The Ongoing Saga Of The Dodge Charger EV And The Dreaded Red Wrench

Earlier this week, Edmunds reported that one of its writers experienced unintended acceleration in the 2024 Charger Daytona Scat Pack, the publication owns and maintains as part of its long-term test fleet. According to the outlet, the vehicle entered limp mode after the dash lit up like a Christmas tree, displaying a series of warning lights and vehicle faults.

While attempting to operate the vehicle in a state of reduced power, the car reportedly continued to accelerate even after the driver lifted their foot off the pedal, eventually reaching 45 mph with no throttle input from the driver. There's even a video.

The vehicle reportedly slowed under firm braking pressure, and after being parked and power-cycled, the issue disappeared. The car has since been sent the car back to the dealer for inspection.

Stellantis claims that its “drive-by-brake” feature allows a driver to control the vehicle using only the brakes in the event of an accelerator fault— and it functioned exactly as intended. The system has been used across its combustion and electric vehicle lineups for years.

"In the rare event of an accelerator pedal fault, Stellantis has implemented a ‘drive-by-brake’ safety feature, which allows the driver to control speed through the brake pedal. In this instance, the feature worked as intended, and the driver was able to safely maneuver the vehicle off the road. This feature has been in Stellaris internal combustion engine vehicles for many years and has been carried over to battery electric vehicles.”

Members of the AutoGuide forum network have also reported similar behavior from their Charger Daytonas, including at least one claim linking the issue to a crash. It's being called "Super Creep" and is apparently a function of the vehicle entering limp mode, where the car will creep like an automatic transmission-equipped vehicle in an effort to not leave you stranded on the side of the road.

The forum also reports Stellantis will release new software before the end of the month to address numerous issues, including changes to Super Creep. The update is expected to include new driver warnings and could alter the intensity of the effect or limit the fault codes that could trigger Super Creep.

So it's a feature, not a bug, got it.

That doesn't seem to be the only problem plaguing the Dodge Charger Daytona, either. Reports from all corners of the internet are starting to pop up about the dreaded red wrench. It's a catch-all "Service Electric Vehicle System" message that displays on the instrument cluster.

Some owners have reported their car becoming inoperable after the message appears, while others have seen the message appear while driving and experienced no ill effects. Sometimes owners can get the message to go away with a hard reset, or by plugging into a charging cable, but in other cases, cars have been towed to the dealership, where they have remained for weeks on end. What's worse, some users claim that the Charger Daytona loaner vehicles they have been given by the dealership to drive while their cars are in the shop are behaving the same way.

Other owners have seen their vehicles become inoperable after charging to 100%, and at least one user has had his Charger bricked by a transmission issue after trying to power up the car.

The Charger Daytona’s early launch has already been turbulent, and this certainly isn't making things any better. Let's get a HEMI in this thing.

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