CarComplaints.com Notes: This is a classic example of why you should avoid the first model year of a new car. Sure, it's new and shiny but there's going to be some growing pains.
This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
The contact owns a 2005 Dodge Magnum. The transmission shift interlock lever fractured. The manufacturer was made aware of the problem. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for servicing and the vehicle was repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 110,000.
The contact owns a 2005 Dodge Magnum rt. The contact stated that he was unable to shift the vehicle from park into any other gear. Also, the manual override function was fractured. The dealer advised the contact that his VIN had not been included in any recalls. The manufacturer was aware of the failure; however, did not offer any assistance. A private mechanic installed a new shifter. The current mileage was 67,000 and the approximate failure mileage was 66,800. Updated 09/27/11 updated 2/23/12
My car would not shift out of the park position. I had car taken to the dealer but was told there was not a recall for my model. I see this is a very common issue with this platform of car. I had to replace the whole shift assembly because the pink interlock was not sold by itself.
The contact owns a 2005 Dodge Magnum. The contact stated the gear selector would not shift out of the park position. The vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer who replaced the gear shift assembly. The manufacturer was notified of the defect and stated the defect was a common issue; however there was not a recall. The approximate failure mileage was 117,000.
My 2005 Dodge Magnum will shift out of park. This was found after parking it at home and trying to leave for work. Was told this was a common problem with this car and Dodge has no recall for this known problem. I had to pay over $450 to have car repaired out of my own pocket. Dodge calls this a safety interlock problem. A plastic pink piece that breaks and you have to buy a whole shifter not just the 29 cent piece of plastic.
The contact owns a 2005 Dodge Magnum. The contact stated that while the engine was running, the gear shift selector would not move from the park position. The vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer where the contact was advised that the internal transmission shifter mechanism was defective. The dealer replaced the component at the contact's expense. The failure mileage was 38,418 and the current mileage was 38,430. Updated 09/28/10 updated 10/01/10
On 5/31/2010 I drove our 2005 Dodge Magnum 2.7 engine to the mall with my daughters. Upon leaving the mall we entered the vehicle. I then started the vehicle and proceeded to place the vehicle in drive. The vehicle would not shift into drive. I found the override switch and it did not work either. We ended up have to call tow truck and my children and I had to find transportation home. A mechanic was able to look in the gear box and he pointed out the there is a design flaw which allows the shift piece to lock itself in place causing the vehicle to lock itself in the park position. He was able to rig the vehicle so that it can be driven but only if I don't put it in park. Which means I must park the car in neutral and make sure the emergency brake is on.
2005 Dodge Magnum, vehicle locks up in park and cannot be moved, has to be towed. The dealer knows about the shift problem but it is not on a recall. I have read the Dodge forum and there are 19 cases about the same problem. Depending where you go it costs $250-$600. This should be a recall.
My transmission suddenly failed while I was on a very busy highway, the long island expressway. I was driving in the left lane when suddenly I was not able to operate the vehicle. The car stopped. No prior warnings, no recall from Dodge.
Car would not come out of park without having to playing with brakes, then later escalated to it having to be turned off and on several times. Took it into dealer several times and they would adjust something and say it was good. Finally after warranty expired I took it in again and they found the problem. Solenoid was failing and they charged $350 to replace it. This is / was dangerous because it could easily strand you someplace and in my case standard me once at a military check point for 20 minutes.
The contact owned a 2005 Dodge Magnum. While parked, the vehicle rolled away on its own. On another occasion, the vehicle was placed in park and attempted to roll away again. The contact was able to chase the vehicle down to stop it from rolling into traffic. The vehicle was included in NHTSA campaign id number 05V460000 (power train: Automatic transmission); however, the dealer stated that there were too many vehicles to service and advised the contact to come back another day. When the contact returned to the dealer, he was informed again that the recall repairs could not be performed and he would have to reschedule. The failure mileage was 500 and current mileage was 600.
My 2005 Dodge Magnum SXT has been in and out of the shop for over the last 50,000 miles. I have gotten all kinds of reasons why my transmission shudders and shifts hard into most gears. On 7/26/08 I couldn't take it anymore, I asked them to just fix the problem that could not be found over the year and a half. It was finally decided that I need a transmission rebuild. The reason for the problem, no one knows. I was also told this is an isolated incident, which is not true based upon all the recent information I have found on the internet.
The contact owns a 2005 Dodge Magnum. While driving approximately 30 mph, the steering wheel loosened and the interior lighting became very dim. On occasion, the contact smelled a burning odor inside the passenger compartment. There were no warning indicators prior to the failures because the warning light indicators have never worked since the vehicle was purchased. The vehicle would start roughly from time to time. When the contact depressed the brake pedal, the contact heard a loud noise underneath the vehicle. In addition, the vehicle shutters when proceeding to turn, the air conditioning unit is not working properly, and the transmission hesitates intermittently. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer and they stated that the steering failure was related to the front suspension. The mechanic replaced two control arms and tie rods. A diagnostic was performed and the mechanic stated that there was nothing wrong with the vehicle. The failure mileage was 20,000 and current mileage was 23,000. Updated 07/08/08. There was a loud clicking noise when braking. The vehicle was hard to start and when it start it would stall. The transmission make a shuttering noise. Updated
Vehicle: 2005 Dodge Magnum R/T with hemi engine with approx. 76,000 miles (car put into service in late spring '04). I was driving on the highway and all of a sudden the car started whining -- like it was in the wrong gear. I pulled over, couldn't hear anything and got back on the road -- everything sound okay. The next morning, after driving for about 1 mile, the same thing occurred -- I was going about 55-60 miles per hour. After I put the vehicle in park and back into drive, everything seemed to be okay. The next day, the engine/transmission light came on for a few minutes and the car again sounded funny, but now if I slowed down or stopped the vehicle (like for a stop light), the car sounded as if it was still in fourth or fifth gear when I put on the gas. I took the car into the dealership immediately and was informed by the dealership that the transmission wiring harness was so burned up that technicians could not get a read out from any of the associated computers to determine what the error codes were relating to my transmission/engine. I was also informed that it could not be determined what caused the harness to melt the wiring. Chrysler refuses to explore cause or to pay for repair. I am concerned that this could have been a disaster and I just got lucky before the vehicle caught on fire.
The contact owns a 2005 Dodge Magnum. While driving at an unknown speed, the transmission would not change gears. The contact must constantly have her vehicle jumped in order for it to start. The dealer confirmed that the failure was similar to that in the recall for the transmission and battery for her year, make, and model; however, her VIN was not included. She stated that her vehicle has been at the dealer for three weeks as of December 4, 2007. No remedy has yet been found for her vehicle. The manufacturer would not assist because her VIN was excluded from the recall. They also informed her that she must submit a payment of $150 to charge the battery and determine what is causing the transmission failure. The VIN, engine size, and recall number were unknown. The failure mileage was 54,000 and current mileage was 56,000. Updated 01-11-08. The consumer stated the vehicle would buck and jerk upon acceleration. Updated 12/31/07.
The contact owns a 2005 Dodge Magnum. While driving 55 mph, the contact heard a loud noise and the vehicle began to shake uncontrollably. The dealer stated that the rear drive shaft bolts failed, which caused the drive shaft to fail. The dealer also stated that they would replace the drive shaft, drive shaft bolt, transfer case pan, yoke and cracked the transmission pan as well as the transmission filter. As of July 19, 2007, the vehicle has not been repaired. The current and failure mileages were 25,123. The vehicle lost all transmission fluid. The plastic shield on the undercarriage fell off. Updated 09/05/07.
Engine quiting at highway speeds and at take off, resulting in uncontrolable vehicle. Transmission shudder when overdrive engaged. Dealer corrected fill tube seal defect, unkown if fluid flush performed. Shudder occured again, dealer said this time it was caused by bad/worn spark plugs, not transmission ($237). Unknown if tsb for ignition coil was performed, when asked dealer said all related tsb's for Magnum VIN had been applied. Left dealer and in 10 minutes check engine light was on. Made appointment for next day.
: the contact stated at various speeds, the engine light illuminated and the transmission jerked violently into gear. The vehicle was towed to the dealership, where it was determined pieces of the metal clutch were throughout the transmission. The torque converter, O-ring, and pump were replaced. One month later, the problem returned and the vehicle was towed to the dealership. The contact is unaware of the repairs being performed.
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- Visalia, CA, USA