2012 Dodge CHARGER

Problems, Recalls & Reliability Report

Avoid This Year

Quick Summary

The 2012 Dodge CHARGER has 957 owner complaints filed with NHTSA — that's 12.0x the segment average of 80. The most common issue is electrical problems (38% of all complaints), specifically: car malfunctioned twice at high rate of speeds within days of each other. extremely dangerous driving conditions. car currently being towed again but not fixed.received recall notice approximately 15 hours after car fixed first time, indicating the recall was a known problem because of timeframe. no. ⚠️ 69 fire reports filed.

69 fire reports 33 crash reports 22 injuries

957

Total Complaints

Recalls Issued

—/5

Safety Stars

12.0x

vs Segment Avg

Known Problems

ELECTRICAL

365 complaints

38%

• CAR MALFUNCTIONED TWICE AT HIGH RATE OF SPEEDS WITHIN DAYS OF EACH OTHER. EXTREMELY DANGEROUS DRIVING CONDITIONS. CAR CURRENTLY BEING TOWED AGAIN BUT NOT FIXED.RECEIVED RECALL NOTICE APPROXIMATELY 15 HOURS AFTER CAR FIXED FIRST TIME, INDICATING THE RECALL WAS A KNOWN PROBLEM BECAUSE OF TIMEFRAME. NO
• WE BOUGHT THIS VEHICLE ON MAY 6 , 2013, TWO HOURS LATER THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WENT ON. TOOK IT TO AUTOZONE AND HOOKED IT TO THE COMPUTER SAID IT WAS THE TRANSMISSION. PROCEEDED TO TAKE IT TO THE DEALER ON MAY 7TH 2013 WHERE THEY RAN A TEST AND FOUND CODE P0741 -U0002- CHECKED FOR CONTAMINATED FLUI
• 2012 DODGE CHARGER LOW BEAM HEADLIGHT ON THE DRIVER SIDE CONTINUES TO GO OUT. I HAVE A MELTED/FRIED HARNESS AND EXPOSED WIRING. HAS BEEN GOING OUT FOR SEVERAL MONTHS. I HAVE TO REPLACE BULBS CONTINUOUSLY BOTH OEM AND AFTER MARKET BULBS. THERE ARE OTHER OWNERS EXPERIENCING THE SAME ISSUE, ESPECIALL

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500🔥 39 fire reports💥 8 crashes

“CAR MALFUNCTIONED TWICE AT HIGH RATE OF SPEEDS WITHIN DAYS OF EACH OTHER. EXTREMELY DANGEROUS DRIVING CONDITIONS. CAR CURRENTLY BEING TOWED AGAIN BUT NOT FIXED.RECEIVED RECALL NOTICE APPROXIMATELY 15 HOURS AFTER CAR FIXED FIRST TIME, INDICATING THE RECALL WAS A KNOWN PROBLEM BECAUSE OF TIMEFRAME. NO”

— NHTSA complaint filing

AIR BAGS

111 complaints

12%

• MY CHARGER HAS 2,317 MILES. DURING DRIVING THE AIR BAG LIGHT TURN ON WITH A CHIME. THE LIGHT CONTINUE ON. I TURN THE CAR OFF AND TURNED ON AGAIN AND THE LIGHT CONTINUE. I STOP USING THE CAR SINCE I HEARD THAT THE AIR BAG WHEN THIS OCCURRED SHUT DOWN AND DON'T WORK AND IF I HAVE ANY ACCIDENT, I AM
• TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 DODGE CHARGER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE STOPPED, HE WAS CRASHED INTO FROM THE REAR BY ANOTHER VEHICLE TRAVELING 55 MPH AND WAS PUSHED INTO A PRECEDING VEHICLE. UPON IMPACT, THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED NECK, SHOULDER AND HEAD INJURIES. THE VEH
• WHILE DRIVING, AIRBAG LIGHT CAME ON. HAS COME ON INTERMITTENTLY IN THE PAST. ONLINE SEARCH INDICATES THAT IT IS LIKELY WIRING TO A SENSOR UNDER THE PASSENGER SEAT, SEEMS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM. WIGGLED WIRING UNDER SEAT AND LIGHT TURNED OFF. WILL HAVE DEALER LOOK INTO PROBLEM AT NEXT SCHEDULED S

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500💥 13 crashes

“MY CHARGER HAS 2,317 MILES. DURING DRIVING THE AIR BAG LIGHT TURN ON WITH A CHIME. THE LIGHT CONTINUE ON. I TURN THE CAR OFF AND TURNED ON AGAIN AND THE LIGHT CONTINUE. I STOP USING THE CAR SINCE I HEARD THAT THE AIR BAG WHEN THIS OCCURRED SHUT DOWN AND DON'T WORK AND IF I HAVE ANY ACCIDENT, I AM ”

— NHTSA complaint filing

ENGINE

97 complaints

10%

• I HAVE A 2012 DODGE CHARGER RT HEMI WITH 5.7L. THE ENGINE WAS DAMAGED WHILE DRIVING THROUGH AN INTERSECTION WITH ABOUT 5-6 INCHES OF WATER LEFT BY A HEAVY RAIN. MY HUSBAND WAS DRIVING SLOW, FOLLOWING A PROCESSION OF VEHICLES WHICH ALL HAD SUCCESSFULLY DRIVEN THROUGH. ABOUT 10 MINUTES LATER THE ENGIN
• DRIVING HOME FROM PIGEON FORGE, TN OUR 2012 DODGE CHARGER WITH THE 5.7 HEMI SHUT DOWN. THE ENGINE JUST DIED AND WE COASTED TO THE SHOULDER GETTING ALMOST HIT SEVERAL TIMES. THIS HAPPEN ON THE INTERSTATE 40 JUST OUT OF KNOXVILLE WE WERE RUNNING THE SPEED LIMIT WHEN THE ENGINE SHUTDOWN WITH NO WARNING
• MY CAR HAS BEEN DYEING RANDOMLY SINCE I PURCHASED IT. I HAVE TAKEN IT BACK TO THE DEALER AND THEY CAN FIND NO CODES AND WIPE THE COMPUTER. THE FIRST TIME IT HAPPENED, I HAD ONLY HAD THE CAR FOR A WEEK. IT HAPPENS WHEN I AM DRIVING AND THERE IS NOTHING THAT IS KNOCKING ANY COMPONENTS. IT COASTS TO A

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500🔥 12 fire reports

“I HAVE A 2012 DODGE CHARGER RT HEMI WITH 5.7L. THE ENGINE WAS DAMAGED WHILE DRIVING THROUGH AN INTERSECTION WITH ABOUT 5-6 INCHES OF WATER LEFT BY A HEAVY RAIN. MY HUSBAND WAS DRIVING SLOW, FOLLOWING A PROCESSION OF VEHICLES WHICH ALL HAD SUCCESSFULLY DRIVEN THROUGH. ABOUT 10 MINUTES LATER THE ENGIN”

— NHTSA complaint filing

TRANSMISSION

65 complaints

• I PURCHASED A BRAND NEW 2012 DODGE CHARGER ON MARCH 23, 2012. SHORTLY AFTER THE PURCHASE I NOTICED THE CAR HAD A HARD SHIFT WHEN I SHIFTED THROUGH THE GEARS (PARK, REVERSE, NEUTRAL, AND DRIVE), AND I COULD HEAR A LOUD POP WHEN I WAS SHIFTING. I THOUGHT THE LOUD POP WAS COMING FROM THE TRANSMISSION
• CAR ROLLED EVENTHOUGH VEHICLE WAS IN PARK AND VEHICLE WAS NOT RUNNING. 1ST INCIDENT HAPPENED WITHIN 10 MIN OF WALKING AWAY FROM CAR, ROLLED INTO ANOTHER CAR. 2ND INCIDENT HAPPENED NEARLY 2 HOURS AFTER BEING PARKED, AND 3RD INCIDENT HAPPENED WITHIN 1 HOUR OF BEING PARKED ON SLIGHT INCLINE. DEALER
• WE BOUGHT THIS VEHICLE ON MAY 6 , 2013, TWO HOURS LATER THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WENT ON. TOOK IT TO AUTOZONE AND HOOKED IT TO THE COMPUTER SAID IT WAS THE TRANSMISSION. PROCEEDED TO TAKE IT TO THE DEALER ON MAY 7TH 2013 WHERE THEY RAN A TEST AND FOUND CODE P0741 -U0002- CHECKED FOR CONTAMINATED FLUI

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500🔥 2 fire reports💥 5 crashes

“I PURCHASED A BRAND NEW 2012 DODGE CHARGER ON MARCH 23, 2012. SHORTLY AFTER THE PURCHASE I NOTICED THE CAR HAD A HARD SHIFT WHEN I SHIFTED THROUGH THE GEARS (PARK, REVERSE, NEUTRAL, AND DRIVE), AND I COULD HEAR A LOUD POP WHEN I WAS SHIFTING. I THOUGHT THE LOUD POP WAS COMING FROM THE TRANSMISSION”

— NHTSA complaint filing

STEERING

53 complaints

• 2012 DODGE CHARGER SXT PLUS HAS BEEN DRIVING DIFFERENTLY, THE SHIFTER/GEAR KEPT STICKING AND WOULD REQUIRE TWO OR THREE ATTEMPTS TO GET IT INTO THE RIGHT GEAR, ALSO HEAVY VIBRATION UNDER MY FEET AND THEN THE STEERING WHEEL STARTED TO MAKE A LOUD WHINING SOUND, THAT THEY HAVE YET TO DIAGNOSE BUT STAT
• WE WERE DRIVING AND THE ABS AND SKID LIGHTS ILLUMINATED ON THE DASH, ALL THE FUNCTION LIGHTS ILLUMINATED THE STEERING COLUMN LOCKED AND THE CAR JUST HALTED AND STALLED. EVERYTHING WAS DEAD, UNABLE TO START AND THE WIPERS WERE GOING. THE WIPERS WERE NEVER TURNED ON BUT KEPT RUNNING DESPITE THE CAR BE
• WHILE DRIVING MY SEVERAL OF MY DASHBOARD LIGHTS FLICKERED WHILE DRIVING OVER 50 MILES AN HOUR (NOTE: ALTHOUGH I SELECTED 50 MPH, I DROVE AT VARYING SPEEDS DUE TO START/STOP TRAFFIC - THE INITIAL ISSUES HAPPENED AT ABOVE 50 MPH), I STARTED SMELLING BURNING SMELL - LIKELY WIRES AND BECAME CONCERNED, I

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500🔥 3 fire reports💥 2 crashes

“2012 DODGE CHARGER SXT PLUS HAS BEEN DRIVING DIFFERENTLY, THE SHIFTER/GEAR KEPT STICKING AND WOULD REQUIRE TWO OR THREE ATTEMPTS TO GET IT INTO THE RIGHT GEAR, ALSO HEAVY VIBRATION UNDER MY FEET AND THEN THE STEERING WHEEL STARTED TO MAKE A LOUD WHINING SOUND, THAT THEY HAVE YET TO DIAGNOSE BUT STAT”

— NHTSA complaint filing

Estimated Repair Costs

ELECTRICAL(~50K mi)

$500

AIR BAGS(~50K mi)

$500

ENGINE(~50K mi)

$500

TRANSMISSION(~50K mi)

$500

STEERING(~50K mi)

$500

Estimates based on average reported repair costs. Actual costs vary by location, shop, and severity.

🔍 Pre-Purchase Inspection Checklist

Based on 957 owner complaints for this specific year, here's what to check or ask about:

☐
ELECTRICAL: CAR MALFUNCTIONED TWICE AT HIGH RATE OF SPEEDS WITHIN DAYS OF EACH OTHER. EXTREMELY DANGEROUS DRIVING CONDITIONS. CAR CURRENTLY BEING TOWED AGAIN BUT NOT FIXED.RECEIVED RECALL NOTICE APPROXIMATELY 15 HOURS AFTER CAR FIXED FIRST TIME, INDICATING THE RECALL WAS A KNOWN PROBLEM BECAUSE OF TIMEFRAME. NO
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
AIR BAGS: MY CHARGER HAS 2,317 MILES. DURING DRIVING THE AIR BAG LIGHT TURN ON WITH A CHIME. THE LIGHT CONTINUE ON. I TURN THE CAR OFF AND TURNED ON AGAIN AND THE LIGHT CONTINUE. I STOP USING THE CAR SINCE I HEARD THAT THE AIR BAG WHEN THIS OCCURRED SHUT DOWN AND DON'T WORK AND IF I HAVE ANY ACCIDENT, I AM
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
ENGINE: I HAVE A 2012 DODGE CHARGER RT HEMI WITH 5.7L. THE ENGINE WAS DAMAGED WHILE DRIVING THROUGH AN INTERSECTION WITH ABOUT 5-6 INCHES OF WATER LEFT BY A HEAVY RAIN. MY HUSBAND WAS DRIVING SLOW, FOLLOWING A PROCESSION OF VEHICLES WHICH ALL HAD SUCCESSFULLY DRIVEN THROUGH. ABOUT 10 MINUTES LATER THE ENGIN
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
TRANSMISSION: I PURCHASED A BRAND NEW 2012 DODGE CHARGER ON MARCH 23, 2012. SHORTLY AFTER THE PURCHASE I NOTICED THE CAR HAD A HARD SHIFT WHEN I SHIFTED THROUGH THE GEARS (PARK, REVERSE, NEUTRAL, AND DRIVE), AND I COULD HEAR A LOUD POP WHEN I WAS SHIFTING. I THOUGHT THE LOUD POP WAS COMING FROM THE TRANSMISSION
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
General: Get a pre-purchase inspection from an independent mechanic ($100-$200)