Friday, August 7, 2026
RecallGazette

Vehicle problems, recalls & safety intelligence

2018 Dodge Challenger problems & reliability

74 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2018 Dodge Challenger, alongside 3 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.

Owner complaints
74
Recall campaigns
3
Fire reports
2 (3%)
Crash reports
9 (12%)

Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.

NCAP overall rating
Not rated
NHTSA 5-star program
EPA fuel economy
17–23 MPG combined
City 15 · highway 25 (typical trim)
Service bulletins (TSBs)
254
Manufacturer communications on file
Defect investigations
1
NHTSA ODI probes naming this model year

5 complaints report injuries (8 injured).

Federal crash records (FARS 20202023): 2018 Dodge Challenger vehicles were involved in 73 fatal crashes with 41 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.

Most reported problems

ComponentComplaints
Electrical System27
Unknown OR Other27
Power Train8
Steering6
Wheels6
Air Bags5
Engine5
Exterior Lighting5
Service Brakes5
Suspension4

Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.

Common symptoms owners describe

Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.

Mileage when problems occurred

Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 23,250 miles (middle 50% between 5,812 and 38,500 miles), based on 32 complaints that included mileage.

under 20k
12
20–40k
12
40–60k
6
60–80k
1
80–100k
1
100–150k
0
150k+
0

Complaints by incident year

18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26

What owners report

  • Driving along and all of a sudden the shifter lights started flashing, wipers turned on, steering became difficult, and finally the transmission locked up. Stalled in the middle of the hiway turn lane and because the transmission was locked up it couldn't even be pushed out of the way. Traffic was backed up and people…

    Power Train · filed Jun 9, 2026

  • The contact owns a 2018 Dodge Challenger. The contact stated that the rims on the wheels of the vehicle were poorly designed and there were several cracks on the rims. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who discovered cracks on the inside edges of the rims. The contact stated that the cracks were formed…

    Wheels · filed Apr 6, 2026

  • I purchased the vehicle which had minor passenger door damage under $500. There were false reports on Copart and Autobidmaster about the vehicle. They lied and said the vehicle was 91.2 percent damaged. The businesses are false. They admitted insanity as their fraudulent motivation. The title should be clean title and…

    Unknown OR Other · filed Jan 18, 2026

Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.

Federal defect investigations

Technical service bulletins

254 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2018 Dodge Challenger. The 10 most recent:

  • Backup Camera Poor Image Quality Inspection

    S2208000045 REV.D · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 26, 2026

  • The vehicle will exhibit a service transmission/check engine warning indicator for the following transmission models: 845RE, 8HP45, 850RE, 8HP50, 8HP70, 8HP75, 8HP75-PHEV, 8HP75-LCV, 8HP90, 8HP95. Transmissions may…

    S2621000003 REV.A · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 9, 2026

  • Active Diagnostic Trouble Code (DTC) B1A10-00, B1A11-00, B1A12- 00, B1A13-00-, B1A14-00, B1A15-00, B1A16-00, and B1A17-00 in The Radio Frequency Hub (RFH)

    S2608000010 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 5, 2026

  • Verify "Z" part number availability. Order a "Z" part number for all Exchange Orders: Warranty, Mopar, Customer pay and Service contract. Order"68" part number for New unsold units only

    9100735 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 10, 2025

  • Pad kit - rear disc brake, front disc brake

    108463 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 18, 2025

  • Pad kit - rear disc brake, front disc brake

    108464 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 17, 2025

  • Engine Oil Leak

    S2509000009 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 21, 2025

  • Aluminum Body Panel Corrosion Repair Aluminum corrosion or bubbling along the leading edge of hood, hinges or other exterior surface areas of the hinges, doors, fenders, swing gates or liftgates.

    31-001-25 REV. B · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 16, 2025

  • Aluminum Body Panel Corrosion Repair Aluminum corrosion or bubbling along the leading edge of hood, hinges or other exterior surface areas of the hinges, doors, fenders, swing gates or liftgates.

    31-001-25 REV. A · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 14, 2025

  • Aluminum Body Panel Corrosion Repair Aluminum corrosion or bubbling along the leading edge of hood, hinges or other exterior surface areas of the hinges, doors, fenders, swing gates or liftgates

    31-001-25 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 13, 2025

TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.

Safety recalls

The 2018 Dodge Challenger has 3 NHTSA recall campaigns — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.

Check whether your specific vehicle is affected

Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.

Check VIN on NHTSA →

Buying a used 2018 Dodge Challenger?

  • · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
  • · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
  • · Owners most often reported problems around 23,250 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.
About this data. Complaint figures come from the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation consumer complaint database and count unique complaints (one per NHTSA case number). Complaints are submitted by vehicle owners and are not independently verified; complaint volume also reflects how many of these vehicles are on the road. Recall data comes from the official NHTSA recall database. This page is not affiliated with Dodge or NHTSA.