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.
The contact owns a 2011 Dodge Charger. The contact stated that while driving approximately 40 mph, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 48,000.
On 8/24 I was driving about 30 mph when my car started cutting out. The radio went off, my engine died and my steering locked. I almost hit a pedestrian and what could have been a few cars but I was able to avoid it. I stopped and was able to start my car to get it to the side of the road. I had it towed home, next day I had it towed to momentum Dodge because I looked online and had 3 recalls, door handles, headlights and I don't know the 3rd one. I was hoping it was the problem. It was not. I then had my car towed to another shop who verified my alternator is out. As of now the only place I can the find the alternator is, of course, the Dodge dealer which I cannot afford.
While driving on highway at approx. 50 mph, the "batter saver" message appeared on the dash display followed by multiple systems shutting down along with multiple fault lights including brakes, ABS, bat. The engine stopped running and there was minimal control of the vehicle. Steering & braking were almost non existent. After pulling to the side of the highway, there was a strong electrical smell coming from the engine compartment. Upon further investigation, the smell was coming from the alternator. No electrical power was available to lock/unlock doors, turn on hazard lights, or place the car in neutral in order to pull the vehicle on to a tow truck.
Morning of the incident, heard a "whining" noise when car started. Drive short distance to work and home. While driving on highway in traffic going 25mph at 6pm, lost power to radio, power steering, ABS light flashed, brake light flashed, and strong electrical smell. When I finally got the car to the shoulder, itwas in battery saver mode and could not detect key for keyless entry. No electrical power. When I called Dodge dealer where it was towed, they said it would be $700 for parts and labor.
My car started making a squeaky noise from the engine one morning, then as I drove it the radio went off and my battery said it was going into battery saving mode. My ac started to turn on and off, so I lowered my windows then my windows wouldn't go back up. I had numerous engine lights come. My windshield wipers where turning on and off. My power steering stopped working, so I pulled over. I turned my car off and it wouldn't turn on. I checked my battery the next morning to see if I needed a new one but it was fine. I jumped my car and drove it around a little and still had all the problems stated above with my headlights flashing on and off this time. I turned the car off and the lights inside where still flashing, so I unplugged the battery. My car is now at the Dodge dealer and they are telling me it might be alternator. I don't understand how this happens to a 2011 vehicle.
- Bakersfield, CA, USA
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I was driving and all of a sudden the car started smoking and then started to decelerate.I pulled over to the side to take a look under the hood and heard a buzzing/ringing noise from the engine.I slowly drove to auto zone to get a diagnostic and it read alternator.
Driving and the car started to make a humming sound from the engine. Then out of nowhere car started to blow hot air, the radio went off, "battery safe mode" was on the screen and I could start to smell smoke. I pulled over and tried to figure out what was going on. I was directed to go to either an auto store or the dealership to get a diagnostic ran. I cautiously drove the car (only going about 20 mph tops) to an auto store. They ran a diagnostic and I was told the alternator was shot and that I was the 3rd person this week that had the same issue. I drove my car less than a mile home and the moment that I turned into my apartment complex the car just shut off and smoke was billowing from under the hood. The next day when I tried to turn the car on to get it on the tow truck, the automatic doors wouldn't unlock- the whole car was completely dead! from reading multiple post I'm not sure why Dodge hasn't issued a recall for this. I clearly am not the only one experiencing this pricey issue for such a newer car. I'm just glad all this happened when I was on side streets and not going at a high rate of speed and my child was not in the car with me or else this could be a different story!
I was traveling northbound on a highway at approximately 1730 and my radio screen completely went out, followed by everything else that uses power in the vehicle I started getting several warning lights for breaks, tire pressure, pretty much every warning, vehicle entered battery saver mode while driving. Steering wheel was almost impossible to manipulate maybe after a couple minutes my vehicle completely shut off in the middle of traffic without warning. I was unable to turn on hazards, or roll windows down or do anything with my vehicle, this was very unsafe and could have caused a major accident. The issue seems to stem from the alternator completely failing while driving. This was very stressful for me and everyone involved.
3/9/13 - vehicle in for oil change. Battery saver mode message displayed on dash 2 miles down the road. Pulled over to check owner's manual which states immediate vehicle service required. To airpark Dodge dealership approx 7 miles down the road and power steering failure and then engine stalls while making left turn through intersection. Had both my children ages 2 and 5 in the vehicle at the time and thankfully no on coming traffic during the turn. 3/12/13 - alternator and battery replaced at airpark Dodge. 4/23/13 (35,690 miles) - vehicle back to airpark Dodge for another battery saver mode message. Source could not be found, no repairs made. 7/25/14 (47,900 miles) - battery saver mode message, no dash lights, no A/C, no power steering, no headlights while doing 30 mph. Vehicle to airpark Dodge again on 7/29/14.
Car went into battery saver mode, radio shut off, tried to make it home had to pull over and have towed, alternator was out. We just had to put another alternator on in may of year 2014, same thing, radio out, made it to auto repair shop, the part was on back order because there is such a high demand, we were told this is a common problem in this car.
I recently had to replace the alternator on my 2011 Dodge Charger at a total personal cost of more than $800. Considering that most people these days don't have this type of money just sitting around, it was a very troubling situation. As I was driving down the street I noticed that my vehicle began slowing down without me breaking and the dashboard displays started flickering. Battery save mode was displayed and the car starting making a loud whining sound. That was immediately followed by the smell of something burning and smoke coming from the hood and through the front vents. Of course I was extremely alarmed and at the same time other vehicles were honking at me because my car was going so slow and I was in everyone's way. The burning smell and smoke were so bad that I just knew something had to be on fire. I stopped my vehicle in the street and signaled for drivers to go around me. I called a towing company to have the car taken to the shop since I obviously would not be continuing my commute home. The shop informed my that my alternator was bad and needed to be replaced. That was news that no car owner wants to hear. The cost to me would be over $800 because an aftermarket alternator did not exist for this make and model. This entire matter has had me scared at the time of the incident and pissed at the time of the bill. I have seen tons and tons of complaints on both this website and online in general regarding the bad alternators on the 2011 Dodge Chargers. It's ridiculous that Dodge/Chrysler has not issued a recall for alternators that were installed on these models so that consumers can either avoid this situation or be compensated for the crazy amount of money that we have had to pay to have this problem fixed. I am hoping that everyone who encounters this problem will put in enough complaints to make Dodge/Chrysler take action....updated 07/15/14 updated 8/30/2017
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.
The contact owns a 2011 Dodge Charger. The contact stated that while driving approximately 40 mph, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence and was not taken to a dealer or mechanic for diagnostic testing or repairs. The additionally, the wiring harness for the headlights failed. The headlight wiring harness was replaced. The manufacturer was not made aware of the problem. The VIN was not available. The approximate failure mileage was 55,000.
I was driving going about 40mph and my radio and air start going on and off by it self then I start hearing a wining noise and all the warning lights came on dash and car shut down I tried to start it and nothing info said key not detected I changed battery in remote and got a jump an hour later some thing what causes this problem.
The contact owns a 2011 Dodge Charger. The contact stated that while driving 15 mph the rpms started to rev up and down. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The technician was unable to identify the failure. The contact took the vehicle back to the dealer several times regarding the engine but they were unable to remedy the failure. The failure mileage was 13,800.
Under passing conditions with hard and fast acceleration the car does not move and it feels like it is dead this is very dangerous and on many occasions I could have been hit. This is really a bad situation. I have taken it in and they do not believe me that this is possible. This happens anytime that there is a steady or cruising and a need arises for passing or getting out of trouble. The gas pedal would be depressed quickly and hard but nothing happens. The car seems like it dies and then it comes back and starts accelerating. This takes about a second or two. Other times it growls and it does not move. I have talked to Dodge and they cannot duplicate it and frankly they think that I am telling them something that is not possible. In other words they do not believe me.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Lafayette, LA, USA