The issue affects only 1,209 Dodge Challengers or Chargers, but it could prove to be very dangerous.
catastrophic does not sound like a term you want to hear when it comes to driving an internal combustion engine vehicle. This is especially true if the vehicle in question has 707 horsepower. Catastrophic is not mentioned in the latest recall by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. This recall affects 1,209 Hellcat models that were sold between 2017 and 2018. We can’t think up a better term to describe the sudden and severe oil loss that can cause the engine to seize, spray onto the windshield and possibly set the car ablaze.
The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration has identified an issue in an oil line joint used by some Hellcat Hemi V8 engine models. It was discovered by FCA. The problem is specifically with lot #2536 rubber line material that’s used with an engine oil cooler. This doesn’t really mean anything to us except that it contains oil. However, it can break.
It could break if it was sitting still. However, it could be quite dangerous to drive at highway speeds and even accelerate full-throttle. Apart from oil vaporizing everywhere, which could cause blindness, there is a real danger of it sprinkling all around the windshield. If oil comes into contact with hot exhaust, it could ignite a fire and cause a serious safety hazard. This is not sensational. These are the exact warnings that were included in the safety recall.
FCA reports that it has not received any reports regarding injuries or accidents as a result of the failure, as of July 28. The manufacturer will replace the engine oil coolers, which is the fix. The recall only affects Hellcat models made in 2017. It also affects 1,209 models. FCA will notify specific customers in September. However, if we had a 2017 Hellcat we don’t think we would wait so long.