2023 DODGE HORNET — Problems, Recalls & Safety Data

Discontinued vehicle model still under active bumper to bumper warranty (thru 10/26); has faulty rear defroster/heated side mirrors that the "remedy" handed down to me was to "drive more" in an effort to charge battery to a threshold that allows said necessary safety feature to operate. If charge falls beneath 65% the vehicle terminates functionality of deemed "non-essential" operations to maintain major functions. Problem is, this feature is not optional. It needs to be available on demand AT ALL TIMES. Especially in the midst of a brutal upstate NY winter where the windows are quintessentially frosted over EVERY morning. There is but one mention of rear defroster operation in the 2023 Dodge Hornet owner manual on page 47. There is ZERO mention of driving X amount of miles or X amount of time to maintain functionality of the rear defroster/heated side mirrors. Devoid of this information in the manual, my expectation is for the company to find a remedy as I have owned many vehicles in my life and never have I ever had this sort of selective operation issue for a SAFETY feature. These vehicles rely on an Intelligent Battery Sensor to dictate to the car what the state of charge is for the battery. My battery was replaced by the dealer I bought this from in May '25 (have paperwork to prove) and the readings per the local dealer I had looking into this on two occasions this month were in the 60-65% range for battery capacity. No way a battery this young has been drained by a third of it's potential already. And if so, something larger is amiss that needs to be diagnosed and remediated PERMANENTLY. Me "driving more" is not a solution. Especially since it makes me incur unnecessary miles and expend more on gas which I will absolutely not do. Bringing this to light before warranty expiration later this year. The company is seemingly trying to do anything and everything to not put money into vehicles that are discontinued. Factory warranty ends 10/26.

The electrical system drains the battery if not driven on a daily basis. Now that it had to be jump started the information screen is not working. With that being said, I have no camera, radio, heat and other displays. There have been many people with the same problem with this model vehicle but nothing is being done.

While driving through Columbia, SC on Jan 10th at 11am the sunroof suddenly shattered. The temp was 80 degrees and it was sunny. Traffic was moderate. There was what sounded like a large explosion and then I heard what sounded like pebbles running down my car. It was very startling to say the least. I thought it was a truck tire that had exploded but I kept hearing the pebbles sound. So as soon as it was safe to pull over I did to check to see if what I thought was a truck tire exploding had damaged my car somehow. I opened the sunroof roof once I came to a stop and thats when I saw that my sunroof had shattered and understood that was the noise I heard.

I took my Dodge Hornet to the dealership on October 1st for ongoing Apple CarPlay issues and the safety recall involving the center screen and camera system. I explained that the screen had been failing intermittently while driving, shutting off or freezing without warning, and that CarPlay had continued to malfunction despite bringing the vehicle in for this issue more than three separate times over the past two years. The dealership told me the CarPlay problem might improve after a system update, but they could not complete the recall because the required part was on back order. I was told I would be contacted once the part arrived. It is now December 4th, and I have received no update or estimated timeframe. Since then, the center screen has continued to fail at random while the vehicle is in motion, and CarPlay disconnects unpredictably. These issues affect the backup camera, navigation, alerts, and other essential functions, making the vehicle unsafe to operate. This is also not the first recall I have had to address, despite owning the car for only two years. The repeated electronic failures, combined with the manufacturer’s inability to complete a safety recall within a reasonable timeframe, have significantly reduced my confidence in the vehicle’s safety and reliability. I am requesting resolution due to the ongoing safety risks and continued delay in repairing a known defect.

Vehicle loses all power and will not restart Displays driver mode not available Displays numerous systems not working and drains battery. This has happens two times The first was June 14th mileage 13080, second July 17th mileage 14300 (Estimate). On June 22nd thru 24th after starting vehicle parking brake was on without being activated. Vehicle is a safety issue