10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
5 / 38
Injuries / Deaths:
4 / 0
Average Mileage:
51,440 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2011 Dodge Charger electrical problems

electrical problem

Find something helpful? Spread the word.
Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2011 Dodge Charger:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

2011 Dodge Charger Owner Comments (Page 16 of 18)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #58

Jan 212014

Charger 6-cyl

  • 50,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The airbag light in my Charger kept coming on and staying on. When I took it to the dealer they said the error code was coming from the seat airbag sensors and they would need to be replaced. Apparently my Charger was manufactured in January of 2011 and was not included in the recall for this exact same problem because the recall was only for those manufactured starting in April. The exact same part that was found to be defective in these other Chargers was the same as mine, but they would not repair it under the recall. After they fixed that the airbag light was still on and this time I was told that it was coming from the passenger airbag underneath the dash. Again the same problem with the airbag wiring and harness, and again it was not covered under any type of warranty.

- Wichita, KS, USA

problem #57

Feb 262014

Charger 6-cyl

  • 50,000 miles
The passenger side low beam headlight went out the other day and when I went to change it the connector that attaches to the bulb was melted. Two week later the drivers side low beam light did the same thing. The bulbs that were in there at the time the connectors melted were oem rated bulbs. I contacted the dealer and they said the only thing available at the time was to buy the entire wiring harness and that would run close to $800.

- Wichita, KS, USA

problem #56

Jul 052013

Charger 6-cyl

  • 35,519 miles
The morning of July 5, 2013 I started my car and all the dash lights came on. It had done this once before but only for a second and then all was fine.this time they didn't turn off and when I started to drive it was making "whining" noise. I called the dealership and told them what was going on. They told me to drive to the dealership right away. They called later that afternoon to tell me it was the alternator was bad and causing a short. Since the car was past 36,000 miles it's not covered under warranty! it cost me about $800 to replace the alternator. I'm not sure what the exact problem was with the alternator, but I just had it at the dealership a month prior for an oil change and they "said" the car checked out fine. I have had numerous issues with this car! 35,5019 miles, they replaced 3 of the 6 pistons, thankfully it was under warranty. 45,778 miles, the alternator failed. Around 50,000 miles, one of the fuel pumps needed to be replaced because it was cracked on the top. The car smelled like gas for a month after fixing it. The mechanic that replaced it said he has never seen them brake like that and it was very odd. Recently at about 57,000, we replaced the actuator in the diver side A/C unit. The noise started about 6 months prior but financially we were unable to repair it until now. It is past the mileage for lemon law but Dodge should not leave the consumer to pay for their mistakes and poor quality.

- Peoria, AZ, USA

problem #55

Jan 162014

Charger 6-cyl

  • 43,200 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

On January 19th 2014 I was driving to work and the car went into battery saver mode the ABS light came on, the radio shut off and the car started to shake and it went dead on a busy intersection. I had it towed to pep boys they changed the battery just so I can get it to Dodge to replace the alternator it was a factory defect in the alternator wiring which is not on the recall list so, I had to pay $700. When I got the car back 2 days later. I noticed when I'm driving one headlight goes out. I saw a recall on the 2011 Charger police vehicles headlight harness burning out but nothing on the base model SE which are having the same problem. I pay too much money a month for this car to come out of pocket for these factory defects. Dodge/Chrysler need to do something about this or they will lose alot of customers.

- Jersey City, NJ, USA

problem #54

Jan 152014

Charger 6-cyl

  • 44,500 miles
Headlight connection plugs melted lights don't work on low beams. Police vehicles have been recalled for this problem but not all others. Dealer wont fix wants me to pay for it. I think Chrysler know that there is a problem because that why they recalled all police vehicles. I think this is a safety problem, when driving at night and your lights go out from light plugs melting and I or my wife and kids cant see the road and possible get into a wreck or plugs get hot enough to catch the car on fire. Something need to be done.

- Chowchilla, CA, USA

problem #53

Jan 132014

Charger 6-cyl

  • 52,000 miles
My passenger side low beam headlamp went out. I purchased a new bulb but when I went to replace it, I noticed that the harness attached to the bulb was scorched and melted. I replaced the harness along with the bulb. The headlight worked for a few days but no longer does. I noticed there is a recall for a similar problem but when I contacted the dealer, they informed me that my car was not part of the recall even though the problem is identical.

- Natick, MA, USA

problem #52

Jan 032014

Charger 6-cyl

  • 42,447 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

My car displayed a message battery save mode, I was riding on the turnpike which I had to hurry and pull over because the radios down, then the air conditioner, then the dash board lights start appearing, the windshield wipers came on, the steering wheel became no easy to turn as if it was locking. I placed the car in park the entire car shut off, key wasn't able to be detected nothing. Had the car towed to my mechanic shop he explained alternator and that he would also check the voltage on the battery. When he went to check the battery it was extremely hot which he was surprise it hadn't catches fire. Obviously I called to see if their were any recalls related to my VIN and they said no, crazy part is I'm reviewing all the same problems on this site and Dodge doesn't think this is a recall issue that's crazy to me.

- Lauderhill, FL, USA

problem #51

Dec 162013

Charger 4-cyl

  • 54,034 miles
Noticed that the passenger side low beam headlamp was not lighting. Installed a new lamp with the same current and power specs. With less than 4 hours on the new lamp it also failed to light. Removed the lamp and found the connector shell/housing charred and brittle. Contacts on one side of the connector and both the original and replacement lamps were discolored by intense heat. Evidently, the connector contact was not providing a solid connection with the lamp terminals, and the high resistance connection resulted in overheating and melting of the connector, a dealer service advisor informed me that this is a known, ongoing problem for which the solution is to replace the entire wiring harness at the owner's expense. Research indicated that the problem has been acknowledged by Chrysler, but only police vehicles have been recalled. To avoid spending hundreds of dollars to have the entire harness replaced, the original connector has been removed and a replacement connector installed. Whether "new" harnesses installed to fix the problem use the same inadequate connectors is unknown.

- Brentwood, MD, USA

problem #50

Jan 012014

Charger

  • 52,000 miles
The contact owns a 2011 Dodge Charger. The contact stated that the headlights suddenly failed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was found that the headlight harness needed to be replaced. The vehicle was scheduled for repairs. The manufacturer was contacted about the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was not included in NHTSA campaign number 12V042000 (electrical system, exterior lighting, service brakes, hydraulic). The failure mileage was 52,000.

- Louisville, KY, USA

problem #49

Oct 282013

Charger 6-cyl

  • 59,000 miles
I currently own a 2011 Dodge Charger and I got into my car and noticed that all of the lights were on in the dash board from the wind shield wipers, power steering service light was flashing, brake lights I mean every light was on. I took the car to the dealer because I purchased the car December 2012 and I remember the dealer saying that I had the previous owners warranty but to find out I only had the power train warranty and was told that I had to pay $120 just for a diagnostic. My husband was furious and took the car to another shop and they stated that the car just needed fuses when all of the fuses were replaced all of the lights went off but the power steering went all the way out so now I have not been able to drive my car until I can get the money to see what is wrong with the power steering it is unfortunate that my car has been sitting up for 2 months now. A fairly new car and I am having these problems this is just crazy I check the Dodge website for recalls and I didn't see anything.

- Berwyn, IL, USA

problem #48

Dec 262013

Charger 6-cyl

  • 55,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Driver side low beam light went out. Tried replacing the bulb, which was much more difficult than anticipated so, decided to take it to the Dodge dealer I purchased the car from. Received a call from the service department only to be told that it was not the bulb but was the entire wiring mechanism and the wires had "melted". I have been a loyal Dodge customer for many year, despite many difficulties with other Dodge models. Most recent, this headlight issue, not covered under any recall (even after reading all these complaints) and I am over my 36,000 mile warranty, I am extremely disappointed in Chrysler! not only because of the cost of this repair, but now I worry that if the heat is enough to melt the wires, what happens the next time I am driving and the wires actually catch fire? guess Chrysler will issue a recall once someone is severely injured or worse case dead because of this issue!

- New Baltimore, MI, USA

problem #47

Dec 092013

Charger 6-cyl

  • 64,500 miles
Drivers side low beam went out while driving at night. While changing the bulb, I noticed that the connector and bulb were melted, black, and brittle. The new bulb lasted two days before it went out. Contacted Dodge about the recall on Dodge Charger police vehicles, but VIN specific recall does not cover my vehicle. Now I'm forced to get the harness repaired at my own expense. Does not seem right that there are so many others with the same problem, but Dodge is not fixing the problem"?"

- Bowling Green, KY, USA

problem #46

Dec 172013

Charger 6-cyl

  • 67,000 miles
Same as everyone else. Started with having to replace both lightbulbs multiple times. Dealer said it was wiring harness but not covered by recall. Within 6 months major catastrophic failure with alternator and battery, again not covered.

- Deltona, FL, USA

problem #45

Jun 062013

Charger 6-cyl

  • 50,000 miles
2011 Dodge Charger drivers side low beam headlight went out during low visibility, further investigation revealed the wiring harness leading up to the bulb overheated and is resulting in intermittent operation. It is sometimes possible to manually move wires to get the headlight back on but eventually it goes back out. Head light has been replaced a couple of times but this is not the root cause, root cause is something is causing the wires to overheat.

- Mount Pleasant, TX, USA

problem #44

Nov 292013

Charger

  • miles
Have a 2011 Dodge Charger that head light went out. Had it replaced and a few days later went out again. The next day car wouldn't start. Had to have car towed to dealership. Had to replace alternator and battery. Cost over $ 800 to get fixed. Don't understand with so many complaints that are identical why Dodge hasn't had a recall. Seen where police cars have been recalled. Going to contact an attorney to see what options I have bc this is just wrong.

- Gray, TN, USA

problem #43

Nov 262013

Charger

  • 64,000 miles
TL-the contact owns a 2011 Dodge Charger. The contact stated while driving approximately 50 mph the headlight were activated, the suddenly the passenger's side low beam headlights failed to illuminate. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer who informed that the headlight wiring harness overheated and would need to be replaced. There was a recall associated with NHTSA campaign id number 12V042000 (electrical system, exterior lighting, service brakes, hydraulic) and the VIN was not included. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 64,000.

- Lenior, NC, USA

problem #42

Dec 032013

Charger 6-cyl

  • 12,000 miles
Passenger side low beam headlight keeps going out/fails to light. The halogen lamp after being replaced fails the same way. If wires are jiggled, the light often will go back on, but then fails again. This has happened repeatedly. My wife contacted Chrysler 1 800 853 1403 and they told her that the car was not covered under a recall. The recall involved police versions of the same car. The same problem appears to be happening in civilian versions as well. Our local dealership is pleading "ignorance" and wants to charge us to repair what is obviously as design/engineering defect. What is scary is the defect in police cars also notes a tie-in to a fuse box and control panels that could result in a crash. This vehicle only has between 12,000 to 13,000 miles on it as of today's date. My wife is absolutely afraid to drive the car at night. The 2011 Dodge Charger poses a dangerous problem to public safety, not only for the driver and passengers, but also to other people and property that might get hit in a crash. Why do people have to die before things like this get serious attention? Chrysler llc should be ashamed of itself for not stepping up.

- Aurora, IL, USA

problem #41

Dec 062013

Charger

  • 41,197 miles
Got pulled over by police for having right front headlight out. Did some research and found that this was a common problem with the wiring harness. Sure enough, when I wiggled the wire, the light came on, so the bulb is good but the wiring is bad. Seems this is a common problem, Dodge should be taking care of this.

- Deridder, LA, USA

problem #40

Dec 052013

Charger 6-cyl

  • 59,000 miles
My low beam headlights have went out over 5 times this year. I replaced the light at my expense every time. I took my car to a car shop to have the headlights replaced only to find out the bulb harnesses were burnt up. I took my car to the dealer to have the burnt up bulb harnesses replaced because that's what the remedy is and I was told my car could not be fixed with out payment. They stated that the recall was for a different car. My VIN # only showed the ABS/ESC, door handle, and airbag harness needed to be replaced. From the look of it other people are having this same issue. Chrysler needs to be held accountable to correct this issue. The issue occurred due to the ABS/ESC system which was recalled.

- Woodbridge, VA, USA

problem #39

Aug 012013

Charger

  • 50,000 miles
Right low beam has gone out three times over the past three months. After further review of the wiring connector that holds the bulb, the connector is melted and will no longer illuminate a bulb. After calling Chrysler's recall to inquire as to if they will fix the issue, because there is a similar recall for the police only models, I was told no. I will have to pay out of pocket to have the entire harness and wiring replaced. This is a design defect that Chrysler/Dodge will not take responsibility for. Due to the headlight being out, I can barely drive my car. I am unable to drive my car at night for fear of having no visibility or a collision. The recall that was sent was M01, however Chrysler states that this recall is only applicable to 2011-2012 police vehicles.

- Oakley, CA, USA

Read the next 20 complaints »

Not what you are looking for?