321 of the
8,167 complaints filed about the Dodge Charger
are about the lighting —
4% of everything owners reported.
The worst model year for it is 2011.
While driving under normal conditions with no collision or impact, the side curtain airbag in my Dodge Charger Scat Pack deployed spontaneously. The deployment caused the headliner and pillar trim to rupture and released what appeared to be metal fragments and more. Occupants sustained scratches and narrowly avoided facial injury. I discovered there’s a recall on this airbag as this is a known issue. I brought the vehicle to an authorized Dodge dealership for diagnosis and repair. During this process, i was informed that the VIN has an active safety recall related to the airbag/SRS system. However, the dealership declined to perform recall-related inspection or repairs due to the vehicle having a rebuilt title. I’m concerned my recall remedy is being denied.
NHTSA complaint #11721443 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2019 Dodge Charger. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the headlights failed to function as intended. The headlights failed to activate as intended. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact replaced the light bulbs; however, the failure persisted. The contact was unable to drive the vehicle at night due to the failure. Upon further investigation, the contact found a recall issued by the manufacturer for the low beam headlights failing or the wiring harness melting. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was unknown.
NHTSA complaint #11703842 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2019 Dodge Charger. The contact stated that the driver's side headlight persistently failed to operate as needed, and the headlight bulb was replaced several times. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, a Police Officer pulled the contact over because the headlight was inoperable. The contact stated that upon returning to the residence, the contact and her son inspected the headlight and noticed that the headlight had melted internally. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 99,000.
NHTSA complaint #11688981 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
To whom ot may concern my 2019 dodge charger headlight went out on driver side after replacement light it still didn't work and replacement of box during the process of taking bub out bulb silver housing box was extremely hot…so hot it burned his hand and then he ask me to feel the light and also it was extremely hot after inspection of the car for hour in a half the hornest was melting I looked up the recall on those vehicle and seeing there was same recall of this issue on older models there is no way that hornest would burn unless it was extremely hot Every charger I see light is out also and I believe noone can find out the problem my mechanic told me hornest was so hot it burned out When I felt the light it burned me and thos is unsafe for this light to be that hot with no kind of fan or nothing When i say every car I see headlights are out I would like to discuss how to proceed from this issue If the issue is not the bulb then issue itz getting to hot and burning the hornest
NHTSA complaint #11688668 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ting to formally report an ongoing and unresolved safety issue with my vehicle that poses a serious risk both to myself and others on the road. The core issue appears to involve high-voltage faults and CAN bus voltage exceeding threshold limits—likely tied to the vehicle’s telematics system. Despite this, the vehicle is currently not communicating properly, and the diagnostics data are inconsistent or inaccessible. Here are the key concerns: •The vehicle has shut down multiple times while in motion, creating a dangerous situation. •It is only achieving ~10 MPG, a drastic drop from expected efficiency. •I was explicitly told not to drive it until the problem is resolved due to safety concerns. •The dealership has refused to repair the issue and has provided false information regarding diagnostic codes, which I’ve recorded for documentation. •This problem has persisted for nearly a year without resolution. At this point, I’m left with a vehicle that is unsafe to operate and a dealer network unwilling to take accountability. I’m requesting a formal investigation into this matter, as it may reflect a broader systemic or manufacturer-level issue affecting others as well. I can provide supporting documentation, service records, and recordings of diagnostic readouts as needed. Thank you for your attention to this matter.
NHTSA complaint #11677144 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
1. Headlight low/high beam keeps going out and comes back on. It seems like the wiring harness overheating, bulb is fine but continues to go out and on. 2. Transmission, does a very aggressive down shift at gear 6 it makes the car jump and if it happens too much, my car won't accelerate..I got it repaired once and it took dealer almost 30 days but it did not fix the problem..I could not afford to be without my car so I could not take it back to them.
NHTSA complaint #11660824 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
My safety & the safety of others was at great risk while driving my 2018 dodge charger sxt. While driving my dashboard lights went completely dark and the steering wheel locked. I was unable to move out of lanes threatening my life and the life of others around me. Independent mechanic put scanner in my car days later and code that appeared was “U0100 Lost Communication With ECM/PCM” I looked up my vin # on mopar.com and noticed my vehicle did have a “Important Safety Recall: Reprogram Powertrain Control Modulel”
NHTSA complaint #11615856 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Head lights become inoperable. Dealer says its a common problem. $1,500 fix. Well known power issue. Heavily discuss on the internet. Temp fix is to replace fuses that ARE NOT BLOWN. They are melting in place causing non contact. I have never seen a fuse melt and not blow. Potential dangerous situation especially if you have the owners replacing with a higher rated fuse then what is called for. The manufacturer has 20 amp mini fuses in position 15 & 16 to protect the two circuits. One for each headlamp.
NHTSA complaint #11557901 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2019 Dodge Charger. The contact stated while driving at unknown speeds, the driver's side headlight was inoperable. The 20-amp fuse was black and burned. The contact who is a mechanic who replaced the fuse. The contact stated that the fuse was warm to the touch. The contact stated that the fuse box underneath the hood was damaged. The passenger’s side headlight was inoperable. The fuse arc was burnt and was replaced. The contact stated that the failure was caused when the headlights were in the auto position. Additionally, the fuse arc prongs were bent. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact called the local dealer, who informed him there was no recall for the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The approximate failure mileage was 88,200.
NHTSA complaint #11555996 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Passenger side headlight turns off in random, and then goes off completely. Happened in 2019 and then again in 2023, for my 2015 Dodge Charger. Repair is expensive,
NHTSA complaint #11554806 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2019 Dodge Charger. The contact stated that the illumination of the headlights was inadequate for the vehicle to be driven at night. While driving the visibility was only 5 feet ahead. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the bulbs needed to be changed. The vehicle was repaired but the failure persisted. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 62,000.
NHTSA complaint #11552682 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The led light is supposed to have a constant voltage but in the day ther voltage is lower because the lights dim there needs to be a additional adjustment made or attachment so it causes the head light to fail
NHTSA complaint #11551929 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Engine: Timing chain, valve rocker arms and valve lifters. All in sequence once the rocker arms went out with the lifters which is a common problem with dodge 3.6L PenStar engine it made my timing chain go off timing causing my engine to shut off while driving. Lighting: When vehicle was purchased i noticed condensation in both head lights got 1 replaced per warranty, they would not do both at same time and within 1 month moisture was in replaced headlight again. Dodge would not replace headlights even though the malfunction was not due to any wear and tear of mine. This is extremely unsafe for drivers if both headlights go out due to extreme amounts of condensation/moisture.
NHTSA complaint #11546279 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Headlights go out when replacing. Fuel smell in cab. Engine ticking Front wheels knocking on bumps Inspection done by police Could cause major wreck all of the above
NHTSA complaint #11542221 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Headlamps are not working therefore causing a safety issue when driving at night. Initially, 2 years ago, April 2021 the driver headlamp was not working. Dodge dealership had replaced and within the year the bulb would come off and on intermittently. It cost over $400.00. On March 18, 2022 I took it back to Dodge dealership and because it was working that day they just said to bring it when it was not working? They had the car for the whole day and did not inspect anything. Now a year later both of my headlamps are not working and took it back to them again. Now my fuses are melted and have been told by them that the cars electrical system is faulty. The car will need a new PDC Power Distribution Center unit that controls the electrical power which is no longer made. He found a dealer that has the unit available but also includes the wires harness . The charge for this including labor is 5300 if he the dealer will sell it to him. He did not advise of price for part and labor separately. The dealer charged me 212.00 to tell me this. Meanwhile I have a car that is only 7 years old that I cannot drive safely at night and it will not pass motor vehicle inspection which is in 2 weeks. Therefore, now I own a car I cannot legally have on the road because of this issue with the headlamps.
NHTSA complaint #11540982 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
When I purchased the car it had been used as a police car in the state of Mississippi. So after I bought the car I checked for any recalls and found it to have 2 open recalls. 1 was a passenger side airbag and the other was the alternator. So I contacted Moss motor company in South Pittsburg Tennessee and they agreed to do the recalls. After they had finished installing the air bag they told me the alternator wasn't required for change out because the part number listed on it wasn't warranted. So I did some investigating and found my part number to be 7030. The part numbers not required for change out is 7051-7031-and 7170.. It's listed under the NHTSA S68/16v-739 recall. Since I've had the car I have had blinking headlight issues.. I have a little bit of automobile knowledge and I knew it had to be a grounding problem or a alternator problem. So I even added a couple of grounds from the engine to the chassis with no improvement. So I contacted a good friend of mine whom is a retired Dodge Chrysler master technician and he agreed to check my alternator for fluctuating amperage. He placed a device around the lead wire coming from the alternator to the battery and when he did the needle was constantly fluctuating very rapidly probably 2/3 across the entire dial. So there is no question whatsoever the alternator is the source of the problem. There's one more issue I would like to report. When I carried my car in for the recalls to be performed the technician didn't even bother to raise the hood of the car to check the part number on the alternator.. The reason I know this is because he didn't take my car to the shop area, he pulled my car in front of the high bay doors and installed the passenger side airbag.. I did witness this.. But not 1 time did I see him raise the hood. It took me a 30x magnifying glass and a flashlight to take the photo clearly showing the part number on my current alternator that was supposed to be changed. Photo attached is part number.
NHTSA complaint #11529695 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.