Headlights go out when replacing. Fuel smell in cab. Engine ticking Front wheels knocking on bumps Inspection done by police Could cause major wreck all of the above
- NHTSA ID
- 11542221
- Incident
- Jun 1, 2023
Owner-reported complaints naming the exterior lighting system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Reports naming headlights, tail lights, turn signals and other exterior lighting. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2016 Dodge Charger submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 8 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed
Headlights go out when replacing. Fuel smell in cab. Engine ticking Front wheels knocking on bumps Inspection done by police Could cause major wreck all of the above
Headlamps are not working therefore causing a safety issue when driving at night. Initially, 2 years ago, April 2021 the driver headlamp was not working. Dodge dealership had replaced and within the year the bulb would come off and on intermittently. It cost over $400.00. On March 18, 2022 I took it back to Dodge dealership and because it was working that day they just said to bring it when it was not working? They had the car for the whole day and did not inspect anything. Now a year later both of my headlamps are not working and took it back to them again. Now my fuses are melted and have been told by them that the cars electrical system is faulty. The car will need a new PDC Power Distribution Center unit that controls the electrical power which is no longer made. He found a dealer that has the unit available but also includes the wires harness . The charge for this including labor is 5300 if he the dealer will sell it to him. He did not advise of price for part and labor separately. The dealer charged me 212.00 to tell me this. Meanwhile I have a car that is only 7 years old that I cannot drive safely at night and it will not pass motor vehicle inspection which is in 2 weeks. Therefore, now I own a car I cannot legally have on the road because of this issue with the headlamps.
The headlight bulbs, like a past recall on the 2011-2012 Chargers, regularly fry through fuses and stop working. This is obviously caused by a more serious issue in the vehicle and should be recalled. Many Dodge Charger and Challenger owners have been faced with this common problem, as shown in the comments on the page linked below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAmcGxeD5LY In my case, I've had several electrical issues with the headlight, and have had the entire headlight unit replaced. We have also switched the bulbs to see if that changes anything. After still having problems with the light going out, the repair shop I took it to informed me that the fuse can be switched for a quick fix, although it is not fixing the root of the problem, and this is a very common issue among these types of cars.
TL* THE CONTACT OWN A 2016 DODGE CHARGER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING, THE PASSENGER'S SIDE FRONT HEADLIGHT BULB BECAME INOPERABLE. THE CONTACT DROVE TO THE RESIDENCE WITH THE FAILURE. THE FOLLOWING DAY THE VEHICLE WAS RESTARTED AND THE HEADLIGHT OPERATED AS DESIGNED. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO SAN LEANDRO CHRYSLER DODGE JEEP RAM (1444 MARINA BLVD, SAN LEANDRO, CA 94577) WHERE THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED HOWEVER, THE FAILURE PERSISTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 23,000.
MY HEAD LIGHT WONT TURN ON DONT KNOW WHATS WRONG
THE FRONT ARM CONTROLS GO OUT QUICKLY. WENT TO A WELL KNOWN MECHANIC SHOP AND WAS INFORMED THIS IS COMMON AND FREQUENT IN CHARGERS AND MY HEADLIGHTS HAVE BLOWN. EVERY OTHER CHARGER I SEE, 2016 AND ABOVE HAVEVAT LEAST ONE HEADLIGHT OUT OR BOTH. THE HEADLIGHT ISSUE IS TOO FREQUENT FOR THIS TO BE JUST WEAR AND TEAR ON SUCH A RECENT VEHICLE. THE SUSPENSION WEARS OUT TOO QUICKLY AND IS EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE TO HAVE REPAIRED. I OWNED A CAR FOR MORE THAN 5 YEARS PREVIOUSLY AND THE SUSPENSION DID NOT SHOW SIGNS OF WEAR UNTIL AT LEAST THAT 4TH OR MAYBE 5TH YEAR. THESE 2 ISSUES I TRULY FEEL ARE A DEFECT WITHIN THIS PARTICULAR VEHICLE.
THE HARNESS ON THE CAR IS DEFECTED AND THE ENGINE LIGHT WILL NOT GO OFF ON THE CAR.
THE LED LIGHTS ON THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE ARE VERY BRIGHT AT NIGHT. DUE TO THE CONTINUOUS BAR WITH NO BREAKS, IT IS DIFFICULT FOR OTHERS TO JUDGE DISTANCE AND SPEED. THIS IS VERY EVIDENT WHEN DRIVING IN MIXED TRAFFIC. VEHICLES WITH TWO SEPARATE LIGHTS ARE EASIER TO JUDGE DISTANCE AND SPEED DIFFERENCES. THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM WITH STEREO VISION LIMITATIONS AT NIGHT.
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
Data on this page last refreshed .