Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2012 Dodge Charger owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Service power steering warning comes on, causes my gauge cluster to go blank & dark, I lose A/C, power steering, headlights work intermittently, blinkers & all steering wheel button options stop working, and my transmission will start downshifting shifting erratically. It downshifts so hard I'm afraid I'll lose control of my car. Yesterday I had a message pop up saying it was going into Power Saving Mode. When the power steering warning is on, my A/C will have half the vents blowing cold air, the other half blowing hot heater air. During the winter my heated seats only worked intermittently. All of these issues are related to the past recalls on my car that were supposedly fixed; however, the problems are still occurring. Can somebody please contact me about these recalls and tell me what I should do? Thank you!
I started my vehicle and pulled out of my garage as I do each morning. As I went down the driveway at almost idle speed, I could feel a strong resistance (as if the emergency brake was on) and the power steering tightened up. Suddenly a strong burning smell filled the car, all of the lights on the dash came on and the ac fan blew on high speed. I immediately reversed back to the garage (100 feet or less) and was barely able to park. There was obviously something burning under the hood as the smell filled the garage. I turned off the car. When aaa arrived to tow it, the car was completely dead. The driver chose not to jump it for fear of doing more damage. My local trusted mechanic advised me that there was a recall on 2012 Dodge Charger alternators and he believed that it was my alternator that had failed. …
When I purchased the car it had been used as a police car in the state of Mississippi. So after I bought the car I checked for any recalls and found it to have 2 open recalls. 1 was a passenger side airbag and the other was the alternator. So I contacted Moss motor company in South Pittsburg Tennessee and they agreed to do the recalls. After they had finished installing the air bag they told me the alternator wasn't required for change out because the part number listed on it wasn't warranted. So I did some investigating and found my part number to be 7030. The part numbers not required for change out is 7051-7031-and 7170.. It's listed under the NHTSA S68/16v-739 recall. Since I've had the car I have had blinking headlight issues.. I have a little bit of automobile knowledge and I knew it had to be a grounding problem or a alternator problem. …
Tl* the contact's wife owns a 2012 Dodge Charger. The contact stated that while driving, the vehicle stalled and lost power without warning. The contact stated that the steering wheel became difficult to maneuver. No warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that while the vehicle was being towed to his residence, he noticed smoke coming from under the hood. The contact notified scott robinson Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram located at 20900 hawthorne blvd, torrence, ca 90503 at phone number: [phone] where the dealer informed the contact to call the manufacturer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but the contact was informed to take the vehicle to a dealer but did not offer any further assistance. The approximately failure mileage was 75,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 Dodge Charger. While driving approximately 10 MPH and making a left turn, the steering wheel seized. As a result, the contact crashed into a ditch and the air bags failed to deploy. The contact sustained injuries that required medical attention. A police report was not filed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 37,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 Dodge Charger. While driving 5 MPH, the steering became difficult to control. The vehicle was able to be parked and all the warning lights illuminated. While parked, smoke appeared from the vehicle and then disappeared. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 82,000.
Complaint concerning: NHTSA preliminary evaluation #pe14022 on Saturday 9/13/14 I was driving home from the store on a residential road going 35 miles per hour and my vehicle began to flash the ABS light. Then the emergency brake light began to flash, the touch screen went blank. My radio and A/C shut off, the windows would not roll down. The mileage meter read 0, than started to read miles up to 80 miles per hour. I lost power steering, and the power brakes!! My car was 100% inoperable!!! I tried to coast to the side of the road, almost hitting several motorist and pedestrians as I had not control over the breaks!!! My daughter and I were almost killed b/c I was unable to stop or steer and almost had a head on collision!! I coasted to the side of the road, when my car completely died!! Would not recognize the key, could not open the trunk, etc. …
I bought my Dodge Charger in 2 years ago for a recall on the alternator p60. My car has been giving me problems wow. Little things here and there. Then a few months ago the car shut off while I was driving and after a few minutes and turned itself back on. Which is part of the recall for the p60. It's been sitting in my driveway for a few months now but I finally called Dodge because a friend of mine told me that alternator in my car is a p60 so maybe they forgot to do the recall they brought the car in and there was a mix-up. So I went over the Dodge and I got paperwork for the day and they show that they swapped my alternator out with a p 60. So why would they swap my alternator out with a defective one? But they won't do anything about it they told me that's not the recalled one but it is I have a p602aa alternator in my car. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 Dodge Charger. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled without warning, while driving at approximately 35 MPH. In addition, the speedometer failed to provide the accurate readings and all the warning lights on the instrument panel illuminated. The contact coasted into a serviced station while the steering wheel became difficult to maneuver. In addition, the vehicle failed to turn off and the gear shift failed to come out of drive. The contact used the park brake and the engine stalled. The vehicle was taken to haley Chrysler Dodge dealer, located on 5400 s laburnum ave, richmond va 23231, phone number: [phone], where it was rejected to be serviced due to the remedy part needed for the repair not being available. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 Dodge Charger. While driving approximately 30 MPH, all the lights on the instrument panel illuminated and dimmed. In addition, the ABS warning indicator illuminated, the steering wheel seized, the gear shifter failed to shift gears, and the vehicle stalled and lost power. The vehicle was towed to ed voyles Chrysler dealer (located on 789 cobb parkway se, marietta ga, 30060, [phone]), but the parts for the repair were not available. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact received a recall notification for NHTSA campaign numbers: 14V634000 (electrical system), 15V467000 (air bags, seat belts), 16V043000 (structure), and 16V352000 (air bags). The parts needed for the repairs were not available. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repairs. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. …
Steering complaints in other Charger years
Frequently asked questions
How common are steering problems on the 2012 Dodge Charger?
NHTSA has 53 complaints about the steering of the 2012 Dodge Charger, 8% of the model year's 648 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2012 Dodge Charger steering problems?
No. NHTSA lists no steering recall for the 2012 Dodge Charger, though it has 14 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2012 Dodge Charger steering problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 72,000 miles, and 2% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 2 crashes, 3 fires and 1 injury to steering problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
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.