Dodge Charger
Problems & Worst Years
Every reported problem for the Dodge Charger, model year by model year — ranked from 256 federal NHTSA complaints across 2010–2019.
Depending on the year, a used Dodge Charger presents two very different complaint profiles. The 2010 file (94 occurrences) is the more serious in character: airbag deployment failure during a crash (20 reports), stalling and engine failure at high speed (20), engine stalls at idle attributed to the electrical system (10), and keys sticking in the ignition (20). Campaign 10V200 is on record for that year. The 2019 file (46 occurrences) circles back to airbags — its top complaint, at safety severity, is an airbag recall not addressed in a timely manner (20 reports), with airbag system malfunction adding 7 more; recalls 19V203 and 19V758 apply.
The middle years tell a different story: build quality and screens. The 2016's leading complaints are door panels separating from the door frames (28 reports) and doors detaching (10), with campaign 18E053 on record. For 2017 and 2018, the UConnect touchscreen takes over — delaminating and malfunctioning drew 16 reports in 2017, and touchscreen delamination appears twice in the 2018 top five for 26 combined, alongside radio and infotainment failures and more door panel complaints. Recalls 17V496 and 18V332 attach to the 2017; 18V332 and 18V524 to the 2018. Scattered mechanical items appear at lower counts — engine timing issues and a steering wheel locking up during driving (2017), brake pads not sweeping the full rotor surface (2019), and a fuel pump failure with gas leakage (2016).
Your inspection should match the year. On a 2010, prioritize the stalling history and the airbag system; on 2016–2018 cars, tug every door panel and study the touchscreen for bubbling or ghost inputs, treating these as negotiation items rather than dealbreakers; on any year, run the VIN through NHTSA's recall lookup — frustration over incomplete recall work is itself a recurring complaint here. And keep the counts in context: they're owner filings rather than measured failure rates, newer cars have had less time to accumulate them, and a pre-purchase inspection with real service records outranks the model year every time.
Dodge Charger problems by year
Complaint volume by model year (bar = relative to the worst year). Theworst yearsare the most-complained-about, weighted by safety-risk problems.
| Year | Complaint volume | Problems | Safety / High | Most common problem |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010worst | 57 | 11 | 0/6 | Stalling and engine failure at high speed Engine · 20 complaints |
| 2016worst | 54 | 7 | 0/5 | Door panel separation from door frame Other · 28 complaints |
| 2017 | 47 | 10 | 0/2 | UConnect Screen Delaminating and Malfunctioning Electrical · 16 complaints |
| 2018 | 53 | 12 | 0/5 | Delamination of UConnect Touchscreen Electrical · 15 complaints |
| 2019worst | 45 | 6 | 2/1 | Airbag Recall Not Addressed Timely Other · 20 complaints |
Data source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) owner complaints and recalls, 2010–2019. Problem clustering and year rankings are derived from the complaint record; complaint volume reflects reports filed, not total incidence or fault rate. Vehicle image is illustrative.