I have a recall for my car, Friday after lunch and driving less than a mile I parked and say smoke pouring from the passenger side of my car. My radio was off and all the lights on my dash were on so I popped the hood to make sure no damage was done and the inside of my alternator was on fire. By the time I got a fire extinguisher and returned the fire was out causing no damage to the engine or vehicle I could see. Chrysler and the dealership wont give me a loaner/rental while they have my car. So its been a week and no car, No parts, no help. They wanted me to pay for an aftermarket alternator to fix it and hopefully Chrysler will reimburse me. A "special investigation" was opened on that Friday and I was told it would begin in 2-4 business days. Monday they called and told me the investigator would call me in 24-48 hours. I received the same call Wednesday, so its at least another 24-48 hours before they even look at my car.

I just purchased this car from the original owner two weeks ago. Yesterday the car started smoking and low battery mode light came on. I opened the hood and found the alternator smoking and red hot. It was close to going up in flames! I contacted Chrysler about the P60 recall and they advised me that my car is not covered because the P60 recall is only for 160 amp alternators and mine is a 180 amp alternator. If the same exact recall issue has occurred with the 180 amp alternator I would assume that not only the 160 amp alternators are faulty but so are the 180 amp alternators!

I am waiting for someone to contact me from Chrysler to look at the car which could take weeks and the car is needed to get to work! I guess I have no choice but to purchase a new $400 alternator and install it and then see what Chrysler will say when they come out and I hand them the roasted Alternator........

As I was driving, my car went crazy, dash lights and all. Windshield wipers going crazy and something about battery saver was on dash and before I knew it, my car shut completely down. It smelled like something was burning. I was so afraid I jumped out the car because I thought it was catching fire. I've never experienced anything like this before. I called my insurance to get the car towed home because it's undriveable. I was told by the tow company it's my alternator and it's a recall out on them. However, I called the dealership, the Direct Chrysler Recall Center about this matter to only be told the recalls are for 160 amps and not 180 amps.

How is this so when both cars experiences are the same thing. So because I have a 180 amp it's nothing they can do to fix the issue I'm having. This is ridiculous, what if my car did catch fire, what if I was injured from the car shutting down on me. Thankfully I was able to park 1st thing. What if I was on the highway driving 65/70 and this happened. It could have caused multiple accidents, to call the dealer/ recall center to only be told it's for 160 amp even doe most cars experiences are the same just like the 160amp.

The rep proceeds to say if I pay to get my car fixed and the company decides to recall for the 180 amp I will have to provide prove to them in order to receive my money back. Well not only do I want my money back. I want my days pay of lost of work and for pain and suffering as well. So once this recall comes out, not only will I have the receipt, I'll have prove of lost wages for work and a statement from a witness and tow company.

While driving home yesterday, I noticed a smell of burning plastic and started squealing. When I reached Gloucester, the car engine area started smoking. I pulled into a parking lot and opened the hood and looked at the engine area and noticed smoke pouring out of the alternator. It was popping and then a flame shot out of the vent area of the alternator. I ran into the CAP Autopart store and asked for the fire extinguisher and put out the fire. I waited until the car was cooled down to close the hood and get the car home. When I reopened the hood, I noticed that the serpentine belt was melted and broke in half. I lost a day of work and made lots of calls about this to the dealership and Chrysler only to find out that it wasn't under warranty or even part of the P60 Recall for 160amp alternators. I feel that this is more widespread than the 160amp version. Thankfully, I wasn't still on the highway sitting in traffic, especially after reading the stories that others have experienced with loss of power and gear selection. You know what's funny too? My battery died 2 weeks ago and had to replace that from Autozone. I now feel that was part of the Alternator issue. Total Cost: $700

Update from Jan 14, 2018: After the first request for reimbursement of the replacement alternator and melted serpentine belt was denied. I waited until there was a full recall.

I finally received a reimbursement check in Jan 2018 after speaking with Chrysler customer service about the issue. It took about 6 weeks to process.

I'm glad to have this issue taken care of.

It was a typical day where I wanted to hop in the car to pick up a few groceries. I start the car no problem and put my seatbelt on. As I'm backing out of my yard my car begins to make noises. I stop the car in my driveway and shut it off. I begin to notice that my car is smoking. My alternator ACTUALLY CAUGHT ON FIRE!! I panic and call the Fire Dept. to see what is the proper way to put it out and they come to put the fire out. I have my car towed to the dealership. They give me the sad news that my cars isn't covered and I would have to pay for it. So I do some checking online and there was actually a recall for a chargers and there was similar stories to mine. My car wasn't included in a recall list that was placed on for the charger alternator issue. So now I'm stuck paying for my car to get repaired only a few days before I start college.

Driving home from work on I-4 at midnight, out of no where "battery saver mode" lit up on my dash within 2 minutes the car malfunction had to ease off the interstate, vehicle shifter wouldn't let me put it into gear, had to use the emergency brake to get the car to stop!!! Car didn't go into gear until the battery died, had to have it towed to the dealer, they confirmed it was an internal failure with the alternator, and it drained my battery. Highly pissed that they have only done recalls on the 160-alternators even though there are so many complaints about the 180 models too... So tired of this vehicle and these issues they keep having

On February 5th at 10:45 am we were driving down a busy Las Vegas street when we had an immediate shut down of all power. Dash lights went off and on, wipers went on then shut off, and the vehicle died right in the middle of heavy traffic. The vehicle had no power, no power to do anything, acted completely dead as if the battery had been removed. To have the vehicle lose complete power and to lose the ability to steer the vehicle created an extreme hazard to both my family and to other drivers on the road.

We have done research on the internet and have found that many other have had this issue! It appears that Chrysler has identified a problem and has issued a recall for the alternator for the 3.1 liter engine in the Charger, but for the 5.7 Charger they have not addressed the issue. This is unacceptable! The vehicle did not have any prior warning of low voltage or battery problems! The vehicle was running fine and then stops in a hazardous area!

This is obviously a problem that Chrysler has already identified and there are many other complaints online regarding the 5.7 liter, that we know this is not an isolated incident. For Chrysler to refuse to provide a recall for this hazard is irresponsible and negligent! I would expect Chrysler to care about the welfare of their customers and that this recall and factory repair be immediately implemented. Chrysler needs to pay for this fix instead of passing on the cost of faulty parts to their consumers. More importantly, they need to issue a recall before someone is killed due to this hazardous situation.

Let's hope that's not what it takes for Chrysler to step up and do the right thing. This is a real safety issue!

Alternator going out originally 08/2014. Investigated the problem, recall was not in effect just yet. Replaced the battery and the alternator. Chrysler put the Official recall out P60 July 2015. Haven't had any issues with the car until 01/7/17. Battery light glowed on the dashboard. Checked the charge on the battery and it had only 5% remaining on the battery. Local auto parts store recharged the battery to 100%, however battery did not hold a charge again. Charge lasted a day and a half and battery lighted on dashboard illuminated again. Replaced battery in case cell was bad but still light illuminated. Replaced Alternator again for a second time and battery light did NOT illuminate. Is this something that us Dodge Charger owners are going to have to keep doing every 2 years or so? I love my car but this problem here makes me want to sell my car. I have read about Dodge cars dying on the freeway, catching fire and causing serious harm because of this electrical and alternator problem. This is ridiculous! Just thought I would let the public know this is a SECOND alternator replacement.

Without any prior sign of malfunction,the car stalled on THE HIGHWAY just before the alternator caught on fire.

The car is quite new for it to be having this type of issue. Worst part besides the costly out of pocket repair, is that it happened out of the blue, So when you're traveling at nearly 70 mph on South Florida's I95 (very dangerous HW) a problem like this could cost your life. My hazards didn't work, the transmission didn't shift, and power steering locked (all electronic stuff), even to get a new battery was a mission because the trunk doesn't open manually, so thank God I'm able to crawl though the back seat and use the emergency trunk release.

Dodge has a recall (P60) for the 160 amp alternator, but not for the 180 amp that comes in upgraded models for Charger. Apparently owners of cars with the 180 amp alternator are having the same issue, where the driver is put into a very dangerous and difficult situation when you can't even get out of the road or alert cars behind you about a possible problem with the hazard lights. Dodge Chrysler knows about this, they are currently investigating this issue, but they should put some more urgency in this case before a fatality occurs due to a crappy alternator they can replace by the dealer.

In Early 2014 I checked to see If my car was on any recalls, "NOPE". Fast forward to July 2015, I get off work and start my car, Odd no radio? restart the car, that's when I hear the problem. Driving out I opt to take the street home rather than go towards the highway, while turning I get a "battery save mode" driving home listening to my alternator make a whinny noise.

I pull over at a vacant lot and put the car in neutral and rev it, it makes a annoying sound and I'm still getting ABS, emergency brake traction control lights, I drive barley half a mile to another lot and shut my car off near my dads house, WELL... car decided to die completely, no power to even light up the dash. Call Dad and leave car.

Next day get a new battery after reading my alternator is the culprit but I don't have the funds to fix the alternator so $166 new battery will have to do for now. 2 days later while taking my mother to an appointment battery is dropping dead as I pull into a Safeway parking lot spot as the windshield wipers come on while the dash is playing on & off. I shut the car off, Mom calls a friend to see if he has towing service on his policy but to no avail. Right as my mother tells me she is about to go into the store for a sec I remember that I have my fully charged Duralast BP-DL900 AMPS jump box and turn it on while keeping it ON the battery the car starts fine, but I know it wont be long until the jump box is drained. So I jet to my girlfriends house which is half a mile away to get her car and put mine up in the garage. I drop my mother off and head back home to put my new battery on a battery tender and make a call to Dodge come to find out that I have a recall on my alternator and that they don't have an appointment until next week.

Oh well, battery tender will have to do for now until Im able to get this fixed since I dont have the funds for this sh*tty disaster.

I was driving home from a destination over an hour from home and the car gave me the message of Battery Saving Mode. The car was jerky on the ride home and making a whining sound. The next day on the way home from work the battery light came on. I took the car to a local auto store and had the battery tested. The battery was almost dead and the alternator was failing. I had to buy a battery that cost me almost $200. The next day on the way to work, all of my dash lights came on, the car again gave me the Battery Saving Mode message. Luckily I work at a dealership (not Chrysler) and was able to take my car immediately to the service department. My alternator had died. That cost me over $500! This was a very costly, frustrating problem! Shortly after this happened, the recall notice came out. Months later, I'm still waiting on the parts notice so that I can be reimbursed! Not a happy customer!

We'll I was driving around my uncle's neighborhood waiting for him to get home when all of a sudden my battery saver light comes on and the car shifted into neutral and I couldn't press the gas and it dies in the middle of the street. So I get out and start walking to my uncles when I get there he just happened to be pulling in so he gives me a ride back to get my car I jump in and vroom it turns right on i drive it back to my uncles where the same thing happened again this time she was a goner. So I had to pay a tow truck to bring her back home after some digging on the Internet i ran into this website where people had complains of alternators going out so I decided to go under the hood and when I pulled off the alternator I could see the fried shopper wires and new it had to be the alternator since this is not covered by the warranty I had to buy another and once I put it in it worked fine! Since it hasn't gone out but I hope I just didn't buy another faulty alternator if so they'll just have to replace this one and give me my money back because the damn cars alternator should go out in 35 k miles that's BS!

I was going out of town on Saturday, I had to cancel my trip because the alternator went out. I have only had this car for 18 months and this happens. And now I have to wait to get my car fix or pay for the repairs myself. I ask the dealer ship for a loaner car since this is a recall and they told me no. Seems this is the least that Dodge can do for their customers to keep them. Especially since there is so many recalls. Satisfy the customers to keep them coming back. Give a loaner car since some of us( like me) have to go without.

I bought this car for my girlfriend about 3 years ago. Well maintained and always taken car of. She went out with our 5 year old for a veterans day lunch and while driving back home on the interstate everything flickered then shut down. Loss of everything including power steering. Being in Memphis, TN busy I240 interstate God and luck was on her side to manage to get onto the shoulder and safely park her vehicle.

We got it towed, got a rental car, then found out since the recall was not official as of yet (but will be out at the end of November) we had to pay to get everything fixed because it is a vehicle we need to have drivable. Easy and quick fix to say the least, but the bill is hard to swallow. After 3 calls to Chrysler to receive a claim number, 2 of the 3 customer service folks said "There is no such recall" and that I do not know that it is a soon to be released recall and so on and so forth.

The last gentlemen was excellent. Ran my VIN, told me my vehicle is on the list to receive a recall notice. Also stated something that I had already thought about. Chrysler/Dodge had yet to get in alternators that are likely to not have the same issues as the ones that have went out. When the notice comes and the second notice that parts are available I will have to get the current alternator replaced with the new line one, and they will cover this and reimburse me for the previous fix. Now its just a wanting game and I hope It all goes according to plan.

Please everyone with chargers keep an eye out for this recall, details below this, and if you fall into this category please take every precaution.

[Chrysler Group is recalling 435,581 2011-2014 model-year vehicles equipped with a 3.6L engine and a 160-amp alternator because the alternator might suddenly fail and result in stalling, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports.

The recall covers the Chrysler 300, Dodge Charger, Dodge Challenger, Dodge Durango and Jeep Grand Cherokee. They were all manufactured from June 17, 2010 to Dec. 23, 2013.

Chrysler isn’t expected to begin notifying vehicle owners of this recall until Nov. 28 because a remedy for the problem is still under development, NHTSA said.

Vehicle owners can reach Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is P60.]

So I my alternator burns out on my not quite 3 year old Dodge Charger that I purchased brand new. My car is very well taken care so when my alternator started an electrical fire, I was lucky enough to have an extinguisher and not burn up. I am told by Dodge it's not covered under my warranty because it is not MAJOR component which I have that warranty for 100K. Really, would like to know how DODGE decided to change the definition of MAJOR because I considerate major if that part ceases your car from operating if it does not work or is removed, but apparently Dodge has a different definition.

I am so pissed that this happened and have been a dedicated Dodge enthusiast for a very long time, very disappointed in all this, not sure I can come back to Dodge over this..... And who ever heard of an alternator going out on a vehicle with that little mileage.... SHAME ON YOU DODGE, KARMA, KARMA, KARMA.

Bought my 2012 Dodge Charger brand new. Take good care of it. Barely have 37,000 miles and got the battery saver message. Drove for one more day and the car radio shut down. Called the service department of the Dodge Dealer where I bought the car. They said they were unaware of any issues with other 2012 Chargers and the alternator. And gave me a quote for full price replacement even though I was just 1000 miles past the total warranty cutoff.

On my own I contacted Chrysler and started a case number for cost assistance, due to the low mileage. Chrysler said it would be up to the local service manager to approve the cost assistance. To my surprise it all worked out and I only had to pay the $75 deductible to cover parts and labor combined.

Very glad I read the other complaints on this site and took the car in right away before the lives of my family were put in jeopardy. For my alternator to fail before 40k miles means there is a serious defect in this part. There needs to be a recall of all these alternators before people are injured at high speeds.

My 2012 Dodge Chargers Alternator went out when I was driving over 70mph and became hard to control. I have never had a vehicle that had less than 100k miles with this issue. I am completely devastated by this, I then was out of a vehicle for over 2 weeks because I had to order the alternator. I did install the MOPAR replacement myself being that I have a mechanic background.

This is ridiculous, I will NEVER buy a Dodge again. I called Dodge to ask if there was any recalls or upcoming recalls for this issue and they said no. They refused to compensate me for this problem with a cheaper replacement part.

I have a 2012 Dodge Charger...60,000 miles...became inoperable while I was drving with my daughter in the car!! We almost were killed. Coasted to the side of the road and the car completely died!! Had it towed to the dealer. They noted me that the alternator went out and is NOT cover under the Powertrain Warranty. I contact Chrysler and they said there was no recall on this, they were not Sympathetic, nor did they offer any assistance. Someone will die in one of these cars!!!!

Then a recall will be issued! This is tragic! I am seeking LEGAL COUNSEL!!!!