Hitting the upshift pedal can cause a downshift. It could be bad engineering or user error.
Ford and Chevy guys, along with almost every other group loyal to performance car brands, have a lot of jokes that they can use for fun at Dodge owners. Most of these jokes are about weight. Their cars now have an integrated money shift button.
A “money shift” is an accidental downshift during racing. You might shift at redline from first to second gear, instead of third. This is a money shift, meaning it will cost you a lot to repair the engine damage.
Mopar Insiders referred us to this R/T video on YouTube. The video begins with an unrelated jump at an abandoned church, before a group comically stereotypical Mopar owners get down to business. It’s obvious that you need that little extra pizzazz to keep people engaged – this is just another Charger R/T clip.
You may be wondering how you can money shift an auto. It’s easy to use paddle shifters, and most automatic transmissions have software that stops the engine from downshifting beyond a specific RPM.
The problem with the Charger and Challenger is that touching the lower portion of the upshift paddle will cause a downshift. In an attempt to stop this, the driver of the car in the video tried to fit his car with taller aftermarket paddles. It didn’t work.
As one commenter pointed out, the shifting error will not actually damage your engine. Instead, you’ll receive a message telling you that downshifts are prohibited. Another commenter stated that his pride was the only thing that hurt when he downshifted in front of others. It shouldn’t be a problem at all.
The problem appears to be more common at higher RPMs, as we can see in this video. We also get a close look at the Autozone-tastic steering wheels cover. The problem is also mentioned by several YouTube Mopar men with higher profile.
Although the issue can be intermittent and difficult to reproduce, we recommend owners not use paddle shifters until it is resolved. No issues have been reported regarding the console shifter.