Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (power steering, steering column, rack and pinion).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2010 Dodge Challenger owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The car has an intermittent issue where at highway speeds it will go into almost a limp mode. Basically the check engine light comes on and car loses power and won't go over 45 mph. I have to pull over and shut car off. It will restart and operate normally for a random period of time. Very dangerous when on the highway and have to pull over to the side of the road. From the forums I belong to, this is a very common problem. There are even members that have bought a brand new Challenger and had this happen to them after a few months. The code that usually appears from this is misfire on cylinder 1 and even the dealerships don't know what causes it and hard to diagnose since it happens randomly. Love the car but very annoyed that this keeps happening and no one can figure out the fix
Was driving normally going 65 mph on the highway when white smoke was emitting from inside the steering wheel. Between the dashboard and steering wheel. Engine was fine and no warning lights came on. Everything ran great except for the white smoke. I don't know what it could be. Luckily it didn't catch on fire
Purchased new in 11/2010. 2 years into ownership, on about 4 occurances, engine would shut off, loose steering control and brakes at the same time while making a slow right hand turn. Problem disappeared and thought it was a fluke of some kind. Now 3 years later it has started doing it again every time I drive it. When the engine dies you can barely steer and have to really pull hard on the steering wheel to keep from going into oncoming traffic. Brakes do not function properly either, you loose all power braking and it is very difficult to stop. I have searched the internet for this issue extensively. What I have found is about a hundred other different individuals on several forum sites describing exactly the same problem. …
Car turned off/shut down by itself while driving, resulting in loss of power steering and brakes, for the 7th time. Speed relatively slow around 30 MPH, and not turning sharply. Driving in residential area. Lost power steering and power brakes. Very difficult to: turn, stop, and restart. Vehicle did not store any codes. This is the 1st failure on the newly replaced PCM but 7th total since I bought the car new.. Dodge/Chrysler says this is "not serious" because there are no error codes saved in the car and they cannot duplicate the failure. They say if it was serious, there would be a code. They are not willing to look/ investigate further because there are no codes and it didn't die on their test drive while hooked to their diagnostic equipment. …
Car shut down/powered off/turned off on it's own, while driving. Rapid automatic down shift of gears braking from about 65 to turn/while turning left onto side street on road. Car died after steering wheel began turning to left and car was turning. Lost power steering and power brakes. Nearly slammed into embankment and blocked intersection area. Very difficult to control/hard to safe vehicle: hard to turn, stop, and restart. Check engine light did not come on/no odb codes stored. This was specifically scary as people drive through here fast and visibility is very short. After this event and the event in July, I became afraid I could die in this car. I took it to the dealership. They said a few error codes were saved in outer car systems that showed communication with PCM had been lost. They were replacing the PCM. However, replacing the PCM did not correct the problem. …
Car turned off while driving for the 8th time. Rapid automatic down shift of gears while turning right. State highway. 50 MPH. Hit brakes hard, turned wheel to right. Car died after wheel began turning to right/during turn. Lost control. Lost power steering and power brakes. Very difficult to: turn, stop, and restart. Vehicle did not store any codes. No vehicle in other lane so no accident. Dodge/Chrysler says this is "not serious" because there are no error codes saved in the car and they cannot duplicate the failure. They are not willing to look investigate further because there are no codes and it didn't die on their test drive while hooked to their diagnostic equipment. This is dangerous!!!
Car turned off while driving for the 9th time. Rapid automatic down shift of gears while turning left then to right. Green light, aprox 45 MPH, taking left turn. Wrong way. Hit brakes hard, turned wheel to right. Car died after wheel began turning to right/during turn. Lost power steering and power brakes. Very difficult to: turn, stop, and restart. Vehicle did not store any codes. Dodge/Chrysler says this is "not serious" because there are no error codes saved in the car and they cannot duplicate the failure. They are not willing to look investigate further because there are no codes and it didn't die on their test drive while hooked to their diagnostic equipment. This is dangerous!!!
Car shut down/powered off/turned off on it's own, while driving at about 40 MPH in residential area. This is about the 5th specific time I remember. Lost power steering and power brakes. Very difficult to control/hard to safe vehicle: hard to turn, stop, and restart. Check engine light did not come on/no odb codes stored. Dealership couldn't find anything problem with car after July 7, 2012 event. They couldn't find problem this time either and sent me away with a phone #. They told me to file a case with Chrysler. Case #23728724 filed I believe after July 7, 2012 event.
Car shut down/powered off/turned off on it's own, while driving about 50 MPH on a state highway. Car died while driving straight through an intersection at rush hour. Lost power steering and power brakes. Very difficult to control/hard to safe vehicle: hard to turn, stop, and restart. Check engine light did not come on/no odb codes stored. Scary dangerous. This nearly caused a multi car accident. The risk associated with these shut down events was increasing drastically.
Tl* the contact owns a 2010 Dodge Challenger. While driving 15 MPH, the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact lost power steering and the brakes became inoperable. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The technician was unable to diagnose the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 48,000.
Related recalls
Steering › Electric power assist system
Chrysler is recalling certain model year 2010 Chrysler sebring, 300, charger (lx) and Dodge challenger (lc), avenger (js), and journey (jc), as well as model year 2011 Dodge Ram light duty pickup (ds) vehicles. Some of these vehicles May experience a separation at the crimped end of the power steering pressure hose assembly.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace as necessary the power steering pressure hoses free of charge. The safety recall began on December 20, 2010. Owners May contact Chrysler at 1-800-853-1403.
Steering complaints in other Challenger years
Frequently asked questions
How common are steering problems on the 2010 Dodge Challenger?
NHTSA has 33 complaints about the steering of the 2010 Dodge Challenger, 11% of the model year's 299 complaints. The component named most often is electric power assist system (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2010 Dodge Challenger steering problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 10V-475 (electric power assist system, Oct 7, 2010). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2010 Dodge Challenger steering problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 36,000 miles, and 30% before 25,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.