Dodge Charger — the 15 years we've written up
1969–2023, side by side: what goes wrong on each, what the fix costs, and what they typically ask. 14 of the 15 carry a high-severity issue.
What this page is
These are the 15 Dodge Charger model years Kestrel has done the homework on — not every year Dodge built one. A year that isn't listed here isn't a year we're warning you off; it's one we haven't written up yet. Ranking a whole model run would mean telling you about years we've never looked at.
Dodge Charger by year
How many owner complaints NHTSA holds. A big number usually means a lot were sold; the shape matters more than the total.
Year by year
Looking for a particular engine or trim?
Stalls at speed with a Service Shifter message, then will not go into Park — $300–$800 for a shifter assembly; $700–$1,800 for an oil pump and solenoid
Shifter assembly not heat-treated — can slip out of Drive and lose power on the road (recall) — $0 with the recall — verify it was performed; $300–$700 for a transmission service and software update outside it
Side curtain airbag inflators can rupture — the last year in the recall, and the hardest to get parts for — $0 with the recall — verify it was performed
Side curtain airbag inflators can rupture — and on this year, two did while the car was parked — $0 with the recall — verify it was performed
Side curtain airbag inflators can rupture — the recall that dominates this car's record — $0 with the recall — verify it was performed
Side curtain airbag inflators can rupture and throw metal — a 2025 recall many cars have not had — $0 with the recall — verify it was performed
AWD front driveshaft can unbolt or its joint can seize and drop the shaft (two recalls) — $0 with the recall — verify it was performed
Hemi lifter and camshaft failure (5.7L MDS) — $3,000-$6,000
HEMI MDS lifter / camshaft wear ("HEMI tick") — $1,500-$4,000 if affected
Police, taxi, and rental fleet history — Not yet priced
Alternator dies without warning and stalls the car — three recall campaigns for one part — $0 with the recall — verify it was performed; $500–$1,100 for an alternator outside it
Alternator failure with smoke and a stall — 19 fires, two recall campaigns — $0 with the recall — verify it was performed; $500–$1,100 for an alternator outside it
Alternator quits and takes the whole car with it — smoke, stall, no restart (two recalls) — $0 with the recall — verify it was performed; $500–$1,100 for an alternator outside it
Alternator fails and the car stalls, sometimes with smoke — two recalls, still the biggest complaint — $0 with the recall — verify it was performed; $500–$1,100 for an alternator outside it
Rust (floors, trunk, quarters, frame) — $2,000-$20,000+
1 of these 15 have no high-severity issue in our write-up. That means we didn't find an expensive recurring fault — not that one cannot exist on the specific vehicle you're looking at.
Looking at one in particular?
This page covers the Dodge Charger in general. The Kestrel report covers the one you're looking at — the asking price against the market, the photos, the seller's description, and a BUY / NEGOTIATE / WALK AWAY verdict with a negotiation script.
Get My Verdict — $7.99Not ready to pay for one? The free read is instant and needs no card — it checks the asking price against the market and names the top issues for that year.
Known issues are based on documented owner reports, NHTSA complaints, class-action records, and manufacturer technical service bulletins. Individual vehicles vary. A pre-purchase inspection by a trusted mechanic is always worth doing.
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