2019 Dodge Challenger: What to check before buying

The rearview camera image stays on screen after shifting out of reverse, sometimes for 10 to 12 seconds, or the camera goes dark or unavailable. The Uconnect screen also goes black and stops responding, and resets do not always help. Other reports describe windows cycling overnight and draining the battery, a key fob the car will not detect, and shifter warnings with the gear stuck in park. Dealers often cannot reproduce the faults. One filing is marked crash- and fire-related but gives no details.

Wheel lockups and sudden loss of power assist strike during turns, merges, and lane changes, sometimes followed by a "steering wheel motion off" message, with no warning light beforehand. That is a loss-of-control risk at highway speed. Replacing the electronic power steering gear did not cure erratic steering in one car. A crash report blames a broken lower control arm and ball joint, with a replacement rack and pinion on back order. A few filings here actually describe transmission hesitation or tire damage.

The transmission throws warnings, refuses to engage in traffic, or shifts at random, including a drop from 8th to 3rd on a freeway. Dealers have replaced a transmission control module and swapped speed sensors, and the swap did not fix that car. One failure came in under 300 miles. Manual cars pop out of first gear from a stop, and one owner made 7 dealer visits without a fix. Other reports describe a rear differential breaking apart on the highway and an engine shutting off at 65 mph, taking power steering and braking with it.

Front tires wear on the inside edge, and the car feels wobbly and rubs going down the road. Tire rotation at every oil change does not prevent it. In one case the dealer replaced 2 tires and 1 rim, yet the rubbing continued while technicians said they could not hear or feel it. Other reports describe the tires scraping the body when the steering wheel is turned all the way in either direction. Owners worry about highway stability, though none report a crash here.

Front tires wear on the inside edge and rub when turning, and the wear comes back after replacement. Tire pressure warnings also come on. One fire-related report describes an instrument panel that got very hot and burned its connecting wires, and the panel was replaced. That owner also blamed worn front tires on the steering knuckle. Dealers and independent mechanics have replaced the tires, but the wear keeps returning.

Airbags fail to deploy in serious crashes, including a 55 mph collision and a hard rear-end impact. Three of the five reports involve crashes, with 4 people injured, including a concussion and a broken hand. Owners saw no warning light before these crashes. The other reports describe a steering wheel airbag light that never comes on, and dealers found the airbag not working or needing replacement.

A wheel snapped off after a flat tire and damaged the firewall, and the car was declared a total loss. Most filings in this category actually describe electrical failures, including a fuse box that needed a wiring kit and full rewiring, repeatedly blown fuses, dead USB and charging ports, and a radio that lost contact with the amplifier even after the amplifier was replaced twice. Another describes the keyless system locking the owner out, plus front and rear suspension failure.

Headlights stop working while driving, with no warning light. The reported cause is electrical heat damage, either a melted electrical box or a damaged wiring harness that shorts and melts a fuse. Losing headlights at night is a direct crash risk, and melting parts raise a fire concern. One failure came at about 98,000 miles. In the reported cases, the car was not repaired.

Catastrophic engine failure shows up very early. One engine blew at 1,626 miles at 75 mph, spilling oil across the road with part of a connecting rod hanging from the oil pan. The driver reached the shoulder safely. The other complaint describes oil cooler leaks, with oil pooling in the valley around the cooler on an SXT AWD. That owner calls it a repeat problem across several cars and an expensive repair.