[ISPCharger]

Ok, this is for all the LEO's out there with a 2011 with the police package.

Under hard acceleration the car is really unstable and walks (from side to side) like a drunk. At 135 mph the car is so unstable it's scary. I've already been in a crash just over 100 mph and don't want to repeat history in a brand new car.

At 75 mph the steering is so loose that if you let go of the wheel and sway yourself from side to side, the steering wheel will follow the rhythm and keep getting worse even when you stop swaying. If you don't grab the wheel, you'll need to call a wrecker to pick up the car.

I talked to another LEO and he said he has a similar problem and at 120 mph said the car was so unstable it made him uncomfortable.

So dodge is doing a bunch of tests on the steering and hopefully I'll have my new car back soon. For now, back to an old trusty (slower than hell) '08 Crown Vic.

The engineers do not know what's going on at this point. They're taking the lightbar off the car to see if that's what is affecting the stability. I doubt that's the problem because others have had theirs faster than mine (with lightbar) and have had no problems with stability. If the problem persists without the lightbar, they'll thinking about replacing the rack and pinion.

So has anyone else had this problem? I'm hoping it's just my bad luck with my car and not another problem for these chargers.

Just a note other officers have driven my car and said the same thing. Very unstable even at 80, and I've already had the recall fixed on the fuse panel.

 

[richd]

How many miles on this car? I worked on Police cars for 23 yrs.,and problem you described sounds like sway bar bushings are worn.Also double check tire air pressure,I always ran the pressures on the high side, that seemed to please the Officers.

 

[Jonny]

You make it sound like this is all 2011 Chargers. This car has been in production for awhile, and there is a new model year that has been in production for some time.

This comes across as a very alarming post, this is the first I've heard of this issue, it doesn't appear to be widespread. When you say Dodge is looking into this, are you talking about corporate or your dealership? Who are the engineers working on this, and who do they represent?

 

[ISPCharger]

Currently 1,988 miles on the car. Tire pressures are good as well, 34 psi. I've heard there are some probs with the front end but no specific details. One deputy said his needed to break in before he was comfortable in his at higher speeds. Hopefully we find out soon b/c chasing speeders with the C Vic is ridiculous! Takes me too long to get to speed. I miss my charger!

 

[ISPCharger]

Jonny,
When I mean the engineers from Dodge are trying to figure out the problem, I mean the dealership is talking to the engineers at the service dept. A technician was in the car when at 75 mph I let go of the wheel... The car drifted to the right a little bit and with one finger flicked the steering wheel slightly to the left... The wheel started rocking back an forth (which kept getting worse) and after about a second of it I grabbed the wheel again. He even agreed that something was wrong with the car.
They checked the alignment and it checked ok.

 

[richd]

I would run a minimum of 35psi in my cars,I still run 35 on my Charger and have no problem with handling.The way you describe the steering wheel action,sounds scary and shouldnt be doing that makes me wonder if they have the right sway bars or rack&pinion on those cars.All the ones I worked on had what they called Firm Feel steering,and the steering wheel had some resistance to them.Here is something I found on '11 Dodge Police cars,and the last sentence where they said they made changes to the suspension may be the problem:
The new 2011 Dodge Charger Pursuit’s performance suspension tuning, heavy-duty anti-lock vented-disc brakes (ABS), front- and rear-stabilizer bars, 18-inch performance tires on steel wheels and two-mode police-specific Electronic Stability Control (ESC) calibration make it hot-pursuit ready. It has redesigned front and rear multi-link suspension geometries to deliver a smooth comfortable ride for law enforcement officers

 

[jink25]

Something doesnt sound right with your car if it is driving that sloppy. I have been in both an 09 and 11 police charger at highway speeds accelerating and both were smooth and straight...very confident at higher speeds.

...I have also had my 08 to 175+ mph (closed course) and it was completely in control, and more stable than the much lighter mustang I had at those speeds.

...something definitely sounds wrong with your car.

 

[Blue Phantom]

Check your motor mounts.

 

[Wingsy]

Check your motor mounts.

Ahhh, yes. Motor mounts. Totally off topic but your reply reminded me that....

I had a '68 Nova with 327 engine. One day when starting off into a hard left turn with a fair amount of power on, the gas pedal suddenly slammed itself into the carpet and went WOT all by itself! What a ride. Turned out one motor mount was broken and the torque would lift the engine to one side, pulling the throttle linkage to wide open. Never forget the (ex) wife's reaction to that.

 

[Stubbs1911]

Had similar experience with my 06 R/T,...

...ended up being the rack & pinion, went through three of them before it was corrected. Dealership told me there were actually multiple racks under the same code for the R/Ts, and only one of them actually worked properly with the R/T. Don't know if they were blowing smoke up my fourth point or not, but after the third rack she was good to go. Mine didn't even need to be excessive speed, almost lost her in a relatively gentle curve doing 55 - 65 ish. Did same as you, took the tech out and I drove it on first run, got her up to highway speed and just changed lanes and she started getting squirrely. Let him drive it on the way back and he damn near panick-braked on the interstate in the middle of a curve and asked if I wanted to drive her the rest of the way back. And that was after the first rack change.

 

[richd]

That was one of the things I mentioned was the Rack&Pinion,what strange is Chrysler only shows 2 racks,I would think there would be a differant one for Police Pkg.,but dont see it,Here is what they show:
04584569AC
Steering
Steering Gear
Gear Rack And Pinion
gear, rack and pinion
Electro-Hydraulic Power Steering With Performance Suspension Or Sport Suspension
1 N/A
See item on graphic illustration.
04584573AB
Steering
Steering Gear
Gear Rack And Pinion
gear, rack and pinion
Electro-Hydraulic Power Steering With Heavy Duty Suspension Or Touring Suspension

 

[ISPCharger]

Okay guys, here is an update. After the recall (rewiring a part of the fuse box) I test drove the car with out the lightbar on it. Turns out I could not get the car to get unstable at 70 mph by taking my hands off the wheel and rocking back and forth.
problem not fixed completely though. Under acceleration only the car begins to rock slightly back and forth starting at 95 mph. The rocking (kinda like its a sway bar problem) keeps getting worse at the faster you go. Once you let off the gas, it settles down.

Unfortunately, I'll be in this freaking crown Vic for a couple more (probably 6) months. Dodge is probably taking the car to their proving grounds and going to do numerous tests on it. I'll keep you guys posted when I know more.

 

[DTRA K9]

That was too fast

 

[DTRA K9]

Too fast for me

 

[jink25]

What were you in to hit 175+ mph?

My own 08 charger...with a 440 stroker.

 

[MKMotorsport]

Right up to the factory limiter (~130mph) and back (closed course/ Auto-X test n' tune) as solid and safe as can be. Extremely stable, even hands free at that speed in appropriate areas. I typically run slightly higher than recommended pressures especially on the X track regardless of car type (limits sidewall roll). On my Charger I'm between 35-40 psi on the track, stock Michi's.

 

[jthorpe]

Mine is doing this too. Was in a chase not long ago and the older cars are solid at top speed. Its scary at 130+ in this thing. I don't like it one bit. You better have both hands on the wheel because when you hit a bump the thing almost starts to fishtail.

 

[ISPCharger]

Mine is doing this too. Was in a chase not long ago and the older cars are solid at top speed. Its scary at 130+ in this thing. I don't like it one bit. You better have both hands on the wheel because when you hit a bump the thing almost starts to fishtail.

Back in February I received another 2011 Charger and this on is so much more stable. I have no problems with this charger like I had with the other. I took my first one to the dealer and the ended up buying that charger back. It took 8 weeks and dodge Finally signed over the other charger to replace mine. If you feel like there is something wrong have the dealer look at it. Couldn't hurt. Ive had my new one well over 140 and its as smooth as silk! Be safe out there!! :driving: