2010 Dodge Challenger — 6.1L V8

The 2010 Dodge Challenger records 298 complaints—making it the single highest-complaint year in the generation's 2008–2023 span—against 7 recalls, 1 investigation, and 52 TSBs. This sits at the apex of a sharp complaint arc: the figure surged from just 10 in 2008 to 132 in 2009, then peaked in 2010 before settling to 192 in 2011 and remaining in a declining trajectory through the remainder of the generation. The recall count held steady at 7 in both 2009 and 2010, indicating that the NHTSA investigation and known defect categories did not materially worsen year-over-year; the complaint surge thus reflects either heightened reporting or newly emerging issues during this early-production window. Air bags lead the 2010 complaint categories at 61 filings—more than double the next closest category—followed by Engine (32), Electrical System (28), and Engine & Engine Cooling (24), with 10 crash-related complaints and 4 fire-related complaints on record. By contrast, 2017 recorded only 49 complaints and 3 recalls with zero active investigations, while 2020 bottomed out at 20 complaints and 1 recall, suggesting the vehicle's reliability trajectory improved substantially after the early-generation spike. The data does not specify root causes for the 2010 concentration, so whether air bag and engine concerns stemmed from a common supplier, assembly, or design issue cannot be determined from the federal record alone. Concrete takeaway: the 2010 model year carries the generation's highest complaint burden and sits squarely in its problem-prone early-production phase; buyers should budget for thorough air bag and electrical system inspections, and compare against lower-complaint years such as 2017 or 2020 if long-term reliability is the priority.