Owners of the new electric Dodge Charger Daytona risk an expensive repair if they don't close the hood properly.
Owners of the new Dodge Charger Daytona may be in for an expensive surprise.
Not only are the owners very few in number because Dodge cannot sell the cars, a defect in the hood construction costs 1,400 kroner per hour to fix.
If that's what goes wrong.
The problem occurs if the hood does not close properly on the electric muscle car.
Mechanic Jordan Rose discovered the problem. He works at Hall Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram in Virginia Beach. He shared a video of the correct problem on YouTube.
The video shows two Charger Daytonas side by side. Both cars have the exact same problem. The hood latch doesn't work.
The only way to open the hood is by manually pulling a cable. The button inside the car doesn't work at all. It's frustrating on a brand new car.
The new cars cost over 60,000 dollars in the United States. This corresponds to more than 415,000 Danish kroner.
Troubleshooting a brand new electric car
Jordan Rose compared the defective locks to a new model without the problem. The bottom metal part of the old locking mechanisms is bent, even though the hood may have only been opened once. That's the cause of the problem.
Rose investigated the matter further. He found out that there is a special procedure that owners must follow to avoid the damage.
"You might think a helmet is just a helmet. But apparently not on this car," Rose says in his video.
This means that you can't just grab it and slam it on. If you do, you risk damaging the locking mechanism.
Instead, you should carefully lower the helmet over the lock. Then, press the helmet down the last bit with two hands.
Correct closure and possible mechanical calculations
The car's owner's manual even mentions a third step in the procedure: you must actively confirm that the hood is closed properly before leaving the car.
To replace the lock, the mechanic must remove several plastic panels. The panels are located inside the car's "frunk", i.e. the front trunk.
The lock itself is held in place by two 10-millimeter bolts. There are also a couple of electrical connectors that need to be removed and reinstalled.
The repair may not be covered by the car's warranty. This may happen if the repair shop determines that the fault is due to improper use by the owner. The owner may then have to pay for the repair themselves.
Officially, Dodge's own workshops charge an hourly rate of around $200. That's approximately 1,400 Danish kroner per hour.
This is shown by discussions on the online forum Reddit, in which both mechanics and workshop managers have participated.
The problem itself is not a big one as long as the owners know the procedure. However, experience shows that many owners do not read the instruction manual thoroughly. They therefore risk an expensive lesson.
The poorly designed hood is just the latest in a long line of problems for Dodge, as the car brand got the electric 'muscle car' completely wrong.
Customers are lost, and those who still venture into a purchase should expect their car to break down at the dealer before delivery. Read more about it here .
