2009 DODGE CHALLENGER Engine And Engine Cooling Problems

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. *TR

Mileage: 15,481

VEHICLE HAS A SEVERE THROTTLE LAD WHEN IN 4 TO 6 GEAR WHEN LETTING OFF PEDAL THEN RETURNING BACK INTO THROTTLE. *TT

Mileage: 12,000

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. *TT

Mileage: 28,000

CAR PERIODICALLY STALLS WHEN COMING TO A STOP. DEALER DOES NOT KNOW THE CAUSE- MAY BE COMPUTER-RELATED. FRIENDS HAVING THE SAME DODGE VEHICLE HAVE HAD THEIR CAR STALL IN HEAVY HIGH SPEED TRAFFIC. THIS COULD CAUSE A SERIOUS OR FATAL CRASH.

Mileage: 5,605

WHILE DRIVING HOME FROM WORK COMING TO THE TURN AND SLOWING DOWN THE CAR LITERALLY JUST DIED WHILE ONCOMING TRAFFIC WAS COMING DOWN THE ROAD. ALL LIGHTS CAME ON AND CAR WAS DEAD. PUT IN PARK AND RESTARTED WITH NO CEL. DEALERSHIP HAS NO IDEA WHY ITS DOING THIS. *TR

Mileage: 23,114

2009 DODGE CHALLENGER RT AUTO, WHILE DRIVING ALONG AT HIGHWAY SPEED THE CAR LITERALLY JUST DIED, NO RIME OR REASON. PULLED OFF THE HIGHWAY AND RESTARTED THE CAR, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON, WENT TO BOERNE DODGE AND THEY COULDN'T FIGURE OUT THE PROBLEM. SAID THE LIGHT JUST WENT AWAY. AND IF IT HAPPENS AGAIN TO BRING IT BACK. *TR

Mileage: 23,012

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.

Mileage: 15,539

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 DODGE CHALLENGER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 75 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE CONTACT PULLED OVER, RESTARTED THE VEHICLE AND DROVE TO THE LOCAL DEALER WHERE HE WAS TOLD THAT THE FAILURE COULD NOT BE DUPLICATED. THE FAILURE OCCURRED AGAIN. THE VEHICLEHAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 7,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 14,600. UPDATED 02/01/11*LJ UPATED 04/14/11

Mileage: 7,000

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 DODGE CHALLENGER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE APPROACHING A STOP SIGN AT 25 MPH, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY STALLED AND ALL THE LIGHTS ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL FLASHED. THE CONTACT SHIFTED INTO PARK AND RESTARTED THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS THEN TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER BUT THE DEALER COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE CONTINUED AND THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO ANOTHER AUTHORIZED DEALER. THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO LOCATE THE FAILURE BUT NOTICED THAT THERE WAS A KILL SWITCH. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A THIRD DEALER WHO REMOVED THE ANTI THEFT DEVICE INSTALLED BY ANOTHER DEALER. THE FAILURE CONTINUED AND THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 31,706 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 33,000.

Mileage: 31,706

2009 DODGE CHALLENGER, COMPLETE ENGINE SHUTOFF AFTER DECELERATING. VERY DANGEROUS. BREAKS AND STEERING SHUT OFF. HAS HAPPENED 4 TIMES TO ME. THERE ARE DOZENS OF REPORTS OF THIS LOCATED HERE: HTTP://WWW.CHALLENGERTALK.COM/FORUMS/F36/ENGINE-STALLING-35997/. *TR

Mileage: 1,200

CAR JUST STALLS AS IF TURNED KEY OFF AT ERRATIC TIMES. *TR

Mileage: 5,200

ISSUE # 1) I HAVE AN AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION 2009 DODGE CHALLENGER RT. SO I WAS DRIVING UNDER NORMAL CONDITIONS ACCELERATING NORMALLY AND THE ENGINE COUGHS...STRANGE. THEN IT DOES IT AGAIN, A VERY SUDDEN COUGH LIKE IT IS STRUGGLING FOR AIR, THE VEHICLE ALMOST SHUDDERS TOO. ENGINE CODE POPS UP. HEAD TO AUTO ZONE AND HAVE IT CHECKED - P0730 GEAR RATIO INCORRECT. THIS HAS HAPPEN A FEW TIME WITHIN THE PAST FEW WEEKS . TO CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP- THEY SAW THE SAME CODE . BECAUSE THE CAR WAS DRIVING NORMAL AGAIN THEY DID NOTHING . PLANNING TO TAKE IT BACK IN SO THEY CAN PULL THE TRANS. ISSUE # 2) TODAY 8/11/10 - I WAS DRIVING ON THE EXPRESS WAY WITH AN OVER A 1/2 TANK OF GAS, DOING ABOUT 60 TO 70 MPH. ABOUT 30 MIN INTO MY DRIVE, SUDDENLY ALL MY DASHBOARD LIGHT/SYMBOLS POP ON AND MY CAR LOST ALL POWER. TO AVOID GET REAR ENDED I HAD TO PULL OVER ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. *TR

Mileage: 26,586

2009 DODGE CHALLENGER R/T LOSES POWER WHILE UNDER LOAD SUCH AS GOING UP HILLS OR PASSING; AND THE RPM PULSATES. THIS CONDITION APPEARS TO OCCUR MORE IN HOT WEATHER. UPON DECELERATION, TRANSMISSION SHIFTS SO ROUGHLY THAT VEHICLE LOST TRACTION IN SLIPPERY ROAD CONDITIONS, AND NEARLY RESULTED IN A CRASH. THESE APPEAR TO BE TWO SEPARATE CONDITIONS THAT MAKE THE VEHICLE EXTREMELY UNSAFE. *TR

Mileage: 1,000