Air bags, electrical system, engine, and service brakes issues among the top complaints received by the NHTSA from vehicle owners
Muscle cars still hold their place in today’s culture, with many eyes on the 2019 Dodge Charger. The company claims that the newer lineup offers “bragging rights,” but customers can’t help but complain. This vehicle contains defective air bags, a malfunctioning electrical system, a failing engine and poor service brakes.
Click on other model year to view more problems: 2020 2021
Air bags are specifically designed to protect occupants in the case of an accident, but if they don’t work, they aren’t worth their added vehicle weight.
One NHTSA complaint states, “I was involved in a bad accident in which my car was hit on both sides of the rear driver and passenger doors by 2 different cars. The entire passenger side of the vehicle was ripped and scraped as well and none of the airbags in the vehicle deployed. The entire car is torn apart and one of the airbags attempted to deploy despite being hit all over. I spun out over 6 lanes of traffic as the vehicle came to a stop. Every sensor and meter in the car was flashing and giving me an error message in which the car was no longer operable. If anyone had been in the vehicle along with me, no one would be saved.”
It turns out that there is an air bag related recall, although it isn’t as scary as one would think. NHTSA Campaign Number 19V246000 states that the air bag warning information is wrong on the sun visor, which could lead to an injury. Vehicle manufacturers shouldn’t struggle with such mundane details, as this is something they do day in and day out. Clearly, there’s no reason for Dodge to brag over this one.
| Complaint Category | Number of Complaints |
|---|---|
| Air Bags | |
| Electrical System | |
| Unknown Or Other | |
| Service Brakes | |
| Engine | |
| Exterior Lighting | |
| Steering | |
| Wheels | |
| Fuel/propulsion System | |
| Structure:body |
With a well-working electrical system, the drive is smooth and enjoyable. But, as soon as something begins to glitch, owners feel it.
Another NHTSA review states, “While I was driving today, all of a sudden the lights went so dim (it’s always on the auto setting) then I switched it to the position to the right of it and lights became bright, but when I put it back to auto I couldn’t hardly see the speedometer hardly at all the radio screen went dim as well and none of my lights work at all on my mirror above my visors work and the lights don’t work in the center top either when you push the buttons. Actually those haven’t worked for a really long time. This problem has happened before where my radio actually has gone out completely and speedometer has gotten dim. But scared me today because it was actually dark out and I couldn’t see how fast I was going.”
It turns out the electrical system is a major issue with the Charger models. The first recall, NHTSA Campaign Number 20V512000, states that the backup camera view might not display properly, thereby putting occupants at risk of a collision. The second recall, NHTSA Campaign Number 19V203000, says that the instrument cluster might fail to illuminate driver warnings that are critical to operation. Without this information, occupants are further at risk. Plus, there has been a class action lawsuit regarding the faulty Uconnect systems that freeze, go black or cause trouble with navigation. What exactly is this Dodge vehicle bragging about – being the biggest lemon in the junkyard?
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The motor is by far the most important part in any vehicle, especially a muscle car. However, the engine needs to be more than just powerful; it should also be reliable. Yet, the Charger can’t claim that.
Another NHTSA complaint states, “The contact owns a 2019 Dodge Charger. The contact stated while the vehicle was at a standstill, she saw black/blue smoke exiting from the rear and stated the vehicle began to shake and make an abnormal noise. The contact stated no warning lights were illuminated at the moment. The contact stated days later, the Check Engine Warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to local dealer… and was made aware of the failure. The contact called the dealer where she purchased the vehicle and was towed to their facility. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 7,000.”
Of course, this isn’t the only engine-related concern. Even Service Bulletin #9003680 talks about an oil leak coming from the rear engine seal that could turn into trouble. It seems that every part of this Charger is suffering from a malfunction – making owners want to drive it straight off a nearby cliff.
Finally, stopping power needs to be a top concern if the car will be safe to drive. Yet, the Dodge Charger fails on that front too.
Here’s a final NHTSA complaint. “2019 Dodge Charger Scatpack with Brembo brakes. Rear brake pads only covering 80% of rotor. Outer edges of each rear rotor are untouched by the OEM Brembo brake pad.”
It shouldn’t come as much of a shocker that the brakes have caused a recall as well. NHTSA Campaign Number 19V758000 says that affected vehicles have an incompatible front wheel and brake package that allows the front wheel to contact the steering knuckle and lead to damage. Very suddenly, the tire can lose air pressure, resulting in a major crash. Owners will soon be able to “brag about” how they turned their defective Charger in for a different vehicle. This one is just too much to handle.
Think you have a lemon? Sit back and let the experts work out your lemon case at no cost to you. The law makes Dodge pay legal fees. You may be able to get your lemon out of your life. Every year, auto manufacturers buy back, replace or pay cash settlements to thousands of ‘lemon’ owners like you.
Brian Jones spent more than 30 years working as an ASE Certified Master Tech and Parts Specialist at multiple dealerships. Brian has become an authority in the industry, traveling across the country to consult for car dealerships and contributing his expertise as a writer for several major automotive publications. In his spare time, Brian enjoys working on pickup trucks, muscle cars, Jeeps and anything related to motorsports.
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