What 78 owners told NHTSA about the 2016 Dodge Challenger

Good morning my (eps) Electronic steering system isn't working I have the light on my dashboard and while driving it went on and couldn't steer it needs force to turn and its difficult to keep it straight this is the second time im replacing this part last time I had this same problem was 2 yrs ago and I've noticed online people having the same issue with not only challengers but other dodge vehicles that use the Electronic steering system that fails while the car is in motion very dangerous if your driving on the freeway. I seen there was a recall for this but on certain cars but I don't understand why only certain cars this isn't supposed to happen so often and having to be paid off by the owner this is a malfunction or electrical connection thats causing the motor to stop working.

NHTSA ODI 11734016

I am reporting a serious vehicle safety issue caused by negligent service performed by Tony T’s Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram, located at 7250 Gulf Freeway, Houston, TX 77017. The dealership performed a borescope inspection of the rear differential on my 2016 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat, as documented on my invoice. After this service, it was discovered that critical differential plugs were removed and not reinstalled, multiple fasteners were missing, and the differential assembly was left loose to the point it could be physically moved by hand. This condition created a significant safety hazard, including risk of fluid loss, overheating, drivetrain failure, and potential loss of vehicle control while driving. The issue was confirmed by another repair facility. I have photo and video evidence, as well as the service invoice. The vehicle was unsafe to operate and out of service for an extended period, resulting in financial loss and safety risk. I request that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration investigate this incident as a potential safety issue related to improper service practices.

NHTSA ODI 11732861

I see a possible rollback on MY vehicle, the dealer sold it to me around 13,500 miles, carfax shows a possible rollback. Vehicle sold by Moritz Chevrolet Fort Worth, TexasFort Worth, TX Fort Worth, Texas817-696-2000 moritzchevrolet.com

NHTSA ODI 11673389

When making a sharp turn where you need to turn the wheel fully to the left or right, the car steering would lock up and a power steering indicator light would appear on the dashboard. I would have to shut the vehicle off and restart it for the light to turn off and resume steering functionality. The car was inspected by the dealership and the indicated that it showed the error code happened one time, however we recently purchased the vehicle with 19,000 miles, so not sure if the happened before we purchased the car and the used car dealer reset the codes. This issue has happened many times over the last 3 months.

NHTSA ODI 11673009

My 2016 Dodge Challenger has less then 38,000 miles. I don’t even drive it in the rain to keep it spotless. I have taken great care of it. It started making a knocking noise from underneath the car. Took it to the dodge dealership & found out the drive shaft is bad.If you google 2016 Dodge challenger sxt drive shaft issue you will see that this is a nation wide problem starting from 2015 to 2018. I think Dodge should be responsible for fixing this issue. Its not right,

NHTSA ODI 11664047

Hemi Tick. The problem is so bad there is a common name for Stelantis 5.7 Hemi engine. Nothing else needs to be said the problem is well documented.

NHTSA ODI 11639234

The contact owns a 2016 Dodge Challenger. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the "Power Steering" warning light illuminated, and the vehicle lost power steering functionality. During the failure, the steering wheel was difficult to turn in either direction. After restarting the vehicle, the failure was self-corrected, and vehicle operated normally. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 102,000.

NHTSA ODI 11627298

I had a recall fixed at dodge for PCM since then service power steering comes on and the steering wheel locks up sometimes I'm driving and it seizes up it started at 37000 miles And when my extended warranty was up 3yr manufacture 6 yr extended warranty but since we purchased it in the beginning the warranty overlapped not fair since I should have had 9 yrs now I can't even drive my car more than 15minutes also it's very dangerous that I can be driving and all of a sudden can't turn the steering.

NHTSA ODI 11607381

Center bond of crankshaft Damper falling-off front of engines on the highway due to defective bonding material in manufacturing causing failure in rubber bonding. At highways speeds, a 10lb chunk of metal will fall-off HEMI engines & create a flying projectile at other motorists on the road causing damage or death to other vehicles/drivers and/or pedestrians. Owners who are unaware of this safety-issue will be unaware that their crankshaft-damper has fallen off due to not realizing a piece of the engine is now missing, thus creating possibility of engine failure due to No Vibration Dampening any longer attached to the crankshaft pulley.

NHTSA ODI 11593203

Center LED Tail Lights burned out. No damage or modification done. Fuses checked. Unit failed. 41,000 miles

NHTSA ODI 11574523

Tipman module is melting and has a burning smell and black marks where there has been spark. Fire hazard. Draws too many amps from headlights. Drivers side seatbelt won't register and seatbelt airbag light is on.

NHTSA ODI 11568974

There is a tsb for all 392 and hellcats regarding the Radio Frequency Hub Module (RFHM) Update. This prevents thief’s from stealing your car and making a new key fob with their own programming tool. I was told today that my vehicle does not qualify because it’s a manual transmission. My car was stolen December 11 and if I had that update for the key fob it would have prevented them from stealing my car. I was able to recover the car and wanted to do have the Radio Frequency Hub Module (RFHM) Update. My car because it’s a manual now is a huge risk where the automatics have some what of a chance from them not taking the car. I feel that’s it’s completely unfair and doesn’t make sense why I wouldn’t not be able to have it done especially since this tsb came out a year ago.

NHTSA ODI 11564738

Was taking off from a red light, got to about 15 MPH and there was a loud bang and I felt it from under the car. It then felt like I was dragging something under the car, but that couldn't be as I was behind another car and if there were something in the road, they would have hit it. I managed to pull over to the side of the road. I put it in park and tried to turn it off. It wouldn't turn off and the "P" on the shifter was blinking and so was the "Run" light. It was at that point smoke started coming from under the hood. I grabbed my belongings from the passenger compartment, but couldn't open the trunk. It was then that flames started showing. I got away from it and started calling 911. Just then a police car arrived and they radioed for fire. It was afterwards I noticed that from the place it happened, to the spot I was able to stop, there was a long line of transmission fluid and when they towed the burned car, there was lots of transmission fluid. The car had low mileage and maintained as required. It was still under extended warranty. I contacted Chrysler customer care and they had the car "inspected" but found nothing to have gone wrong and that fires happen. This is wrong and unfair as there was a major mechanical issue that resulted in a fire and the loss of my vehicle. If this had happen a couple minutes earlier, I would have been on the freeway and certainly would have crashed and possibly died.

NHTSA ODI 11547811

The contact owns a 2016 Dodge Challenger. The contact stated on several occasions while driving at various speeds, the contact became aware of an abnormal gasoline odor. The vehicle was parked at the residence. The contact stated that an independent mechanic diagnosed that the fuel pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 224,000.

NHTSA ODI 11545383

The contact owns a 2016 Dodge Challenger. The contact stated while her husband was driving 35 MPH, he heard an abnormal sound. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The driver took the vehicle to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the driveshaft needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was confirmed that the driveshaft needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired due to parts not being available. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 16,000.

NHTSA ODI 11530614

2016 DODGE CHALLENGER 39,900 MILES. DRIVE TRAIN COMPLETLY BROKEN OFF. MY SAFETY AND OTHERS STEERING PROBLEMS. SUDDEN LACK OF POWER TO TIRES. THIS CAR IS DRIVEN VERY LITTLE AND IS DRIVEN LIKE A GRANDMA. THIS DRIVE TRAIN SHOULD NEVER HAD BEEN AND ISSUE. THERE SHOULD BE RECALLS ON THIS. I AM HAVING TO PAY $2500 TO GET IT REPLACED. THE ONLY WARNING I HAD WAS I NOTICED IT WASN'T POWERING LIKE IT SHOULD OR TURNING LIKE IT SHOULD. EVEN THOUGH ITS 7 YEARS OLD, THE MILEAGE ON IT PROVES ITS A WELL TAKEN CARE OF VEHICLE.

NHTSA ODI 11510975

Sounds as if the front wheels are hitting against something as your accelerating but disappears when you let off the accelerator

NHTSA ODI 11501270

I was driving on the interstate and the ACC/FCW light came on.Then soon after The ABS light came on then the power steering system failed causing the steering wheel to lock while I was driving.I turned my car off in the emergency lane and restarted the car.All of them light when off but then the airbag warning light came on.

NHTSA ODI 11497133

The contact owns a 2016 Dodge Challenger. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, there was a knocking and ticking sound coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the engine lifters and rocker's arms were faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 78,000.

NHTSA ODI 11483510

My backup camera doesn’t work at all

NHTSA ODI 11472956

Uconnect advised me via email that once the 3G bandwidth was no longer functional, that Uconnect would be upgrading to 4G. The list of functions that would be lost would mostly be cellular functions as well as the Assist and 9-1-1 button functions located on the inside rear view mirror. Most of the cellular phone functional loss was partially resolved with a dongle from T-Mobile/Sprint. However, it does not resolve functional loss of the Assist and 9-1-1 buttons on the inside rear view mirror. I believe this to be significant safety concern. I called Uconnect and was told that "we're sorry, but you'll have to use your cell phone in case of an emergency." My experience (law enforcement, EMS, and as an injured driver) dictates that the access and use of a cell phone is not always feasible depending on the structural/electrical damage of the vehicle and/or injuries. Stellantis and Uconnect initially told me that this was not repairable, but I was also told from another Uconnect employee that a recommendation was made to Stellantis, who apparently refused the upgrade/update, but offered no other information. Stellantis will not answer their phones (Not programmed to take messages and hangs up), executive management refuses to reply to email and letters, and my support through a Customer Care Executive Manager was very limited (our communication via email was terminated). I also received a phone call from Stellantis (department not disclosed in this message) a few months later, which I believe to be a method of intimidation.

NHTSA ODI 11463115

The drive shaft carrier bearing has disintegrated causing the drive shaft to bounce all around unsupported in the drive shaft tunnel. The carrier bearing is located in the middle of the two piece drive shaft. This could cause the drive shaft to break and fly out from under the rear of the car and smashing into the car behind and causing a serious or possible fatal accident, or if the drive shaft drops down towards the front of the car this could this could dig into the road causing the rear of the car to flip up causing a serious or fatal accident. There are no warning lites or indicator. This is happening in many 2016 Dodge Challengers. You can find this out throughout searching in any dodge websites.

NHTSA ODI 11461681

Driveshaft failed at 58.000 miles. It almost snapped from it's place.

NHTSA ODI 11455286

The wiring to the headlights are getting hot and visibly showing burn Mark's to the wiring and fuses to the headlights (not halo lights). It is causing the headlights to come on intermittently. Sometimes they come on at night and sometimes they don't. Sometimes they are off and suddenly comes on after miles of driving with my flashers. I can spell the burning sometimes. The Dodge dealership in Douglasville Georgia verified the wire and fuse burning. The dealership technicians spoke of relocating the wires to empty fuse box slots. How will that prevent the wires from burning? This could be a fire hazard. Your assistance is appreciated.

NHTSA ODI 11454258

The rear trunk lid struts fail to keep the trunk open causing the trunk to close without warning and has hit me in the head several times while unloading groceries. It is also very hard to open as the trunk is quite heavy. This was noted to the dealer during the warranty period but they said they were unable to duplicate it. The struts need replaced. I feel this should be a recall since it has occurred since the vehicle was new. Someone could be severely hurt or become trapped in the trunk. The struts are under designed for the weight of the trunk.

NHTSA ODI 11445704