What are the most common problems on the 2021 Dodge Charger?

NHTSA has 32 owner complaint(s) on record for the 2021 Dodge Charger. Air Bags is the most-reported problem area on the 2021 Dodge Charger, cited in 14 of 32 filed complaints (44%).

Problems › Dodge › 2021 Charger

2021 Dodge Charger Problems & Owner Complaints

32 NHTSA owner complaints

2 crash

Age-normalised, this year draws ~5.3 complaints per year on the road — ranking 13 of 14 Dodge Charger years we track (1 = most complaints per year).

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What owners report

Air Bags is the most-reported problem area on the 2021 Dodge Charger, cited in 14 of 32 filed complaints (44%).

Power Train is next (5 complaints, 16%), followed by Engine (3), Electrical System (2), Exterior Lighting (2).

Across all complaints, 2 report a crash.

The most safety-critical cluster is Air Bags: 1 crash report(s).

Complaints by vehicle system

Owner complaints filed with the U.S. NHTSA for the 2021 Dodge Charger, grouped by the vehicle system each cites. A single complaint can name more than one system, so the group totals can add up to more than 32.

Air Bags 14 1 crash

“Driving home from work when my vehicle lost control, when trying to steer my steering wheel straight the rear end of my vehicle locked up and ended up in a guard rail , there was nothing in the road or any pedestrian or other cars I have no idea what caused my car to lock up but I don’t know what caused my car to lock up I know when my sales guys first go over my car he didn’t fully mention everything to me I saw my tires pressure at 50 psi in all days didn’t know if that was normal because my car was shipped so I know the dealership is suppose to inspect vehicle to make sure everything is cor…”
NHTSA complaint #11513325, 2022 · crash

“While parked in my driveway, the passenger rear side curtain airbag inflated on its own with noone in the car. The car cranks and operates correctly with no indication of a problem with the airbag system. This airbag had been replaced in September of 2025 due to a recall issued by Mopar. I have contacted Mopar and been assigned a case number.”
NHTSA complaint #11748734, 2026

“The contact owns a 2021 Dodge Charger. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V198000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts are not available.”
NHTSA complaint #11641193, 2025

Power Train 5 1 crash

“The contact owns a 2021 Dodge Charger. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle downshifted with the “Service Transmission” message displayed. The contact stated that the continue to drive and do not shift message was displayed. The vehicle was towed to the dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the contact noticed smoke coming from the vehicle and noticed that the transmission had overheated. The vehicle was towed back to the dealer where it was not diagnosed or repaired. An independent mechanic was contacted and informe…”
NHTSA complaint #11622931, 2024

“The contact owns a 2021 Dodge Charger. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 60 MPH, the engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who informed the contact that the sixth gear was inoperable. The independent mechanic called an unknown local dealer, who informed him that the repair parts were on backorder. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 66,000.”
NHTSA complaint #11606397, 2024

Unknown Or Other 5 1 crash

“So this vehicle turned out to be one of the easiest cars to be stolen. I’ve heard many stories and cases about other Dodge Charger owners that have gotten there Chargers stolen as well and I received a recall notice from dodge this week that it’s something about the radio frequency and something about a simple diagnostic tool and it programs a new key instantly and Dodge finally after so many complaints did there research and now put out a recall. My dream car was stolen, crashed and even my insurance company won’t compensate anything and now my vehicle has on its carfax that it was stolen and…”
NHTSA complaint #11445578, 2021 · crash

“I went to have my car make/model Dodge Charger serviced and when I went to the dealership I told them the problem before they even got to look at it, because it’s a known problem with Dodge Charger SRT models. Stellantis hasn't put a recall out on the part called Mopar Exhaust Valve Actuator - Mopar (68505881AA). There is a detachable spring that can break over time and its a known common problem. The dealership told me that they can't just order the spring like they use to and customers have to buy the entire part which they told me is $700 and $100 to install it. We should be able to order j…”
NHTSA complaint #11740165, 2026

“1. Headlight low/high beam keeps going out and comes back on. It seems like the wiring harness overheating, bulb is fine but continues to go out and on. 2. Transmission, does a very aggressive down shift at gear 6 it makes the car jump and if it happens too much, my car won't accelerate..I got it repaired once and it took dealer almost 30 days but it did not fix the problem..I could not afford to be without my car so I could not take it back to them.”
NHTSA complaint #11660824, 2025

Engine 3

“During a recent tire change, I observed that the plastic cover beneath the engine had become dislodged, and several clips were broken. Additionally, a large round component had detached and fallen out. Following consultation with fellow Dodge Charger Scat Pack owners on social media, it appears that this issue is not an isolated incident and raises concerns about the reliability of the engine's internal components. As such, I believe it is crucial for the manufacturer to investigate and address this problem promptly.”
NHTSA complaint #11606212, 2024

“AT ONLY 256 MILES, THE VEHICLE EITHER SHUTS OFF WHILE DRIVING OR WILL NOT START AFTER IT'S PARKED. THE FIRST OCCURRENCE OF THE ENGINE TURNING OFF WAS WHILE I WAS DRIVING. THE VEHICLE APPEARED TO STALL. AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS THE VEHICLE RESTARTED. THERE HAS SINCE BEEN 3 NO START CONDITIONS AFTER THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN PARKED. THE VEHICLE IS CURRENTLY AT DAVIS CHRYSLER JEEP DODGE RAM IN YULEE, FL AWAITING DIAGNOSTICS AND REPAIR OF THIS INTERMITTENT FAULT.”
NHTSA complaint #11413702, 2021

Electrical System 2

Exterior Lighting 2

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Visibility 2

“The contact owns a 2021 Dodge Charger. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 24V198000 (Air Bags) and 21V516000 (Visibility). The dealer was contacted to perform the recall repairs; however, the dealer refused to complete the recall repairs. The contact stated that the sound was audible through the window, which the contact associated with NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V516000 (Visibility). The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the recall repairs remained incomplete. The VIN was previously related to the recalls. The manufacturer was notified of the issue. T…”
NHTSA complaint #11734493, 2024

“The contact owns a 2021 Dodge Charger. The contact stated while driving 60-65 MPH, a tiny rock hit the windshield and the windshield cracked. The vehicle was repaired by Safelite at the contact's residence. Additionally, the contact stated that while driving at 25 MPH, a truck spun out and gravel fell from the truck causing a tiny rock to hit the driver’s side windshield and caused a crack. The windshield was repaired by Safelite at the contact's residence; however, the failure reoccurred while driving. The contact stated that the failure occurred three times within three months. The dealer wa…”
NHTSA complaint #11458958, 2021

Wheels 2 1 crash

“My rim on the inside lip has a hairline crack. I’m coming up on 1 year and for the entire time I have had to add air once a month. The tire pressure would be 38 psi when I put air and would drop to 30 over a months time. I’ve had the tire looked at several times and they found nothing. Then around 3 weeks ago it went from loosing 8 psi a month, to around 5 psi a week. So I jack the car up and start looking, spraying with a soapy water and I find the crack.So I called the dealership, and they say well you hit a pothole or something in the road. No I did not, I’ve never hit anything. If I did t…”
NHTSA complaint #11502035, 2022

Back Over Prevention 1

“The rear camera is defective. It is too dark in most conditions and not clear resulting in a poor view of what is behind me. At night, it is impossible to use, and relying on it will result in a collision. Stellantis and the local dealer have been provided with photos of the display and the dealer spent a few seconds looking at it and they say it is how it should be. Other owners of the same type car online have the same complaint and had the camera changed. Stellantis refuses to do so. Photos have been uploaded showing the problem.”
NHTSA complaint #11440525, 2021

Lane Departure 1

Seat Belts 1

“The contact owns a 2021 Dodge Charger. The contact stated that while installing the car seats in the rear of the vehicle, the contact became aware that the driver’s side and passenger’s side rear seat belts would loosen unintendedly while attempting to fasten the seat belts. The vehicle had not been taken to a dealer or independent mechanic to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 61,702.”
NHTSA complaint #11681827, 2025

Steering 1

“The contact owns a 2021 Dodge Charger. The contact stated that while driving approximately 60 MPH and making a left turn, the power steering failed to operate properly, causing the steering wheel to become difficult to turn in either direction. The contact stated that the "Electric Power Steering Failure" message was displayed after the failure. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 53,000.”
NHTSA complaint #11544745, 2023

Structure 1

“Rear doors cannot be opened from the inside when the child proof locks are in the open position, or the locked position. They can only be opened for the inside when unlocked from the drivers unlock panel.”
NHTSA complaint #11693721, 2025

Suspension 1

“Heard popping under car while driving noticed there appeared to be an issue with rear control arm removed rear tires and found both rear control arms to be broken and rubbing frame one free hanging and the other in a bind”
NHTSA complaint #11504250, 2023

How we read this (methodology)

How to read this: raw complaint totals are not a clean reliability score — a model year with more cars sold, or simply more years on the road, accumulates more complaints regardless of how good it is. So this page leans on two signals that are not distorted by sales volume: the share of complaints falling on each vehicle system (the breakdown above) and NHTSA's own crash / fire / injury / death flags. When we compare model years of the same model, we normalise by years on the road (complaints ÷ vehicle age) rather than comparing raw totals. Age-normalised, the 2021 Dodge Charger draws about 5.3 complaints per year on the road, ranking 13 of 14 among the Dodge Charger model years we have ingested (1 = most complaints per year on road).

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Data source: U.S. NHTSA (nhtsa.gov). SaveVIN surfaces public recall data and is not affiliated with or endorsed by NHTSA.