Most common 2008 Dodge Magnum problems
Share of the 93 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Dodge Magnum complaints by model year
Best Magnum years: 2007, 2008. Years to avoid: 2005, 2006. Compare all years →
2008 Dodge Magnum recalls (5)
Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) expanded the affected population to include 73,712 2005-2009 RAM 2500 trucks produced at the St. Louis North Assembly Plant. With this change, Chrysler is recalling certain model year 2004-2008 RAM 1500, 2005-2009 RAM 2500, 2006-2009 RAM 3500, 2007-2010 RAM 3500 Cab Chassis, 2008-2010 RAM 4500 and 5500 Cab…
Remedy: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicle until the recall repair is complete. Chrysler will notify the Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and RAM owners. Mitsubishi owners will be notified by their company.
Air bags › Frontal › Driver side › Inflator module
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain model year 2005-2009 Dodge Ram 2500, 2004-2008 Dodge Ram 1500 and Durango, 2006-2009 Dodge Ram 3500, 2008-2010 Dodge Ram 4500 and 5500, 2007-2008 Chrysler Aspen, 2005-2010 Chrysler 300, 300C, 300S, and SRT8, 2006-2010 Dodge Charger, 2005-2008 Magnum, 2005-2011 Dodge Dakota, and…
Remedy: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicle until the recall repair is complete. Chrysler will notify the affected Chrysler and Dodge owners and Mitsubishi will notify the affected Raider owners.
Electrical system › Ignition
Chrysler Group LLC (Chrysler) is recalling certain model year 2008 Chrysler 300 vehicles manufactured May 31, 2007, to May 12, 2008, Dodge Magnum vehicles manufactured May 23, 2007, to May 12, 2008, Dodge Charger vehicles manufactured May 24, 2007, to May 12, 2008, Jeep Commander vehicles manufactured April 3, 2007, to May 12,…
Remedy: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the ignition switch and key FOBs, free of charge. The recall began August 19, 2015. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403.
Power train › Automatic transmission › Lever and linkage › Column shift
Chrysler is recalling 20,283 my 2006-2009 charger and magnum vehicles built with the police package and equipped with a column shifter. The gearshift cable May become disengaged from the steering column mounting bracket and cause an incorrect transmission gearshift position display.
Remedy: Dealers will add a redundant locking mechanism to the gearshift cable at the mounting bracket to ensure proper retention and shift linkage function. The recall began on November 10, 2008.
Power train › Axle hubs
Chrysler is recalling 5,509 my 2008 300, Dodge magnum, and charger vehicles. The torque retention crimp feature was missed during the manufacture of one lot of rear axle hub nuts. This could cause the nuts to loosen and allow the halfshaft to disengage from the wheel hub.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the rear axle hub nuts. The recall began on July 21, 2008. Owners May contact Chrysler at 1-800-853-1403.
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal safety investigators have looked into 2 possible defects involving the 2008 Dodge Magnum:
PRNDL misalignment
In a November 5, 2008 letter, Chrysler submitted a defect information report describing a defect condition that could result in PRNDL misalignment (I.e., incorrect gear indication) in approximately 20,300 model year (my) 2006 through 2009 Dodge charger and magnum police vehicles built from May 17, 2005 through October 21, 2008 (NHTSA recall no.
Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture
From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant to burn too quickly when ignited.
What 2008 Dodge Magnum owners say
Electrical system all 67 →
Vehicle purchased pre-owned/used Sept.7th 2022 from dealership. Had 3 open recalls which were addressed. Said recall in question is 14v567000 ignition switch problem. I have had vehicle back at dealer now 3 times for continued problem of ignition sticking in the start mode as it keeps turning over & you have to physically turn ignition off or cycle it to stop the sticking problem. Dealer has changed the ignition module 3 times & problem still exist. 3 modules in less than a year. I do understand that this is not a dealer problem as they are only the repair facility. I have called Chrysler corporation with the issue & they keep sending me back to the dealer. This is a faulty/defective part that falls completely on Chrysler & there engineering, design, development, testing, & production that is clearly not being done or accomplished. …
This is a police package 2008 Dodge Magnum. We have a fleet of them. All have the same issue. While operating the vehicle the officers experience a system shut down. The systems include but are not limited to all dash warning indicators come on suddenly, the alarm system indicator illuminates and begins to flash every second, gauges go to zero, the transmission down shift to 1st gear, power reduction kicks in, if the officer place the vehicle in park it will not come out of park, it becomes locked. Also the if the officer shuts the vehicle off it will not start and the security system warning light blinks every second. Only after pulling fuse 11 turning the key on and then off reinstalling the fuse will the car start. And maybe go into gear. The last time this has happened 3 weeks ago the officer had a perp in the back seat and the car stalled out on him. …
Engine & cooling
While sitting at red light (foot on brakes w engine idling) city street waiting for a green light, I heard a loud noise (sound like a loud clunk; belt or something breaking apart) coming from the engine compartment. I quickly looked at the dashboard for some indication (no warning/red lights/high temp/ low oil pressure) that something was wrong. No sure of what just happened, I decided to make a u-turn into parking lot to investigate. As I made the u-turn, I looked in rearview mirror and noticed a trail of fluid behind me as I drove into parking lot. Parked car, and raised the hood to find that I had a coolant leak. Not able to determine were the leak was coming from, I called roadside assistance to tow my vehicle home. …
I was taking my family (wife, 18 month old, 2 yr old, and 4 yr old) to get some ice cream after a home depot trip. As I turned left across a busy street the stereo suddenly blinked out, and the engine died, along with power steering, brakes, and every electrical function. It simply blinked like all power was lost for a moment, and was enough to kill the engine, and loose all power assist functions of the vehicle. Thankfully I had momentum and was able to coast into the side street with out being t-boned by on coming traffic. I was sent recall p57/NHTSA 14v-567 in the mail in November 2014, but there was and still is no remedy for this recall which appears to be directly linked to my incident. How many fatal accidents are going to occur between now and the fix for the known issue? Dodge can build a brand new [redacted] between November and today, but they cannot manufacture a $.50 part. …
Air bags
Help!! I have a 2008 Magnum. I tried for 3 months to get the ignition recall done. "parts weren't available". Suddenly 3/2016 my car shut off while driving. It was towed to a dealer where they did the p57, r25 recalls. Upon return of car to me I notice dash functions inoperable. I went right back inside and was told I could leave it to be looked at (I would be billed) I called fcausllc and they set me up for a tow to a 2nd dealer. There it was found the wiring under the dash had been pulled apart. Partial repair was made there, but I then had a slow drain on electrical system. For 2+ months I was ignored by FCA trying to get the issue remedied. On 5/22/16 I was on highway and car completely shut down again. This time I hit a retaining wall. It's been 3 months and I have no solution to this. I was ignored for a month and a half. Then they deneyed my claim due to it "not being a mfg. …
Case description I had a recalls on my 2008 Dodge Magnum for airbags, and ignition. Had it towed to comminwealth Dodge cause it stopped running while driving. They replaced the ignition, and supposedly replaced airbags also. The ignition allowed the car to then restart. However when I went to pick the car up it ran really badly, and had all the warning lights in the dash on. I confronted the dealership about this before even leaving the lot. They told me I would have to pay to have it looked at. I towed it to a different dealership where they found the main wiring harness pulled apart under the dash. After I picked the car up from them I've had the worst electrical problems imaginable. I've been stranded in ellensburg wa for 3 months, the battery died every 3-4 weeks. FCA will not even return any of my calls, and the dealership just tried to sell me a new car when I contact them. …
2008 Dodge Magnum engines & fuel economy
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | MPG city / hwy / combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.7L 6-cyl | 4-speed automatic | RWD | 18 / 26 / 21 |
| 3.5L 6-cyl | 4-speed automatic | RWD | 17 / 24 / 20 |
| 3.5L 6-cyl | 5-speed automatic | RWD | 17 / 24 / 20 |
| 5.7L 8-cyl | 5-speed automatic | RWD | 15 / 23 / 18 |
| 3.5L 6-cyl | 5-speed automatic | 4WD/AWD | 15 / 22 / 18 |
| 5.7L 8-cyl | 5-speed automatic | 4WD/AWD | 15 / 22 / 18 |
| 6.1L 8-cyl | 5-speed automatic | RWD | 13 / 18 / 15 |
EPA ratings. Class: SUV.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2008 Dodge Magnum a good car?
Based on 93 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2008 Magnum rates better than average: 59% fewer complaints than a typical year of the Magnum at the same age. It is one of the best Magnum years by this measure. Complaint counts don't account for sales volume or individual maintenance, so have any used car inspected before buying.
What is the most common problem with the 2008 Dodge Magnum?
The electrical system — 67 complaints, 72% of all complaints for this model year, most often about ignition › switch. Next are the engine & cooling (18) and air bags (14).
How many recalls does the 2008 Dodge Magnum have?
There are 5 recalls for the 2008 Dodge Magnum, the most recent from May 24, 2016 (inflator module). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer — check whether yours has been done with the VIN recall check.
What are the best and worst years of the Dodge Magnum?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2007 and 2008. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 2005 and 2006. See the full Dodge Magnum years comparison.
At what mileage do 2008 Dodge Magnum problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 90,000 miles; 14% of problems with a recorded mileage started before 50,000 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.