The electric Dodge Challenger hasn’t had the greatest start to life. After middling reviews, low sales, and many reports of problems, things might be getting even worse. According to industry sources, the 800-volt Banshee halo trim is dead before it ever arrives.

More: Ford, GM, And Stellantis Paid Billions To Tesla And Rivian Until Trump Pulled The Plug

Over the past six months, Stellantis has made a dramatic pivot from its EV goals to a more conventional ICE-focused plan. The HEMI V8 is reigning supreme once again with its reintroduction to the Ram 1500, exclusive use in the Durango, and continuation in the Jeep Wrangler. Heck, even the Gladiator might get one.

Strategy in Flux

That makes a report from MoparInsiders indicating the death of the flagship SRT Banshee all the more believable. Suppliers allegedly claim that Dodge has axed the car entirely. Dodge didn’t confirm or deny the decision when we asked for comment.

“Stellantis continues to reassess its product strategy to align with consumer demand”, a press spokesperson told us. “Our plan ensures we offer customers a range of vehicles with flexible powertrain options that best meet their needs. With the great news announced in July that Stellantis is bringing back its iconic SRT performance division, it follows that we are also reviewing the plan for future SRT vehicles.”

Rules No Longer Binding

Undoubtedly, the brand is clearly willing to make big sweeping changes now that EPA regulations basically don’t matter, and as a result, automakers won’t have to pay for carbon emission credits. The all-electric Ram REV is dead, as is the Jeep Gladiator 4xe plug-in hybrid. What’s one more EV that would’ve cost more than the Charger Daytona already does?

That said, it’s not as if performance at the brand is going by the wayside. The Charger SIXPACK is rolling out and promises a taste of what the Hellcats once offered. The possibility of a V8 Charger feels more plausible than ever, even if it’ll take reworking of the chassis and engine bay. We’ve reached out to Stellantis and will update this piece if we hear anything new. 

Credit: Michael Gauthier / Dodge

Automakers tend to dread recalls, but for FCA US, the latest round is a relatively small headache. Fewer than 100 vehicles are affected, though the fixes are important enough to warrant quick attention. The Jeep Wagoneer S was hit with two separate recalls on the same day, while the Dodge Charger Daytona was pulled into one of them as well.

In both cases, FCA says it has not received reports of crashes or injuries, but dealers have been instructed to carry out repairs at no cost to owners.

Rollaway Risk

The larger of the two recalls involves 26 Jeep Wagoneer S SUVs built between August 9, 2024, and March 18, 2025, along with 49 Dodge Charger Daytona models manufactured from August 2, 2024, through April 3, 2025.

Read: Jeep Dealers Beg Wagoneer S Buyers With Desperate Price Cuts

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the issue lies with the Electric Drive Module, which may have been fitted with a Park Pawl Return Spring that wasn’t installed correctly. Federal safety rules require that a vehicle in Park should not roll more than 5.9 inches, or 150 millimeters, on a 10 percent grade with all brakes released. In this case, both the Wagoneer S and Charger Daytona can exceed that threshold, raising the possibility of an unintended rollaway.

Owners should be informed of the recall on September 25. FCA says that dealerships will replace the Electric Drive Module of all vehicles.

Interior structure concern

The second recall is limited to the 2025 Jeep Wagoneer S, impacting just eight units built on January 31, 2025. These electric SUVs may have been assembled with an incorrect cross car beam in the instrument panel. In the event of a crash, this could compromise the intended load distribution, increasing the risk of injury “in certain crashes.”

An investigation into the potential issue was opened on July 1, and by late August, the scope of vehicles impacted had been determined.

FCA will alert impacted owners to the recall from October 24, and dealerships have been instructed to replace the instrument panel cross car beam free of charge.

Driving a Dodge Charger EV brings with it a kind of freedom that feels both practical and kind of futuristic. No more waiting at gas stations, no scheduling oil changes, and certainly no crawling under the car to deal with exhaust leaks. What it doesn’t free you from, apparently, is the risk of being ticketed for having a “loud exhaust.”

That’s exactly what one owner just experienced despite the fact that the Charger Daytona doesn’t have an actual exhaust system at all.

More: Here Is Exactly The Way That Dodge’s Fratzonic Chambered Exhaust Will Work

What it does have is Dodge’s so-called Fratzonic exhaust system, which is marketing speak for speakers that emulate the sound and vibration of a gas-powered exhaust system. As fake exhaust noises go, it’s better than some. That said, the driver in this story was and is shocked that he could end up in this situation.

The driver in question is Mike from Distressed Media, and he recorded a recent interaction with a Minnesota State Trooper. In it, the officer tells Mike that he’s getting a ticket for having a “loud exhaust” and for “disturbing the peace.”

The Stop in Stillwater

Mike told The Drive that he was cruising through Stillwater, a city with a strict noise ordinance, when things went sideways. He was at a stoplight “about eight cars deep” when the lead car launched loudly. That’s when a state trooper across the intersection flipped around and pulled Mike over.

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An Argument That Went Nowhere

“The trooper stepped up and immediately told me my car’s exhaust was way too loud and was disturbing the peace,” Mike recalled. “I tried telling him it’s an EV and doesn’t have an exhaust or an engine, and he said he’s not gonna argue with me.” The trooper also ticketed him for not having a front license plate.

Things only get weirder from there, though.

Mike says the ticket is evidently not even in the system, several months after the stop. “I have called the courthouse every week for the last 10 weeks trying to schedule the court date/appearance, and still nothing,” he said.

Maybe the court recognizes how absurd it is to fine someone for the sound of an exhaust that doesn’t exist. Or maybe Mike hasn’t heard the last of it, and we’ll eventually see how the system tries to hold him accountable for a noise his car can only pretend to make.

Credit: Distressed Media

It’s standard practice among car manufacturers to increase, to some degree or another, the prices of their vehicles with each passing year. However, Dodge is doing something different for the 2026 Charger Daytona, and it doesn’t paint a pretty picture for a model that was supposed to usher in an exciting new era of all-electric muscle cars.

Dodge initially launched the Charger Daytona in R/T and Scat Pack guises. However, after realizing that no one actually wanted to buy a Charger without a V6 or a V8, it ditched the R/T, leaving the $64,995 Scat Pack as the only electric version of the new-age Charger available. It has now been revealed that its price will be slashed to $59,995 for the 2026 model year, which amounts to an 8.3 percent price reduction.

Read: Charger Daytona Owner Says His New Car Is ‘Practically Useless’ After Endless Problems

The price cut means the Scat Pack will soon be just $2,000 pricier than the discontinued R/T, which used to start at $57,995. This comes despite the fact that the Scat Pack delivers an impressive 670 hp, whereas the R/T was capped at “just” 496 hp.

CarsDirect uncovered pricing details for the 2026 Charger Daytona Scat Pack through an official order guide. It made no mention of any major equipment changes for the 2026 model, so it should be largely identical to the current car.

No Tax Credit

Sadly, the price cut will not completely offset President Donald Trump’s return to the White House. Although the Scat Pack had not been eligible for the $7,500 federal EV tax credit when purchased, the rebate was available when leased. This will no longer be the case after the Trump administration axed the long-standing EV incentive program.

In addition, the Scat Pack remains pricier than the recently announced Charger Sixpack. Dodge recently announced that the twin-turbocharged, 3.0-liter inline-six version will start at $54,995. For traditional muscle car enthusiasts, it will likely remain the obvious choice, but given that it is capped at 550 hp, shoppers seeking the ultimate in performance regardless of powertrain would be wise to look closely at the Daytona Scat Pack.

Electric muscle cars were supposed to mark a bold new chapter, but the reality has been less than thrilling. Dodge may not want to admit it, but the Charger Daytona has not ushered in an exciting era for all-electric muscle cars as the brand would have hoped.

In the first quarter of the year, just 2,115 were sold in the US and Canada, prompting Dodge to kill off the entry-level R/T model. And for at least one buyer, it seems to be riddled with issues.

Read: A V8 Dodge Charger Could Be Closer Than You Think

This particular Charger R/T Daytona, which we must say looks excellent painted in Peel Out Orange, is currently being leased by a man named Nicholas Sharrett. He collected it in May from Wetzel Dodge in Richmond, Indiana, and says it has been nothing but trouble. In fact, he now describes the car as “practically useless.”

The Trunk That Won’t Open

Sharrett’s biggest frustration is with the trunk. It doesn’t open, and it hasn’t worked from the day he picked it up. Curiously, Dodge has not added a trunk opener to the keyfob, nor is there a button or a latch in the cabin.

Instead, the only way to open it is to press a tiny rubber button on the taillight. That button doesn’t work, so the only way to load things into the trunk is to open the door, lower the back seats, and throw items to the rear.

Doors Out of Line

The problems don’t end with the trunk. Sharrett says the driver’s door is so badly misaligned that it rubs against the body in three different spots, even wearing away the paint at one point. Wetzel Dodge, located more than 100 miles from his home, tried to correct the alignment but told him Stellantis refused to repaint the exposed metal.

Additionally, there’s a fault with the passenger door, and it only works roughly half the time. So, if Sharrett needs to open the passenger door, he has to do so from inside the Daytona. He also says he receives error messages on the Uconnect infotainment system almost every single time he starts up the car.

The driver’s seat comes with an especially frustrating flaw. When someone in the back pulls the strap to move it forward, the seat slides as expected. But once it reaches the end of its track, it won’t stay in place and immediately begins sliding back on its own. This glitch once trapped Sharrett’s seven-year-old daughter as she was trying to climb out of the rear seat.

Sharrett’s experience might be just one case, but it leaves room for a bigger conversation. If you own a Charger Daytona, have you faced similar issues, or has your car lived up to expectations? Share your experience in the comments below.

The Dodge Charger Daytona hasn’t exactly had the greatest start to life. Early reviews were critical of its driving dynamics, the base price isn’t exactly competitive when performance is factored in, and it started out as a two-door only, which limits its target demographic. Now, at least one dealer might have a way to interest more buyers, and it’s a lease that’ll cost less per month than the average American spends on coffee.

More: You Can Now Lease A Nissan Ariya For Less Than A Leaf S

Elk Grove Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram is in the midst of what it’s calling a back-to-school sale. It’s offering low APR, thousands of dollars off some models, and one particularly wild-sounding lease deal. That deal is on the aforementioned Charger Daytona, and it reportedly costs just $49.99 a month for buyers who qualify. Since there’s no such thing as a free lunch, though, the list of requirements is where things start to get complicated.

Credit and Rebates

First and foremost, the customer must have the right credit score. Specifically, they have to qualify for tier 1 approval. Typically, that’s a credit score of 750 or higher. On top of that, they have to qualify for five different rebates. The biggest one, the federal EV tax credit of $7,500, is one that lots of people will be eligible for. The others, though, aren’t as simple.

A $1,000 rebate for “lease bonus cash” is only available to customers currently leasing another car. An even larger $4,000 rebate is for “West BC SFS Lease Bonus Cash.” In other words, one has to live in the Western Business Center of Stellantis and finance the loan through it. A further $2,000 rebate is only available to friends and family of Stellantis workers. Finally, a $500 rebate kicks in for first responders or military members.

The $5,000 Fine Print

Provided that all of that checks out, the $49.99 is still on the table, but from what we’re hearing, the fine print makes the deal look a little less sweet. Evidently, buyers need to put at least $5,000 down to get it, which effectively makes the monthly payment closer to $200 over the course of 24 months. Even so, that’s not a bad deal.

What complicates things is that the dealership hasn’t disclosed the mileage allowance, which could mean that it’s set low enough to keep costs down. For anyone driving more than a short commute, the overage penalties could may erase any perceived savings.

So while $49.99 a month makes for an eye-catching headline, the layers of conditions, hefty down payment, and probable mileage cap make it a deal that looks far better on paper than in practice. Elk Grove may draw attention with the figure, but once the fine print is accounted for, most shoppers will recognize it as little more than a flashy number that doesn’t match the reality of driving the car.

All things considered, would this deal be enough to get you into a new Dodge Charger Daytona? Let us know in the comments below.

Carscoops reached out to Elk Grove for further details and will update this piece if we hear back.