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#BS-2012-DODCHA-21F2

2012 Dodge Challenger

Based on reports from 336 owners and 6 recalls for this exact model.

Complaints
336
Crashes
19
Fires
8
Recalls
6
TSBs
166
🛑

Preliminary Verdict

Red Flag

Based on 336 complaints, 19 crashes, 8 fires, and 6 recalls. This is the worst model year for this vehicle.

See full verdict with buy/skip conditions

Top reported problems

1

alternator went out

14 complaints • Severity 8/10

$X,XXX
2

all lights out on the dash

2 complaints • Severity 10/10

$X,XXX
3

power steering pump failure

1 complaints • Severity 10/10

$X,XXX

Preview: What's in your full report

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Mechanic Inspection Checklist

!Check the ElectricalHIGH

131 owners reported electrical issues — failures commonly reported around 54K miles.

!Inspect the AirbagsMED
Look for symptoms of wear and premature failure
+ 6 more items in full checklistUnlock

Failure Timeline by Mileage

53
0–30K
91
30–60K
63
60–90K
28
90–120K
18
120–150K
7
150K+

Peak failure range: 30–60K miles (91 reports) • Median: 54K miles

Full report: which components fail at each mileageUnlock

30,000-Mile Cost Projection

Best Case

$X,XXX

Most Likely

$X,XXX

Worst Case

$X,XXX

Top cost driver: Electrical (131 reports).

Includes fuel costs, common repairs, and recall riskUnlock

Also in your report

Owner Intelligence

AI-synthesized themes from real complaints

Buyer Lot Checklist

Questions, test drive checks, walk-away triggers

Negotiation Talking Points

Data-backed dollar deductions

Buy / Skip Verdict

Final recommendation with conditions

10 sections total in the full reportUnlock all

Where the complaints fall

Electrical131 (39%)
Airbags47 (14%)
Engine25 (7%)
Other20 (6%)
Steering19 (6%)
Drivetrain15 (4%)
Brakes10 (3%)
Suspension8 (2%)

2012 Dodge Challenger: Known Issues & Problem Areas

Electrical Issues

Electrical complaints account for 39% of all reports filed for the 2012 Dodge Challenger, with 131 owners filing complaints with NHTSA. The median mileage at time of complaint is 53,980 miles, suggesting issues tend to surface around the 54K-mile mark.

Airbags Issues

Airbags complaints account for 14% of all reports filed for the 2012 Dodge Challenger, with 47 owners filing complaints with NHTSA. Owners should pay attention to airbags-related symptoms during test drives and pre-purchase inspections.

Engine Issues

Engine complaints account for 7% of all reports filed for the 2012 Dodge Challenger, with 25 owners filing complaints with NHTSA. Owners should pay attention to engine-related symptoms during test drives and pre-purchase inspections.

Steering Issues

Steering complaints account for 6% of all reports filed for the 2012 Dodge Challenger, with 19 owners filing complaints with NHTSA. Owners should pay attention to steering-related symptoms during test drives and pre-purchase inspections.

Data sourced from NHTSA owner complaints and community reports. The full report analyzes severity, repair costs, and failure patterns for each category.

Complaint trend by year

2
11
15
12
16
13
52
14
59
15
39
16
46
17
33
18
40
19
11
20
7
21
4
22
2
23
6
24
4
25

Complaints filed with NHTSA by year for the 2012 Dodge Challenger. Recent trend: decreasing.

Don't negotiate blind — know what this car costs to own

Repair costs • Negotiation scripts • Mechanic checklist • Buy/skip verdict

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Recall History (6 recalls)

13V118000Apr 2013

AIR BAGS

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.

14V634000Feb 2015

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:ALTERNATOR/GENERATOR/REGULATOR

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.

16V352000Do Not DriveMar 2017

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

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.

17V435000Feb 2018

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:ALTERNATOR/GENERATOR/REGULATOR

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.

18V021000Do Not DriveFeb 2018

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

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.

+ 1 more recall in the full report

Recall severity analysis & seller scripts

The full report rates each recall's severity and gives you scripts for asking the seller about recall completion.

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This is the worst model year for the Dodge Challenger according to owner complaint data. The biggest problem area is electrical.

2012 Dodge Challenger vs. Class Average (Midsize Cars)

This vehicle

336

Class avg

331

Complaint volume is roughly in line with other midsize cars vehicles from 2012.

Complaint counts correlate with sales volume — popular vehicles naturally generate more reports. The full report normalizes for this.

About this data

NHTSA Complaints

Federal database of owner-filed safety complaints. 336 records for this vehicle.

NHTSA Recalls

Manufacturer-issued safety recalls. 6 recalls found for this vehicle.

Repair Cost Data

Real-world repair costs from owner reports and independent databases.

Other Dodge Challenger Model Years

202320222021202020192018201720162015201420132012201120102009200820072006200520042003200220012000199919981997199619951994199319921991199019891988198719861985198419831982198119801979197819771976197519741973197219711970
View all Dodge Challenger years →

2012 Dodge Challenger: Frequently Asked Questions

What is the most common problem with the 2012 Dodge Challenger?
The most commonly reported issue with the 2012 Dodge Challenger is related to the electrical, with 131 complaints filed with NHTSA.
Is the 2012 Dodge Challenger reliable?
The 2012 Dodge Challenger has 336 complaints, 19 crash reports, and 8 fire reports filed with NHTSA. The full report analyzes whether these numbers indicate real risk or are proportional to the vehicle’s popularity.
How much does it cost to fix 2012 Dodge Challenger problems?
Repair costs vary by issue. The full BumperScan report includes detailed repair cost estimates (low/median/high) for every major issue, plus a 30,000-mile total cost of ownership projection.
Does the 2012 Dodge Challenger have any recalls?
Yes, the 2012 Dodge Challenger has 6 recalls on record. At least one is a critical “Do Not Drive” recall. The full report includes recall severity analysis and scripts for asking the seller about recall completion.
What mileage do Dodge Challenger problems start?
Based on 260 complaints with mileage data, the median mileage at time of complaint is 53,980 miles. The highest concentration of reported issues occurs in the 30–60K mile range. The full report breaks down exactly which components fail at each mileage bracket.
What’s in the full report?
10 sections of AI analysis: severity-ranked issues, component scores (0-100), 30K-mile cost projection, failure timeline by mileage, recall details with seller scripts, owner sentiment analysis, mechanic checklist, buyer lot checklist, negotiation ammo with dollar figures, and a buy/skip verdict.
How is this different from free NHTSA data?
NHTSA gives you raw complaint text. BumperScan cross-references 2.1M+ complaints with community repair cost data, EPA fuel data, and recall records — then uses AI to synthesize it into actionable advice with dollar figures.
How is this different from Carfax?
Carfax is VIN-specific history ($45/report). BumperScan is model-level reliability intelligence — what problems this car is known for, what they cost, and whether you should buy it. Complementary, not competing.
What if the report isn’t useful?
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10 sections of AI analysis based on 336 owner reports. Know before you buy.

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