2008 Dodge Charger Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Charger years
- Far more complaints than other years 4th of 23 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 5 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 609 complaints with NHTSA about the 2008 Dodge Charger. That ranks 4th out of 23 Charger model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is electrical system (391 complaints, 64%), typically at around 99,150 miles. Complaints mention 24 crashes, 22 fires, 23 injuries. There are 5 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 2 defect investigations involving it.
- 609owner complaints
- 5safety recalls
- 2NHTSA investigations
- 24complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2008 Dodge Charger problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical System problems | 391 | 64% | 99,150 | “ignition switch” (16%) | $1,050 |
| Air Bags problems | 124 | 20% | 92,500 | “numbers electrical air” (28%) | — |
| Engine problems | 89 | 15% | 101,282 | “cooling fan” (13%) | — |
| Power Train | 33 | 5% | 79,800 | — | — |
| Steering | 30 | 5% | 68,060 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 28 | 5% | 89,500 | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 15 | 2% | 48,525 | — | — |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 14 | 2% | 101,761 | — | — |
| Service Brakes | 13 | 2% | 109,640 | — | — |
| Suspension | 13 | 2% | 45,000 | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 12 | 2% | 91,000 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 9 | 1% | 95,500 | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 9 | 1% | 30,000 | — | — |
| Structure | 9 | 1% | 55,050 | — | — |
| Visibility | 8 | 1% | 41,550 | — | — |
| Wheels | 6 | 1% | 60,000 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 4 | 1% | 80,000 | — | — |
| Visibility/wiper | 4 | 1% | 80,900 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 3 | 0% | 164,747 | — | — |
| Tires | 3 | 0% | 19,000 | — | — |
| Equipment | 2 | 0% | 89,500 | — | — |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 2 | 0% | 37,525 | — | — |
| Seats | 2 | 0% | 80,500 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Electric | 2 | 0% | 308 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 2 | 0% | 59,881 | — | — |
| Traction Control System | 2 | 0% | 69,500 | — | — |
| Equipment Adaptive/mobility | 1 | 0% | 126,000 | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2008 Dodge Charger recalls (5)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator moduleDo not drive
Problem: Chrysler (FCA US LLC) expanded the affected population to include 73,712 2005-2009 RAM 2500 trucks produced at the St. Louis North Assembly Plant. With this change, Chrysler is recalling certain model year 2004-2008 RAM 1500, 2005-2009 RAM 2500, 2006-2009 RAM 3500, 2007-2010 RAM 3500 Cab Chassis, 2008-2010 RAM 4500 and 5500 Cab Chassis, 2004-2009 Dodge Durango, 2007-2009 Chrysler Aspen, 2007-2012 Jeep Wrangler, 2008-2012 Dodge Challenger, 2005-2008 Dodge Magnum, 2005-2012 Chrysler 300, 2006-2012 Dodge Charger, 2005-2011 Dodge Dakota, and 2006-2009 Mitsubishi Raider vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in AL, CA, FL, GA, HI, LA, MS, SC, TX, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands, or "Zone A." Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" above, Chrysler is also recalling 2004-2008 RAM 1500, 2005-2009 RAM 2500, 2006-2009 RAM 3500, 2007-2009 RAM 3500 Cab Chassis, 2008-2009 RAM 4500 and 5500 Cab Chassis, 2004-2009 Dodge Durango, 2007-2009 Chrysler Aspen, 2007-2009 Jeep Wrangler, 2008-2009 Dodge Challenger, 2005-2008 Dodge Magnum, 2005-2009 Chrysler 300, 2006-2009 Dodge Charger, 2005-2009 Dodge Dakota and 2006-2009 Mitsubishi Raider vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in AZ, AR, DE, Washington D.C., IL, IN, KS, KY, MD, MO, NE, NV, NJ, NM, NC, OH, OK, PA, TN, VA, and WV, or "Zone B." Lastly, unless included in "Zone A" or "Zone B" above, Chrysler is recalling certain 2005-2008 RAM 2500, 2006-2008 RAM 3500, 2007-2008 RAM 3500 Cab Chassis, 2008 RAM 4500 and 5500 Cab Chassis, 2004-2008 Dodge Durango, 2007-2008 Chrysler Aspen, 2007-2008 Jeep Wrangler, 2008 Dodge Challenger, 2005-2008 Dodge Magnum, 2005-2008 Chrysler 300, 2006-2008 Dodge Charger, 2005-2008 Dodge Dakota, and 2006-2008 Mitsubishi Raider vehicles originally sold, or registered, in AK, CO, CT, ID, IA, ME, MA, MI, MN, MT, NH, NY, ND, OR, RI, SD, UT, VT, WA, WI, and WY.
Risk: These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules, and used as original equipment or replacement equipment. These inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling. An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicle until the recall repair is complete. Chrysler will notify the Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and RAM owners. Mitsubishi owners will be notified by their company. Dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began on March 27, 2017. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is S43. Note: This recall supersedes recall 14V-7700.
Air bags:frontal:driver side:inflator moduleDo not drive
Problem: Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain model year 2005-2009 Dodge Ram 2500, 2004-2008 Dodge Ram 1500 and Durango, 2006-2009 Dodge Ram 3500, 2008-2010 Dodge Ram 4500 and 5500, 2007-2008 Chrysler Aspen, 2005-2010 Chrysler 300, 300C, 300S, and SRT8, 2006-2010 Dodge Charger, 2005-2008 Magnum, 2005-2011 Dodge Dakota, and 2006-2009 Mitsubishi Raider vehicles. The affected vehicles are equipped with a dual-stage driver frontal air bag that may be susceptible to moisture intrusion which, over time, could cause the inflator to rupture.
Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicle until the recall repair is complete. Chrysler will notify the affected Chrysler and Dodge owners and Mitsubishi will notify the affected Raider owners. Dealers will replace the driver's frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began for Chrylser on June 8, 2015. The recall for Mitsubishi started on June 24, 2015. Chrysler and Dodge owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Mitsubishi owners may call 1-888-648-7820. Chrysler's number for this recall is R25. Note: This recall supersedes recall 14V817 in its entirety. Vehicles that have had their driver side frontal air bag replaced previously need to have their air bag replaced under this recall as well.
Electrical system:ignition
Problem: 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.
Fix: 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.
Power train:automatic transmission:lever and linkage:column shift
Problem: Chrysler is recalling 20,283 my 2006-2009 charger and magnum vehicles built with the police package and equipped with a column shifter. The gearshift cable may become disengaged from the steering column mounting bracket and cause an incorrect transmission gearshift position display.
Risk: This could allow the vehicle to move in an unexpected direction startling the driver, and cause a crash without warning.
Fix: Dealers will add a redundant locking mechanism to the gearshift cable at the mounting bracket to ensure proper retention and shift linkage function. The recall began on november 10, 2008. Owners may contact chrysler at 1-800-853-1403.
Power train:axle hubs
Problem: Chrysler is recalling 5,509 my 2008 300, dodge magnum, and charger vehicles. The torque retention crimp feature was missed during the manufacture of one lot of rear axle hub nuts. This could cause the nuts to loosen and allow the halfshaft to disengage from the wheel hub.
Risk: This could cause the vehicle to lose power and result in a crash without warning.
Fix: Dealers will replace the rear axle hub nuts. The recall began on july 21, 2008. Owners may contact chrysler at 1-800-853-1403.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
NHTSA defect investigations
- Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture (EA21002) — opened Sep 17, 2021, still open.
- Prndl misalignment (PE08052) — opened Sep 2, 2008, closed Nov 10, 2008, led to recall 08V583000.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
While driving on an expressway at 70 MPH , the car suddenly stopped and had no power. The gas gauge showed 1/4 tank of gas . Luckily we we able to cross lanes by coasting, to get off to the right. We had to be towed to a repair shop. The car was found to be Out of Gas ! This could have been a…
The contact owns a 2008 Dodge Charger. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start as intended. An abnormal cranking sound could be heard coming from the engine. The contact stated it would take several attempts to start the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact…
My car was leaking gas from the fuel pump and I guess my car from the backseat almost caught fire cause I seen smoke coming from the back seat behind the driver. I went to two Dodge dealerships to let them know about this incident that reason why my fuel pump caught on fire because Dodge put the…
When I turned my ignition key, it would not turn on the car no power
Hesitation when starting car
Other Dodge Charger years
← 2007 Charger · 2009 Charger →
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2027 Charger | 0 | 1 |
| 2026 Charger | 2 | 1 |
| 2024 Charger | 1 | 0 |
| 2023 Charger | 26 | 2 |
| 2022 Charger | 16 | 3 |
| 2021 Charger | 35 | 2 |
| 2020 Charger | 57 | 3 |
| 2019 Charger | 120 | 5 |
| 2018 Charger | 122 | 6 |
| 2017 Charger | 128 | 4 |
| 2016 Charger | 182 | 5 |
| 2015 Charger | 136 | 7 |
| 2014 Charger | 343 | 9 |
| 2013 Charger | 360 | 8 |
| 2012 Charger | 648 | 14 |
| 2011 Charger | 695 | 11 |
| 2010 Charger | 232 | 6 |
| 2009 Charger | 174 | 6 |
| 2008 | 609 | 5 |
| 2007 Charger | 554 | 5 |
| 2006 Charger | 1,294 | 5 |
| 2005 Charger | 0 | 0 |
| 2001 Charger | 3 | 0 |
See all Dodge Charger problems by year, every Dodge model, or the Dodge VIN decoder.
Similar Dodge models
Embed this 2008 Dodge Charger badge on your site
Copy this code into your blog or forum post. It shows live complaint and recall counts and links back here.
Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2008 Dodge Charger?
Owners most often report electrical system, air bags, engine problems. The top one, electrical system, accounts for 391 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2008 Dodge Charger?
Yes, 5 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2008 Dodge Charger a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Charger model years, the 2008 has far more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.