800-Mile 2023 Hellcat Jailbreak Warranty Canceled with $36,000 Repair: What Happened?
With only 1,000 miles on the ticker, one would think this 2023 Dodge Challenger Hellcat Jailbreak would fall under its manufacturer’s warranty, no problem. But no, Dodge denied warranty repairs for the almost new Jailbreak widebody. After all, dealer inspection revealed the engine lost compression in one cylinder, what the dealer calls a “dead miss.”
Why does the Challenger Hellcat Jailbreak need warranty work?
All of the cylinders on the 790-mile engine were showing perfect compression, except for cylinder No.7. It showed zero compression. So the problem was a dead cylinder, with a warranty replacement engine set to replace it. Except, Dodge said, “Not so fast.”
According to Carscoops, Dodge says that “Your warranties do not cover the costs of repairing damage or conditions caused by: ‘Tampering with the emission systems, or with a part that could affect the emission systems.’” The owner says that because Dodge claims that the Challenger’s mid-muffler was missing, it can’t honor the warranty.
What does Dodge say the Challenger owner modified?
This means the owner can expect a $36,000 engine replacement. He said on his Facebook page the dealer “pulled the computer and clearly see it was a faulty engine lost compression and was their fault. From what Dodge told the dealer yesterday, they said this is not the first 2023 this happened to.”
He says the mid-muffler and entire emissions system are stock. But this is where things start to get confusing. You see, Dodge says this isn’t about the mid-muffler. Dodge says, “The warranty claim was rejected after a Stellantis Calibration Engineer ran Powertrain Control Module (PCM) diagnostics and confirmed that the vehicle’s PCM was tampered with and contained non-factory software.” A spokesperson added, “I haven’t seen anything on our end regarding mufflers (ie not the issue).”
A “PCM” is the Power Control Module. It is essentially the brains of your car’s engine and transmission. It controls different systems based on sensors placed in different locations, including the exhaust system. Removing the mid-muffler mostly increases the engine’s rumble sound.
What does removing a mid-muffler do?
It also may slightly improve exhaust flow by its removal, increasing power. But with 807 hp in stock form, the increase will be extremely minimal. And just for the reason this Hellcat owner is experiencing, it can void warranties.
Confused? We are. The owner says, “The car was NEVER MODIFIED with anything ever.”
But the dealer is doubling down on it not honoring the warranty. According to the owner, it said, “If you get a mid-muffler delete on a Dodge vehicle it voids the warranty, end of story. They said it changes the parameters of the engine.”
Emissions laws in most states are strict. It is against federal and state laws to change or tamper with emissions systems in vehicles. Fines, and costs to restore things back to original specs, make it costly for whatever minimal gain in power or exhaust note results. And we’re speaking from experience from our perch in California, one of the strictest states for emissions.
