2018 Dodge Charger

Showing the 2018 Charger T. We haven't verified this trim's engine; the numbers below cover every version of this model year. Every version

Owner complaints, recalls, fuel economy and safety ratings from public NHTSA and EPA data, updated Oct 17, 2026.

Fuel economy
16–23 mpgcombined; city 13–19, highway 22–30; every version of this model year
Five years of fuel
$14,120–$25,150U.S. average; Ohio $12,620–$23,700 at local prices; every version of this model year; fuel only, not other costs of owning it; 15,000 miles a year, at EIA fuel prices for the week of Oct 12, 2026
NHTSA overall safety rating
5 starslowest across the versions NHTSA tested
Recall campaigns
6over its history; check a VIN for open ones
Owner complaints
122filed with NHTSA; not adjusted for sales

Trims

NHTSA's VIN data lists these trims for the 2018 Charger. A trim's engine and numbers are shown as its own only where EPA names versions after the trim and no other version could be it; "seen with" means a source shows that engine on the trim, not that it was the only one. Recalls and complaints cover the whole model year: whether a recall applies to a car depends on its VIN, on NHTSA's recall lookup.

Problems owners report

Owners have filed 122 complaints with NHTSA about the 2018 Charger. These are unverified owner reports, counted by the part of the car they name; one complaint can name several parts. Counts aren't adjusted for how many were sold, so they don't show how reliable a car is.

Complaints by part of the car
PartComplaintsCrashesFiresInjuries
Electrical system45000
Unknown or other33000
Structure19102
Engine11010
Power train10100
Service brakes6203
Air bags5203
Exterior lighting5000
Suspension5000
Wheels5100
Fuel/propulsion system4000
Steering4000
8 more parts
Visibility/wiper3000
Back over prevention2000
Electronic stability control (ESC)2000
Forward collision avoidance2100
Vehicle speed control2102
Equipment1000
Lane departure1000
Tires1000

Complaints by model year

Newer years have had less time to collect complaints, and counts aren't adjusted for sales, so a shorter bar doesn't mean a more reliable year.

  1. 20061,294
  2. 2007570
  3. 2008624
  4. 2009175
  5. 2010238
  6. 2011699
  7. 2012661
  8. 2013367
  9. 2014346
  10. 2015136
  11. 2016182
  12. 2017128
  13. 2018122
  14. 2019120
  15. 202057
  16. 202135
  17. 202216
  18. 202326
  19. 202424
  20. 202539
  21. 20265

Every Charger year side by side

Recalls

NHTSA lists 6 recall campaigns for the 2018 Charger over its history. Campaigns are matched by model and year, so each one may apply to a given car, and its repair may already be done: check a VIN on NHTSA's recall lookup for the open recalls on that exact car.

Air bags: side/window

NHTSA campaign 24V198000 · reported Mar 14, 2024 · 284,982 vehicles potentially affected

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.

Risk: 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.

NHTSA's record and documents

Back over prevention: sensing system

NHTSA campaign 20V512000 · reported Aug 27, 2020 · 26,361 vehicles potentially affected

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."

Risk: 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.

NHTSA's record and documents

Electrical system: wiring

NHTSA campaign 18V524000 · reported Aug 9, 2018 · 12,779 vehicles potentially affected

Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2018 Jeep Renegade, Compass and Grand Cherokee, RAM 1500 and Promaster, Fiat 500x, Dodge Journey, Challenger, Charger and Durango and Chrysler 300x vehicles, 2017-2018 Jeep Wrangler, Dodge Grand Caravan and Chrysler Town and Country vehicles and 2018-2019 Jeep Cherokee and 2018 Chrysler Pacifica and Pacifica Hybrid vehicles. The powertrain control module may be equipped with a voltage regulator chip in the circuit board that may fail, causing a stall or a no start condition.

Risk: A vehicle stall can increase the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the powertrain control module, free of charge. The recall began October 2, 2018. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is U87.

NHTSA's record and documents

Electrical system: software; Electrical system: wiring; Vehicle speed control: cruise control

NHTSA campaign 18V332000 · reported May 17, 2018 · 4,815,661 vehicles potentially affected

Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2014-2018 Dodge Journey, Charger and Durango, RAM 2500, 3500, 3500 Cab Chassis (more than 10,000lb), 4500 Cab Chassis and 5500 Cab Chassis, Jeep Cherokee and Grand Cherokee and Chrysler 300, 2014-2019 RAM 1500, 2015-2018 Dodge Challenger, 2015-2017 Chrysler 200, 2016-2018 RAM 3500 Cab Chassis (less than 10,000 lb), 2017-2018 Chrysler Pacifica and 2018 Jeep Wrangler vehicles. These vehicles are being recalled to address a defect that could prevent the cruise control system from disengaging. If, when using cruise control, there is a short circuit within the vehicle's wiring, the driver may not be able to shut off the cruise control either by depressing the brake pedal or manually turning the system off once it has been engaged, resulting in either the vehicle maintaining its current speed or possibly accelerating.

Risk: If the vehicle maintains its speed or accelerates despite attempts to deactivate the cruise control, there would be an increased risk of a crash.

Remedy: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the software, and perform a software flash on the engine or powertrain control module, free of charge. The recall began June 4, 2018. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Note: Owners are advised to stop using cruise control until the software update has been performed. In the event that cruise control cannot be disengaged while driving, owners should firmly and steadily apply the brakes and shift the transmission to neutral, placing the vehicle in park once it has stopped.

NHTSA's record and documents

Power train: automatic transmission

NHTSA campaign 18V280000 · reported May 1, 2018 · 71 vehicles potentially affected

Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2018 Dodge Charger, Durango and Challenger, Jeep Grand Cherokee and Wrangler, Chrysler 300, and RAM 1500 vehicles. An incorrect transmission park lock rod may have been installed in the transmission.

Risk: If the incorrect park lock rod is installed, the transmission may not shift into 'PARK' and keep the vehicle from moving, increasing the risk of unintended vehicle movement and the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will install the correct park lock rod, free of charge. The recall began June 28, 2018. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is U43.

NHTSA's record and documents

Power train: driveline

NHTSA campaign 18V281000 · reported May 1, 2018 · 13,928 vehicles potentially affected

Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2015-2018 Dodge Charger pursuit police vehicles equipped with all-wheel drive and V8 engines. The front driveshaft universal joint may seize or fracture causing the shaft to detach from the vehicle.

Risk: If the front driveshaft detaches from the vehicle it may become a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front driveshaft, free of charge. The recall began June 27, 2018. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is U37.

NHTSA's record and documents

Service bulletins and investigations

Carmakers sent NHTSA 267 service bulletins and notices that cover the 2018 Charger, the latest on Sep 30, 2026. They tell dealers how to fix known issues.

The parts they mention most: equipment (112), electrical system (85), power train (35), engine and engine cooling (23), back over prevention (20).

NHTSA defect investigations

Opening an investigation isn't a finding of a defect. Outcomes are as NHTSA's summary states them. A recall is shown as an investigation's outcome only where NHTSA's summary names it; other recalls NHTSA's file lists with it are marked as listed, not caused.

InvestigationPartOpenedStatus
Engineering analysis EA21002
Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture · covers 37 makes
Air bagsSep 17, 2021Open
NHTSA's record and documents

Maintenance

Oil

The owner's manual gives the oil and how often to change it. We show oil facts only once we've checked them against the manual, and we haven't yet for the 2018 Charger.

Oil change near you: Jiffy Lube · Take 5

Used ones for sale

See used 2018 Dodge Chargers for sale on: Autotrader · CarMax

These are searches on those sites; we don't copy or check their listings. Your ZIP is used for these links and never kept.

Specs

EPA class: large cars. EPA greenhouse gas score: 2–5 out of 10. Each version EPA tested:

VersionEngineTransmissionFuelCity / hwy / comb
Charger
Rear-Wheel Drive
3.6 L, 6 cylAutomatic 8-spdRegular Gasoline19 / 30 / 23
Charger
Rear-Wheel Drive
3.6 L, 6 cylAutomatic 8-spdRegular Gasoline or E8519 / 30 / 23
Charger
All-Wheel Drive
3.6 L, 6 cylAutomatic 8-spdRegular Gasoline18 / 27 / 21
Charger
All-Wheel Drive
3.6 L, 6 cylAutomatic 8-spdRegular Gasoline or E8518 / 27 / 21
Charger
Rear-Wheel Drive
5.7 L, 8 cylAutomatic 8-spdMidgrade Gasoline16 / 25 / 19
Charger
Rear-Wheel Drive
6.4 L, 8 cylAutomatic 8-spdPremium Gasoline15 / 25 / 18
Charger SRT
Rear-Wheel Drive
6.4 L, 8 cylAutomatic 8-spdPremium Gasoline15 / 25 / 18
Charger SRT
Rear-Wheel Drive
6.2 L, 8 cyl, superchargedAutomatic 8-spdPremium Gasoline13 / 22 / 16

Sources and dates

Fuel cost: EPA mpg with fuel prices for the week of Oct 12, 2026 and electricity prices for Jul 2026. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (Oct 2026). Complaints are unverified reports owners filed with NHTSA. About the data