MODELYEARINDEX

Which Dodge Challenger years to avoid

Across 12 scored model years, the 2010, 2012 and 2011 model years carry the highest severity-weighted complaint rates.

Ownership label · Dodge Challenger Full report
F
Grade 2010–2021
2010 vs model median 2.1×
Model median3× median
Engine 66
Electrical 20
Drivetrain 20
Avoid

2010 · 2012

Best

2020 · 2021

Year by year

Severity-weighted complaints filed in each model year’s first 60 months on the road, so every year is measured over an identical window.

Year Complaint volume vs median Reports Grade
2010
2.15× 169 F
2011
1.50× 119 D
2012
1.82× 171 F
2013
1.09× 109 D
2014
1.21× 108 D
2015
1.12× 97 D
2016
0.70× 66 B
2017
0.36× 38 B
2018
0.91× 83 C
2019
0.50× 56 B
2020
0.24× 23 A
2021
0.35× 26 A
2022 P
0.09× 11 A
2023 P
0.39× 52 A

P — provisional. These years have not completed 60 months on the road, so their totals are incomplete and they are excluded from the verdict.

What owners report

The component groups most often named, with one representative report. These are unverified — allegations, not findings.

2010 F 169 reports · median 14,450 mi

  1. Engine 66

    Normal driving, pulling up to a stop sign to make a right hand turn and the engine just stalls while still moving. Power steering goes out and the check engine light came on. Had to restart the car before driving off. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  2. Electrical 20

    All heater, AC and rear defroster not working including all lights in dials, car blows only hot air including when fan is off. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  3. Drivetrain 20

    2010 dodge challenger r/t automatic transmission. While turning right car stalls and completely shuts off requiring the car to be put into park and restarted. Fortunately on both occasions my wife was not rear ended. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

8 crash · 6 fire · 10 injuries

2012 F 171 reports · median 43,000 mi

  1. Electrical 69

    The challenger srt8 is not equipped with a dash illumination system, which comes on, during normal daytime driving. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  2. Airbags & Restraints 28

    I was rearended, (at 4200 miles on my new vehicle), while at a dead stop for a traffic light by a ford F250 pickup truck traveling at 45 MPH pulling a utility trailer hauling approximately 6000 - 7000 pounds which hit… owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  3. Steering 12

    The contact owns a 2012 dodge challenger. The contact stated that the front passenger side wheel detached from the vehicle. The contact had the vehicle towed to the dealer. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

16 crash · 3 fire · 11 injuries

The best year for the Challenger

Ranked by overall score among years with a full 60 months on the road.

2020 is the best-scoring Challenger model year with a full 60 months on the road, at 88.1 out of 100 — a score that combines complaint rate, recall campaigns and open investigations.

Yearvs medianReportsGrade
2020 0.24× 23 A
2021 0.35× 26 A
2017 0.36× 38 B

Recalls

31 campaigns on record, 5 carrying a Park It or Park Outside warning.

Campaign Component Model years Units affected
18V332000 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING 2015–2018 4,815,661
16V352000 Park it AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE 2010–2012 4,648,270
15V461000 EQUIPMENT:ELECTRICAL:RADIO/TAPE DECK/CD ETC. 2015 1,416,903
19V018000 Park it AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE 2010–2014 1,413,222
17V435000 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:ALTERNATOR/GENERATOR/REGULATOR 2011–2014 442,214
14V634000 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:ALTERNATOR/GENERATOR/REGULATOR 2011–2014 435,081
18V021000 Park it AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE 2010–2013 328,177
20V191000 BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA 2019 319,610
13V118000 AIR BAGS 2011, 2012 119,497
15V444000 Park it AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE 2010 88,460
22V504000 TIRES:PRESSURE MONITORING AND REGULATING SYSTEMS 2022 52,340
22V808000 TIRES:PRESSURE MONITORING AND REGULATING SYSTEMS 2022 44,212

+ 19 further campaigns

How long do they last?

Complaint records show when problems get reported, not how long a car survives. Where owners gave an odometer reading, faults on the 2010 were reported at a median of 14,450 miles. Treat that as the point problems start being noticed, not a lifespan.

Common questions

Answered directly from this model’s record.

Which Dodge Challenger years should you avoid?
2010, 2012, 2011 carry the highest severity-weighted complaint rates of any Dodge Challenger model year measured over an identical 60-month window.
What is the best year for the Dodge Challenger?
2020 is the best-scoring Dodge Challenger model year with a full 60 months on the road, at 88.1 out of 100. The score combines complaint rate, recall campaigns and open investigations.
How many recalls does the Dodge Challenger have?
31 distinct recall campaigns are on record across all scored Dodge Challenger model years. A recall is a matter of record: the manufacturer filed a defect report with NHTSA.

How this was calculated

Every model year is scored over an identical window: complaints filed with NHTSA during the first 60 months after that model year went on sale. Without this, older cars look worse purely because they have had longer to accumulate reports.

Limitations. Complaints are unverified reports submitted voluntarily by owners; they are allegations, not findings, and reporting rates vary between models. Model years with fewer than 60 months on the road are marked provisional and excluded from verdicts. Cross-model comparison is withheld pending production-volume data.

Full methodology · Sources · Data vintage August 9, 2026

Working 2010 Challenger
Complaints in window
169
Severity-weighted
349.5
Model median (weighted)
163
vs model median
2.15×
Recall campaigns (weighted)
15
Open investigations
1
Score 28 F