Buyer Research

2013 Dodge Challenger — Should You Buy One?

Typical asking price: $11,000–$19,000. There are 3 high-severity known issues you need to know before handing over a check.

Deciding between model years? Compare the 14 Dodge Challenger years we've written up →

Kestrel Take

The third year of this Challenger and the electrical record gets worse, not better: 104 of 179 complaints (58%) and nine of the ten fires sit in that one cluster. Three things live there — the alternator that quits at speed (two recalls, shared with the 2011 and 2012), a V6 battery cable that can short and burn (a 2013-only recall for a seven-week build window), and the door glass that cycles on its own and flattens the battery. The engine cluster is early-Pentastar cylinder heads and a torque-converter code, and the airbag cluster rides on two Takata inflator recalls. None of it is hidden; all of it is checkable in an afternoon with the VIN, a voltmeter and a cold start. Buy a 2013 with the recall list closed and the charging system tested, and negotiate hard on any car where the seller cannot produce either.

What we checked

Reconciled against public records, 2026-09-25

NHTSA holds 179 owner complaints for the 2013 Dodge Challenger, and 5 recall campaigns.

A big number here usually means a lot of these were sold, not that it is a bad vehicle — popular models collect more complaints for the same rate of trouble. So the total on its own says little. What is worth reading is the shape of it. 58% of them are about one thing — electrics and electronics. That much concentration is a genuine pattern rather than background noise, and it is the first thing to check on any example you look at.

5 recall campaigns cover this model year. Recalls are repaired free, for any owner, with no time limit on most safety campaigns — but only if someone books it in. Ask the seller to show it was done, or have any dealer check the VIN; it takes them a couple of minutes and costs nothing.

Counts come from the NHTSA complaint and recall database — free, public, and worth checking yourself.

Known Issues for the 2013 Dodge Challenger

Ranked by wallet impact. These are documented, recurring problems — not freak accidents. How we decide that.

Alternator failure at speed and a V6 battery-cable short — three electrical recalls, nine firesHigh — wallet impact

Nine of this year's ten fire reports are electrical. Recall 13V103 is specific to 2013 V6 cars built December 3, 2012 to January 24, 2013: the battery positive cable at the starter can short to ground and start a fire, and Chrysler told owners to stop driving until it was fixed. Recalls 14V634 and 17V435 are the alternator — a whine, a hot smell, warning lights, then the engine dies and the power steering goes with it. One owner's car caught fire at a red light with 20,000 miles on it. Several complaints are people who were told parts were unavailable, so an open campaign today means it was never done. Check all three on the VIN, then load-test the alternator: 13.8–14.4 volts at idle with headlights and blower on, no whine.

Repair cost: $0 with the recall — verify it was performed; $450–$950 for an alternator outside the campaign

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under electrics and electronics (104); 5 NHTSA recall campaigns on this model year.

Windows that operate themselves after the car is off, draining the battery overnightMedium

The other half of the electrical cluster. Owners describe the driver's or passenger's glass rolling down on its own while driving, or cycling after the key is out until the battery is dead by morning; one owner's car stalled while he worked the window switch. Owners cite a Chrysler service bulletin on the express-window logic; the usual repair is the master switch or the door module, and a dead battery on a modern Chrysler can throw a cascade of unrelated warning lights. Lock the car and watch the glass for a full minute. Ask when the battery was last replaced and why.

Repair cost (estimate): $150–$700

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under electrics and electronics (104).

Pentastar left cylinder head, and a torque-converter code that shows up as a power lossHigh — wallet impact

Twenty-seven engine complaints, two with fire. The 3.6L Pentastar's left-bank cylinder head is the known one — a misfire on cylinder 2, a tick from the driver's side, and a head replacement; Chrysler extended coverage on early 2011–2013 engines and one owner here writes that the repaired head still misfires. Ask a Dodge dealer whether this VIN carries the coverage. The second thread is the transmission: revs rise without speed and the scan shows P0741, the torque-converter clutch. A converter on the five-speed is a four-figure job. The rest are stalls that trace back to the alternator. Cold-start the car yourself and listen from the left front wheel well; then drive it to operating temperature and feel for a shudder at a steady 40 mph.

Repair cost (estimate): $2,000–$4,000 for a cylinder head; $1,200–$2,500 for a torque converter — about 27% of what this car is typically worth

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the engine (27), the transmission and drivetrain (16).

Takata passenger airbag inflator — two recalls, and a light that says the system is offHigh — wallet impact

Recalls 18V021 and 19V018 both replace the passenger frontal inflator, which can rupture and throw metal fragments on deployment; the earlier one was written first for cars registered in hot, humid states, the later one for the rest. NHTSA's advice was not to drive until the inflator was swapped. The cluster is small — 19 complaints — but five are crash reports, and one owner found the recall marked complete in the records while the light stayed on and the work had never been done. A steady or chiming airbag light means the whole system is disabled; get a dealer to print the recall status from the VIN rather than trusting the online lookup alone.

Repair cost: $0 with the recall — verify it was performed; $300–$900 for an airbag light outside the campaigns

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under airbags (19); 5 NHTSA recall campaigns on this model year.

Electro-hydraulic power steering that goes heavy when voltage drops, or when the pump wearsMedium

Fifteen steering complaints, one fire. The 2013 pressurizes its hydraulic rack with an electric pump, so a sagging alternator shows up first as heavy steering — several owners felt the wheel stiffen a second before the dash lit up. On its own the pump groans on full lock and the fluid turns dark. Turn the wheel to each stop with the car stationary and listen; look in the reservoir. A pump is a mid-hundreds job, a complete EHPS unit more than that.

Repair cost (estimate): $400–$1,800

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under steering (15).

Walk-Away Red Flags

✗V6 car with a build date in December 2012 or January 2013 and recall 13V103 still open
✗Whine from the alternator that rises with revs, or a burnt smell under the hood after the drive
✗A window that creeps or cycles after the car is locked
✗Airbag light on or chiming, even if the seller says the recall was done
✗Revs climb without the car speeding up on a light throttle at highway speed

Good Signs

✓All five recalls shown closed on a dealer-printed VIN report, not just the online lookup
✓Alternator load test at 13.8–14.4V at idle with headlights and blower running
✓A quiet cold start on the 3.6L with a dealer record of the left cylinder head being inspected or replaced
✓Window master switch or door module replaced with an invoice, and the glass sits still after lock-up
✓Transmission fluid changed with a receipt and a smooth lock-up at a steady 40 mph