2019 Dodge Charger: What to check before buying

No deployment in serious crashes is the most alarming pattern. Several filings describe totaled cars, side impacts and wall strikes where nothing inflated, and drivers came away with concussions or stitches. One report describes the opposite: an unexpected deployment that sent the car into a ditch. Most of the remaining complaints are about waiting for an air bag recall repair. Dealers have no part, the manufacturer gives no date, and some owners say the wait has lasted nearly a year.

Headlights burn out, and the connector or fuse behind the lamp often melts or scorches, even after repeated bulb changes. Police fleet cars appear often, including one engine-bay fire near the firewall. Other reports describe smoke from under the front passenger seat and an armrest USB port that drops CarPlay. Some owners report a delaminating touch screen that registers phantom inputs. Others cite a dead instrument cluster, a car that will not start from the button, and automatic braking that engages for no reason.

Sudden stalls while driving top this list. The motor shuts off with no warning and will not crank again, a real risk in traffic. Lifter noise is another theme, heard at around 42000 miles in one case, and one engine failed catastrophically months after a dealer lifter repair. Cooling trouble recurs: radiators fail, and the temperature climbs fast at idle even with the fans running. Other filings describe an oil cooler leaking onto the road and, in one fire-related report, black and blue smoke from the rear with shaking.

Power steering assist drops out while driving and leaves the wheel very hard to turn. A police fleet found this on 2 of 15 pursuit cars, and a Hellcat owner needed a tow. Other reports describe the car jerking or pulling in curves and rubbing or whining noises at full lock. In one case a front suspension arm broke during a slow right turn, and the wheel and brake assembly came off. Several filings in this group actually describe infotainment or transmission trouble.

Rear brake pads on Scat Pack cars with Brembo calipers leave a wide band of each rotor untouched. Owners estimate contact at a little over half to 80% of the surface and say this cuts braking force and wears rotors early. Front brake shimmy builds over time, appearing by 13000 miles in one case, and dealers call it wear and tear. More serious reports describe a pedal with no response before a rear-end crash with 5 injuries, plus a parking brake that engaged itself while driving.

Headlights quit on one side, usually the driver's, and keep failing after new bulbs go in. Some owners find the lamp housing or wiring harness melted and hot enough to burn a hand. A separate group says the factory halogen headlamps are too dim to begin with. They describe a poor beam pattern and little light reaching signs on the right, even after dealer adjustment or brighter bulbs. Both problems leave drivers unable to see well, or at all, at night.

Fuel leaks where the filler tube joins the plastic tank, and drivers notice fuel vapor and a gasoline smell around and inside the car. An independent shop traced one leak to a crack at the welded filler nipple, with white residue around it. The repair meant a new tank and fuel pumps. Another owner reports a gas smell in the cabin and says no remedy is available. Only a few complaints are on file, but all three point to fuel odor or leaking.

Interior door panels warp and peel away from the frame near the window sill, starting at around 32000 miles in one case. The lifted trim leaves a sharp edge and a gap. It can also bind the door lock and rub against the window glass, and one owner's window motor is failing again after replacement. Another owner worries the warping could affect air bag deployment. A separate filing reports body sealer cracking at 1,000 miles, and the dealer repair did not fix it.