2023 Dodge Challenger Hellcat Enters Shop For Warranty Work, Leaves with a $36k Bill

Because the 2023 Dodge Challengers and Chargers mark the final chapter in the brand’s decision to equip its muscle cars with internal-combustion engines before transitioning over to an electric platform, it is expected for Dodge fans to go full-throttle with the amount of power and performance they can get out of their cars.

In fact, part of the allure of the Dodge Challenger Hellcat Jailbreak edition allows customers to personalize every inch of the car that comes equipped with some software tuning to give its supercharged HEMI engine some extra power (which already produces 807 horsepower). However, one customer is in a bit of a bind after the automaker denied his repairs under the car’s warranty coverage for issues he was experiencing with the engine.

Why Was The Dodge Challenger Hellcat Denied Coverage Under Warranty?

According to Brennon Vinet, the owner of a 2023 Challenger Hellcat Widebody Jailbreak with only 790 miles, he brought his car in for service after experiencing some issues with his engine. “They pulled the computer and clearly see it was a faulty engine/lost compression and was their fault,” Vinet wrote on the Dodge Challenger Owners Club Facebook group. “From what Dodge told the dealer yesterday, they said this is not the first 2023 this happened.”

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Vinet claimed that there was zero compression being shown on cylinder seven. However, the dealer denied covering the repairs under warranty. Why? According to Dodge, the company believes that Vinet had already tuned his car. In the 2023 Dodge Challenger Warranty Information booklet, Dodge states, “Your warranties do not cover the costs of repairing damage or conditions caused by any of the following: Tampering with the emission systems, or with a part that could affect the emission systems.”

Specifically, Dodge had rejected the warranty claim after a Stellantis Calibration Engineer discovered that the car’s Powertrain Control Module (PCM) had been tampered with and was found to have aftermarket software installed. Vinet, on the other hand, denies ever modifying his car. As a result of his alleged tampering, Vinet is now stuck with a repair bill of $36,000.