NHTSA Complaint #10871059 — 2010 DODGE CHALLENGER

MY 5.7-LITER HEMI ENGINE HESITATED SIX TIMES AND THE ENGINE COMPUTER REGISTERED THIS MALFUNCTION EACH TIME, BUT NEVER SET A CODE WHICH THE DEALER MECHANICS COULD READ TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM. EACH MALFUNCTION CORRECTED ITSELF IN A FEW SECONDS, BUT THE LAST HESITATION WAS A STRONG ONE DURING WHICH THE ENGINE RAN VERY ROUGHLY FOR ABOUT TWO MINUTES BEFORE RUNNING SMOOTHLY AGAIN. IT FELT LIKE THE ENGINE WAS MISFIRING ON ONE OR MORE CYLINDERS. EACH MALFUNCTION HAPPENED WHILE I WAS PASSING OTHER VEHICLES IN A STRAIGHT LINE ON A HIGHWAY WITH THE ENGINE UNDER ACCELERATION LOAD. WHEN I EASED OFF THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL, THE HESITATION DISAPPEARED AND I WAS ABLE TO COMPLETE EACH VEHICLE PASS, BUT EACH PASS THUS TOOK LONGER AND PUT ME MORE AT POTENTIAL RISK OF COLLIDING WITH ONCOMING VEHICLES. THE LAST STRONG HESITATION FORCED ME TO PULL ONTO THE SHOULDER AND WAIT UNTIL THE ENGINE CORRECTED ITSELF IN ABOUT TWO MINUTES. THIS HESITATION HAPPENS RARELY AND THE ENGINE HAS CONTINUED TO RUN SMOOTHLY SINCE THE LAST STRONG EVENT. I DON'T KNOW IF THIS PROBLEM RESIDES INSIDE THE ENGINE OR WITHIN THE ELECTRONIC IGNITION. I HAVE A SIX-SPEED MANUAL TRANSMISSION AND CRUISE CONTROL ON THIS CAR.