Buyer Research

2014 Dodge Challenger — Should You Buy One?

Typical asking price: $12,000–$21,000. 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 last year before the 2015 facelift and the eight-speed automatic, and the record is smaller than the 2012 or 2013 — 148 complaints — but it has the same spine. Three separate alternator recalls sit on this one year (the third, 17V741, is 2014-only), and the electrical cluster is 42% of the file with all five fires. What changes in 2014 is the engine cluster: 38 complaints, and the owner reports are the 5.7L Hemi's ticking lifters and a water pump, not the early Pentastar head. Steering is a real third cluster here — an electro-hydraulic system that goes rigid turning left. Sixteen crash reports is high for the size of the file, eleven of them on airbags. It is still a good buy with the three alternator campaigns closed and a quiet cold start on a Hemi; on a ticking one, walk, because a cam-and-lifter job costs more than the discount.

What we checked

Reconciled against public records, 2026-09-25

NHTSA holds 148 owner complaints for the 2014 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. 42% 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 2014 Dodge Challenger

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

Alternator quits without warning — three recalls on this one year, five firesHigh — wallet impact

The 2014 carries 14V634 (3.6L with the 160-amp alternator, built before January 2, 2014), 17V435 (3.6L and 5.7L cars with electro-hydraulic steering), and a third campaign written only for the 2014, 17V741, for 3.6L 160-amp cars the first two missed. All replace the alternator free. Owners describe the same failure every time: dimming headlights, then every dash light, then the engine dies and the steering and brakes go heavy — one at 60 mph on a dark country road. Several waited months for parts, and one 2026 complaint blames the TIPM fuse box for repeated no-starts and stalls, which is a separate and pricier part. Pull the recall status on the VIN, then load-test: 13.8–14.4 volts at idle with headlights and blower on, and no whine that climbs with revs.

Repair cost: $0 with the recall — verify it was performed; $450–$950 for an alternator outside the campaigns; $900–$1,500 for a TIPM

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under electrics and electronics (62); 5 NHTSA recall campaigns on this model year.

5.7L Hemi lifter and camshaft tick; water pump failures on both enginesHigh — wallet impact

The engine cluster is the second biggest on the 2014 at 26%, and the owner reports say 'ticking' sixteen times. On the 5.7L Hemi the cylinder-deactivation lifters wear their rollers, score the camshaft, and a dealer told one owner that if he kept driving it the cam would break and the motor would seize — and that they were seeing a lot of them. A cam-and-lifter replacement is a four-figure job; a full engine is five. The other thread is the water pump, with one owner replacing it at 28,000 miles and again 12,000 miles later. Start the car cold yourself: a tick that fades in thirty seconds is normal on a Hemi, one that stays or gets louder under light throttle is not. Check the coolant level and look for pink crust around the pump at the front of the engine.

Repair cost (estimate): $2,500–$5,000 for lifters and camshaft; $500–$1,100 for a water pump — about 30% of what this car is typically worth

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the engine (38).

Electro-hydraulic steering that goes rigid on left turns, or drops out with the alternatorMedium

Twenty steering complaints, and they split two ways. Some are the alternator failure felt through the wheel — the steering hardens as the dash lights come on. The rest are the EHPS unit itself: the wheel stiffens on slow left turns in a parking lot with a groaning noise, fluid disappears from the reservoir, and one owner replaced the rack at 40,000 miles. One 2026 report says the wheel intermittently locks in motion after two repair attempts totalling more than $600. At the car, turn the wheel lock to lock at a standstill with the engine running and listen for a groan; check the reservoir level and colour. A pump is the cheap end, a rack or a full EHPS assembly the expensive one.

Repair cost (estimate): $400–$1,900

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under steering (20).

Takata passenger airbag inflator recall, and eleven crash reports of non-deploymentHigh — wallet impact

Recall 19V018 covers the 2014's passenger frontal inflator, which can rupture and throw metal fragments when the bag fires; NHTSA advised not to drive until it was replaced. The complaint cluster is only 18 filings, but eleven of them are crash reports where the airbags did not deploy — a very high share for a file this size. A buyer cannot inspect for non-deployment, but you can confirm the inflator recall closed on the VIN and check that the airbag light goes out after the bulb check. A light that stays on means the system is disabled and a diagnosis is due before purchase.

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

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under airbags (18); 5 NHTSA recall campaigns on this model year.

Exterior lights that flash or stay on after the car is parked, killing the batteryLow

A recurring small fault inside the electrical cluster: the daytime running lights or exterior lamps stay on or flash after the car is off, and the battery is flat in the morning. One owner had the relay replaced three times. The usual fix is a relay or the TIPM fuse box that houses it; the cheap version is a $50 part and an hour, the expensive version is the module. Switch the car off, lock it, and watch the lights for a minute before you leave.

Repair cost (estimate): $50–$300 for a relay; more if the TIPM is at fault

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under electrics and electronics (62).

Walk-Away Red Flags

✗A tick from the engine on a cold start that does not fade within a minute on a 5.7L
✗Alternator whine that rises with revs, or headlights that dim at idle
✗Seller cannot show 14V634, 17V435 and 17V741 as closed on the VIN
✗Steering that stiffens or groans on a slow left turn in a parking lot
✗Exterior lights still on or flashing after the car is locked

Good Signs

✓All three alternator campaigns and the Takata recall shown closed on the NHTSA VIN lookup
✓Charging system tested at 13.8–14.4V at idle with headlights and blower on
✓A quiet cold start on the Hemi, and oil-change receipts at 5,000-mile intervals
✓Water pump replaced with an invoice and a full, clean coolant reservoir
✓Power steering fluid at the full mark and steering that is smooth lock to lock at a standstill