general problems of the 2009 Dodge Challenger

Ten problems related to engine and engine cooling have been reported for the 2009 Dodge Challenger. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2009 Dodge Challenger based on all problems reported for the 2009 Challenger.

1 Engine And Engine Cooling problem

Failure Date: 03/31/2023

Three times now the throttle has gone to wide open and sticks for about 5 seconds. Scares the living crap out of you.

2 Engine And Engine Cooling problem

Failure Date: 07/10/2021

I took my car to the dealer for recalls they didn’t fix anything they left my car out in the rain the hood up and choppa had my car for a whole month did any nothing they were very courteous no customer assistance nothing.

3 Engine And Engine Cooling problem

Failure Date: 03/29/2021

Recall issues and manufacturers dont want to fix it.

4 Engine And Engine Cooling problem

Failure Date: 12/20/2014

I took car into dealership because it didn't sound right. It was determined that is was the alternator and therefore the battery. This car had less than 40,000 on it and the alternator should not have gone out. After some research I found that later model Dodge vehicles had recalls because of the alternator and I feel the recall should go back to my model.

5 Engine And Engine Cooling problem

Failure Date: 09/15/2014

While driving, my 2009 Dodge Challenger randomly cuts off. I can barely turn my steering wheel. The engine was off. My stereo, lights were all still on and never cut off. I never had any kind of warning that anything was wrong. My car at least once a week does this at any given time. My car never indicates anything is wrong. I have taken my car to auto zone and had a diagnostic ran to see if it would tell me what could be wrong with my car. Nothing turned up.

6 Engine And Engine Cooling problem

Failure Date: 12/15/2013

Engine quit with no warning. Steering and brakes compromised. Shifted into neutral while in traffic. Has been occurring more and more frequently. Dealer reports cannot replicate. Sounds just like the recalled gm's.

7 Engine And Engine Cooling problem

Failure Date: 10/14/2011

Overview: my 2009 Dodge Challenger r/t, with the 5. 7l hemi engine and manual 6-speed transmission, has an excessive delay between pressing the throttle and achieving engine response. This occurs only in gears 4-6, and is the result of a powertrain control module (pcm) update. Background: this vehicle has an electronic throttle ("drive by wire") system, where throttle response is controlled by the pcm and not via a throttle cable. History: on October 14, 2011, I brought my vehicle to my local Dodge/Chrysler dealership due to a rough engine idle. They informed me that a pcm update was available, based on technical service bulletin (TSB) 18-014-10. This update changed the engine calibration id from 05187899ae to 05187899ag. Ever since this update was performed, the vehicle has a significant (and unsafe) throttle delay while in gears 4-6. Basically, when the throttle is depressed, it takes about 2 seconds for the engine to respond. This has resulted in several near-collisions, during times where acceleration is expected to avoid an unsafe road condition but the vehicle fails to respond in a timely manner. To demonstrate the problem, you could actually rapidly pulse the throttle repeatedly without having any engine response at all. This issue affects all owners of 2009-2010 Dodge Challenger r/ts with the 05187899ag calibration id. As of this date, no pcm update has been released to correct this unsafe condition.

8 Engine And Engine Cooling problem

Failure Date: 05/20/2011

Took my car into dealership for warranty work on trim and window switch. Car was fine. Had owned it for 2. 5 years. Dealer performed flash on pcm per chrylsers information. When I left the dealer, I noteced a 1. 5 second delay when gas pedel is depressed. Found out when trying to pass slower traffic. Human nature causes you to press if more. Then all of the sudden, the power comes on hard. Took it back, and had chryler tech test drive with service mgr. They saw the problem with the scan tool hooked up. Was told that there was a 1. 4 second delay. Tech said he made changes in program and took it to . 7 seconds. I do not see a differance in performance. Called contact at Chrysler. And was told that it falls within factory standards. There is no way this is right. Car was fine untill they flashed it. I am unable to get any paperwork from Chrysler stating the problem is normal. This is very dangerous. At 55 or 70mph 1. 4 seconds can be a lifetime. If a time delay is normal for the fly by wire systems, then I am glad I am not a pilot of a fighter aircraft or new comercal air liner.

9 Engine And Engine Cooling problem

Failure Date: 02/26/2011

The dealership flashed the pcm as detailed in service bulletin 18-021-09 rev. A. Immediately after that I noticed an intermittent throttle lag. When pressing the gas pedal, the car will wait 1/2 to 3/4 second, then the engine will respond and the car will go. Merging into highway traffic is now dangerous as the car will not always respond to the pedal input. When it finally does respond the car will surge forward (since I'm pushing down more on the pedal trying to get the car to move). This is dangerous as the rear tires can lose traction on wet roads. The dealership hooked up a portable data logger and road tested the vehicle. They were able to verify the complaint. They sent the results to Chrysler's engineers. Those engineers reviewed the data and said, "the vehicle is operating as designed, delay is normal, we see nothing wrong. " I had the car for 22 months prior to this update and never had the problem before.

10 Engine And Engine Cooling problem

Failure Date: 02/07/2011

Vehicle has a severe throttle lad when in 4 to 6 gear when letting off pedal then returning back into throttle.


Other Engine And Engine Cooling related problems of the 2009 Dodge Challenger


Safety Ratings of Challenger Cars
Fuel Economy of Challenger Vehicles
Challenger Service Bulletins
Challenger Safety Recalls
Challenger Defect Investigations