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Transmission and drivetrainPart report

2009 Dodge Challenger Transmission and drivetrain Problems

Complaints
27about this part
Share
20%of 133 total for the year
Median mileage
30,076miles
Trend
FallingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% lower than in the 3 years before.

NHTSA recorded 27 complaints about the transmission and drivetrain of the 2009 Dodge Challenger, 20% of the 133 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 30,076 miles. 1 of these say a crash was involved, according to the filers. 1 recall campaign on record is filed under a similar system.

Example complaints

Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.

“I brought my car 8 months ago and the delalership never told me about any of the four recalls I never received any papers in the mail concerning the recalls and that puts me and my children at risk everyday it's a scary feeling I also hit a tree that was in the middle of the street my steering g wheel was hard to control and my breaks as well”

NHTSA complaint #11297547, filed 2020-01, 138,000 miles

“Sudden engine stall at stop sign, at idle and also while on highway at speed. Oil light comes on intermittent no codes , oil level checked , gas was good . Many on every Challenger forums are having this issue stalling , even brand new cars right off the lot. Dodge rejects there's an issue, from dealers to the top. Please help! We don't trust our cars!”

NHTSA complaint #10925449, filed 2016-11, 41,000 miles

“I was driving normal at about 70mph and was exiting highway and the car just died. I pulled over and tried to crank it and nothing. Called a wrecker and they took me to the parts house to get a code checked and it said camshaft position sensor. I bought one and took it home and replaced it and still nothing. You could see that the timing chain had broke through the hole where the sensor went. …”

NHTSA complaint #10558495, filed 2014-01, 70,000 miles

“My 2009 Dodge Challenger r/t equipped with the automatic transmission started experiencing problems downshifting when approaching a stop. You wouldn't know until you press the gas to proceed down the road and barely move as the vehicle would be stuck in the highest gear. I would have to pull over, turn the vehicle off, and restart it to drive the vehicle. Luckily this didn't happen when trying to pull out into traffic as it would have a high tendency to create a collision. …”

NHTSA complaint #10871878, filed 2016-06, 64,500 miles

“I was driving on the highway, traveling at an approximate speed of 65 miles per hour, when all of a sudden the car loses power, and at that point I could no longer accelerate my vehicle. Fortunately, traffic wasn't too bad, so I was able to safely pull over to shoulder without getting rear ended by the cars that were traveling at very high speeds. Soon thereafter, I had my 2009 rt Dodge Challenger towed to the dealership, apparently, the timing chain broke. …”

NHTSA complaint #10521790, filed 2013-06, 72,000 miles

Related recalls

Related service bulletins

Transmission and drivetrain: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
2022111%
2021316%
2020315%
2019712%
2018811%
2017510%
20161621%
20152923%
2014128%
2013169%
2012177%
201184%
20103612%
20092720%

Other parts of the 2009 Dodge Challenger

Air bags
41 complaintsEngine
26 complaintsElectrical system
21 complaintsEngine cooling
13 complaintsVehicle speed control
9 complaintsSteering
8 complaintsBrakes
7 complaintsFuel system
7 complaintsOther or unknown
4 complaintsBody and structure
3 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
2 complaintsEquipment
1 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2009 Dodge Challenger

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 30, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.

To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology