Select Challengers & Chargers Recalled for Windshield Concerns

Challenger and Charger units from the 2020/2021 model years could have a windshield that pops out in a crash.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recently issued a fresh recall for select Dodge Challenger and Charger models from the 2020 and 2021 model year. These vehicles have windshield adhesive which may not have been formulated properly and as a result, the windshield could pop out in the event of an accident. To make sure that doesn’t happen, Stellantis and the NHTSA are getting these specific muscle cars back to apply new windshield glue.

Dodge Challenger, Charger Recall Y47

This new recall of select Dodge Challenger and Charger models is labeled Y47 by Stellantis while the NHTSA knows it as 21V516000. Officially issued on July 8, the recall notice explains that the windshield may have not been properly bonded to the vehicles. Some of you might be thinking that an improperly affixed windshield could lead to water leaks in the rain, but that isn’t the cause for this recall.

Dodge found that in the right type of crash, the windshield could separate from the vehicle. Windshields are large and very heavy, so having one go flying through the air in the event of a crash can make a bad situation a whole lot worse. More importantly, the legal aspect of this issue is that these select Challenger and Charger units fail to comply to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 212, which relates to windshield mounting.

Fortunately, the solution is relatively simple. According to the NHTSA bulletin, the dealership technician will remove the windshield and apply new urethane sealant which will hold the glass as expected. Of course, this work will be performed free of charge to the customer. In total, 21,258 American owners should expect to get the recall notice when they go out on or around August 27. That includes 9,114 Chargers, 8,667 Challengers and 3,477 Chrysler 300 sedans. All of these cars would have been produced at the company’s Brampton Assembly between October 27, 2020 and December 4, 2020.

Fine Details

The NHTSA statement doesn’t offer more detail on the Dodge Challenger and Charger Y47 recall, but in doing some digging, we learned a bit more about the problem. As you can likely imagine, applying the adhesive incorrectly can lead to the windshield not being affixed properly, but this is actually an issue with the paint on the cars

The paint, produced by Axalta Coating Systems of Mount Clemens, Michigan, had an issue with the flow additive used to allow the paint to be applied to the vehicle correctly. Unfortunately, that problematic paint is causing the windshield adhesive not to stick, but after applying a coating of primer, the adhesive will stick to the paint around the windshield opening as expected.

The actual fix shouldn’t take long, but seeing as how the dealership will have to apply primer to the body and then new urethane sealant to the windshield, Charger, Challenger and 300 owners will likely need to drop the car off and leave it to allow enough time for the new primer and glue to dry.

Photos: Stellantis

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Patrick Rall

"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.

"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.

"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.

"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.

"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.

"Being based on Detroit," says Rall, "I never miss the North American International Auto Show, the Woodward Dream Cruise and Roadkill Nights, along with spending plenty of time raising hell on Detroit's Woodward Avenue with the best muscle car crowd in the world.

Rall can be contacted at QuickMirada@Yahoo.com

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