Car Issues Tracker
Vehicle complaints, recalls & safety data — sourced from NHTSA

2012 Dodge Charger: Complaints, Recalls, and Known Problems

Owners have filed 648 safety complaints about the 2012 Dodge Charger with U.S. regulators. Here's what the federal data shows, system by system.

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · Retrieved September 7, 2026 · Counts change as new reports are filed

648
Complaints
14
Recalls
3
Investigations
5★
Overall crash rating

Complaints for this vehicle report 20 crashes, 49 fires, 16 injuries. No deaths have been reported.

Key findings
  1. Electrical issues dominate. They appear in 55% of the 648 complaints on file — an unusually concentrated failure pattern.
  2. Stalling is a recurring theme. 121 of the 648 reports describe the engine stalling — many while driving.
  3. 3 NHTSA defect investigations are associated with this vehicle.

What owners report

Complaints filed with NHTSA name the vehicle system involved. For the 2012 Dodge Charger, electrical issues stand far above everything else.

Complaints by vehicle system
System mentions in 648 complaints · a complaint can cite more than one system
Electrical
359
Airbags & restraints
112
Engine & cooling
96
Brakes & stability
70
Visibility & lighting
66
Power train / transmission
65
Steering
53
Other / unspecified
41

"Headlight pigtail assembly burned out as described in the 2014 safety recall. 14V-101 / P08 Recall Summary The wiring sub-harnesses for the headlights may overheat, and the low beam headlights may fail. Dealers will replace the headlamp jumper harnesses and bulbs or the headlight assemblies as needed free of charge to resolve the concern."

Owner complaint filed November 2025 · Electrical System · NHTSA ODI 11701383

"My vehicle has been experiencing electrical issues causing my radio to cut off and my car to cut off and lose power while driving. When the car is moving and loses power it's causes the vehicle to shift into neutral."

Owner complaint filed April 2025 · Electrical System · NHTSA ODI 11657915

When complaints were filed

Complaint filings for the 2012 Dodge Charger over time:

Complaints filed per year — 2012 Dodge Charger
Year the complaint was filed, not the incident year
5
31
112
130
90
114
44
43
31
7
12
11
10
6
2
121314151617181920212223242526
2026 is a partial year (through September 7, 2026).

How the 2012 compares with other model years

Across the Dodge Charger model years we track, the 2006 has the most complaints on file (1,294); the 2012 ranks 3 of 5.

Total complaints by model year — Dodge Charger
All complaints on file per model year, as of September 7, 2026
1,294
570
624
694
2012
648
Older model years have had more time on the road to accumulate complaints — compare adjacent years, not endpoints.

Recall history: 14 recalls

14 recalls apply to some or all 2012 Dodge Charger vehicles. Recall repairs are free at any dealer, with no time limit.

Sep 201111V-487
Engine And Engine Cooling

CHRYSLER IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2012 CHRYSLER VEHICLES, INCLUDING 200 AND TOWN AND COUNTRY MODELS, DODGE VEHICLES, INCLUDING CHARGER, DURANGO, GRAND CARAVAN AND JOURNEY MODELS AND JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM AUGUST 31, 2011, THROUGH SEPTEMBER 13, 2011, THAT ARE EQUIPPED W…

Jan 201212V-004
Tires:Pressure Monitoring And Regulating Systems

CHRYSLER IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2012 DODGE CHARGER SRT8 AND THE CHRYSLER 300 SRT8 VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM MAY 2, 2011, THROUGH NOVEMBER 17, 2011, FOR FAILING TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NUMBER 138, "TIRE PRESSURE MONITORING SYSTEM" (TPMS). AS …

Feb 201212V-042
Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip:Control Unit/Module

CHRYSLER IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2011 and 2012 DODGE CHARGER POLICE VEHICLES. THE LOW BEAM HEADLAMPS OF SOME VEHICLES COULD FAIL DUE TO AN OVERHEATED BULB HARNESS CONNECTOR. OTHER VEHICLES MAY LOSE ABS/ESC SYSTEM FUNCTION DUE TO AN OVERHEATED POWER DISTRIBUTION CENTER.

May 201212V-197
Service Brakes, Air:Antilock:Control Unit/Module

CHRYSLER IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2011 AND 2012 300 AND DODGE CHARGER VEHICLES. THESE VEHICLES MAY LOSE ABS/ESC SYSTEM FUNCTION DUE TO AN OVERHEATED POWER DISTRIBUTION CENTER.

Apr 201313V-118
Air Bags

Chrysler Group LLC (Chrysler) is recalling certain model year 2011-2012 Chrysler 300, Dodge Challenger, and Dodge Charger vehicles manufactured April 11, 2011, through December 14, 2011. The affected vehicles may have improperly sized terminal crimps on the seat side-airbag wiring harness which may …

Mar 201414V-101
Exterior Lighting:Headlights

Chrysler Group LLC (Chrysler) is recalling certain model year 2011-2012 Dodge Charger vehicles manufactured May 20, 2010, through November 8, 2011, and equipped with halogen headlamps. In the affected vehicles, a sub-harness for the headlights may overheat and cause the low beam headlights to go out…

Oct 201414V-634
Electrical System:Alternator/Generator/Regulator

Chrysler Group LLC (Chrysler) is recalling certain model year 2011-2014 Chrysler 300, Dodge Charger, Challenger, and Durango; and 2012-2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee vehicles manufactured April 22, 2010, to January 2, 2014, and equipped with a 3.6L engine and a 160 amp alternator. In the affected vehicles…

Jul 201515V-467
Air Bags:Side/Window

Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain model year 2011-2014 Dodge Charger vehicles manufactured May 6, 2010, to June 5, 2014. In the affected vehicles, the side impact sensor calibrations may be overly sensitive, and as a result, the side air bag inflatable curtains and seat air bags may unexpec…

Jan 201616V-043
Structure

FCA US LLC (Chrysler) is recalling certain model year 2011-2016 Dodge Charger vehicles manufactured August 23, 2010, to January 7, 2016. When an affected vehicle is lifted using the supplied tire jack without chocking the wheels, the vehicle's body-side sill may give causing the tire jack to fail an…

Apr 201616V-240
Power Train:Automatic Transmission:Control Module (Tcm/Pcm/Tecm)

Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain model year 2012-2014 Dodge Charger and Chrysler 300 vehicles manufactured February 15, 2011, to November 27, 2014, and 2014-2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee vehicles manufactured July 16, 2012, to December 22, 2015. The affected vehicles, equipped with an eight-spe…

May 201616V-352
Air Bags:Frontal:Passenger Side:Inflator Module

Chrysler (FCA US LLC) expanded the affected population to include 73,712 2005-2009 RAM 2500 trucks produced at the St. Louis North Assembly Plant. With this change, Chrysler is recalling certain model year 2004-2008 RAM 1500, 2005-2009 RAM 2500, 2006-2009 RAM 3500, 2007-2010 RAM 3500 Cab Chassis, 20…

Jul 201717V-435
Electrical System:Alternator/Generator/Regulator

Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain model year 2011-2014 Dodge Challenger, Dodge Charger, Chrysler 300, Dodge Durango, and 2012-2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee vehicles. The affected vehicles have electro-hydraulic power steering (EHPS) and are equipped with a 5.7L or a 3.6L engine and a 160, 180 or…

Jan 201818V-021
Air Bags:Frontal:Passenger Side:Inflator Module

Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2009-2013 Jeep Wrangler, Chrysler 300, Dodge Challenger and Dodge Charger vehicles, and 2009-2011 Dodge Dakota vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, …

Jan 201919V-018
Air Bags:Frontal:Passenger Side:Inflator Module

Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2010 Dodge Ram 3500, Ram 4500/5500, 2010-2011 Dodge Dakota, 2010-2014 Dodge Challenger, 2010-2015 Dodge Challenger, Chrysler 300, and 2010-2016 Jeep Wrangler vehicles. Upon deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause th…

Does your car have an open recall?

Recall repairs are free at any dealer, with no time limit. Look up your 17-character VIN on the official NHTSA site to see open recalls for your specific vehicle. Check your VIN at NHTSA.gov →

Crash-test ratings

NHTSA crash ratings measure how the car protects occupants in a crash — a separate question from the reliability complaints above. A vehicle can be both crashworthy and trouble-prone.

★★★★★
Overall
★★★★☆
Frontal crash
★★★★★
Side crash
★★★★★
Rollover

Frequently asked questions

How many complaints does the 2012 Dodge Charger have?

As of September 7, 2026, owners have filed 648 complaints about the 2012 Dodge Charger with NHTSA. The most-reported system is electrical.

How many recalls does the 2012 Dodge Charger have?

The 2012 Dodge Charger has 14 NHTSA recalls on file. Recall repairs are free at any dealer.

Is the 2012 Dodge Charger safe in a crash?

NHTSA gives the 2012 Dodge Charger an overall crash rating of 5 out of 5 stars. Crash ratings measure occupant protection in a collision; they do not measure reliability, which is what the complaint data above reflects.

Methodology & source

All figures come from the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) public APIs: the Office of Defects Investigation complaint database, the recalls database, and NCAP safety ratings, retrieved September 7, 2026.

Complaints are self-reported by consumers and are not verified by NHTSA or by this site. A single complaint may cite multiple vehicle systems, so system mentions can sum to more than the complaint total. Complaint volume is influenced by fleet size, media attention, and recall notices, and is not by itself a measure of defect rates.

This site is not affiliated with NHTSA or any manufacturer. Nothing here is repair, purchase, or legal advice. For your specific vehicle, use the official NHTSA VIN lookup and consult a qualified technician.