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08 Charger unresponsive to throttle

6K views 17 replies 10 participants last post by  Dmello1 
#1 ·
hey guys,

I own a 2008 Dodge Charger R/T with 120,xxx miles. i purchased the car used about 10 months ago with 115,xxx miles on it. About 4 months ago i got to a stop light and when it went green, i tried to move forward but the car wouldn't budge no matter how much throttle i tried to use. The car wouldn't roll forward nor back and it wouldn't rev, it literally just sat there like it stalled even when shifting between PRND and using 100% throttle. After about 10 seconds of getting honked at, the car woke up and sort of launched forward and was driving as if nothing just happened.

2 days ago, the same thing happened at the same exact light. I tried shifting between Neutral and drive and the third time i shifted from N to D the car all of a sudden revved to 3K RPM and launched forward.

The only modifications i have on the car are Flowmasters and a CAI, can't imagine those would affect the car in this way.

Has anyone dealt with this before?
 
#2 ·
Has the spark plugs been changed? Could have been bad gas as well. Honestly, dk bro. I EMT, not mechanic lol.
 
#4 ·
Really useless responses aside...

Your fluid level may be low, the TB may be sticking, a valve body may be on the way out, there's a lot of variables. Are there any CELs? If not, have it hooked up at a dealer to check for any underlying transmission codes that aren't throwing a code.
 
#5 ·
No the car isn't throwing any codes.. took it to autozone and they said the computer shows everything with the car is perfectly fine.. I may be taking my car in for the recall soon so I'm probably gonna get the trans flushed and see if that does it.. I'm not 100% about spark plugs, I have no idea when they were changed last
 
#6 ·
5.7s from 07-13 should be changed every 30,000 miles.
 
#7 ·
My '14 had a similar issues last year. I went to accelerate and she went into limp mto de and barely putted down the road. The TB was the culprit. Changed it out and all was good.
 
#8 ·
I'm new to the forums so I'm not sure what these terms yall say mean lol.. I'm going to assume that TB is the throttle body? If so, when I installed the CAI last week, it looked really clean to me.

Others have said my transmission may have gone bad, some say it's the fluid, one said it was the driveline.. I just don't know
 
#9 ·
Unfortunately these cars have a lot of electronic controls and sensors. The problem could be sensors, wiring/connectors, control module, etc ... Any of the drivetrain modules can lose communications and stop functioning. After a reset they can start working again. The dealer can run their diagnostics on the car while it's in for the recall. Intermittent problems are the most difficult to isolate and fix but maybe the diagnostics can recreate the problem.
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#10 ·
Hi RJ Briscoe,

Sorry to hear about this! If you decide to visit your local dealership I'd be happy to follow up with them for you if needed. Just PM our page with your VIN and let me know.

Andrea
Dodge Social Care Specialist
 
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#11 ·
I brought the car to dodge and they could not fix or attempt to fix the issue because they can't replicate it.. they attempted to replicate the issue by driving 40 miles on hills, but couldn't find an issue.. the "stall" has occurred a total of 4 times and always on the same road by my house. Not sure what to do now?!
 
#12 ·
the "stall" has occurred a total of 4 times and always on the same road by my house.
What high energy sources are there on that road that could interfere with the car's electronics?
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#13 · (Edited)
How nice of Dodge to drive your car 40 miles to replicate the problem (sarcasm of course). And what were they going to do after replicating it? That was as helpful as the first couple of answers to your post.

I highly doubt it's your spark plugs as mentioned. It likely would not be intermittent, nor would it present a problem like this if it were plugs. I agree with others who name one of the many electronic sensors. I'm kind of leaning toward Transmission Control Module (TCM), or even the Program Control Module (PCM). Although, if not mistaken, I think the PCM usually (or at least sometimes I know for fact) creates charging/starting system issues.

I guess it also could be clogged or bad injectors, but again, running good, then suddenly crapping out, then again suddenly going good again makes me think no, electronics. I'm also wondering about Throttle Position Sensor. I can't believe an experience dealership mechanic can't have an idea of what it is, an know where to start without having to "replicate" the problem, which seems to be their favorite f'n line.

Could you try another dealership, and ask if they have a mechanic highly familiar with electronics and sensors in these cars that might spend a bit diagnosing (not driving....that's been done) if you pay for an hour or two of labor.

Good luck man, I know these kinds of things are very frustrating.
 
#15 ·
There's a accelerator pedal position sensor as part of the accelerator pedal assembly. The throttle position sensor and idle air control motor are part of the throttle body.
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#16 · (Edited)
Definitely sounds like something to do with the Accelerator/Pedal Assembly or Throttlebody. All Hemis are drive by wire, right?

My thought would be if the car were still revving while you were giving it gas, but going nowhere it would be a TCM/Trans issue. If it were to rev and then fall on it's face and die, that would sound like injectors/fuel issue. But with it giving no response to the input of the pedal, my thought would be something in the Accelerator/Throttlebody system. If the dealer can't find anything wrong with it maybe take it to a well known local mechanic.

borrowed a picture of the APP sensor (Accelerator Pedal Position) from a Hemi Dodge Ram, should be similar setup.


Another possibility not discussed is your battery, have you checked it? Sometimes a bad battery or a battery with a bad cell can have crazy effects on the electronics, I know it did in my 2005 WK Hemi.

Also sounds like it could *possibly* be the automatic shutdown relay acting flaky. It just sounds similar.


EDIT: Forgot to also include that I don't *think* it would be the Throttlebody because unless there is a failsafe of some kind (in the PCM) and the valve was sticking/not opening and the APP Sensor was sending the right input the PCM should be adding more fuel, without more Air this should Flood the engine right? I'm still thinking in Carb terms so I may be way off base here as this is pure conjecture.
 
#17 ·
I currently have the lower dash "Silencer Panel" off on my 2010 Charger Police 5.7 making it quite easy to access the drive by wire. That's what made me think of that. I would at least take a look and make sure nothing is loose and moving around. There has GOT to be a mechanic at a dealership who has experienced this and doesn't have to replicate it to know what's going on.
 
#18 ·
I am experiencing similar problems bought a 06 5.7 Hemi from a local dealer who said he was driving the car and it just shut off. Suspecting the fuel pump he changed it out and still no start unless spraying the throttle body with starting fluid. I removed the pump as the car had been sitting for some time reinstalled it and put fresh gas in and though it ran rough it started after I made sure to cycle the remote to lock and unlock the car. I immediately noticed that the car would not respond to the pedal and towed the car home. It again refused to start. Since then I've replaced the throttle body car starts after turning over for what seems to be forever and runs but still no response to the pedal. Recently replaced the APPS and still no joy. Anyone have any suggestions? What am I overlooking? I might also add that when turning over the engine does so very fast and again it takes quite some time to start. Is there a relay, fuse, or sensor that enables the APPS to communicate with the throttle? Any help is appreciated.
 
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