2020 Dodge Charger: what breaks, and at what mileage
What breaks on the 2020 Dodge Charger
On the 2020 Dodge Charger, the failure owners report most often is airbag failed to deploy in a crash, with 6 reports on file. Across every failure mode on this year, half the dated reports were filed before 5,000 miles. Overall it scores 74 out of 100, high risk for a 2020.
High risk for a 2020 — 156th riskiest of the 235 2020 vehicles we can rate. 74 owner reports; fleet size estimated from this year's own recall paperwork.
What owners report breaking
Owners have reported 20 named failure modes on the 2020 Dodge Charger, and the three most-reported carry 22% of everything filed, which is an unusually even spread for one model year.
Airbag failed to deploy in a crash leads with 6 reports and about 0.2 per 1,000 vehicles.
Other engine problem follows with 5 reports, median 25,000 miles.
Other electrical problem follows with 5 reports, median 5,000 miles.
By system, the reports fall mostly into airbag (7), electrical (6) and body (6).
When these failures get reported
10 of the reports on the 2020 Dodge Charger came with an odometer reading, and half of those were filed before 5,000 miles.
Cumulatively, 90% by 50,000 miles of the dated reports had been filed.
The busiest stretch is between 0 and 10,000 miles, which alone holds 50% of the dated reports.
80% of the dated reports were filed below 36,000 miles, which is early enough that a fair number of these cars were still under a factory warranty when the owner complained.
Tick median reported mileage Solid middle half of reports Faint 10th to 90th percentile Colour how bad the failure is when it happens
Showing the 12 most-reported failure modes of 20. The full list is in the table below.
How reports accumulate
Every report with an odometer reading, cumulative, from 0 to 200,000 miles. A curve that climbs early is a car with early problems, whatever its total.
- Line share of reports filed by that mileage
- Dashed the median reported mileage
Severity, and what it costs
Across the named modes, 8 mention a crash, 1 a fire and 7 an injury. Those are the words owners used in their own complaints, and NHTSA does not verify them, but they are the closest thing in this data to a measure of what a failure actually did.
The average severity weight across every report on this year is 5.35, where a stalled engine or a failed airbag weighs many times more than a rattling trim panel, and a figure this high means the reports are dominated by failures with safety consequences rather than annoyances. The weighting is set out in full on the methodology page.
What the top failures cost to put right, as editorial estimates for an independent US shop rather than figures from NHTSA: airbag failed to deploy in a crash at $1,000–$5,000, other engine problem at $300–$4,000, other electrical problem at $250–$2,000 and loss of power steering at $600–$2,800. Dealer labour, a seized bolt or a part that is no longer made can push any of these past the top of its range.
8% of the reports on this year sit in the engine, transmission, drivetrain or cooling systems — the four where a repair bill is usually four figures.
Every reported failure mode
| Failure mode | System | Reports | With reading | 25th | Median | 75th | Per 1,000 | Typical repair | Severity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airbag failed to deploy in a crash | airbag | 6 | 1 | — | 42k | — | 0.2 | $1,000–$5,000 | Critical |
| Other engine problem | engine | 5 | 2 | — | 27k | — | 0.1 | $300–$4,000 | High |
| Other electrical problem | electrical | 5 | 2 | — | 3k | — | 0.1 | $250–$2,000 | Moderate |
| Loss of power steering | steering | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.1 | $600–$2,800 | Critical |
| Sunroof failure or glass breakage | body | 3 | 1 | — | 908 | — | 0.1 | $700–$4,500 | High |
| Other body or interior problem | body | 3 | 1 | — | 26k | — | 0.1 | $200–$2,000 | Moderate |
| Cruise control failure | adas | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.1 | $200–$1,400 | High |
| Steering column or shaft failure | steering | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.1 | $600–$2,500 | Critical |
| Headlight failure or clouding | lighting | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.1 | $150–$1,800 | Moderate |
| Other fuel system problem | fuel | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.1 | $300–$2,200 | High |
| Other wheel or tire problem | wheels | 2 | 1 | — | 10k | — | 0.1 | $200–$1,500 | High |
| Overheating | cooling | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $400–$3,500 | High |
| Fuel leak or fuel odor | fuel | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $300–$2,500 | Critical |
| Control module (ECM/PCM/BCM) failure | electrical | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $700–$3,000 | High |
| Seat belt or retractor failure | airbag | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $200–$900 | High |
| Lane keep or steering assist fault | adas | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $200–$1,600 | High |
| Software fault or failed update | software | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $0–$600 | Moderate |
| Other lighting problem | lighting | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $120–$1,200 | Moderate |
| Other driver assistance problem | adas | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $250–$1,800 | High |
| Other visibility problem | glass | 1 | 1 | — | 14k | — | 0.0 | $150–$1,400 | Moderate |
| Unclassified problem | other | 30 | 1 | — | 3k | — | 0.8 | — | Moderate |
Rate per 1,000 uses a fleet-size estimate derived from recall paperwork for this exact model year. It is a lower bound. Repair costs are typical independent-shop ranges for the failure, not figures from these reports.
How often, against how many were built
Scaled by an estimate of how many of these cars exist, the 2020 Dodge Charger draws about 2.1 per 1,000 vehicles, which puts it in the 78th percentile of complaint rates among 2020 vehicles we can rate.
That denominator is the weakest number on the page and it is fair to say so plainly. Rate per 1,000 uses a fleet-size estimate derived from recall paperwork for this exact model year. It is a lower bound.
The working figure is 35,622 vehicles. If the true number is twice that, every rate on this page is half what it says; the ranking against other 2020 vehicles, which is what the risk score uses, is far more robust than the rate itself.
Recalls on the 2020 model year
NHTSA has issued 3 recall campaigns covering the 2020 Dodge Charger, affecting an estimated 47,952 vehicles. A recall is a different kind of evidence from a complaint: it is the regulator and the manufacturer agreeing that something has to be fixed, and the fix is free for as long as the car exists.
The campaigns cover air bags:side/window:curtain:inflator, visibility:windshield and back over prevention: sensing system: camera. Whether the work was actually done on the car in front of you is a question only the VIN can answer, and the manufacturer or NHTSA will answer it free.
Recalls also distort complaint counts. Publicity about a campaign reminds owners that complaining is possible, so reports for a recalled component often spike after the recall rather than before it.
AIR BAGS:SIDE/WINDOW:CURTAIN:INFLATOR
284,982 vehicles 2024-03-14- Defect
- Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) (Stellantis) is recalling certain 2018-2021 Dodge Charger and Chrysler 300 vehicles. The right and left side curtain air bag inflators may rupture due to a manufacturing defect.
- Consequence
- An inflator rupture may result in sharp metal fragments striking occupants, resulting in injury or death.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace both side curtain air bags, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed beginning February 20, 2025. Owners may contact FCA US, LLC customer service at 1-800-853-1403. FCA US, LLC's number for this recall is 19B.
VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD
21,258 vehicles 2021-07-08- Defect
- Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Dodge Challenger, Dodge Charger, and Chrysler 300 vehicles. During manufacturing, the windshield may not have been properly bonded to the vehicle, allowing it to detach in a crash. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 212, "Windshield Mounting."
- Consequence
- A windshield that separates from the vehicle during a crash can increase the risk of injury.
- Remedy
- Dealers will remove and replace the front windshield urethane sealant, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on August 31, 2021. Owners may contact FCA US LLC customer service at 1-800-853-1403. FCA US LLC's number for this recall is Y47.
BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA
26,361 vehicles 2020-08-27- Defect
- Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2018-2020 Dodge Charger Pursuit vehicles equipped with a "stealth mode." When stealth mode is selected, the backup camera rearview image will not display when the vehicle is in reverse. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rearview Mirrors."
- Consequence
- The lack of a back-up camera display increases the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will update body control module software to disable stealth mode when the vehicle is shifted into "Reverse", free of charge. The recall began October 22, 2020. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is W62.
Recall work is free at a franchised dealer regardless of the car's age. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before assuming it was done.
How it ranks in the 2020 field
The score at the top of the page, placed among its peers. The zones are the same thresholds the scorer applies, read out of the scorer itself, so the picture and the band word cannot disagree.
Scores are ranked within the model year, never across years, because an older car has had longer to accumulate reports.
- Left fewer and less serious reports
- Right more, or worse
- Marker this vehicle
Better and worse years of the same car
High risk for a 2020 — 156th riskiest of the 235 2020 vehicles we can rate. Every score on this site is a rank inside its own model year, which is what makes a 2004 and a 2019 comparable at all.
Across the 18 model years of this car that carry enough reports to score, 2021 comes out best at 61 and 2023 worst at 77, with 2020 itself at 74.
If the model year is negotiable, 2021, 2017, 2018, 2008, 2022, 2016, 2015, 2009 and 2006 score lower than 2020 by a margin worth acting on. Same body, same engines, different luck — usually a supplier change or a mid-cycle fix, which the complaint data can show but never explain.
Within the 2019–2021 generation specifically, 2021 is the strongest year at 61 and 2020 the weakest at 74.
Scores compare each year against other cars of the same model year, so a low number on an older car is a real result and not an artefact of age.
Shorter is better. Years with too few reports to score are shown without a bar rather than as a zero, because no data is not good news.
Within the 2019-2021 generation, 2021 Dodge Charger scores best at 61 and 2020 Dodge Charger worst at 74.
The limits of complaint data
74 owner reports; fleet size estimated from this year's own recall paperwork. Every count on this page is therefore a floor: it is the number of owners who went to the trouble of filing with a federal agency, which is a small and self-selected fraction of the owners who had the fault.
Of those 74 reports, 10 carried an odometer reading, so the mileages here describe 14% of the sample rather than all of it. Owners also round: readings pile up on multiples of ten thousand, which is why this site publishes "about 90,000 miles" and not "91,438".
Named failure modes come from matching phrases in the complaint text, so a badly worded complaint can land in the wrong bucket. The effect washes out across hundreds of reports and does not wash out across five.
And nothing here predicts what one car will do. These are other people's complaints, filed years apart, on cars maintained by strangers. Read the page as a map of where this model year has previously gone wrong, then have the specific car in front of you inspected.
Questions this page answers
What are the most common problems with the 2020 Dodge Charger?
The most-reported failures are airbag failed to deploy in a crash (6 reports, median 40,000 miles), other engine problem (5 reports, median 25,000 miles) and other electrical problem (5 reports, median 5,000 miles). Counts come from owner complaints filed with NHTSA, which are voluntary, so they show what owners bothered to report rather than every fault that occurred.
Is the 2020 Dodge Charger reliable?
It scores 74 out of 100 on our risk index, which is high — 156th riskiest of the 235 2020 vehicles we can rate. The score is a comparison against other 2020 vehicles, not a prediction about any individual car, and it is built from complaint rates, severity and how early failures appear.
Which year of the Dodge Charger is best?
Within the 2019–2021 generation, 2021 scores best at 61 out of 100 and 2020 worst at 74. Same body, same engines, different luck.
Where this comes from. Every figure above is computed from NHTSA owner complaints and recall records for this exact make, model and year. Complaints are voluntary and self-selected, so treat counts as a floor. The methodology page writes out each formula, and the same numbers are available as JSON.
What breaks at my mileage Compare with another car
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