these patterns to inspect individual reports and prepare questions for a mechanic.

Calculated from recorded counts. An AI narrative has not been published for this selection.

Complaint evidence

Examples provide context, not a representative sample or a verified diagnosis.

Owner report 10289239 · 2009-10-21 (October 21, 2009)

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 DODGE CHALLENGER(NA). WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED IT CAUGHT FIRE. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT EXTINGUISHED THE FLAMES. AN INVESTIGATOR CONCLUDED THAT THE FIRE WAS CAUSED BY AN ELECTRICAL FAILURE. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 1000.

Owner-reported narrative. 1,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10289239 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10443633 · 2012-01-12 (January 12, 2012)

AFTER BATTERY AND CABLES RECALL PERFORMED AND NEW KEY FOBS PROGRAMMED DUE TO "NO KEY FOB PRESENT" ,CAR WOULD INTERMITTENTLY START. PUSH BUTTON OR FOB IN DASH, MADE NO DIFFERENCE. CAR WOULD "THUNK" OR "START AND IMMEDIATELY SHUT OFF" AND FINALLY THE SAFETY ISSUE THE CAR WOULD SHUT OFF WHILE DRIVING NO MATTER WHAT THE SPEED! ALL THE LIGHTS ON THE DASH WOULD COME ON BUT THE ENGINE WOULD BE DEAD. IT DIED ON ME COMING UP A STEEP HILL MERGE LANE, MAKING TURNS, ON THE HIGHWAY, EVEN IN MY OWN DRIVEWAY. HAD THE CAR TO MY PURCHASE DEALER TWICE AN…

Owner-reported narrative. 21,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10443633 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10348967 · 2010-08-12 (August 12, 2010)

1. SLOWING DOWN TO MAKE A LEFT OR RIGHT HAND TURN. 2. CAR STALLS AND ENGINE DIES ELIMINATING ALL POWER STEERING BRAKES, ETC. 3. CAR HAS TO BE PUT IN NEUTRAL AND RESTARTED. 4. CEL WILL COME ON BUT GOES OUT AFTER RESTART. 5. ISSUE HAS OCCURRED THREE TIMES WITH TWO DIFFERENT ENGINES. 6. THE LAST INCIDENT HAPPENED IN A BUSY INTERSECTION AND ALMOST GOT ME REAR ENDED. *TR

Owner-reported narrative. 13,500 miles reported. Look up ODI 10348967 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10354485 · 2010-09-08 (September 8, 2010)

2009 DODGE CHALLENGER, COMPLETE ENGINE SHUTOFF AFTER DECELERATING. VERY DANGEROUS. BREAKS AND STEERING SHUT OFF. HAS HAPPENED 4 TIMES TO ME. THERE ARE DOZENS OF REPORTS OF THIS LOCATED HERE: HTTP://WWW.CHALLENGERTALK.COM/FORUMS/F36/ENGINE-STALLING-35997/. *TR

Owner-reported narrative. 1,200 miles reported. Look up ODI 10354485 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10265124 · 2009-04-13 (April 13, 2009)

2009 DODGE CHALLENGER--THROTTLE STICKING-BRAKE PEDAL PRESSED-RPMS REV. *TR

Owner-reported narrative. 187 miles reported. Look up ODI 10265124 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10289230 · 2009-10-21 (October 21, 2009)

BRAKES THAT CONTINUE TO FADE AND SHUTTER UNDER EMERGENCY BRAKING. *TR

Owner-reported narrative. 2,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10289230 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10995448 · 2017-06-16 (June 16, 2017)

EXITING THE FREEWAY VIA OFF RAMP THE CAR SUDDENLY STALLED AND JUST AS QUICK AS IT STALL IT STARTED BACK UP. THE WHOLE TIME IT WAS IN GEAR AND I NEVER TOUCHED ANYTHING. ABOUT A MILE PRIOR ON THE FREEWAY I SMELT GAS BUT ONLY FOR A MINUTE AND NEVER AGAIN. I WAS APPROXIMATELY 8 MILES FROM HOME AND DIDN'T HAVE ANYMORE PROBLEMS OR THE GAS SMELL. I CHECK MY MENU FOR ANY PROBLEMS BUT THE SYSTEM SAID OK BUT AFTER I GOT HOME AND TURNED THE CAR OFF AND THEN BACK ON THE SYSTEM SAID WARNING CONTACT DEALER. THIS IS DANGEROUS TO HAVE A CALL STALL SUDDENLY.…

Owner-reported narrative. 57,427 miles reported. Look up ODI 10995448 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 11317007 · 2020-03-09 (March 9, 2020)

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 DODGE CHALLENGER. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH, THE VEHICLE DECELERATED AND STALLED. THE CONTACT STATED NO WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT RESTARTED THE VEHICLE AND THE VEHICLE OPERATED AS INTENDED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE STARTER, CRANKSHAFT AND CRANKSHAFT SENSOR WAS REPLACED PREVIOUSLY. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC HOWEVER, THE MECHANIC WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. NEITHER THE DEALER NOR THE MANUFACTURED WAS NOTIFIED…

Owner-reported narrative. 120,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 11317007 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10279815 · 2009-08-09 (August 9, 2009)

2009 DODGE CHALLENGER R/T LOSES POWER WHILE UNDER LOAD SUCH AS GOING UP HILLS OR PASSING; AND THE RPM PULSATES. THIS CONDITION APPEARS TO OCCUR MORE IN HOT WEATHER. UPON DECELERATION, TRANSMISSION SHIFTS SO ROUGHLY THAT VEHICLE LOST TRACTION IN SLIPPERY ROAD CONDITIONS, AND NEARLY RESULTED IN A CRASH. THESE APPEAR TO BE TWO SEPARATE CONDITIONS THAT MAKE THE VEHICLE EXTREMELY UNSAFE. *TR

Owner-reported narrative. 1,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10279815 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10280660 · 2009-08-17 (August 17, 2009)

I OWN A 2009 DODGE CHALLENGER SRT. I WAS DRIVING 30MPH DOWN A STREET, HONKED THE HORN AND BRAKED AT THE SAME TIME AND MY CAR COMPLETELY TURNED OFF WHILE STILL IN DRIVE. I HAVE ASKED ALL AMERICAN IN ODESSA WHERE I PURCHASED THE CAR TO FIX IT AND THEY TOLD ME THAT THERE IS NO RECALL ON MY MODEL CAR. I PRINTED OUT RECALL #08V458000 ON THE POWER TRAIN AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. APPARENTLY A MODULE IS TO BE REPLACED SO THAT THE CAR WILL NOT BE ABLE TO TURN OFF UNLESS IT IS IN PARK ONLY. THIS SOUNDS LIKE THE PROBLEM THAT I HAD. THE TECHNICIAN AT AL…

Owner-reported narrative. 3,500 miles reported. Look up ODI 10280660 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 11760165 · 2026-08-27 (August 27, 2026)

Fuel Pump complete failure. No warning lights, etc. Went out at a stoplight. Vehicle restart was random and would run for only a few seconds. Luckily wasn't in the middle of intersection, but was a busy road, I was in left turn lane and created safety issue. I had warning flashers on but still caused a concern of getting hit. I kept seat belt on and called and got tow truck. Took it to Dodge dealer, they confirmed vehicle would not run long enough to move. Fuel pump failure. Upon my own investigation, the issue appears common and is d…

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11760165 at NHTSA ↗

Compare model years

Recalls by model year

All campaigns in the snapshot affecting each model year, including recalls announced years later.

From yearThrough year

Recall campaigns

Shared campaigns appear once in each affected model year.

2008