Dodge Recalls Chargers For Jack Slippage

2016 Dodge Charger (Credit: Dodge)

It seems like these days there are new vehicle recalls flying around so often that they’re no longer big news. While that might be the case, the latest recall from Fiat Chrysler Automobiles is strange and dangerous enough to warrant special mention, especially if you do any work on your own cars.

FCA is recalling 2011 to 2016 Dodge Chargers, which amounts to 441,578 vehicles. The problem is that the cars could fall on you, which would be a really bad way to spend a Saturday. Apparently a body-side sill assembly can give out, making it so the jack that’s included with the sedan also fails. From there, the vehicle pretty much falls, trapping anyone unfortunate enough to be under it.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the only way to prevent the problem is to chock the wheels before jacking the vehicle up. The big problem is that the chocks aren’t available for consumers yet. That’s why if you own one of the affected Chargers, you haven’t gotten a recall notice quite yet. Those should be sent out by the early part of April, but the chocks still shouldn’t be ready then. Instead, FCA will send out another notice once the parts are in stock.

There are aftermarket wheel chocks out there, but as is the case with those types of solutions, Charger owners must be willing to take assume any risk with using them. That’s not to say the car will fall anyway, because it might not. But skittish owners likely will just wait for FCA to get a solution together, paying other people to work on their Charger in the meantime.

Obviously this is a disturbing topic for anyone who owns a 2011 to 2016 Dodge Charger. Extensive details about the problem are pretty scarce right now, but Chrysler is making itself available to answer owner questions through its customer service line at 800-853-1403. If you call that number, ask about recall #S03. If you’d rather talk to the government, Charger owners can contact NHTSA at 888-327-4236 and reference safety campaign #16V043000.