The car has had over 5 batteries in the last year and 3 in the last 2 months. Something is constantly draining the battery in my car and making them go very bad. Also the car will be dead if I park it too long because of the electrical issue and it’s been a huge problem for me.
Dodge Charger battery drain problems
29 of the 5,741 owner complaints about the Dodge Charger describe battery drain or dead battery, most of them for the 2011 model year.
- owner complaints
- 29
- worst model year
- 2011
- typical mileage
- 61,400
Is there a fix? There are 9 recalls for this area of the car. See below
By model year
Often reported together
Won't start 4ABS 4Warning lights 3Loss of power 3Whining noise 2Won't shift 2Stalling 2Wipers 1
What owners say
The battery keeps dying. The vehicle is draining the battery while it is not running.
Massive battery drain issue, resulting in dead battery, causing the need to replace the battery yearly. Lane keep does not function at all. Does not provide any assistance in staying in the lane. Lane departure warning only has a dash indicator and no further alert to inform operator of possible lane departure
The battery went dead and I put a new one in then a screen comes up and says wait for the vin to be verified but does nothing I think The PCM/ECU needs to be flashed to vin and it stopped communicating. I had to buy a new pcm but it’s not flashed to my vin and I saw there was a recall.
Vehicle trunk opens on it's own when you first start vehicle. This also drains the battery. Trunk opens electrically. This has happened on numerous occasions.
The diodes in my alternator have gone bad and drained the battery. There are recalls for this on other the other sized engine and seems to be all previous years, but mine was skipped and now it has happened to mine
When driving down the interstate (august 2017 with 130k miles on the dash) I suddenly lost throttle response and I could not accelerate. At this point motor began to shake as I coasted to the edge as my car shut off while still in the run position. A red lighting bolt appeared and my vehicle did not want to start. After attempting to start several times the car finally started. Took it to a dealer in garden city michigan where they could find nothing wrong. The lighting bolt light was gone and only a check engine light remained. Fast forward two months later the same thing happened but I could not get the car to start and it was towed to the same dealer with a dead battery this time. They kept it for several days but could not pin point the issue I.e. Bad throttle body, bad fuel pumps etc. However no codes were found because the battery died. The week before thanksgiving same situation, lost throttle response car shut off got the red bolt , battery died. Towed to aaa where I had to purchase a new battery and again no codes were found. Again this happened today while on the interstate traveling at about 80mph. Are there any tips or documentation of similar problems with the red bolt light? Ive had dealership mechanics with 30+ years experience get lost with this issue. They have comes up with options but nothing concrete. I will soon be force to start guessing and checking or just get rid of the vehicle all together
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 dodge charger. Due to excessive battery drain, the battery had to be charged approximately every nine days. In addition, the ABS warning indicator illuminated. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency campaign numbers: 16v043000 (structure) and 17v435000 (electrical system). The parts to do the repair were unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. Gillie hyde dodge chrysler jeep ram (1415 happy valley rd, glasgow, ky) was contacted and confirmed that the parts were not available for the recall remedy. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and was not able to confirm when the parts were to become available. The failure mileage was approximately 38,000. Vin tool confirms parts not available. *tl new alternator was installed. Consumer stated there are still problems with electrical issues. Updated 8/30/18
When my car is in park and engine is off my dashboard lights , shifter light & blower for AC/ heat stay on. Therefore draining the battery
My dodge charger went dead while I was driving one day. The battery indicator came on and charging system on my monitor, I was driving with my wife in the car and I was lucky to be able to turn on a side street as the wipers came on and suddenly I had no more power to steer the car. I had my hazardous lights on too and everything then went dead. I was lucky that day and god watched over me and my wife. When my roadside service got there and he tried to give me a jump it would not start and he tested the battery and it had a full charge on it. I had the car towed to the dodge dealer that night. The next day I went to find out that the alternator was fried. I looked up at the time my vehicle was down before my roadside service got there that night. I founded out there was a p60 recall alternator (amp 160) for dodge charger year 2011-2014. I called chrysler corporation the night I went down, and they looked up and said it was not on my vehicle. They said I had a amp 180, but after getting a new alternator in my dodge charger I'm still having problems with a battery save mode that keeps popping up on my monitor screen. I pleaded with the chrysler corporation that something is wrong with the alternator and that night I could have died. If I was on the highway. I don't feel safe everyday driving, because I have to get on the highway to go to work. I'm going back to the dodge service department to get this battery save mode checked out, because they used one of the p60 recall alternator to fix my vehicle. I think they don't have a stable alternator, because it is probably draining the battery.
Related recalls
Electrical system: instrument cluster/panel
- What is wrong
- Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2019 Dodge Challenger and Charger and Chrysler 300 vehicles. The instrument cluster may not properly illuminate driver warnings. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 101, "Control and Displays."
- Risk
- Failure of the instrument cluster to properly illuminate may prevent the driver from receiving warnings about the vehicle's systems, increasing the risk of crash.
- Remedy
- Chrysler has notified owners, and dealers will update the instrument cluster software, free of charge. The recall began April 8, 2019. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1‑800‑853‑1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is V32.
Recall number 19V203000 · Recall details
Electrical system: wiring: front underhood
- What is wrong
- Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2018 Jeep Renegade, Compass and Grand Cherokee, RAM 1500 and Promaster, Fiat 500x, Dodge Journey, Challenger, Charger and Durango and Chrysler 300x vehicles, 2017-2018 Jeep Wrangler, Dodge Grand Caravan and Chrysler Town and Country vehicles and 2018-2019 Jeep Cherokee and 2018 Chrysler Pacifica and Pacifica Hybrid vehicles. The powertrain control module may be equipped with a voltage regulator chip in the circuit board that may fail, causing a stall or a no start condition.
- Risk
- A vehicle stall can increase the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the powertrain control module, free of charge. The recall began October 2, 2018. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1‑800‑853‑1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is U87.
Recall number 18V524000 · Recall details
Electrical system: software
- What is wrong
- Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2014-2018 Dodge Journey, Charger and Durango, RAM 2500, 3500, 3500 Cab Chassis (more than 10,000lb), 4500 Cab Chassis and 5500 Cab Chassis, Jeep Cherokee and Grand Cherokee and Chrysler 300, 2014-2019 RAM 1500, 2015-2018 Dodge Challenger, 2015-2017 Chrysler 200, 2016-2018 RAM 3500 Cab Chassis (less than 10,000 lb), 2017-2018 Chrysler Pacifica and 2018 Jeep Wrangler vehicles. These vehicles are being recalled to address a defect that could prevent the cruise control system from disengaging. 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.
- Risk
- If the vehicle maintains its speed or accelerates despite attempts to deactivate the cruise control, there would be an increased risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the software, and perform a software flash on the engine or powertrain control module, free of charge. The recall began June 4, 2018. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1‑800‑853‑1403. Note: Owners are advised to stop using cruise control until the software update has been performed. In the event that cruise control cannot be disengaged while driving, owners should firmly and steadily apply the brakes and shift the transmission to neutral, placing the vehicle in park once it has stopped.
Recall number 18V332000 · Recall details
Electrical system: alternator/generator/regulator
- What is wrong
- Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2014 Dodge Challenger, Charger, Durango, Chrysler 300, and Jeep Grand Cherokee vehicles equipped with a 3.6L engine and a 160 amp alternator. In the affected vehicles, the alternator may suddenly fail.
- Risk
- If the alternator fails, the vehicle may stall without warning, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the alternator, free of charge. The recall began December 15, 2018. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1‑800‑853‑1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is T75.
Recall number 17V741000 · Recall details
Electrical system: alternator/generator/regulator
- What is wrong
- 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 a 5.7L or a 3.6L engine and a 160, 180 or 220 amp alternator. In the affected vehicles, the alternator may suddenly fail.
- Risk
- If the alternator fails, the vehicle may stall without warning, increasing the risk of a crash. There is also the possibility that the alternator may short circuit, increasing the risk of a fire.
- Remedy
- 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. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1‑800‑853‑1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is T36.
Recall number 17V435000 · Recall details
Electrical system: alternator/generator/regulator
- What is wrong
- 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 amp alternator. In the affected vehicles, the alternator may suddenly fail.
- Risk
- If the alternator fails, the vehicle may stall without warning, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- 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's number for this recall is P60.
Recall number 14V634000 · Recall details
Electrical system: ignition
- What is wrong
- Chrysler Group LLC (Chrysler) is recalling certain model year 2008 Chrysler 300 vehicles manufactured May 31, 2007, to May 12, 2008, Dodge Magnum vehicles manufactured May 23, 2007, to May 12, 2008, Dodge Charger vehicles manufactured May 24, 2007, to May 12, 2008, Jeep Commander vehicles manufactured April 3, 2007, to May 12, 2008, and Jeep Grand Cherokee vehicles manufactured March 21, 2007, to May 12, 2008. In the affected vehicles, the ignition key (FOBIK) may not return to the "ON" position after being rotated to the "START" position, instead sticking between the two positions. Potentially, while the vehicle is being driven, the ignition may inadvertently move through the "RUN" position to the "ACCESSORY" or "OFF" ignition position, turning off the engine.
- Risk
- If the ignition stays between "START" and "ON" positions it could cause loss of certain electrical functions. If the ignition key inadvertently moves into the "OFF" or "ACCESSORY" position, the engine will turn off, which will then depower various key safety systems including but not limited to air bags, power steering, and power braking. Loss of functionality of these systems may increase the risk of crash and/or increase the risk of injury in the event of a crash.
- Remedy
- Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the ignition switch and key FOBs, free of charge. The recall began August 19, 2015. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1‑800‑853‑1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is P57.
Recall number 14V567000 · Recall details
Electrical system: wiring: fuses and circuit breakers
- What is wrong
- Chrysler is recalling certain model year 2011 and 2012 dodge charger police vehicles. The low beam headlamps of some vehicles could fail due to an overheated bulb harness connector. Other vehicles may lose ABS/ESC system function due to an overheated power distribution center.
- Risk
- This could lead to loss of visibility and/or braking ability, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Chrysler will notify owners and dealers will replace the headlamp jumper harnesses and relocate the ABS/ESC system fuse within the power distribution center, free of charge. The safety recall began on april 2, 2012. Owners may contact chrysler at 1‑800‑853‑1403.
Recall number 12V042000 · Recall details
Electrical system: ignition: module
- What is wrong
- Chrysler is recalling certain model year 2010 chrysler 300, dodge challenger, charger, jeep commander, grand cherokee and dodge ram vehicles. These vehicles may have been built with a wireless ignition node (win) module exhibiting a binding condition of the solenoid latch.
- Risk
- The result of the defect could lead to a condition where the key may be removed from the ignition switch (win module) prior to placing the shifter in park. This could result in the potential for unintended vehicle movement and could increase the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect and replace the win module free of charge. The safety recall is expected to begin on or before august 23, 2010. Owners may contact chrysler at 1‑800‑853‑1403.
Recall number 10V200000 · Recall details
Questions about the Dodge Charger battery drain
Which Dodge Charger years have battery drain or dead battery problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2011 (9 complaints), 2012 (8 complaints) and 2008 (3 complaints).
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