Update 1: Dodge responded to our questions regarding the story on the 2023 Challenger Hellcat Jailbreak and clarified that it did not void the warranty, but instead, denied warranty-covered repairs due to emissions tampering. It directed our attention to page 11 of the 2023 Dodge Challenger Warranty Information booklet, which states:
- “Your warranties do not cover the costs of repairing damage or conditions caused by any of the following: [Fourth bullet] Tampering with the emission systems, or with a part that could affect the emission systems.”
We have asked Dodge to provide further clarification on what constituted emissions tampering in this specific case and will update the article once we receive their response. We have also made changes to the story to reflect this new information.
Update 2: Dodge has confirmed to Carscoops that PCM tampering was the reason it denied this coverage and not the muffler delete.
“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 Dodge spokesperson told us. “I haven’t seen anything on our end regarding mufflers (ie not the issue),” he added.
We’ve asked for clarification on how the tech found said tampering. Our original story with added information follows below.
If there’s one thing that the Dodge Challenger hangs its hat on, it’s performance through raw horsepower. In fact, part of the schtick with the Challenger Hellcat Jailbreak edition which comes with software tuning that adds a bit of power. Despite that, one customer claims that the automaker denied his warranty coverage for deleting a mid-muffler.
That customer is Brennon Vinet who initially posted on Facebook about his damaged 2023 Challenger Hellcat Widebody Jailbreak back on April 14th. Among other things, he said that “They 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.”
Vinet shared documents from that service appointment showing zero compression on cylinder seven. On April 26th, he updated the Dodge Challenger Owners Club saying that he spoke both to Dodge CEO Tim Kuniskis and executive VP Steve Stander before the dealer denied his coverage. The reason? Evidently, because Dodge believes Vinet tuned the car.
More: Do Dodge Hellcat Jailbreak Auction Winners Know What They’re Buying?
In that same post , Vinet stated that “The car was NEVER MODIFIED with anything ever.” However, he later wrote that Dodge denied his claim specifically over a ‘mid-muffler’ delete. Vinet also shared with Carscoops a photo of a report about the incident. Although the entire language is not visible in the photo, it’s clear that the page does say “vehicle has been tuned… warranty due to emissions tampering.”
While that could indeed refer to some sort of aftermarket tuning, it seems unlikely that it would be about a post-catalytic converter exhaust modification. Either way, Vinet called the dealer out in a now-deleted post. “If you get a mid muffler [sic] delete on a dodge vehicle it voids the warranty end of story. 2023 Hellcat wide body jailbreak denies warranty on new motor with 790 miles for mid muffler delete. They said it changes the parameters of the engine.”
If Vinet’s claims are true, it would seem as though Dodge is wrongfully asking him to drop $36,000 on a ruined engine that’s got less than 1,000 miles on it. However, if there was some sort of faulty tune on the engine it’s certainly plausible that it could’ve nuked a motor that quickly. We’ve reached out to Dodge regarding the incident and conflict and will update this story should we hear back.
