What breaks most · 2008 to 2019 model years
Dodge Challenger problems by year
Owners have filed 1,090 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Dodge Challenger across model years 2008 to 2019. Three years stand out: 2010 for air bags complaints, 2012 for electrical system complaints and 2011 for electrical system complaints. The quietest years are 2008, 2017 and 2016.
- Years to check closely: 2010, 2012, 2011
- Fewest complaints: 2008, 2017, 2016
- Complaints on file
- 10902008 to 2019, all trims
- Worst year
- 2010263 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 7732 fires · 69 injuries · 0 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 38kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 57Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | 0 | 3 | Air bags (4) | |
| 114 | 6 | 7 | Air bags (36) | |
| 263 | 10 | 7 | Air bags (69) | |
| 160 | 5 | 6 | Electrical system (93) | |
| 214 | 11 | 6 | Electrical system (122) | |
| 120 | 6 | 5 | Electrical system (74) | |
| 89 | 13 | 5 | Electrical system (45) | |
| 66 | 13 | 6 | Engine (16) | |
| 30 | 7 | 2 | Air bags (8) | |
| 8 | 1 | 3 | Unknown or other (3) | |
| 16 | 5 | 4 | Electrical system (5) | |
| 2 | 0 | 3 | Powertrain and transmission (2) |
What fails on the 2010 Dodge Challenger
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air bags | 26% |
69 | 8 | Check recalls for air bags on NHTSA.gov |
| EngineEngine gaskets and seals | 23% |
61 | 0 | Shop engine parts for the 2010 Dodge Challenger |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 21% |
56 | 1 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2010 Dodge Challenger |
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 12% |
31 | 0 | Shop engine and cooling parts for the 2010 Dodge Challenger |
| SteeringPower steering pumps, racks and hoses | 12% |
31 | 0 | Shop steering parts for the 2010 Dodge Challenger |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 11% |
30 | 1 | Shop powertrain and transmission parts for the 2010 Dodge Challenger |
| BrakesBrake pads, rotors and calipers | 8% |
22 | 1 | Shop brakes parts for the 2010 Dodge Challenger |
| Unknown or other | 6% |
15 | 0 | — |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
-
My car lost complete power while turning in a residential area. The vehicle is dead and will not start. The vehicle shut down with no warning. This is a couple months after having a timing chain recall repair. Did the chain fail anyway?
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My driver side window constantly rolls up and down and it drains my battery in moments. I dont know if my alternator is going back because even after i replaced my battery 2 times it takes forever to jump my car off. I dont understand how a faulty window can cause this
-
The. Car continues to die without reason. Woke up one morning car would not start. Jumped car and it ran with no problem. Shut car off and would not start. Replaced battery still will only start when jumped. Once started car runs fine.
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 30, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Dodge Challenger years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2010, 2012, 2011 carry the most filings on the Dodge Challenger. The 2010 alone has 263 complaints, led by air bags.
What is the most common Dodge Challenger problem?
On the 2010 model year, the most-reported component is air bags with 69 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Dodge Challenger problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Dodge Challenger complaints that include mileage is about 38,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.