2012 Dodge Charger: True Cost, Problems & Verdict
648 NHTSA owner complaints · 12 recalls · data-computed verdict. No opinions — public data only.
Reviewed by the MotorJury data desk · 2 sources · Last updated 2026-08-20
648 NHTSA owner complaints · 12 recalls · data-computed verdict. No opinions — public data only.
Complaints per year on the road: 46.29
Verbatim reports filed with the United States safety regulator (NHTSA) by owners of this exact model year. Public record.
My airbag light comes on intermittently and when I called the dealership and told them they brushed it off as nothing. My car already had open recalls for the airbag and got fixed but it’s still having the same issues. I had the car since October of 2025 and there was no lights on when I financed it. The car has had 2 airbag related recalls done in 2015, 2019. Is there any way of getting my vehicle fixed by the deal…
Brake Light, ABS Light, and Traction Control Light lit up on dash. Took car to dealership and the issue was diagnosed as a faulty ABS module. This is MOPAR part 68160269AB, which is discontinued. I was also told that there were no after-market options, and that programming a used one might not work. So I have no option to get ABS functionality for my car. I am willing to pay for the part and labor to get this repair…
Headlight pigtail assembly burned out as described in the 2014 safety recall. 14V-101 / P08 Recall Summary The wiring sub-harnesses for the headlights may overheat, and the low beam headlights may fail. Dealers will replace the headlamp jumper harnesses and bulbs or the headlight assemblies as needed free of charge to resolve the concern.
What the community is saying right now.
| Campaign | Component | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| 13V118000 | Air Bags | Chrysler Group LLC (Chrysler) is recalling certain model year 2011-2012 Chrysler 300, Dodge Challenger, and Dodge Charger vehicles manufactu… |
| 14V101000 | Exterior Lighting:Headlights | Chrysler Group LLC (Chrysler) is recalling certain model year 2011-2012 Dodge Charger vehicles manufactured May 20, 2010, through November 8… |
| 12V004000 | Tires:Pressure Monitoring And Regulating | CHRYSLER IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2012 DODGE CHARGER SRT8 AND THE CHRYSLER 300 SRT8 VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM MAY 2, 2011, THROUGH N… |
| 12V042000 | Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Antilock/Tract | CHRYSLER IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2011 and 2012 DODGE CHARGER POLICE VEHICLES. THE LOW BEAM HEADLAMPS OF SOME VEHICLES COULD FAIL DU… |
| 18V021000 | Air Bags:Frontal:Passenger Side:Inflator | Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2009-2013 Jeep Wrangler, Chrysler 300, Dodge Challenger and Dodge Charger vehicles, and 2009-2011… |
| 17V435000 | Electrical System:Alternator/Generator/R | Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain model year 2011-2014 Dodge Challenger, Dodge Charger, Chrysler 300, Dodge Durango, and 2012-2014 … |
| 19V018000 | Air Bags:Frontal:Passenger Side:Inflator | Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2010 Dodge Ram 3500, Ram 4500/5500, 2010-2011 Dodge Dakota, 2010-2014 Dodge Challenger, 2010-2015… |
| 16V352000 | Air Bags:Frontal:Passenger Side:Inflator | Chrysler (FCA US LLC) expanded the affected population to include 73,712 2005-2009 RAM 2500 trucks produced at the St. Louis North Assembly … |
EPA combined 21 MPG · estimated annual fuel cost $2,950
Re-priced automatically from your country's retail fuel, electricity and parts indices — change country in the bar at the top. Estimates; see methodology.
The most-reported issue in NHTSA complaint data is Electrical System (359 complaints in our indexed sample).
Our data verdict is AVOID with a reliability score of 5/100, computed from 648 NHTSA complaints and 12 recall campaigns. See the verdict card for the top reasons.
Yes — NHTSA lists 12 recall campaign(s) for the 2012 Dodge Charger, 7 of them touching fire, crash or stall risk, the most recent recorded 03/04/2013. Check this car's VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before you buy.
Fuel, maintenance band and depreciation — computed from public data in 10 seconds.
Open the true-cost calculatorComplaints & recalls: NHTSA ·
Fuel economy: EPA fueleconomy.gov ·
Scoring: our published methodology.
Maintenance bands are industry-average estimates (AAA Your Driving Costs, CarMD index) — labeled estimates, not measurements.
Last updated: 2026-08-20.