What breaks most · 2008 to 2023 model years
Dodge Challenger problems by year
Owners have filed 1,689 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Dodge Challenger across model years 2008 to 2023. Three years stand out: 2010 for engine complaints, 2012 for electrical system complaints and 2011 for electrical system complaints. The quietest years are 2008, 2021 and 2020.
- Years to check closely: 2010, 2012, 2011
- Fewest complaints: 2008, 2021, 2020
- Complaints on file
- 16892008 to 2023, all trims
- Worst year
- 2010298 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 11054 fires · 99 injuries · 0 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 42kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 64Across 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 1 | 3 | Air bags (4) | |
| 133 | 8 | 7 | Air bags (41) | |
| 298 | 10 | 7 | Engine (75) | |
| 193 | 5 | 6 | Electrical system (103) | |
| 253 | 11 | 6 | Electrical system (138) | |
| 179 | 6 | 5 | Electrical system (104) | |
| 148 | 16 | 5 | Electrical system (61) | |
| 126 | 16 | 6 | Powertrain and transmission (29) | |
| 78 | 10 | 2 | Powertrain and transmission (16) | |
| 49 | 7 | 3 | Unknown or other (16) | |
| 75 | 9 | 4 | Electrical system (28) | |
| 58 | 5 | 3 | Electrical system (17) | |
| 20 | 1 | 1 | Electrical system (7) | |
| 19 | 4 | 2 | Electrical system (4) | |
| 9 | 1 | 2 | Seat belts (2) | |
| 41 | 0 | 2 | Wipers and visibility (13) |
What fails on the 2010 Dodge Challenger
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EngineEngine gaskets and seals | 25% |
75 | 0 | Shop engine parts for the 2010 Dodge Challenger |
| Air bags | 25% |
75 | 8 | Check recalls for air bags on NHTSA.gov |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 23% |
68 | 1 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2010 Dodge Challenger |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 12% |
36 | 1 | Shop powertrain and transmission parts for the 2010 Dodge Challenger |
| SteeringPower steering pumps, racks and hoses | 11% |
33 | 0 | Shop steering parts for the 2010 Dodge Challenger |
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 10% |
31 | 0 | Shop engine and cooling parts for the 2010 Dodge Challenger |
| BrakesBrake pads, rotors and calipers | 8% |
24 | 1 | Shop brakes parts for the 2010 Dodge Challenger |
| Unknown or other | 7% |
22 | 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 wont start i replaced the alternator and the battery a few times. But somthing keeps draining the battery. Where i have been stalled on highway 5 late at night.
-
Window keeps going up and down fixed it at the shop the door lock actuator is the problem had passenger side fixed now the driver side is doing it which is draining my battery seems like a lot of cars have this issue
-
their is a common problem with the dash light panels going out making it unsafe ,unable to see speedomiter at night ,the repair is to have the whole gauge cluster replaced that also fails
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 6, 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 298 complaints, led by engine.
What is the most common Dodge Challenger problem?
On the 2010 model year, the most-reported component is engine with 75 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 42,000 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.