AutoUtility currently tracks 78 official NHTSA owner defect complaints for the 2016 Dodge Challenger. Powertrain & Transmission issues are the most frequently reported category, appearing in 16 complaints (20.5% of submitted records). Among these NHTSA complaint records, 10 filings cite a crash, 2 cite a fire, 9 report one or more injuries.
- • Total NHTSA Complaints: 78 reports
- • #1 Reported Problem Area: Powertrain & Transmission (16 reports • 20.5% of submitted complaints)
- • Secondary Problem Areas: Electrical System (15), Air Bags & Restraints (13)
- • Crash-Citing Complaints: 10 filings
- • Fire-Citing Complaints: 2 filings
- • Complaints Reporting Injuries / Fatalities: 9 injury filings • 0 fatality filings
Most Reported Problems for 2016 Dodge Challenger
Top automotive subsystem defect categories ranked by unique owner complaint volume in federal records
Powertrain & Transmission
NHTSA records list 1 official safety recall campaign for this model year involving the same broad component area:
- Campaign #18E053000 POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:CONTROL MODULE (TCM/PCM/TECM)
Electrical System
NHTSA records list 1 official safety recall campaign for this model year involving the same broad component area:
- Campaign #18V332000 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING
Air Bags & Restraints
Engine & Cooling
Steering System
Recent NHTSA Owner Reports for 2016 Dodge Challenger
Representative defect filings submitted by owners to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
"Good morning my (eps) Electronic steering system isn't working I have the light on my dashboard and while driving it went on and couldn't steer it needs force to turn and its difficult to keep it straight this is the second time im replacing this part last time I had this same problem was 2 yrs ago..."
"I am reporting a serious vehicle safety issue caused by negligent service performed by Tony T’s Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram, located at 7250 Gulf Freeway, Houston, TX 77017. The dealership performed a borescope inspection of the rear differential on my 2016 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat, as documented..."
"I see a possible rollback on MY vehicle, the dealer sold it to me around 13,500 miles, carfax shows a possible rollback. Vehicle sold by Moritz Chevrolet Fort Worth, TexasFort Worth, TX Fort Worth, Texas[PHONE REDACTED] moritzchevrolet.com"
"When making a sharp turn where you need to turn the wheel fully to the left or right, the car steering would lock up and a power steering indicator light would appear on the dashboard. I would have to shut the vehicle off and restart it for the light to turn off and resume steering functionality...."
"My 2016 Dodge Challenger has less then 38,000 miles. I don’t even drive it in the rain to keep it spotless. I have taken great care of it. It started making a knocking noise from underneath the car. Took it to the dodge dealership & found out the drive shaft is bad.If you google 2016 Dodge..."
Complaint History for Dodge Challenger
Reported defect complaint volume across sibling model years (2015–2023)
| Model Year | NHTSA Complaints | Crash Reports | Safety Recalls | Detailed Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 Dodge Challenger | 126 | 16 | 6 | View 2015 Problems → |
| 2016 Dodge Challenger Current Page | 78 | 10 | 2 | Current |
| 2017 Dodge Challenger | 49 | 7 | 3 | View 2017 Problems → |
| 2018 Dodge Challenger | 74 | 9 | 4 | View 2018 Problems → |
| 2019 Dodge Challenger | 57 | 5 | 3 | View 2019 Problems → |
| 2020 Dodge Challenger | 20 | 1 | 1 | View 2020 Problems → |
| 2021 Dodge Challenger | 19 | 4 | 2 | View 2021 Problems → |
| 2022 Dodge Challenger | 9 | 1 | 2 | View 2022 Problems → |
| 2023 Dodge Challenger | 41 | 0 | 2 | View 2023 Problems → |
Detailed NHTSA Component Breakdown for 2016 Dodge Challenger
Complete distribution of consumer defect reports across all 34 granular NHTSA system and subsystem classifications
| Vehicle Component / System | Total Complaints | Crash Reports | Fire Reports | Reported Injury Entries | Reported Fatality Entries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Powertrain NHTSA category: POWER TRAIN | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine NHTSA category: ENGINE | 9 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Other / Uncategorized NHTSA category: UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical System NHTSA category: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Air Bags NHTSA category: AIR BAGS | 6 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Steering NHTSA category: STEERING | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Wheels & Hubs NHTSA category: WHEELS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure & Body NHTSA category: STRUCTURE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| AIR BAGS,SEAT BELTS | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| AIR BAGS,SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SEAT BELTS,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,STRUCTURE,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel System NHTSA category: FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel & Propulsion System NHTSA category: FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,AIR BAGS,SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Seat Belts NHTSA category: SEAT BELTS | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Service Brakes NHTSA category: SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC),SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,SUSPENSION | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SUSPENSION,AIR BAGS | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| SUSPENSION,AIR BAGS,SEAT BELTS | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| SUSPENSION,POWER TRAIN | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SUSPENSION,POWER TRAIN,SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SUSPENSION,WHEELS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle Speed Control NHTSA category: VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility / Glass NHTSA category: VISIBILITY | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Official NHTSA Defect Investigations (1)
Formal safety defect inquiries and engineering analyses opened by the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI)
Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture
From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant to burn too quickly when ignited. The rapid burning can cause the inflator to rupture during deployment, potentially causing serious...
The complaint records on this page are retrieved directly from the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) public database.
Local Production Store Compiled: August 2026 • Deterministic Audited Dataset • Zero Dynamic External API Runtime Latency.