2017 Dodge Charger Problems

What owners report

Owners of the 2017 Dodge Charger most often report two kinds of problems: interior door panels that pull away from the door frames, and a Uconnect touchscreen that delaminates, develops bubbles, and registers touches on its own. Both tend to show up at fairly low mileage, and many complaints describe the dealer declining a free repair or naming a replacement cost. Engine oil leaks, fuel smells, and harsh shifting come up less often but at higher mileage.

1. 1
   Electrical system

   Touchscreen delamination and phantom touches (Uconnect)

   • 42 complaints (33%)
   • median 40,500 mi at 4.0 yrs old (18 state mileage)
   • filed 2017–2025

   Owners describe a bubble, water-mark-like patch or spreading delamination across the top of the 8.4-inch Uconnect touchscreen. Once it starts, the screen registers inputs nobody made: it switches radio sources, changes climate settings, toggles heated seats, freezes, blanks out, emits loud noise, or places calls including to emergency services. Several owners say the dealer confirmed the screen is a known problem but that the whole radio must be replaced rather than just the screen, and that the vehicle was outside warranty. Reported from roughly 6,000 to 70,000 miles, with many cases in the 22,000-50,000 range; owners frequently tie it to hot weather and parked-outside exposure.

   3 related service bulletins

   What to check: Turn the radio on and look for bubbles, hazing or a raised edge along the top of the screen, then leave it on for a while and watch whether menus change by themselves. Ask whether the radio software updates were applied and whether the screen has already been replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Takata recall, my uconnect screen is faulty and glitches out and changes settings, temperature, radio stations, turns my seat warmers on and basically whatever else it presses on by itself. It happens while the vehicle is both in motion and idle. The incident started happening randomly for no apparent reason and I still have no clue as to what could have caused it.”

   NHTSA complaint #11234852, filed 2019-07, 30,000 miles

   “The uconnect touchscreen radio has been reported online bubbling and messing up a common issue in Dodge and I am being told this is my problem to fix when this is a known issue I don't agree this needs to be taken care of.”

   NHTSA complaint #11355234, filed 2020-09, 54,000 miles
2. 2
   Body and structure

   Interior door panels separating from the door frame

   • 27 complaints (21%)
   • median 38,000 mi at 3.7 yrs old (11 state mileage)
   • filed 2019–2026

   Complaints describe the interior door trim lifting away from the door frame near the window glass, exposing the lock linkage and inner door parts. It has been reported on one door or on all four, and sometimes on the dashboard as well. Owners say dealers confirmed the panels need replacement, quoted repairs in the four-figure range, or told them the vehicle was out of warranty; some report parts backordered. Mostly reported in the 29,000-64,000 mile range on vehicles a few years old, and several owners note it appeared while the car was parked.

   What to check: Open every door and press along the top edge of the interior trim near the glass; look for gaps, lifting, adhesive residue or exposed lock hardware. Ask whether any panels have been replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “All four door panels on my 2017 Dodge Charger are lifted from the door. This began to occur approximately 2 months ago. I believe that this issue happened when the car is parked outside.”

   NHTSA complaint #11372832, filed 2020-11, 34,000 miles

   “Interior passenger door separating door panel. Showing the locking mechanism and inside door parts. 2017 Charger. Car is only 3 years old. Have read many people have the same problem. Door panel separates where it meets the glass window.$1000 to fix according to Dodge . Really ?? Vehicle was parked.”

   NHTSA complaint #11329133, filed 2020-06, 50,000 miles
3. 3
   Engine

   Engine oil leaks at the oil cooler and filter area

   • 6 complaints (5%)
   • median 103,208 mi at 6.9 yrs old (3 state mileage, few)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2021–2026

   Owners report oil leaking under the hood, sometimes with smoke and a burning smell while driving, and an oil pressure warning after the level drops. In some cases the dealer diagnosed a failed engine oil cooler hose or an oil filter adapter/housing leak and replaced the hose or adapter; others report the vehicle was not covered by the engine oil cooler recall because their VIN was not included. Appears from roughly 44,000 miles upward, with several reports past 100,000 miles; usually noticed while driving or after an oil change.

   Recall 17V4960004 related service bulletins

   What to check: Check for oil residue or pooling around the oil filter housing and cooler lines, and look for smoke or a burning smell after a drive. Ask whether the oil cooler hoses or filter adapter have been replaced, and confirm whether this VIN was included in the oil cooler recall.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “My car has been rattling we thought it was the pullies for the belt idk what there called and i get almost home and my alternator locked up and broke the belt it also just started leaking oil after i had the dealership change the oil but the oil is sitting under the oil filter and its not leaking from the filter Reservoir i know there are recalls on the hemi motors for the oil leak just didnt know if yall were going to do one for the non hemi motors.”

   NHTSA complaint #11460065, filed 2022-04

   “The contact owns a 2017 Dodge Charger. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the temperature gauge became elevated and the engine overheated. The contact allowed the engine to cool down before adding coolant and then drove to her destination. The vehicle was diagnosed by an independent mechanic; however, the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 103,208.”

   NHTSA complaint #11537521, filed 2023-08, 103,208 miles
4. 4
   Transmission and drivetrain

   Harsh or delayed shifting from a stop

   • 15 complaints (12%)
   • median 25,000 mi at 1.6 yrs old (9 state mileage, few)
   • filed 2017–2025

   Owners describe the transmission taking too long to come out of second gear, jerking and hesitating violently, and occasionally dropping into what feels like neutral with a prompt to select park. Some report software updates to the control modules that did not resolve it, and dealers saying no fault codes were stored. Reported from about 6,000 to 50,000 miles, often when accelerating from a stop or in traffic.

   2 related service bulletins

   What to check: Drive at low speed and feel for a harsh 2-3 shift or a hesitation when leaving a stop, and check for a stored transmission code. Ask whether any transmission software updates or the front driveshaft inspection have been done.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “My 2017 Dodge Charger is experiencing hard shifting when I get in the vehicle and start driving it. I just got it back from the dealer yesterday (the second time I dropped it off) and they say they experienced the problem but because there were no codes, they are referring the problem back to Dodge. They applied computer updates to the PCM and TCM on the first trip and that did not correct the problem. This has been going on for the last couple of months. The car only has 6,700 miles on it.”

   NHTSA complaint #10993882, filed 2017-06, 6,000 miles

   “My vehicle had problems just after the 1 year mark. In october 2018 filled the gas tank and began to pull away from the pump, at this time the car was in drive but down-shifted into what felt like neutral. An error code ran across the dash saying push p to park, select desired gear . I put it in park and turned it off then on again. This happened twice but it still did it. I parked the car, turned it off and had it towed- dealer said it was fine, and wasn't throwing any codes and let me drive away. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11194373, filed 2019-04, 25,000 miles

Buying note. Check the touchscreen for bubbles and self-changing menus and inspect all four interior door panels, since those two items account for most owner reports and are often quoted as costly out-of-warranty repairs. Also look for oil around the filter housing and any fuel smell near the rear wheels, and confirm with a VIN lookup which recalls, if any, still apply.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.