2020 Dodge Charger: What to check before buying

Failure to deploy in a crash is the main complaint. Several reports describe hits to the driver door at 20 to 40 mph with no deployment and injured drivers. Other crashes bring smoke and burns from deploying bags, a curtain bag that only partly opens, or a knee bag that blocks the brake pedal. Nine filings involve crashes, one involves a fire, and four report injuries. Many of the rest describe a recall delay rather than a failure. Owners get a recall notice, but dealers say repair parts are unavailable, sometimes while the air bag light is on.

Sudden electrical faults while driving are the most serious reports. One car shuts down at highway speed and loses throttle, power steering, and lights, which was traced to loose bolts at the power distribution center. Another has the radio and gauges resetting to zero, then the car restarts and stalls, at just 3,500 miles. Wipers also fail. Intermittent settings stop working, and the wipers switch on from the turn signal lever and won't shut off. Other filings describe a leaking A/C evaporator core that fails twice and a car that starts by itself.

Sudden loss of power is reported, with the steering wheel locking up and no warning light. After a restart, the check engine light comes on and the problem keeps coming back, even after a mechanic replaces one failed sensor and then finds another. A separate report describes an engine that overheats with oil mixed into the coolant and no warning, and the mechanic calls for a new engine. Paddle-shift cars may downshift when the driver upshifts, causing jerks and sudden surges of acceleration.

Despite the heading, the more serious filing here is a side curtain air bag that goes off on its own during normal driving. The deployment tears the headliner and pillar trim and throws debris, scratching the people inside. The dealer declines to do the related recall work on that car. This is the one reported injury in this category. The only true lighting complaint is water getting into the passenger headlight after 30,000 miles.

Glass and seal failures make up this category. On one car, the windshield sealant pulls away from the body on both sides at about 14,000 miles. The dealer did not repair it. In the other report, the sunroof glass shatters at highway speed when the driver opens the vent shade, at only 908 miles. The dealer declines that repair, and an independent shop does the work.

Underbody and body damage shows up in two forms. The plastic belly pan ahead of the rear axle scoops up water from deep puddles in heavy rain. That tears its mounting bolt out of the body and leaves the pan dragging under the car. It happens again after a warranty repair. In the other report, the car shakes at various speeds with no warning light, and the owner finds a bent driver door beam at about 26,000 miles. The dealer says the door needs replacing.