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Ford Mustang vs Dodge Charger

Which one, and which years, drew fewer problems per car sold

The short answer

Across the 2012 to 2022 model years, the Dodge Charger drew fewer owner complaints per car sold: 224 per 100,000 against 321 for the Ford Mustang, or 30% fewer. The gap holds for the newer 2019 to 2022 cars too. The best years to target are 2019 and 2020 for the Mustang and 2020 and 2022 for the Charger.

2016 Ford Mustang 5.0 GT V8, front left, 05-05-2024

Ford Mustang

Complaints per 100k sold321
Recalls since 201255
Average crash rating4.8 of 5
'12'13'14'15'16'17'18'19'20'21'22'23'24
Best2019, 2020
Avoid2012
2013 Dodge Charger SXT Sedan

Dodge Charger

Complaints per 100k sold224
Recalls since 201241
Average crash rating5 of 5
'12'13'14'15'16'17'18'19'20'21'22'23'24
Best2020, 2022
Avoid2012

By age group

Model yearsMustangChargerFewer problems
Older (2012 to 2015)421408About even
Middle (2016 to 2018)321163Charger
Newer (2019 to 2022)16369Charger

Owner complaints per 100,000 cars sold, pooled across the years in each group. Lower is better. A model counts as ahead only when it is at least 10% lower.

Year by year

YearMustangCharger
2012563800
2013351373
2014434368
2015359144
2016359187
2017329146
2018260152
2019211124
202020075
202110545
202210720
2023Too newToo new
2024Too newToo new

Complaints per 100,000 sold for each model year. Green is a good year for that model, amber average, red a year to watch out for.

Most reported problems

Questions

Is the Mustang or Charger more reliable?

Across the 2012 to 2022 model years, the Dodge Charger drew fewer owner complaints per car sold: 224 per 100,000 against 321 for the Ford Mustang, or 30% fewer. The gap holds for the newer 2019 to 2022 cars too. The best years to target are 2019 and 2020 for the Mustang and 2020 and 2022 for the Charger.

Which Mustang and Charger years should I avoid?

For the Mustang: 2012. For the Charger: 2012.

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