Dodge Charger vs Kia Stinger

Head-to-head reliability comparison from 8,365real NHTSA consumer complaints. Year-by-year breakdown, shared problems, crash & fire rates.

Roughly tied·21(1 tied)

Which is more reliable, Dodge Charger or Kia Stinger?

Verdict from 8,365 NHTSA complaints

Dodge Charger and Kia Stinger are roughly tied. Across complaint rates, crash involvement, fires, and overall severity, the Dodge Charger and Kia Stinger land within statistical noise of each other.

Head-to-Head Metrics

Lower is better on every metric. Bar length = relative magnitude. ✓ = winner.

Complaints per 1K vehiclesLower is better
Dodge Charger100.4/1K
Kia Stinger21.5/1K

Kia Stinger wins by 368%

Crash-involvement rateLower is better
Dodge Charger4.6%
Kia Stinger4.8%

Within 5% — statistical tie

Fire-involvement rateLower is better
Dodge Charger3.90%
Kia Stinger7.20%

Dodge Charger wins by 85%

Overall severity scoreLower is better
Dodge Charger88.0
Kia Stinger538.4

Dodge Charger wins by 512%

Total complaints
Charger8,156
Stinger209
US units sold
Charger1,630,135
Stinger
Injuries
Charger308
Stinger6
Fatalities
Charger8
Stinger3

NHTSA Crash Test Ratings

Official NCAP star ratings — government crash test data. Most recent rated model year.

Top Safety Pick

Dodge Charger

2026 model year
OverallNot rated
Not rated
Frontal — Driver
Frontal — Passenger
Side — Driver
Side — Passenger
Side Pole
Rollover

Kia Stinger

2023 model year
OverallEXCELLENT
5 / 5
Frontal — Driver
Frontal — Passenger
Side — Driver
Side — Passenger
Side Pole
Rollover

Source: NHTSA New Car Assessment Program (NCAP). Lower star = higher injury risk in that crash type.

Complaint Volume — Year by Year

Sales-volume data not available for both models — showing raw complaint counts. Higher-volume models will appear higher even when reliability is comparable.

Dodge Charger
Kia Stinger

Most Reported Problems

Top component complaints for each model. Identical bar lengths = both have the same recurring issue.

Dodge Charger
Kia Stinger
Electrical Faults1,81026Engine Problems1,02342Airbags7600Transmission / Drivetrain66011Fuel System51321Brakes24320

Year-by-Year Head-to-Head

Lower is better. Click either model column to see that year's full breakdown.

YearDodge ChargerKia StingerBetter
201816686Stinger
201916149Stinger
20207129Stinger
20213824Stinger
20221915Stinger
2023396Stinger

Frequently Asked Questions

Dodge Charger vs Kia Stinger — the most common buyer questions, answered from NHTSA data.

Which is more reliable, the Dodge Charger or the Kia Stinger?

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Dodge Charger and Kia Stinger are roughly tied. Across complaint rates, crash involvement, fires, and overall severity, the Dodge Charger and Kia Stinger land within statistical noise of each other. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation via VinItel.

Should I buy a Dodge Charger or a Kia Stinger?

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Both models perform similarly on reliability data, so but the actual condition of the specific car matters far more than the model average. Check the VIN of any vehicle you're considering for accident history, title issues, and odometer rollbacks.

What problems do the Dodge Charger and Kia Stinger share?

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Top complaints for the Dodge Charger: Electrical Faults, Engine Problems, Airbags. Top complaints for the Kia Stinger: Engine Problems, Electrical Faults, Fuel System. Source: NHTSA via VinItel.

Which has fewer NHTSA complaints, the Dodge Charger or the Kia Stinger?

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Across all model years, the Dodge Charger has 8,156 NHTSA complaints and the Kia Stinger has 209. Normalized for sales volume (complaints per 10,000 vehicles sold), the Kia Stinger has the lower complaint rate. Raw counts can mislead — a 2× more popular model will naturally collect 2× more complaints. Detailed normalized comparison: vinitel.com/stats/nhtsa-complaints/compare/dodge/charger/vs/kia/stinger

Which is safer in a crash, the Dodge Charger or the Kia Stinger?

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Crash-involvement rate from NHTSA complaints: Dodge Charger 4.6% vs Kia Stinger 4.8% — the Dodge Charger has the lower crash rate. NHTSA NCAP star ratings (frontal, side, rollover) for both models are also shown on the comparison page. Note: the per-VIN history matters more than the model average — a salvage-title car of any model carries higher crash exposure than the median.

Does the Dodge Charger or the Kia Stinger have more fires?

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Fire-involvement rate based on NHTSA complaints: Dodge Charger 3.90% vs Kia Stinger 7.20%. The Dodge Charger has the lower reported fire rate. Fire complaints are a relatively rare but important safety signal — they often correlate with electrical-system or fuel-system defects. Check specific recall campaigns at vinitel.com/stats/nhtsa-complaints/dodge/charger and vinitel.com/stats/nhtsa-complaints/kia/stinger

What years of the Dodge Charger are worse than the Kia Stinger?

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The comparison page renders a year-by-year head-to-head table — for each model year (where both models have data), it shows complaint count or per-10K rate side by side and marks which model fares better that year. Buyers cross-shopping a specific model year should always check the year-level VinItel pages: vinitel.com/stats/nhtsa-complaints/dodge/charger/{year} and vinitel.com/stats/nhtsa-complaints/kia/stinger/{year}.

Where does this Dodge Charger vs Kia Stinger comparison data come from?

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All complaint, crash, fire, and fatality data comes from the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) consumer-complaint database — the same source insurance regulators and the federal government use. NCAP star ratings come from NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program crash tests. Sales-volume normalization (per 10K sold) uses US annual vehicle sales. Data refreshes every 6 hours. Source: NHTSA via VinItel.

Other head-to-head matchups buyers cross-shopping the Charger or Stinger also look at:

Comparison data refreshed 2026-05-04 from NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.·Source: NHTSA ODI

Picked your model? Now check the actual VIN.

A model average can't see the car you're buying.

Even the better-rated model has cars with hidden accidents, salvage titles, and odometer rollbacks. Check the VIN before you buy — full report $4.99 (vs. Carfax $44.99).