No-start or intermittent start failure on the 2011 Dodge Challenger
When no-start or intermittent start failure gets reported
Owners of the 2011 Dodge Challenger report no-start or intermittent start failure at a median of 55,000 miles. A quarter of the reports come in before 40,000 miles and a quarter after 90,000 miles, from 15 reports that carried an odometer reading.
A part like this is normally expected to survive 88,000 miles. It is the 3rd most-reported problem on this model year.
The mileage distribution
The reported range runs from 30,000 miles at the tenth percentile to 110,000 miles at the ninetieth, a spread of 77,400 miles across the middle 80% of reports.
When the reports scatter this far, the mileage is telling you about how these cars were driven more than about the part itself.
20% of the dated reports were filed under 36,000 miles.
The whole distribution
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31,000 miles | 37,750 miles | 56,000 miles | 91,000 miles | 108,400 miles |
Read the 10th percentile as “one report in ten arrived this early”. Exact figures are shown in this table because it is the table of record; everywhere else on the site they are rounded to the precision the sample can carry.
What a percentile can and cannot tell you here
These five numbers describe the readings owners gave, in order. The median is the middle one: half the reports arrived below it. The 10th and 90th are the edges of the bulk of the distribution, and the distance between them is the part worth reading. A tight spread — say 70,000 to 95,000 miles — points at something that wears out on a schedule, and the schedule is knowable. A wide one, 20,000 to 190,000, points at a fault that hits some cars and never troubles others, which means the mileage on the listing in front of you tells you very little about your odds.
What these figures are not is a survival curve. Every reading here comes from a car whose owner filed a complaint, so the sample contains only failures: it cannot say what share of the fleet made it past 150,000 miles untouched, because those owners had nothing to report. Nor is the mileage the moment of failure — it is the odometer reading as recalled at the time of filing, which may be weeks later and is sometimes rounded to the nearest ten thousand by the person typing it.
Percentiles are shown at all only once 8 readings exist for the vehicle and mode. Below that the middle of a handful of numbers is noise wearing a decimal point, so the figures are withheld rather than dressed up.
What happens, and what it costs
Putting it right typically runs $200–$1,800 at an independent US shop. That range is an editorial estimate held in this site's failure-mode catalogue, not a figure from NHTSA, and it is a repair cost rather than a diagnosis cost.
The same failure on other years
The same failure is reported on 7 model years of this car. It shows up earliest on the 2009, at a median of 25,000 miles, and latest on the 2010 at 85,000 miles.
By volume the 2011 is the worst of them, which makes this a problem of this specific year rather than of the model as a whole.
If one year stands out to the left, that is the year to avoid; if the whole line sits at a similar mileage, this is wear rather than a defect in one production run.
Tick median reported mileage Solid middle half of reports Faint 10th to 90th percentile Colour how bad the failure is when it happens
What owners wrote
Verbatim from NHTSA complaint narratives, trimmed for length. The mileage is the one the owner gave.
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 dodge challenger. The contact stated that the electrical system in the vehicle was inoperable and draining the battery. As a result, the vehicle failed to start. The vehicle was towed where the contact was advised that the alternator needed to be replaced. The dealer was scheduled to repair the failure. The manufacturer was notified and a complaint was filed. The failure mileage was 36,500.
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 dodge challenger. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact was unable to restart the vehicle and had it towed to the dealer. The dealer first replaced the battery, but the vehicle failed to start. The dealer then determined that the alternator exhibited a shortage and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not available. The failure and the current mileage was 39,000. *tr
While driving about 45mph ABS, eap/bas and traction control lights came on. Parked car and would not start. No power. Towed to dodge dealership and after 2 days reported needed new battery after old battery would not keep charge. One day after got vehicle from dealer, drove vehicle battery light came on, drove to dealer service turned off vehicle and turned on again but light did not come on. Tech checked battery connection, was ok and tried to drive home. Drove vehicle 3 miles battery light, ABS, eap/bas and traction lights came on again, idled rough then dash went dark and car killed, steering locked. Got relative to put another battery in to drive vehicle to dealership. Is there now awaiting diagnosis but all things point to bad alternator. Vehicle 3weeks out of warranty with 31000 miles. The charger has had issues with alternator & have seen a few challengers complaint on other sites. I did like my car but this appears to be a manufacturer defect with alternators, only 31000 miles and gone bad. *tr
Also reported on the 2011 Dodge Challenger
Alternator or charging system failure
Other electrical problem
Other engine problem
Airbag warning light or occupant sensor fault
Airbag inflator rupture
Seat belt or retractor failure
How far this goes
Complaints are voluntary, so 16 is a floor and not a count of affected cars. Mileages are typed in by owners and cluster on round numbers. And the mode itself is assigned by software reading the complaint text, which is reliable in bulk and fallible one report at a time.
Questions this page answers
At what mileage does no-start or intermittent start failure happen on the 2011 Dodge Challenger?
Across 15 owner reports that included an odometer reading, half were filed by 55,000 miles. A quarter were filed before 40,000 miles and a quarter after 90,000 miles. These are the mileages owners reported when they complained, not a prediction for any individual car.
How common is no-start or intermittent start failure on the 2011 Dodge Challenger?
16 reports have been filed with NHTSA, about 0.2 per 1,000 vehicles. Complaints are voluntary, so this is a floor rather than a count of affected cars.
What this is and is not. These are the mileages at which owners chose to complain to a federal agency, which is not the same as the mileage at which the part fails on every car. It skews toward failures that happened outside warranty, cost real money, or frightened someone. It is still the only public dataset that carries failure mileage at all, and the shape of a few hundred readings is informative even when a single one is not. Methodology · JSON · this failure on other cars
Source Owner complaints and recall records published by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, model years 1996–2027 Figures rebuilt Published by AtWhatMileage How every figure is computed