2012 Dodge Charger: owner complaints and recalls
Analysis of 648 owner complaints filed with NHTSA and 14 recall campaigns. Updated 2026-07-25.
648
Complaints
14
Recalls
20
Crash reports
49
Fire reports
16
Injuries
77.5
Severity index
Severity index 77.5 - Medium. This weights crashes, fires, injuries and fatalities per 100 complaints; see methodology.
Among the 129 2012 vehicles we track with at least 40 complaints on file, the 2012 Dodge Charger ranks 52 of 129 by severity, where 1 is the worst. Its severity is higher than 60% of its model-year peers. See the full 2012 ranking.
What actually fails
| Component | Complaints | Share of complaints citing it |
|---|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 359 | 55.4% |
| AIR BAGS | 111 | 17.1% |
| ENGINE | 94 | 14.5% |
| POWER TRAIN | 65 | 10.0% |
| STEERING | 53 | 8.2% |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 52 | 8.0% |
| SERVICE BRAKES | 46 | 7.1% |
| ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) | 35 | 5.4% |
The single most-reported system is ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, cited in 359 of 648 complaints (55.4%). One complaint can name several systems, so these shares overlap and do not total 100%.
Complaints filed per year
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 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 (year to date) | 2 |
Complaint volume is declining, consistent with a defect that was addressed by recall or that affected early builds.
Recall campaigns
| Campaign | Reported | Component | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 19V018000 | 15/01/2019 | AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE | Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2010 Dodge Ram 3500, Ram 4500/5500, 2010-2011 Dodge Dakota, 2010-2014 Dodge Challenger, 2010-2015 Dodge Challenger, Chrysler 300, and 2010-2016 Jeep Wrangler vehicles. Upon deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, excessive internal |
| 17V435000 | 10/07/2017 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:ALTERNATOR/GENERATOR/REGULATOR | Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain model year 2011-2014 Dodge Challenger, Dodge Charger, Chrysler 300, Dodge Durango, and 2012-2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee vehicles. The affected vehicles have electro-hydraulic power steering (EHPS) and are equipped with a 5.7L or a 3.6L eng |
| 18V021000 | 09/01/2018 | AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE | Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2009-2013 Jeep Wrangler, Chrysler 300, Dodge Challenger and Dodge Charger vehicles, and 2009-2011 Dodge Dakota vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, Sou |
| 14V101000 | 04/03/2014 | EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS | Chrysler Group LLC (Chrysler) is recalling certain model year 2011-2012 Dodge Charger vehicles manufactured May 20, 2010, through November 8, 2011, and equipped with halogen headlamps. In the affected vehicles, a sub-harness for the headlights may overheat and cause the low beam |
| 16V240000 | 25/04/2016 | POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:CONTROL MODULE (TCM/PCM/TECM) | Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain model year 2012-2014 Dodge Charger and Chrysler 300 vehicles manufactured February 15, 2011, to November 27, 2014, and 2014-2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee vehicles manufactured July 16, 2012, to December 22, 2015. The affected vehicles, equip |
| 16V352000 | 24/05/2016 | AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE | Chrysler (FCA US LLC) expanded the affected population to include 73,712 2005-2009 RAM 2500 trucks produced at the St. Louis North Assembly Plant. With this change, Chrysler is recalling certain model year 2004-2008 RAM 1500, 2005-2009 RAM 2500, 2006-2009 RAM 3500, 2007-2010 RAM |
| 16V043000 | 28/01/2016 | STRUCTURE | FCA US LLC (Chrysler) is recalling certain model year 2011-2016 Dodge Charger vehicles manufactured August 23, 2010, to January 7, 2016. When an affected vehicle is lifted using the supplied tire jack without chocking the wheels, the vehicle's body-side sill may give causing the |
| 15V467000 | 27/07/2015 | AIR BAGS:SIDE/WINDOW | Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain model year 2011-2014 Dodge Charger vehicles manufactured May 6, 2010, to June 5, 2014. In the affected vehicles, the side impact sensor calibrations may be overly sensitive, and as a result, the side air bag inflatable curtains and seat |
| 13V118000 | 03/04/2013 | AIR BAGS | Chrysler Group LLC (Chrysler) is recalling certain model year 2011-2012 Chrysler 300, Dodge Challenger, and Dodge Charger vehicles manufactured April 11, 2011, through December 14, 2011. The affected vehicles may have improperly sized terminal crimps on the seat side-airbag wiri |
| 12V042000 | 07/02/2012 | SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP:CONTROL UNIT/MODULE | CHRYSLER IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2011 and 2012 DODGE CHARGER POLICE VEHICLES. THE LOW BEAM HEADLAMPS OF SOME VEHICLES COULD FAIL DUE TO AN OVERHEATED BULB HARNESS CONNECTOR. OTHER VEHICLES MAY LOSE ABS/ESC SYSTEM FUNCTION DUE TO AN OVERHEATED POWER DISTRIBUTION CENTER. |
| 12V004000 | 06/01/2012 | TIRES:PRESSURE MONITORING AND REGULATING SYSTEMS | CHRYSLER IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2012 DODGE CHARGER SRT8 AND THE CHRYSLER 300 SRT8 VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM MAY 2, 2011, THROUGH NOVEMBER 17, 2011, FOR FAILING TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NUMBER 138, "TIRE PRESSURE MONITORIN |
| 11V487000 | 29/09/2011 | ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | CHRYSLER IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2012 CHRYSLER VEHICLES, INCLUDING 200 AND TOWN AND COUNTRY MODELS, DODGE VEHICLES, INCLUDING CHARGER, DURANGO, GRAND CARAVAN AND JOURNEY MODELS AND JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM AUGUST 31, 2011, THROUGH SEPTEMBER 13, 2011, |
| 14V634000 | 08/10/2014 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:ALTERNATOR/GENERATOR/REGULATOR | Chrysler Group LLC (Chrysler) is recalling certain model year 2011-2014 Chrysler 300, Dodge Charger, Challenger, and Durango; and 2012-2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee vehicles manufactured April 22, 2010, to January 2, 2014, and equipped with a 3.6L engine and a 160 amp alternator. In |
| 12V197000 | 02/05/2012 | SERVICE BRAKES, AIR:ANTILOCK:CONTROL UNIT/MODULE | CHRYSLER IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2011 AND 2012 300 AND DODGE CHARGER VEHICLES. THESE VEHICLES MAY LOSE ABS/ESC SYSTEM FUNCTION DUE TO AN OVERHEATED POWER DISTRIBUTION CENTER. |
Source. US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration public complaint and recall APIs (api.nhtsa.gov), retrieved 2026-07-25. Complaints are unverified consumer reports; volume is influenced by how many units were sold and how long the vehicle has been on the road. Not affiliated with NHTSA or any manufacturer.