Buyer Research

2019 Dodge Challenger — Should You Buy One?

Typical asking price: $21,000–$40,000. There are 2 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

Fifty-seven complaints in seven years is a thin file, and a thin file is not a reliability rating — it tells you few people filed, not that the car is sound. What did get filed is specific. The wheel cluster is the one to take seriously: a 2019-only recall for a front wheel-and-brake combination that lets the tyre rub the steering knuckle, and owners describing inner-edge wear, rubbing on turns, and a tyre that let go on the road — two crashes and two fires in eleven reports. Steering complaints describe an electric rack that cuts out or catches in a notch mid-corner, and one lower ball joint that broke and caused a crash. The electrical cluster is the familiar Uconnect screen going black, plus a recall for the gauge cluster not lighting its warnings and another for a reversing image that lingers. All three recalls are free and all three show on the VIN. Buy a 2019 with those closed, the front tyres looked at on their inside edges, and a slow-speed steering test done with the radio off; the car itself is a mature version of this platform and worth paying up for over a 2015–2016.

What we checked

Reconciled against public records, 2026-09-25

NHTSA holds 57 owner complaints for the 2019 Dodge Challenger, and 3 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. The largest single group is electrics and electronics at 28%. That is notable without being overwhelming — worth checking, not worth panicking about.

3 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 2019 Dodge Challenger

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

Front tyres can rub the steering knuckle and fail — a 2019-only wheel recall, two crashes and two firesHigh — wallet impact

Recall 19V758 covers 2019 Challengers and Chargers where the factory fitted a front wheel and brake package that did not belong together, so the front tyre can touch the steering knuckle, wear through from the inside, and lose pressure suddenly. Dealers replace the front wheels and inspect or replace the tyres free. The owner reports read like the recall notice: a rubbing noise when turning, uneven wear on the inner edge that rotation did not cure, a tyre-pressure light at speed, and one flat that put the car into the grass and tore the tyre off. Two crash reports and two fires sit in this cluster of eleven. At the car, turn the wheel to full lock each way and look and feel along the inside shoulder of both front tyres; then pull the recall status on the VIN and ask to see the work order showing the wheels were swapped, not just inspected.

Repair cost: $0 with the recall — verify it was performed; $200–$400 per tyre outside it

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under wheels and bearings (11); 3 NHTSA recall campaigns on this model year.

Electric power steering that cuts out or catches mid-corner; a lower ball joint that brokeHigh — wallet impact

Eight steering complaints and one of them is a crash. The pattern is an electric rack that intermittently drops assistance around corners, or sticks in what one owner calls a notch that the wheel has to be pulled out of; a certified pre-owned car had the whole electronic power steering unit replaced by the selling dealer inside three weeks. Separately, one owner's lower control arm and ball joint broke while driving and put the car into another vehicle — the same failure appears in the suspension cluster. Drive the car on a quiet road at 25–35 mph through a series of gentle S-bends and feel for the assistance fading or the wheel snagging; then have the front end put on a lift and each front wheel rocked at 12 and 6 o'clock for play. A rack is a four-figure part; a ball joint and control arm is a few hundred a side.

Repair cost (estimate): $1,200–$2,500 for an electric steering rack; $400–$900 per side for a lower control arm and ball joint

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under steering (8), the suspension (4).

Uconnect screen goes black and takes the camera with it; reversing image lingers (recall); gauge cluster warnings (recall)Medium

Sixteen electrical complaints, 28% of the file. The recurring one is the 8.4-inch Uconnect unit going dark and unresponsive while driving — and because it hosts the backup camera and the climate and drive settings on this car, a dead screen is more than a dead radio. Resets work for a while, then a replacement unit is quoted. Two recalls live here: 20V191 updates the radio software because the reversing camera image can stay on screen for ten seconds after you shift out of reverse, and 19V203 updates the instrument cluster because it may not illuminate its warning lamps. Both are free software flashes. A smaller thread is the keyless entry failing to unlock and the window auto-up function dying after a battery change, which is usually a relearn rather than a fault. Leave the screen on for the whole test drive, shift out of reverse and count how long the camera stays up, and confirm both software recalls on the VIN.

Repair cost: $0 with the recall — verify it was performed; $300–$700 for a screen digitizer; $1,200–$2,000 for a radio unit

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under electrics and electronics (16); 3 NHTSA recall campaigns on this model year.

Hesitation on hard acceleration and a sixth-gear ratio code on the eight-speedMedium

Seven powertrain and seven engine complaints, none with a crash or fire, and most describe the same moment: the driver floors it to merge and the car builds speed slowly for half a minute, or hesitates from a stop with the pedal on the floor. One diagnosis came back as a sixth-gear incorrect-ratio code on the ZF eight-speed, which points at the transmission rather than the engine. Another owner had the revs run away while braking hard until the car was put in Neutral — a throttle or pedal sensor question. On the test drive, from a rolling 20 mph, put the pedal to the floor in Drive and time how long it takes to feel the kick-down; then do it again from a standstill. A software update is cheap; a clutch pack or valve body inside the ZF is not.

Repair cost (estimate): $0–$400 for a transmission reflash; $1,500–$3,500 for eight-speed internals

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the transmission and drivetrain (7), the engine (7).

Walk-Away Red Flags

✗Rubbing or scraping from the front on full lock, or a scuffed inner shoulder on either front tyre
✗Recall 19V758 showing open on the VIN, or a work order that says inspected rather than wheels replaced
✗Steering assistance that fades or snags through a gentle bend at 30 mph
✗Uconnect screen that flickers, goes black, or is slow to come up at start-up
✗Reversing camera image still on the screen more than a few seconds after shifting to Drive

Good Signs

✓Recall 19V758 closed with a dealer work order showing new front wheels fitted
✓Both software recalls, 19V203 and 20V191, shown complete on the NHTSA VIN lookup
✓Electric steering rack replaced under warranty with the invoice, and steady assistance through S-bends
✓Front tyres with even wear across the tread and a matching brand and date code on both sides
✓A firm front end on the lift, with each front wheel solid when rocked at 12 and 6 o'clock