Control module (ECM/PCM/BCM) failure on the 2008 Dodge Charger
Only 7 reports for this mode came with an odometer reading, which is too few for percentiles to mean anything. The page is here because someone linked to it; treat the figures as anecdotes, and see the full report for this year instead.
When control module (ecm/pcm/bcm) failure gets reported
There are 7 reports of control module (ECM/PCM/BCM) failure on the 2008 Dodge Charger, 7 with a mileage attached. That is too few to place the failure on the odometer with any confidence.
A part like this is normally expected to survive 92,000 miles. It is the 17th most-reported problem on this model year.
The whole distribution
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | — | 37,693 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 $700–$3,000 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 9 model years of this car. It shows up earliest on the 2017, at a median of 5,000 miles, and latest on the 2007 at 100,000 miles.
By volume the 2006 carries the most reports, with 45; the 2008 has 7. A mode that appears across most years of a model is usually a design choice rather than a bad batch.
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.
I have a 2008 dodge charger with 15,500 miles with in that same week I have had my car at gary mathews motors dodge, jeep, and chrysler 3 times and I've been talking to ryan l. Brown I took the car in for the first time on 4-21-09 they had it for less than one day and said it was fixed that the computer chip failed and they reprogrammed the power train control module. I had the car for one day and I had to take it in again on wednesday 4-23-09 and they had to tow my car it wasn't drive able this time they said the same code was coming up but they replaced the trans solenoid and performed a diagnostic also rnr valve body they then said they fixed the car and it was good to go the I had the car for a couple more day and it broke down again it went back in on saturday 4-26-09 and today is friday 5-1-09 and they replaced the power train control modular on tuesday 4-28-09 and they said the same code is still coming up and they have to replace more parts since the 28 or april they haven't contacted me so I called the chrysler company to launch a complaint and spoke with eric smith I told him what was going on and he said he would call…
The car started to show problems weeks before breaking down. Sometimes the engine would start as soon as I turn the key on and other times I had to wait four to six second before the engine would start. One morning I tried to turn the car on but not even a click. I took the car to the dealer by recharging the battery to turn it on. The dealer diagnosed my car with wireless control module failure and consequently they had to program a new key. I purchased the extended warranty and was assured every part on the car was covered except for the usual; tires, brake pads etc. I ended up paying out of my pocket and the repair was not cheap. After doing some research I learned that there is a recall on the newer models for the same reason. Additionally, sometimes my stereo turns of, my windows do not roll down and turning signals go off. This car has too many problems. Current mileage is 38,458 miles. *tr
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 dodge charger. The contact stated that the wireless key failed. The contact was unable to start the vehicle because of the failure. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was determined that the wireless control module needed to be replaced. The dealer stated that the part was on back order until july. The failure and the current mileage was 75,000. *tr
Also reported on the 2008 Dodge Charger
Other electrical problem
No-start or intermittent start failure
Ignition switch, key fob or immobilizer failure
Airbag inflator rupture
Other engine problem
Radiator or coolant leak
How far this goes
This page is kept out of search results because 7 reports is not enough to publish percentiles from. It stays reachable because somebody looking at this exact car would rather see the reports than be told there are none.
Complaints are voluntary, so 7 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 control module (ecm/pcm/bcm) failure happen on the 2008 Dodge Charger?
Across 7 owner reports that included an odometer reading, half were filed by 40,000 miles. A quarter were filed before — and a quarter after —. These are the mileages owners reported when they complained, not a prediction for any individual car.
How common is control module (ecm/pcm/bcm) failure on the 2008 Dodge Charger?
7 reports have been filed with NHTSA, about 0.1 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