2012 Dodge Charger Air Bags Problems
Owners have filed 111 complaints with NHTSA about air bags problems on the 2012 Dodge Charger, 17% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 60,306 miles. The words owners use most often: “air bag” (50% of reports).
- 111air bags complaints
- 60,306median miles at failure
- 13mention a crash
- 11mention an injury
- 5related recalls
- 41%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Air bag: mentioned in 55 of 111 complaints (50%)
- Wiring harness: mentioned in 8 of 111 complaints (7%)
- Bags failed deploy: mentioned in 6 of 111 complaints (5%)
At what mileage do air bags problems happen?
Based on 59 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 111 complaints, 13 mention a crash, 11 an injury.
Dodge Charger air bags complaints by model year
| Model year | Air Bags complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 Charger | 1 | 4% | — |
| 2022 Charger | 4 | 25% | 11,000 |
| 2021 Charger | 16 | 46% | 56,850 |
| 2020 Charger | 36 | 63% | 59,000 |
| 2019 Charger | 49 | 41% | 49,737 |
| 2018 Charger | 5 | 4% | 32,000 |
| 2017 Charger | 5 | 4% | 100,000 |
| 2016 Charger | 9 | 5% | 42,500 |
| 2015 Charger | 12 | 9% | 56,500 |
| 2014 Charger | 28 | 8% | 72,996 |
| 2013 Charger | 41 | 11% | 45,000 |
| 2012 Charger | 111 | 17% | 60,306 |
| 2011 Charger | 52 | 7% | 58,000 |
| 2010 Charger | 59 | 25% | 85,000 |
| 2009 Charger | 45 | 26% | 100,000 |
| 2008 Charger | 124 | 20% | 92,500 |
| 2007 Charger | 77 | 14% | 109,500 |
| 2006 Charger | 103 | 8% | 100,000 |
| 2001 Charger | 1 | 33% | — |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (5)
Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator moduleDo not drive
Problem: Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2010 Dodge Ram 3500, Ram 4500/5500, 2010-2011 Dodge Dakota, 2010-2014 Dodge Challenger, 2010-2015 Dodge Challenger, Chrysler 300, and 2010-2016 Jeep Wrangler vehicles. Upon deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to explode.
Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger's frontal air bag, the inflator could explode with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicle until the recall repair is complete. Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began February 4, 2019. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is V01.
Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator moduleDo not drive
Problem: Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2009-2013 Jeep Wrangler, Chrysler 300, Dodge Challenger and Dodge Charger vehicles, and 2009-2011 Dodge Dakota vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands or "Zone A." Additionally, Chrysler is recalling certain 2009-2010 RAM 4500 Cab Chassis, RAM 5500 Cab Chassis, RAM 3500 Cab Chassis, Jeep Wrangler, Chrysler 300, Dodge Dakota, Dodge Challenger, and Dodge Charger vehicles ever registered in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia or "Zone B." Chrysler is also recalling certain 2009 RAM 3500, RAM 2500, RAM 4500 Cab Chassis, RAM 5500 Cab Chassis, Dodge Durango, Chrysler Aspen, RAM 3500 Cab Chassis, Jeep Wrangler, Chrysler 300, Dodge Dakota, Dodge Challenger, and Dodge Charger vehicles ever registered in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, these passenger air bag inflator may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp 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 owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began February 28, 2018. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is U03.
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:side/window; seat belts
Problem: Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain model year 2011-2014 Dodge Charger vehicles manufactured May 6, 2010, to June 5, 2014. In the affected vehicles, the side impact sensor calibrations may be overly sensitive, and as a result, the side air bag inflatable curtains and seat air bags may unexpectedly deploy and the seat belt pre-tensioners may activate.
Risk: Air bags that unexpectedly deploy increase the risk of a crash or injury.
Fix: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will update the Occupant Restraint Control module calibration, free of charge. The recall began on August 25, 2015. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is R35.
Air bags
Problem: Chrysler Group LLC (Chrysler) is recalling certain model year 2011-2012 Chrysler 300, Dodge Challenger, and Dodge Charger vehicles manufactured April 11, 2011, through December 14, 2011. The affected vehicles may have improperly sized terminal crimps on the seat side-airbag wiring harness which may cause the seat side-airbags to malfunction and illuminate the airbag warning light.
Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating airbag deployment the airbags may not operate as designed, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace both driver and passenger seat airbag wiring harnesses, free of charge. The recall began on April 22, 2013. Owners may contact Chrysler at 1-800-247-9753. Chrysler's recall campaign number is N07.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
My airbag light comes on intermittently and when I called the dealership and told them they brushed it off as nothing. My car already had open recalls for the airbag and got fixed but itâs still having the same issues. I had the car since October of 2025 and there was no lights on when I financed…
While driving my 2012 dodge charger at times it pops out of driving going into neutral. It happens when I'm on the hwy or in town. And the air bags has illuminated on the dash and it is at the dealership, and I was told, I have to pay for everything out of pocket.To replace it, popping out of gear…
Can not put car into park i have took it to normals dealership and referred to me that it's a recall issue.

Frequently asked questions
Do all 2012 Dodge Chargers have air bags problems?
No. NHTSA has 111 owner complaints about air bags for the 2012 Dodge Charger (17% of the 648 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 2012 Dodge Charger air bags?
Yes: 5 safety recalls list air bags. Check your VIN on NHTSA.gov to see whether the fix was done on your car.
At what mileage do air bags problems start?
The median reported mileage is 60,306 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
What do owners say about air bags problems on the 2012 Dodge Charger?
The most frequent phrase is “air bag”, in 55 of 111 complaints, followed by “wiring harness” (8).
Other 2012 Dodge Charger problems
- Electrical System problems (359)
- Engine problems (94)
- Power Train problems (65)
- Steering problems (53)
- Exterior Lighting problems (52)
See all 2012 Dodge Charger problems or air bags problems across all Charger years.