Right after I had my car in the dealership for the engine timing chain recall, I started hearing a high pitched noise coming from the hood. I thought maybe they didn't put the fan belt in correctly when doing the chain repair. The noise got louder and louder, and eventually the engine light started to flash. I took it to the dealership the next morning and when I went to turn the car on to show the dealer the problem the car wouldn't even start!

After looking into it they discovered the alternator died. The cost to fix it is $690. Insane! I'm also paying to rent a car while it's being fixed.

I called Dodge to see if they could cut me some slack, since there is actually a recall on alternators for Challengers... just not my specific one. Nope, nothing. Disappointing to have such a pricey repair this early on in the car's lifetime. Dodge really should do a recall on all of these faulty alternators.

If your Challenger also has the same problem, please call Dodge to complain. The more we complain the higher chance they do a recall... if nothing else to help out other Challenger owners who have the same problem.

Was driving home from work when I started to hear a squeal/whining noise under the hood. Got home, opened the hood and tried to inspect where the sound was coming from. After opening the hood, a burning odor became apparent and I became super worried the issue was more serious than I first thought. After listening to the car for a while (while at idle) I noticed the sound was coming from the alternator.

I called the Dodge dealership to setup an appointment ASAP. On my way to the dealership, the car started acting really funny. The A/C and radio stopped working, the ABS light came on, a burning odor was now coming into the car while I was driving, as well as some light smoke. I was afraid the car was going to burst into flames at any moment... Luckily I was able to get it to the dealership while on it's last leg. Thank god the dealership was less than 10 miles from my house, as i don't think it would have made it much further.

After the mechanic evaluated the car, he told me bad alternator. The bearings went bad (at not even 45,000 miles and just over 3 years old (38 months)). He stated it would cost $750 to repair.... $750 for a bad alternator, I was like what the hell! I asked if there were ANY other option, he said there is an after market alternator but that is even more expensive. So either pay $750 to have the alternator replaced, or have a faulty car that could burst into flames at any moment. Obviously I chose to get it fixed, as I didn't have much of a choice. I was without my car for 3 days during this repair to have my alternator fixed, and it caused logistical nightmares in figuring out ways to get around (to and from work) without my car.

After having the alternator fixed and picking the car up, I traveled to a restaurant to get something to eat. After my meal, I went to my car and upon starting the engine I heard a thumping noise coming from under the hood. I quickly openned the hood to inspect the issue and I saw my serpentine belt coming apart before my eyes until it finally snapped. Less than 15 miles (and 1 hour) after picking my car up and I am now stranded in the parking lot. After waiting for over 3 hours, my car was finally towed back to the same dealership the alternator was fixed at. This was on a Friday night, and the dealership had closed by the time my car arrived, so I called the dealership first thing on Saturday. They said, "They received the car, saw the broken serpentine belt, and needed to order a replacement belt. That it wouldn't be until Monday until they would be able to fix it". Ok, this is a DODGE dealership and 1) they don't know how to properly install a serpentine belt (as I even know how to do that) and 2) they don't have a serpentine belt for a DODGE vehicle in stock?? I was highly upset to say the least. I went Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday without my car due to this fiasco.

So total I was without my car for a week and had multiple nightmares, worries, and became stranded all because of this issue!

Had this car for 4 Months. We bought new from River Oaks Chrysler in Houston. My wife was driving home from church when all of the dashboard lights lit up. She made it to the gas station and went inside to get a drink. When she came back out the car was completely dead. The engine light NEVER illuminated to let her know the car was only running on battery and that the alternator had been out and not charging. Since we did buy this from a Chrysler/Dodge dealer you would expect them to KNOW that there have been issues and fix them before selling the car. I bought an alternator and replaced myself. I found a shop in Dallas that has been rebuilding these and I was informed by them that they are always sold out because of the issues people have had. If you need the contact for the parts they were really helpful and inexpensive. Don't get the part from the dealer. It is the same, crappy, part that they put in the first place.

I just bought this car last August (2013), It only had 20,000 miles on it when I bought it. I had absolutely no warning this morning that the alternator was going to go until the little battery light came on while I was driving into work. I live an hour away from work and I texted my mechanic while I was on my way in. He said it was the alternator and that he hoped I made it to work. The car was making a whining sound like it was struggling and like something was going to go.

I got to work - turned it off, tried to restart it and it wouldn't restart and then it started smoking like it was overheating and smelled like an electrical fire. I called ALL around for the part - no one but dealers had it in stock and it cost me almost $700 to fix.

Good thing I just got paid - bad thing is I won't have any money for two weeks until I get paid again. This is ridiculous - oh, the warranty ran out in February.

2011 Dodge Challenger RT 5.7 , 25,000 miles and noticed a strong odor of burning electrical , car died once, and battery wont keep a charge, took off the alternator and it smells of burning electrical and was accompanied by a low hum . Not great quality at all here , car was idling at around 1000 rpm to compensate for weak alternator, also when taking the hemi engine cover off to remove the alternator noticed on the drivers side of the lower intake manifold some seepage which is not acceptable at all, it will be going back to Chrysler to get that fixed if I don't trade it in before that.

Fun car to drive but from what I'm learning by owning one their electrical systems are sh*t. Build quality throughout the car is mediocre at best. The 5.7 engine is stout, the 6 speed is strong, the rear end is ok. Its just that everything surrounding the car will fall apart before the drivetrain blows up.

Going to be calling Dodge in the morning to see if they will give me a new alternator which they probably wont since its out of warranty.