2020 Dodge Charger Problems & Owner Complaints

Air Bags 36 9 crash 1 fire 5 injury 1 death

“Daughter was in accident head on and loss control of car, couldn’t stop because KNEE AIR BAG deployed and wouldn’t allow her to step on brake. The car finally stopped from engine damage after about 200 yards but she almost went into oncoming traffic because she was unable to push the brake down. VERY UNSAFE”
NHTSA complaint #11470459, 2022 · crash · 1 death(s)

“I was in a car accident. A woman hit my car in the drivers door at 40mph straight into the door. My air bags did NOT deploy. None of them deployed at all. The manufacturer was no help to me at all. I was injured in the car accident.”
NHTSA complaint #11503306, 2022 · crash · 2 injury(ies)

“The contact owns a 2020 Dodge Charger. The contact stated while driving 20 MPH, the contact was struck on the front driver door, causing severe injuries to the contact who was taken to the hospital by ambulance, and severe damage to the vehicle. The air bags did not deploy. The vehicle was towed to a collision center. A police report was filed. The vehicle was not diagnosed. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 42,000.”
NHTSA complaint #11496766, 2022 · crash · 1 injury(ies)

Unknown Or Other 10 2 crash 1 fire 4 injury

“I was in a car accident. A woman hit my car in the drivers door at 40mph straight into the door. My air bags did NOT deploy. None of them deployed at all. The manufacturer was no help to me at all. I was injured in the car accident.”
NHTSA complaint #11503306, 2022 · crash · 2 injury(ies)

“I was stopped in break down lane and a ford f150 going about 60mph slammed into the back of me and spun my charger into a jersey barrier. Not 1 airbag deployed. If it had deployed it could have prevented my fiancé from splitting his head open on impact”
NHTSA complaint #11492356, 2022 · crash · 2 injury(ies)

“Car caught fire while parked in a parking garage. Car was off.”
NHTSA complaint #11745385, 2026 · fire

Electrical System 6

“The A/C evaporator core in my 2020 Dodge Charger Hellcat has failed twice within a short period of ownership. The first failure occurred at approximately 20K miles in 2022, when the air conditioning suddenly stopped blowing cold air. The dealership diagnosed a leaking evaporator core and replaced it under warranty. On [XXX] at approximately 50k, the exact same failure occurred again — loss of refrigerant and no cooling. The vehicle again required replacement of the evaporator core, a repair that involves removing the entire dashboard and is extremely labor-intensive and expensive. This appea…”
NHTSA complaint #11715643, 2026

“The vehicle was sold under deceptive business practices. I inspected the vehicle and seen the tire (side wall) was badly damaged and the vehicle did not even run as mentioned in the description. The safety was in jeopardy and the seller made false claims for me to believe the vehicle was safe and ready to drive.”
NHTSA complaint #11667015, 2025

“Through conversations with a Dodge Certified Tech, this is ongoing and known issue with Dodge (RAM) trucks, dodge chargers etc. Curious as to why a safety recall has not been issued, with reports and complaints found online spanning back 2-3 years now. My car, after just 2 years of ownership, the windshield wipers have failed in operation. For 1 month, intermittent wiper functions were non-existent, 3 clicks would only get me "on all the time, slow speed", nothing else. As of yesterday 11/01/22, when I used turn signals to change lanes on highway, my wipers turned on to slow speed and woul…”
NHTSA complaint #11491917, 2022

Engine 6

“Shows a recall that could cause me and kids harm but says unavailable remedy. Now I’m feeling paranoid driving”
NHTSA complaint #11636941, 2025

“The contact owns a 2020 Dodge Charger. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost automotive power and the steering wheel would seize with no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to restart the vehicle then the check engine warning light would be illuminated, and the failure persisted. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the fuel sensor failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired however the failure recurred. The vehicle was towed back to the mechanic where it was diagnosed that the oil temperat…”
NHTSA complaint #11635128, 2025

“Dodge has acknowledged a known issue impacting paddle shift equipped Chargers and Challengers. When using paddle shifters, the engine will downshift when the driver upshifts, sometimes causing torque jerking and acceleration jumps. Dodge says the issue is that the driver is shifting faster than the computer is processing the shift, which is absurd. Beyond the obvious hazard this creates, it's also causing unnecessary wear on the engine due to over revving. This is a major safety concern.”
NHTSA complaint #11568295, 2024

Fuel/Propulsion System 3

“Shows a recall that could cause me and kids harm but says unavailable remedy. Now I’m feeling paranoid driving”
NHTSA complaint #11636941, 2025

“My car begin to run hot. I bought my car into the dealer the next day. There is oil mix with the coolant. No warning light came on. According to the mechanic, I need a new engine.”
NHTSA complaint #11527741, 2023

“While traveling on the highway at approx. 70mph at night the vehicle shutdown completely resulting in the loss of throttle, power steering and lights. This is an safety issue that can cause death or serious bodily harm to the driver and other drivers along a motorway as the vehicle is no longer able to be seen in low light situations and the vehicle is unable to be properly controlled due to the loss of power steering. Issue was deemed due to loose bolts for the power distribution center.”
NHTSA complaint #11453434, 2021

Exterior Lighting 2 1 injury

“While driving under normal conditions with no collision or impact, the side curtain airbag in my Dodge Charger Scat Pack deployed spontaneously. The deployment caused the headliner and pillar trim to rupture and released what appeared to be metal fragments and more. Occupants sustained scratches and narrowly avoided facial injury. I discovered there’s a recall on this airbag as this is a known issue. I brought the vehicle to an authorized Dodge dealership for diagnosis and repair. During this process, i was informed that the VIN has an active safety recall related to the airbag/SRS system. How…”
NHTSA complaint #11721443, 2026 · 1 injury(ies)

“Water getting into my passenger side headlight after 30,000 miles.”
NHTSA complaint #11571347, 2024

Seats 2 1 injury

“While driving under normal conditions with no collision or impact, the side curtain airbag in my Dodge Charger Scat Pack deployed spontaneously. The deployment caused the headliner and pillar trim to rupture and released what appeared to be metal fragments and more. Occupants sustained scratches and narrowly avoided facial injury. I discovered there’s a recall on this airbag as this is a known issue. I brought the vehicle to an authorized Dodge dealership for diagnosis and repair. During this process, i was informed that the VIN has an active safety recall related to the airbag/SRS system. How…”
NHTSA complaint #11721443, 2026 · 1 injury(ies)

“I BOUGHT A 2020 DODGE CHARGER IN JANUARY. THE PASSENGER SEAT IS MANUEL AND THE LUMBAR SUPPORT IS EXTEDED TO THE FULLEST. THERE IS NO RELEASE TO BE FOUND. WHEN I BOUGHT THE CAR THE SALESMAN SAID THERE WAS AN ADJUSTMENT LEVEL SOMEWHERE. YOU ARE UNABLE TO SIT BACK CORRECTLY BECAUSE OF THIS. IF YOU HAVE TO SLAM ON THE BRAKES, YOUR HEAD COULD HIT THE DASH EVEN WHEN YOU HAVE YOUR SEATBELT ON. YOU ARE UNABLE TO SIT BACK IN THIS SEAT YOU HAVE TO LEAN FORWARD.”
NHTSA complaint #11403570, 2020

Structure 2

“The contact owns a 2020 Dodge Charger. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving at various speeds, the vehicle started to shake abnormally. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that while washing the vehicle, he noticed that the front driver’s side door beam was bent. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the front driver’s side door needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximate 26,000.”
NHTSA complaint #11537516, 2023

“While driving at highway speed, 40-50mph during heavy rain; encountered a puddle, the plastic belly pan just forward of the rear axle acted as a scoop and took on water. This resulted in the belly pan bolt being ripped from the structure of the vehicle. The belly pan then folded under the car and was dragged. I had this fixed under warranty. During the next heavy rain, I again hit a puddle, the bolt was ripped from the structure again. Luckily both times I was able to slow to a stop. However I believe this presents a serious hazard at freeway speeds of +65mph, where the entire belly pan can di…”
NHTSA complaint #11438853, 2021

Visibility 2

“The contact owns a 2020 Dodge Charger. The contact stated that the windshield sealant on both the driver’s and passenger’s side of the windshield had begun to separate from the body of the vehicle. Upon investigation, the contact discovered NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V516000 (Visibility) and linked the recall to the failure however, the VIN was not included. The dealer was notified of the recall and the contact was informed that VIN vehicle was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 14,000.”
NHTSA complaint #11559876, 2023

“TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2020 DODGE CHARGER. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AT 72 MPH, THE CONTACT OPENED THE SUN ROOF VENT SHADE AND THE SUN ROOF GLASS SHATTERED. THE CONTACT DROVE THE VEHICLE TO THE RESIDENCE AND THEN HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO KLABEN CHRYSLER JEEP DODGE RAM INC., (1106 W MAIN ST, KENT, OH 44240) HOWEVER, THE DEALER DECLINED TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC AND WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 908.”
NHTSA complaint #11384082, 2020

Visibility/Wiper 2

“Water getting into my passenger side headlight after 30,000 miles.”
NHTSA complaint #11571347, 2024

“Through conversations with a Dodge Certified Tech, this is ongoing and known issue with Dodge (RAM) trucks, dodge chargers etc. Curious as to why a safety recall has not been issued, with reports and complaints found online spanning back 2-3 years now. My car, after just 2 years of ownership, the windshield wipers have failed in operation. For 1 month, intermittent wiper functions were non-existent, 3 clicks would only get me "on all the time, slow speed", nothing else. As of yesterday 11/01/22, when I used turn signals to change lanes on highway, my wipers turned on to slow speed and woul…”
NHTSA complaint #11491917, 2022

Forward Collision Avoidance 1 1 crash

Tires 1

“The contact owns a 2020 Dodge Charger equipped with Pirelli Tires, Tire Line: PZero A/S, Tire Size: 305/35/R20, DOT Number: JRCDW541. The contact stated that there were cracks on the tread and in between the grooves of the tread on the tires. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and informed the contact that they were unable to assist. The failure mileage was approximately 10,000.”
NHTSA complaint #11440549, 2021

Wheels 1

“The vehicle was sold under deceptive business practices. I inspected the vehicle and seen the tire (side wall) was badly damaged and the vehicle did not even run as mentioned in the description. The safety was in jeopardy and the seller made false claims for me to believe the vehicle was safe and ready to drive.”
NHTSA complaint #11667015, 2025