Dodge
Dodge Challenger years to avoid
No year to avoid stands out. Best years: 2017, 2020 and 2021.
No Dodge Challenger model year stands out. None from 2014 to 2023 draws 1.5 times the median of 7 complaints for each year on the road, and the highest is not clearly ahead of the next, so the individual car and its history matter more than the year.
- 261complaints
- 10recall campaigns
- 2model years with a page
Newest report Sep 14, 2026 · checked Oct 2, 2026
Pick your model year
Owner complaints on file for each year.
Years to avoid
- No year stands out.
Best years
2017
Too few complaints for a page of its own.
2020
Too few complaints for a page of its own.
2021
Too few complaints for a page of its own.
Complaints for each year on the road
Each model year's NHTSA complaints divided by the calendar years it has been on sale, counting this one (a 2018 model has had 9). Older cars have had longer to collect complaints, so raw totals flatter the new ones. Blue bars are the years to avoid.
Within one model, sales change less from year to year than they do between models, so a jump here is mostly a jump in problems. The call: the years to avoid are the (up to three) highest at 1.5 times the model's median rate or more, and the best are the (up to three) lowest at two thirds of it or less, from 2016 on.
Guide How much should a years-to-avoid list decide? What these lists get wrong
At a glance
- Where the complaints sit
- The 2014 has the most complaints of any Dodge Challenger year here: 135 of 261 (52%).
- Problem across the years
- The top problem moves around from year to year. Stalling leads in 1 of the 2 model years and has the most reports overall, 36. Pooled across the years, half of the 31 owners who gave a mileage for stalling were under about 40,000 miles.
- Crash, fire and injury reports
- 16% of Dodge Challenger complaints report a crash, a fire or an injury, against 6% for the typical vehicle on this site. The highest share is on the 2015, 21 of its 126 complaints.
- Recalls on the top problem
- 1 of the 2 model years where owners report stalling have a recall on the same system: 2015. A recall on the same system doesn't always cover the failure owners describe, so compare its summary with the complaints.
- When owners filed
- Filings peaked in 2015 at 42 (full calendar years only). In 2025 there were 9. So far in 2026, 8 more have come in. Filings on record start in 2015.
Photo: Calreyn88, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
Model years with too few complaints for a page of their own: 2016 (78), 2017 (49), 2018 (75), 2019 (59), 2020 (20), 2021 (19), 2023 (43).
Year by year
2015 Dodge Challenger
126 owner complaints, 10 for each year on the road (1.4 times the model median). Most reported: brake wear (12 reports, median 37,000 miles), infotainment (11 reports) and stalling (10 reports, median 16,000 miles). 16 reports involved a crash and 13 people were hurt. 6 recalls, including 18E-053 on the transmission and drivetrain and 18V-332 on the electrical system.
2014 Dodge Challenger
135 owner complaints, 10 for each year on the road (1.4 times the model median). Most reported: stalling (26 reports, median 56,000 miles), airbag (17 reports, median 36,000 miles) and dead battery (12 reports, median 40,000 miles). 15 reports involved a crash and 15 people were hurt. 5 recalls, including 19V-018 on the airbags (do not drive) and 18E-053 on the transmission and drivetrain.
Recalls that cover several model years
If, when using cruise control, there is a short circuit within the vehicle's wiring, the driver may not be able to shut off the cruise control either by depressing the brake pedal or manually turning the system off once it has been engaged, resulting in either the vehicle maintaining its current speed or possibly accelerating.
Questions
What Dodge Challenger years should you avoid?
No Dodge Challenger model year stands out. None from 2014 to 2023 draws 1.5 times the median of 7 complaints for each year on the road, and the highest is not clearly ahead of the next, so the individual car and its history matter more than the year.
What are the best years for the Dodge Challenger?
The 2017, 2020 and 2021 draw the fewest complaints for their age: 2017 has 49 (5 a year), 2020 has 20 (3 a year) and 2021 has 19 (3 a year). Model years before 2016 aren't called best, because complaints filed before 2015 aren't in the files this site reads and their counts run short.
What is the most common problem on the Dodge Challenger?
Stalling, with 36 reports across the 2 model years that have a page here. It's the single most reported problem on the 2014.
How many recalls does the Dodge Challenger have?
10 recall campaigns cover the Dodge Challenger model years 2014 to 2015 on this site. The widest, 18E-053 on the transmission and drivetrain, covers 2 model years.
How many Dodge Challenger complaints involve a crash, fire or injury?
16% of them, against 6% for the typical vehicle on this site. The 2015 has the highest share.
Is there a recall for stalling on the Dodge Challenger?
On 1 of the 2 model years where owners report it: 2015.