2012 Dodge Challenger Problems, Recalls & Reliability
338 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2012 Dodge Challenger, alongside 6 recall campaigns and 1 defect investigation. It scores 84/100 on the trouble index — one of the years to avoid for this model. Electrical leads the reports, typically around 55,000 miles.
Avoid this year if you can. The 2012 Dodge Challenger sits at the top of this model's complaint rankings. Quieter picks in the same family: 2020.
Avoid
Where 2012 sits among all Challenger years
What owners report
“Drivers side window going up/down 1/4 inch, when car is parked and off, draining battery”— owner report to NHTSA, 2012 Challenger
“My car has a recall but the dealership says there is no fix at the moment. The airbag light is on and they have only offered to turn off the light. I can't park the car as i have to drive it to work.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2012 Challenger
“"takata recall" the driver window moves up and down like when you open the door but it happened when ignition is off and key is off and drain battery.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2012 Challenger
“The contact owns a 2012 Dodge challenger. The contact stated while driving 70 mph, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not drivable. The contact towed the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2012 Challenger
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 254 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 55,000 miles. Half of those reports fall between 36,200 and 81,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (6)
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…
Fix: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicle until the recall repair is complete. Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The…
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,…
Fix: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicle until the recall repair is complete. Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The…
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…
Fix: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the alternator and depending on the part number, will replace the alternator, if necessary, free of charge. The recall began February 12, 2018.…
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…
Fix: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicle until the recall repair is complete. Chrysler will notify the Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and RAM owners. Mitsubishi owners will be notified by their…
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…
Fix: Chrysler has notified owners, and dealers will replace the alternator, free of charge. The recall began on February 27, 2015. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403.…
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…
Fix: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace both driver and passenger seat airbag wiring harnesses, free of charge. The recall began on April 22, 2013. Owners may contact Chrysler at…
Federal defect investigations
Still open as of the last data refresh. An investigation is not a recall; it may close with no action. All open investigations →
Component: AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade,…
Model years named: 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020
Technical service bulletins
166 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on electrical and engine — are on file for the 2012 Dodge Challenger. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
See the 2012 Challenger TSB list →
Complaint history for this model year
When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.
Questions buyers ask
Is the 2012 Dodge Challenger reliable?
The 2012 Dodge Challenger drew 338 complaints in federal safety records — one of the years to avoid for this model. Its trouble index is 84/100, scored against the model's worst year (2010).
What are the most common 2012 Dodge Challenger problems?
The top reported problems for the 2012 Dodge Challenger are electrical (147 complaints), airbags (47), and other (29).
At what mileage do 2012 Dodge Challenger problems show up?
Owners most often report 2012 Dodge Challenger problems around 55,000 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 36,200 and 81,000 miles.
Does the 2012 Dodge Challenger have recalls?
6 recall campaigns apply to the 2012 Dodge Challenger. At least one carries a do-not-drive or park-outside warning — check your VIN before driving.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.