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Problems with 2006 Dodge Charger POWER TRAIN

On average, the 2006 Dodge Charger starts to “feel” problems with the POWER TRAIN and its various aspects after 92 422 miles.

Components Affected by POWER TRAIN Issues

We have classified the 161 complaints from 2006 Dodge Charger about POWER TRAIN into the following categories.

AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION 33 DRIVELINE 1

Recently reported POWER TRAIN problems on 2006 Dodge Charger

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 dodge charger. the contact stated that the there was an abnormal noise coming from the brakes and there was an abnormal smell near the tie rod. in addition, the vehicle could not be shifted out of park. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the tie rod needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 15v313000 (air bags) however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. the contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 59,300.

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 dodge charger. the contact stated that the gear shifter would not allow the vehicle to be placed in park. the contact stated that the emergency brakes had to be utilized in order for the vehicle to remain in place. the vehicle was taken to a dealer for a diagnostic testing where the technician advised the contact that a bracket to ensure the park pawl anchor shaft was retained in the proper position needed to be installed. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 158,038 and the current mileage was 158,040.

Went to the store and got into the car and the gear shift want come out of park. i had to have the car towed to the house because of this problem. i looked it up and it seems to be a common problem with the dodge chargers. *tr

I was driving my vehicle and it started smoking i pulled over . called mechanic had it towed to the shop where he later told me the motor was blown . second incident there's a beeping sound and all my gauges keeping going crazy on me .third incident that pink piece inside the gear shift actual was stuck and came lose so it was removed and the car is able to be put into gear . *tr

The shifter selector is stuck in the "park" position. a small plastic part breaks underneath the shift selector causing the malfunction. this is a common problem on chrysler 300, dodge magnum, and charger. a recall was issued only on some 2005-2007 models. it is the same problem for all of these cars yet why is only some vins covered? there is various aftermarket replacements made of metal as the original should have been since it is a vital component. this is a flawed design made of week material. this should be repaired free of charge, but dodge doesn't want to take care of this problem. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 dodge charger. the contact stated that the shifter could not be engaged in any gear. the contact had her foot on the brake pedal however the shifter still would not move. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer for inspection. the manufacturer was not notified. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 75,000.

The gear shifter was in park position and there it stayed was unable to shift gear to anything and had to take the console around the lever apart to shift gears. and the brakes squeak all the time even after having them replaced and the rotors replaced as well as the struts. chrysler they say car is not part of the ones that they will fix the shifter on. am mad enough over a 69 cent pink plastic part to want to stick this car up [xxx] in customer cares rear. information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 dodge charger. the contact stated that the gear shifter became stuck in park. the contact spoke with the manufacturer in regard to nhtsa campaign id number: 08v583000 (power train) but the manufacturer stated that the vehicle was not included in the recall campaign. the vin was not available. the failure mileage was 82,000 and the current mileage was 92,740. *tr

I pulled over on the side of the road to pick up something that had fallen into the floor and put my car in park. the when i started to put the car back in drive the gear shift was locked and would not move. there was no indication that this was about to happen. i was out on the side of the road alone and my car wouldn't go into drive or even leave park. since it was sunday and dodge dealers are closed. its hot outside so i had to call someone that works on automobiles. they came out and found that the safety neutral switch which is made of plastic parts mainly was broken/no longer working. i needed to move my car, so he took all these pieces out of the shifter so that i could drive the car home, and to the dealer to be fixed. the car was in park i know, but i couldn't been in a place that i needed to rely on my car moving for my safety or my little girls safety and it give no warning. this thing just locked into park, and you are stuck where ever it may be, a safe place or unsafe place. *tr

I got off work started car put on seat belt. put foot on brake and tried to move gear shift it wouldnt move out of park. there are so many complaints of this issue. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 dodge charger. the contact stated that the transmission interlock lever broke, causing the gear shift to be locked into park. the vehicle was no longer driveable. the dealer was not notified. the manufacturer was notified and stated that the vin was not included in the recall associated with nhtsa campaign id number 08v583000 (power train: automatic transmission: lever and linkage: column shift). they offered no other assistance. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 120,000.

The car was parked outside, and when i went to drive the vehicle, it would not shift out of park. the gearshift (located in the center console) was locked in place, despite the vehicle starting up and the engine running properly. after researching the problem, it was discovered that the pink, plastic "transmission gear shift interlock return spring hook" was broken and needed to be replaced. since my car is a 2006 dodge charger with the same part that was recalled on over 23,000 chargers, chrysler 300s and magnums from the years 2005-2007, and that this specific part is the one that failed on the vehicle, i believe that my car and vin should be included in the recall, and that expenses incurred fixing this part should be reimbursed by the manufacturer. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 dodge changer. the contact stated that while driving 50 mph, she felt the vehicle decelerating independently. the following day as the contact started the vehicle and attempted to shift into gear, the gear shifter could not be changed. the vehicle was taken to a transmission repair shop for a diagnosis. the repair shop advised the contact that the internal shifter needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer was contacted and advised that the vehicle was not included in nhtsa campaign id number: 08v583000. the failure and current mileage was 151,000....updated 07/19/12 *bf updated 07/19/12

Wife was trying to go to work, started the car no problems, and the car would not shift out of park. i did a internet search and found out it was probably "the pink thingy" park lockout, which is a common problem with chrysler especially years 2005-2007. i was able to get it to the dealership and informed them it was the pink thing. the service rep looked at me and said "oh! you know about that." informed me it is happening quite a bit. needless to say i had to pay $112.00 to get it fixed with another part made out of the same cheap plastic. it is inexcusable for this to be happening to so many people, and chrysler not doing anything to help people out. has turned me off on buying another chrysler vehicle since they do not seem to want to help out their customers. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 dodge charger. while parked, the contact attempted to move the gear shifter from park to drive and was unable to do so. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. the mechanic stated that the gear shifter assembly would have to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 110,000.

I have a 2006 dodge charger r/t hemi. i have had this car for 5 1/2 years. it only has about 47,000, don't drive it much, but it has start giving me problems. today, i almost got rear ended by a semi truck because my car shut off at the red light and the light turned green and the car would not go into gear.this was on the way back to the shop.. i took it to the shop last month on march 7, 2012, to have it fixed, they put it on the diagnostic machine and supposed to had found the problem they said it was wires and other thing around the tcm.they claimed to have fixed the problem but didn't. out of my pocket $241.00. this is what it was and is still doing: driving along at about 40-45 mph and you hear a ding sound and it jerks and the lighten bolt light flashes in the control panel on the dash the rpm gauge will drop and it acts as if it's going to shut off. within a 20 mile radius it did this 8 times. it then shut off on my twice at a red light, the engine light, oil and the lighten bolt light came on. and once approaching the red light i punched the gas and it took off. just afternoon the dealership called and told me that it was my tcm wanting to charge me another 600 + dollars to fix it.this is the same problems that was suppose to have been fixed last month at the dealership and i am really p.... that they are turning to charge me again for something that they had claim to have already fixed. i am on a fixed income with a family and i don't have that kind of money laying around. i noticed a few months or even a year ago, i was leaking transmission fluid and they claimed they replaced an o-ring or some kind of plug. i see now there was a recall on something similar to this and i was charged for it. i have never received recall notices in the mail about my vehicle and now i am reading these recalls and there are 3 that i was not aware of and that worries me. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 dodge charger. after starting the vehicle, the contact noticed that the column shifter would not shift out of the park gear. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where the contact was informed that the vehicle was not included in nhtsa campaign id number: 08v583000 (power train:automatic transmission:lever and linkage:column shift). no repairs were made to the vehicle. the current and the failure mileages were 66,000.

On feb. 27th, 2012, i started my car in an attempt to drive to work. the car started up fine. i tried to shift from the park position to reverse, but the car would not shift into any other gear - it was stuck on park. i followed the instructions in the manual which advised to press the override switch located in the compartment near the shifter. this did not work. instead, i had to tow my car to the nearest auto repair shop and was presented with a bill of $456 for parts and labor to repair the shifter. apparently, this is happening with many dodge chargers, yet a recall on this has not been issued. i did some research and there is a forum where people who have experienced this issue complain of the same things. this needs to be addressed immediately and dodge needs to be held responsible. thank you! http://www.carcomplaints.com/dodge/charger/2007/accessories-interior/gear_shift_stuck.shtml. *tr

Started the car, put my foot on the brake and proceeded to shift the gear into drive. my gear shift would not move out of park after multiple attempts, force and effort. called aaa and when the aaa driver came i explained to him that my gear shift would not come out of park. the driver explained to me that he gets over 100 calls a week for this problem. the driver removed the top off of my gear case and showed me how to release the cable to get the gear shift to come out of park. i found out that there is a recall for this problem. i took my car to the dealership only to find out that my car's vin # is not included in this recall. it is an insult and depressing that such an astronomical number of chrysler vehicles are experiencing this problem, however only a certain number of vehicles are recognized as being under the recall. this has to be changed. what do customers have to do to get customer satisfaction? customers are the ones supporting and buying chrysler cars. makes you want to take your business elsewhere and vow not to buy another chrysler car again! *tr

I was ready to leave work for the night and my car would not shift out of park we tried to use the emergency release button on the side of the gear shift but it didn't work.i called a mechanic and he came out googled the problem and saw that it may have been a shifter assembly defect,as he looked at the assembly there was noted to b a cable wire the was also dislodged,he advised me to have the car towed to a dodge dealer for repair.the car was taken to the dealership and the entire shifter assembly and cable had to be installed. *tr

I have a 2006 dodge charger rt 5.7l hemi. i just recently purchased this car. at times when i am accelerating quickly or press wide open throttle the vehicle shuts off for a second and then cuts right back on. the check engine light comes on as well as the lightning bolt icon flashes and i also hear a chime as well. the rpms drop all the way to zero as if it is stalling and losing all power but immediately cuts right back on. through research i have noticed this is an on-going problem with a lot of charger owners and a recall should have been issued by dodge by now before someone loses their life. tsb# 1803105 nhtsa# 10016027 *js

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 dodge charger r/t. the contact stated that she started the vehicle and attempted to shift out of park, but the gear shift would not shift out of park. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic and they stated that the gear shift clip fractured and needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer was notified and offered no assistance. the failure mileage was approximately 96,000.

Gear shifter was put in park would not come out of park could not put it in gear, 2007 and 2008 has been recalled for that problem and service has been accommodated at dealership. *tr

Vehicle will not come out of park due to failed shift interlock mechanism. shift interlock fails due to a 1/8 inch tab breaking off and releasing the spring not allowing the driver to take the vehicle out of park. the vehicle still starts but will not move. this problem will make it appear this something wrong with the vehicles transmission. this has happened with several dodge charger(s) and chrysler 300 vehicles. examples can be found on www.youtube.com. recommend failed mechanism be replaced by part : dorman 924-706. man people have complained about repairs for this item, which should be covered under a manufactures recall. thank you. happy holidays *tr

When engaged in park, will not disengage, even with use of emergency release detent. will only release with use of hidden release at front of shifter, and if reengaged into park, will reoccur. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 dodge charger. the contact stated that the vehicle was parked and would not shift into gear. the contact called a tow truck to have the vehicle moved. the tow truck driver was able to remove the gear shift cover to unlock the gear shift. the contact was then able to drive the vehicle home. the dealer and manufacture were notified, but the vehicle had not been repaired. the failure mileage was 100,000. the vin was not available.

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 dodge charger. the contact started the vehicle and the gear lever failed to shift from park to drive. after waiting a few moments, the gear shift cable was slightly moved into a different position in order for the gear to shift correctly. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who advised the contact of a recall under nhtsa campaign id number 08v583000 (power train: automatic transmission: lever and linkage: column shift). the dealer was notified and they informed the contact that the vin was not included in the recall. the manufacturer was made aware of the problem. the vehicle had not been repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 85,000.

While attempting to accelerate the car will fail hesitate in the 5.7l hemi. also the check engine light flashes and the notification sounds beeps. check engine light does not remain on. failure to accelerate in any circumstances can result in collision including serious bodily injury or death. upon doing research (you can google this easily) this is a common problem associated with the powertrain control module which dodge has refused to acknowledge. this defective part/programming is most definitely not general wear and tear and should be a mandated recall prior to injury/death. *tr

Recently i started having an issue with my charger. upon entering a high way and attempting to merge with traffic during morning rush hour, my car lost all power upon acceleration. the engine did not stall but the tachometer dropped to near zero, the engine light and power light flashed briefly and then returned to normal. i attempted to accelerate again and same thing happened. fortunately i was able to avoid a pretty significant accident with the cars behind me and the ones i was merging on to the highway with. the symptoms disappeared for a few weeks and then started again and progressively became worse. i brought the car to the dealer that investigated and found it to be the power control module which turned out to be quite expensive. i did some research on a forum that i belong to and found many instances of this. contacted chrysler and simply put they did not seem to care. there are many defects on this year of charger and not one of them has ever been covered, at least the ones that i have. i consider this latest incident to be serious safety problem and hope that it gets investigated. as for another chrysler product, never again in my lifetime. i rely on my vehicle for work and this is by far the worst that i have ever owned. please look into this before someone has to start checking off accident and death when submitting a form. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 dodge charger. the contact stated that the shift gear was stuck in park. the vehicle was towed to the dealer who diagnosed that the shift gear was defective and needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure who did not offer any assistance. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and the current mileage was 96,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 dodge charger r/t. the contact stated the gear shift broke and would not shift back into gear. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. the manufacturer was notified and advised her to contact nhtsa to file a complaint. the failure mileage was 105,839.

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 dodge charger. the contact stated that the gear shifter became stuck in park. the vehicle was towed to the dealer who replaced the shift gear at the owners expense. the manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. the failure mileage was 53,698.

The car stalls while driving. it completely shuts off with a loss of all power. shifting to neutral and restarting while in motion typically works to regain power. this has happened numerous times over the last several months, with no pattern as to when or why. the car has been taken to the dealer twice to no avail. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 dodge charger. the contact stated that the vehicle would not shift out of park. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure who did not offer any assistance since the vehicle was not included in nhtsa campaign id number: 05v460000 ( power train:automatic transmission). the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileage was 103,000. updated 11/16/11

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 dodge charger. the contact stated that the vehicle would not shift out of park. in order to shift the vehicle out of park, the contact adjusted some of the components within the gear shift. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer and the contact was informed that the vehicle was not included in the recall associated with nhtsa campaign id number 05v460000 (power train:automatic transmission). the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was unknown.

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 dodge charger. the contact stated that the shifter became locked into park and would not shift out of gear. the contact had to disassemble the gear box in order to shift out of park. the contact took the vehicle to the dealer who advised that the gear shift cable would need to be replaced. the dealer replaced the gear shift cable. the failure mileage was 92,800.

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 dodge charger. while the vehicle was parked the gear shift would not shift from park to drive. the contact noticed that a pink plastic tab located in the gear shifter compartment had fractured. nhtsa recall campaign id number: 08v583000 (power train:automatic transmission:lever and linkage:column shift) may be related to the failure. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated the vin was not included in the recall. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 76,000 .

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 dodge charger. the contact stated the gear shift became stuck in the park position. the contact stated the gear shift was working properly prior to the failure. the transmission jerks excessively while shifting gears. the vehicle was not inspected. the current mileage was 63,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 dodge charger. the contact stated that the gear shift would not release from park. the dealer and manufacturer made the contact aware of the nhtsa campaign id number: 08v583000 ( power train:automatic transmission:lever and linkage:column shift) but advised that the vin was not included. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileage was 40,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 dodge charger. the contact stated that the vehicle would not shift out of park gear. the vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer, where the gear shift was replaced. the failure mileage was 68,227.

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 dodge charger. the contact stated that the vehicle was stuck in park. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostics and was not repaired. there was a recall under nhtsa campaign id number 08v583000 (power train:automatic transmission:lever and linkage:column shift), that may be related to the failure. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that the vin was not included in the recall. the approximate failure mileage was 106,000.

Tl* the contact 2006 dodge charger. while parked the contact attempted to shift the gear shifter from park to drive but was unable to because the shifter was stuck. the vehicle was towed to the dealer for diagnostics. the technician stated the shift interlock level was fractured and the gear shifter would have to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 95,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 dodge charger. the contact stated that the vehicle would not shift out of park. the vehicle was not taken to have the failure diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure, but offered no assistance. the failure and current mileages were 110,700.

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 dodge charger. the contact attempted to shift into park to shut off the vehicle but the shifter would not respond. the contact was able to shift into neutral and applied the emergency brake in order to shut the vehicle off. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostics. the contact referenced nhtsa campaign id number: 05v460000 (power train: automatic transmission) but was advised ny the manufacturer that the vin was not included in the recall. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 75,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 dodge charger. the contact stated that the vehicle failed to switch gears from the park position. the vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer and the diagnosis was that the shift lever clip broke and needed replacement. the manufacturer was notified and stated that the vin did not qualify for recall under nhtsa campaign id number 08v583000 (power train:automatic transmission:lever and linkage:column shift). the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileages were 110,000.

Own 2 chargers and both of them had the same shifter problem. unable to shift out of park. shifters must be replaced. i have been driving for 42 years and never had a shifter problem. dodge should repair these problems since it is aa common problem to all 2006 chargers. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 dodge charger. the contact stated that after placing the vehicle into park, she was unable to remove the gear shifter from that position. the vehicle had not been inspected by a dealer nor repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure and the contact was informed that the vehicle was not included in the recall associated with nhtsa campaign id number 08v583000 (power train:automatic transmission:lever and linkage:column shift). the failure and current mileages were approximately 87,500.

2006 charger would not shift out of park. called aaa, they said they've had many simular calls about dodge chargers. tow company driver said he's had several calls about this and knew how to temporarly get the car out of park. dodge dealer said that i had to get the whole shifter assembly replaced and it would cost between $500 & $600. found a repairman that replaced only the broken part. it was the shifter interlock that was made of plastic. the after-market part he replaced with was made of metal. if the dealer would have replaced the whole shifter assembly it would have had the same defective plastic part. why doesn't dodge do a recall on this?

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 dodge charger. the contact was driving 60 mph when the vehicle stalled with an accompanying warning chime. the local mechanic diagnosed that the failure was at the transmission gear shifter linkage system. the manufacturer was contacted but denied assistance with the repair. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileage was 74,874.

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 dodge charger. the contact stated the brake pressure on the brake release made a grinding sound. the contact stated the column shift locked and the vehicle was unable to shift out of park. the contact took the vehicle to the dealer and was told the nhtsa recall campaign in number: 06v149000 (service brakes, hydraulic) and nhtsa campaign id number: 08v583000 (powertrain: automatic transmission: lever and linkage: column shift), were related to the failure but the vehicle was not included in either recall. the vin was unavailable. the failure and current mileage was 56,000.

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