2005 Dodge Magnum Problems

What owners report

Owners of the 2005 Dodge Magnum most often write about the engine stalling right after a fill-up, a shifter that will not come out of Park, and air bag warning lights or non-deployment. Fuel-fill stalling reports come in at widely varied mileage, while the Park-lock complaints cluster on older, higher-mileage cars. Air bag complaints largely follow a large inflator recall campaign that covers this model year.

1. 1
   Fuel system

   Engine stalls right after refueling

   • 127 complaints (20%)
   • median 78,082 mi at 9.2 yrs old (111 state mileage)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $1,100 (median of 9 quotes)
   • filed 2005–2024

   Owners describe the engine quitting soon after a full tank of gas — often within a block or two of the station — with stalling that can repeat several times and recur at every fill-up. Some say they can avoid it only by stopping well short of full, and several report the dealer pointed to the fuel tank or a valve/seal inside it, sometimes quoting a substantial repair. A Chrysler service bulletin describes replacing the fuel tank for an engine stall immediately following fill-up and mentions a lifetime warranty extension. Reported from roughly 30,000 to over 200,000 miles, most often when the tank is filled to full.

   2 related service bulletins

   What to check: Fill the tank completely during a test drive and see whether the engine stumbles or dies. Ask whether the fuel tank replacement described in the service bulletin (X53) was done, and check for any paperwork on an extended warranty for the tank.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I made a report a couple of days ago, I think I put it in wrong. My problem is engine stalling while I am driving, I was informed that chrysler extended the warranty on its gas tank , indefinitely. They say the float sticks and causes the car to stall.”

   NHTSA complaint #11364345, filed 2020-10, 110,000 miles

   “In april 2013 I took my 05 Magnum to sunset Dodge in sarasota to find out why the car was stalling after filling the car with gas. After 5 months of going back to them and them not being able to find out what was wrong. I stopped filling the car up all the way and the problem stopped. This is what I need to do to keep the car running. The dealer said it is not our problem. I now find out it was a know issue and many people have the same issue. What can you do.”

   NHTSA complaint #11318038, filed 2020-03, 30,000 miles
2. 2
   Transmission and drivetrain

   Shifter stuck in Park (shift interlock)

   • 67 complaints (11%)
   • median 77,718 mi at 7.1 yrs old (62 state mileage)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $450 (median of 8 quotes)
   • filed 2005–2025

   Complaints describe the gear selector refusing to move out of Park when the car is started, leaving the vehicle unable to move and sometimes requiring a tow. Owners report being told the fix is a new shifter assembly rather than a small plastic interlock part, and some cite a company notice (K39) on the shift interlock lever while saying their vehicle was not covered. A recall on a related transmission park-pawl shaft appears in the records for this model year. Mostly reported between about 40,000 and 215,000 miles, often on cars several years old and sometimes after long parking periods.

   Recall 05V460000

   What to check: Start the car and cycle the shifter through every gear several times, including Park to Reverse when cold. Ask if the shifter assembly or interlock lever has been replaced and whether any related notice applies to the VIN.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “My 2005 Dodge Magnum will shift out of park. This was found after parking it at home and trying to leave for work. Was told this was a common problem with this car and Dodge has no recall for this known problem. I had to pay over $450 to have car repaired out of my own pocket. Dodge calls this a safety interlock problem. A plastic pink piece that breaks and you have to buy a whole shifter not just the 29 cent piece of plastic.”

   NHTSA complaint #10348734, filed 2010-08, 71,236 miles

   “Shift interlock system the factory lock out mechanism is known weakness of 2005 to 2007 transmissions on Dodge and chrysler cars the most common symptom of this factory failure is the vehicle not being able to get out of park when you engage your transmission. Due to a plastic part a.k.a. (pink little clip) and a $0.50 spring the guy from the tow truck company told me that he tows at least 1 or 2 cars with this problem every day. The dealer told me that the only way to fix this is to replace the gear shifter... …”

   NHTSA complaint #10353039, filed 2010-08, 74,000 miles
3. 3
   Air bags

   Air bag warning light / air bag not deploying

   • 129 complaints (20%)
   • median 88,000 mi at 9.7 yrs old (53 state mileage)
   • 16 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $419 (median of 5 quotes)
   • filed 2005–2026

   Owners report the air bag warning light staying on, sometimes shortly after purchase and returning after repeated repairs, including cases where adjusting the tilt wheel set it off. Other complaints describe air bags that did not deploy in a frontal impact, or a driver side air bag that deployed without a crash. Several owners mention recall notices for the inflator campaigns covering this model year. Reported across a wide range, from about 15,000 to over 200,000 miles, with no clear mileage pattern.

   Recall 15V313000 · DO NOT DRIVERecall 16V352000 · DO NOT DRIVERecall 14V770000

   What to check: Confirm on the NHTSA recall lookup that the inflator recalls for this VIN were completed, and ask for the repair paperwork. Check that the air bag light comes on with the key and goes out after start.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The airbag light came on just after purchase and upon lowering the tilt wheel and did so after every supposed repair. I had this in for repair 7 times 5 of which were done at warrensburg chrysler in warrensburg, missouri. By the time they had tried 5 times and torn my dash apart scratching all the lower kick panels and leaving me with a dash that rattles the vehicle was out of warranty and refused to rectify the issue. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11163638, filed 2018-12, 15,000 miles

   “The contact owns a 2005 Dodge Magnum. The contact stated that the air bag warning light remained illuminated. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 42,000.”

   NHTSA complaint #10648796, filed 2014-10, 42,000 miles
4. 4
   Transmission and drivetrain

   Transmission shudder and harsh shifts

   • 48 complaints (8%)
   • median 73,800 mi at 6.7 yrs old (46 state mileage)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $3,700 (median of 5 quotes)
   • filed 2004–2025

   Complaints describe a shudder as the torque converter clutch engages, sometimes starting in the first thousand miles, and hard upshifts that feel like being bumped from behind at certain speeds. Owners report dealers saying nothing could be done until the problem worsened, and one describes water intrusion into the transmission case through the vent. Service bulletins describe a shudder when the torque converter clutch engages and valve body replacement or reprogramming. Reported from under 1,000 miles up to about 80,000 miles.

   Recall 05V4600003 related service bulletins

   What to check: Test drive at steady highway speed and at light throttle to feel for shudder or a firm engagement, and ask about transmission fluid service history and any valve body or reprogramming work.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Noticed with certain speeds and RPM ranges, transmission (42rle) will have very hard upshift (feels almost like I'm being rear ended) and lack power compared to other times. As discussed in a forum, others have the same issue, but it seems to be a problem with the torque converter clutch and/or the PCM programming that makes the transmission behave in this way. I take care of my vehicle and perform regular maintenance. Even after transmission flushes, problem is still present.”

   NHTSA complaint #11317166, filed 2020-03, 80,000 miles

   “Backing from parked position, put car in reverse, needed to correct, put car back in drive, drove forward, put car back in reverse gear and car appeared to operate as if in neutral. Neutral was also neutral. Rolled forward, could not accelerate. Moved car from park to reverse several times with no change. When I was rolled up to the parking block, I waited a few minutes and tried again and reverse worked. Also had electrical issues, such as turning off the blinker manually, but the blinker stayed flashing.”

   NHTSA complaint #10116217, filed 2005-04, 4,500 miles

Buying note. Have a shop check the fuel tank and filler seal and confirm the air bag inflator recalls were completed for the VIN, since those are the two most frequently mentioned items. Cycle the shifter and test drive through a full tank of gas before committing.

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.