Are Dodge Chargers Expensive to Fix?

October 21, 2022
/ FAQs
/ By Alice Brown

How Expensive are Dodge Chargers to Maintain and Repair?

As one of America's most popular performance sedans, the Dodge Charger seems to get everything right. It's practical, well-built, affordable, and loaded with power. It's essentially the answer to those who prayed for a four-door muscle car capable of satisfying both your family's needs and your right foot.

But owning such a high-performance vehicle does raise concerns when it comes to reliability and maintenance costs. After all, the Charger is packed with performance-oriented components that can cause repair bills to skyrocket. Luckily, you can easily cut labor costs using a Dodge Charger manual and do most of the work yourself.

If you're in the market for a Dodge Charger, keep reading, as I'll break down everything you need to know about its reliability, common problems, and recommended preventive maintenance before you commit. I'll also show you some tips to ensure you pick the right model year if you're hunting for a used one.

Let's dive in!

Is the Dodge Charger a Reliable Car?

While it's not the most reliable car in its class, it's certainly not the worst either. Indeed, the Charger has an average RepairPal reliability rating of 3.5/5.0, with a breakdown frequency of 0.2 times a year — lower than the average of 0.3 times for most full-sized vehicles. Other sites like Consumer Reports and JD Power also reported even better reliability scores for the more recent models.

That said, RepairPal estimates that the Charger's annual average repair cost is around $652, which is a bit more than its class's average of $590. That's supported by CarEdge's study, stating that a Charger will cost around $7,809 in repairs and maintenance during its first ten years of use — $713 more than the industry average. Additionally, both studies confirmed a higher likelihood of a Charger requiring a significant repair than most sedans visiting the shop.

So generally, Dodge Chargers don’t break down that often. But when they do, there's a higher chance it might be a severe issue that'd cost a lot to fix.

Dodge Charger Common Problems

Currently, there are two four-door Charger generations — the LX (2006-2010) and LD (2011-present) models. Unlike the classic two-door versions, these 21st-century Chargers were based on the solid Mercedes-Benz E-Class W211's platform and adopted several new V6 and V8 power units. Hence, with changes and improvements happening almost every year, not all Chargers were created equal; some model years ended up being better or worse than others.

Still, history tells us the most reliable Dodge Chargers are the younger ones from each generation. So if you're planning to buy one, you'd be better off buying a new model or a used one from 2009-2010 for the LX model or 2016-2021 for the LD.

Meanwhile, older releases like the 2006-2008 and 2011-2014 model years were considered less dependable and significantly more prone to experiencing the following issues.

Premature Engine Failure

Engine failures were most common in the 2006 models, and owners experienced them as early as when the car hit the 94,000-mile mark. Due to issues with the valves and cylinders, some early-batch Chargers had difficulties starting and suddenly lost power while driving.

As a result, many of them had to have their engine rebuilt, which on average, cost about $5,500 — not cheap.

Alternator Failure

Some Chargers manufactured between 2011 and 2014 were prone to electrical issues and alternator failure, causing a sudden engine stall when in use. And although changing an alternator wouldn't cost as much as rebuilding an engine, that would still ask for at least $500 out of your pocket.

Nonetheless, replacing an alternator is one of the most straightforward car repairs you can do on your own. Even if you are still a beginner when it comes to auto mechanics, all you need is to grab a 2011 Dodge Charger repair manual and follow the manufacturer’s recommended removal and replacement procedure, saving you the trip to a repair shop and several hundred bucks in labor.

Not sure where to find a repair manual for your vehicle? Head over to eManualOnline — they contain everything you need to fix your charger and cost significantly less than a ride on a tow truck.

Hesitating and Slipping Transmission

Some of the latest-gen Chargers were also bound to transmission issues, like hesitating or slipping gear changes. These problems are commonly found in models with the 8-speed automatic transmission and are often caused by low/dirty/burnt transmission fluid, broken transmission bands, a failing torque converter, or excessive wear.

The cost to fix this issue may vary depending on how wounded your transmission is. The worst scenario is having to replace or rebuild the whole thing with the help of a professional technician, which would set you back around $4,500-5,000.

Dodge Charger Preventive Maintenance

One of the best ways to lower the Charger's maintenance cost and avoid major repairs is to follow the manufacturer’s recommended routine maintenance program you can find in a Dodge Charger service manual. Inside, you’ll find every maintenance procedure and how frequently each should be performed. Fortunately, nothing about this muscle car's maintenance is out of the ordinary.

Change oil and filter every 5,000-7,000 miles
Replace the cabin every 20,000 miles
Replace the air intake filter and brake pads every 30,000-50,000 miles
Change tires every three years/45,000 miles (possibly sooner if you drive more aggressively, also depending on the tires)
Change transmission fluid every 90,000 miles
Replace spark plugs every 100,000 miles
Flush and refill engine coolant after every two years/150,000 miles. Etc

Interestingly, the Charger's maintenance routine is relatively simple for a performance sedan. And, of course, staying on top of your vehicle’s recommended services is always your best bet to anticipate any issue before it gets severe and significantly more expensive to fix.

Verdict

Overall, the Dodge Charger is a decently reliable performance sedan, but it sure requires regular maintenance to last. Improper maintenance and waiting for a component to go wrong before getting it serviced will definitely hurt your wallet down the line.

Therefore, to help keep those repair costs low, try getting a more reliable model year and follow the preventive maintenance program recommended in your Dodge Charger repair manual. Remember that this cheap manual will also guide you in solving those repairs yourself, so you'll save even more by not having to visit your local repair shop and hire a pricey mechanic — seems like a no-brainer, right?

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