Problems · NHTSA complaints
2012 Dodge Charger problems
Owners filed 648 complaints about the 2012 Dodge Charger with NHTSA between Jun 2012 and May 2026. The most-cited component is electrical system (359).
Complaints
648
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
20
Reported by owners
Fires
49
Reported by owners
Injuries
16
People reported injured
Deaths
0
Reported to NHTSA
Complaints by component
One complaint can cite several components
- Electrical system359
- Air bags111
- Engine94
- Power train65
- Steering53
- Exterior lighting52
- Service brakes43
- Electronic stability control (esc)35
- Vehicle speed control20
- Fuel/propulsion system12
- Structure11
- Suspension10
- Visibility/wiper9
- Seat belts7
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API · synced Nov 4, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
When complaints were filed
Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
5
31
112
130
90
114
44
43
31
7
12
11
10
6
2
View as table
| Model year | Complaints filed per calendar year |
|---|---|
| 2012 | 5 |
| 2013 | 31 |
| 2014 | 112 |
| 2015 | 130 |
| 2016 | 90 |
| 2017 | 114 |
| 2018 | 44 |
| 2019 | 43 |
| 2020 | 31 |
| 2021 | 7 |
| 2022 | 12 |
| 2023 | 11 |
| 2024 | 10 |
| 2025 | 6 |
| 2026 | 2 |
Mileage at failure isn’t a structured field in NHTSA complaint data, so we don’t chart it. Some owners mention it in their reports below.
Top problems in owners’ words
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
Electrical system
359 reports8 crashes37 fires2 related recalls
“Headlight pigtail assembly burned out as described in the 2014 safety recall. 14V-101 / P08 Recall Summary The wiring sub-harnesses for the headlights may overheat, and the low beam headlights may fail. Dealers will replace the headlamp jumper harnesses and bulbs or the headlight assemblies as needed free of charge to resolve the concern.”
Air bags
111 reports13 crashes5 related recalls
“My airbag light comes on intermittently and when I called the dealership and told them they brushed it off as nothing. My car already had open recalls for the airbag and got fixed but it’s still having the same issues. I had the car since October of 2025 and there was no lights on when I financed it. The car has had 2 airbag related recalls done in 2015, 2019. Is there any way of getting my vehicle fixed by the dealership or manufacturer due to a safety concern of the airbag light randomly coming on. The dealership and manufacturer is claiming out of date for the work and it’s my job to pay for the diagnostic fee for the airbag light/getting it fixed.”
Engine
94 reports12 fires
“I have called the dealerships in Fresno Ca and Clovis Ca asked them to check out my car because of all the recalls that were done by them I'm having problems with it or had to replace it again. I also told them since it was a recall and they supposedly repaired it I wanted them to check into it to see if the wrong was done because anyone could falsify a document I was turned away from both dealerships. I have receipts for parts I have replaced that were recalled, as diagnostics tests. This has been going on since 2022 one after another and then affects other parts I even asked them to do a software update for the electronic monostable gear they said no.”
Power train
65 reports5 crashes2 fires1 related recall
“While driving my 2012 dodge charger at times it pops out of driving going into neutral. It happens when I'm on the hwy or in town. And the air bags has illuminated on the dash and it is at the dealership, and I was told, I have to pay for everything out of pocket.To replace it, popping out of gear while driving and the airbags. The dealership is not going to warranty anything because it's past. It does it off and on, and I don't know when it's going to happen. Popping in and out of gear. So I took it to the [XXX] 4025 Cleveland Blvd Caldwell Idaho. 83605.”
Steering
53 reports2 crashes3 fires
“When I purchased the car it had been used as a police car in the state of Mississippi. So after I bought the car I checked for any recalls and found it to have 2 open recalls. 1 was a passenger side airbag and the other was the alternator. So I contacted Moss motor company in South Pittsburg Tennessee and they agreed to do the recalls. After they had finished installing the air bag they told me the alternator wasn't required for change out because the part number listed on it wasn't warranted. So I did some investigating and found my part number to be 7030. The part numbers not required for change out is 7051-7031-and 7170.. It's listed under the NHTSA S68/16v-739 recall. Since I've had the car I have had blinking headlight issues.. I have a little bit of automobile knowledge and I knew it had to be a grounding problem or a alternator problem. So I even added a couple of grounds from the engine to the chassis with no improvement. So I contacted a good friend of mine whom is a retired Dodge Chrysler master technician and he agreed to check my alternator for fluctuating amperage. He placed a device around the lead wire coming from the alternator to the battery…”
Exterior lighting
52 reports7 fires1 related recall
“Loss of touchscreen functionality only works initially and then freezes completely making it unusable and making the most part of the internal features and climate control completely unavailable and increasing the risk of safety of the driver, Dealer stating to replace whole touch screen unit which is extremely expensive to replace, It should be standard and lot of functionality is used from the touchscreen And also Loss Of Low Beam Headlights seems like issue with electrical system recall issue that was done a long time back”
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 4, 2026
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.