2012 Dodge Challenger: Reliability Data

337
Total Complaints
55,000mi
Median Mileage
Electrical System
Top Issue
19
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

36,000 25th Percentile
55,000 Median Mileage
81,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

Electrical System
131
Air Bags
47
Engine
25
Unknown Or Other
20
Steering
19
Power Train
17
Service Brakes
9
Suspension
8
Seat Belts
7
Alternator/Generator/Regulator
7

Severity Assessment

19
Crashes
8
Fires
13
Injuries
0
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"THE CHALLENGER SRT8 IS NOT EQUIPPED WITH A DASH ILLUMINATION SYSTEM, WHICH COMES ON, DURING NORMAL DAYTIME DRIVING. THE INSTRUMENTS (SPEEDOMETER, TACHOMETER) ARE ONLY ILLUMINATED DURING OPERATION OF THE PARKING OR HEADLAMPS FUNCTION. THE GAUGES ARE SOMEWHAT RECESSED AND ARE ONLY PARTIALLY VISIBLE D..."
"THE CHALLENGER SRT8 IS NOT EQUIPPED WITH A DASH ILLUMINATION SYSTEM, WHICH COMES ON, DURING NORMAL DAYTIME DRIVING. THE INSTRUMENTS (SPEEDOMETER, TACHOMETER) ARE ONLY ILLUMINATED DURING OPERATION OF THE PARKING OR HEADLAMPS FUNCTION. THE GAUGES ARE SOMEWHAT RECESSED AND ARE ONLY PARTIALLY VISIBLE D..."
"SKIP SHIFT. THIS FEATURE IS ALREADY THE CAUSE OF SEVERAL NEAR MISSES OF ME BEING REAR-ENDED BECAUSE FROM A STOP, I AM UNEXPECTEDLY PREVENTED FROM SHIFTING FROM FIRST INTO 2ND GEAR TO MAINTAIN EXPECTED ACCELERATION IN TRAFFIC. I REALIZE WHAT THE SKIP SHIFT IS INTENDED FOR BUT IN THE REAL WORLD OF T..."

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

When Were Complaints Filed?

Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.

When Does Each Component Fail?

Median mileage at complaint for top components.

Electrical System 131 complaints
25th: 40,576 mi Median: 58,500 mi 75th: 80,000 mi
Air Bags 47 complaints
25th: 17,000 mi Median: 35,578 mi 75th: 65,000 mi
Engine 25 complaints
25th: 42,431 mi Median: 61,500 mi 75th: 114,929 mi
Unknown Or Other 20 complaints
25th: 54,000 mi Median: 88,000 mi 75th: 108,400 mi
Steering 19 complaints
25th: 3,525 mi Median: 27,850 mi 75th: 98,250 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

CA: 55 TX: 44 FL: 43 GA: 26 AL: 14 LA: 12 TN: 11 VA: 10 NY: 8 NC: 8

Who Files Complaints?

0.9%
Original Owners
99.1%
Second+ Owners

Dodge Challenger — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

YearComplaintsCrashes
200917112
201043313
201125512
20132488
201421123
201518223
201610715
2017709
201811316
2019909
2020321
2021267
2023480

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28