Dodge Charger Daytona EV Buyer Left Waiting Months for His Car Amid Repair Delays
A Promising Lease Turns Into a Waiting Game
What began as an exciting opportunity to lease one of the most talked-about electric muscle cars on the market has turned into a drawn-out ordeal. Seventy-nine days after signing a lease for a Dodge Charger Daytona EV, one California buyer still doesn’t have the car he paid for — and is left driving a loaner Jeep Compass instead of the high-powered modern muscle coupe he anticipated.
Back in late September, the buyer finalized a lease for a 2025 Dodge Charger Daytona R/T, a model producing 456 horsepower and 404 lb-ft of torque. The deal was too good to resist — a one-pay lease of $4,662 that would cover all 24 months, including California taxes and 10,000 miles per year. Even factoring in a $1,295 Mopar protection plan, the total effectively came out to just $135 per month. The lease included no extra fees or mileage restrictions, and even covered normal wear-and-tear costs at turn-in.
Dodge’s aggressive incentives were part of what made the deal possible. Thanks to the $7,500 federal EV lease credit, along with approximately $14,500 in total rebates and discounts, the buyer saw the initial $62,685 MSRP reduced to around $41,500. The vehicle’s demonstrator status — having logged just over 1,300 miles — further contributed to the steep markdown. When everything was calculated, Stellantis, Dodge’s parent company, had nearly $25,000 invested on paper in the lease agreement. The buyer knew that the car wasn’t immediately available, as it required what had been described as minor repairs. What he didn’t know was that those repairs would spiral into an extended saga.
Delay After Delay
Initially, the vehicle was promised for delivery within a week. Weeks passed without progress, and the buyer found himself handed multiple loaner cars. By October, he was driving his third — a rental Jeep Compass. Though it functioned fine, it was hardly a substitute for a futuristic performance EV that promised tire-shredding torque and an aggressive design.
On October 9, he finally received the temporary vehicle and opened a case with Dodge’s customer care team to keep the process moving. Two days later, a service advisor told him the Charger would be ready soon. But the good news was short-lived. When the dealership eventually followed up, they revealed that additional technical issues had surfaced, requiring new wiring for the high-voltage battery.
A sequence of hopeful updates and disappointments followed. At one point, a technician sent a text message saying the car was ready — only to quickly correct it with a follow-up: “Sorry, wrong text.”
Technicians identified more issues, including a faulty A/C compressor, and later determined that a replacement power inverter module was needed. Despite repeated assurances that parts were on the way, each week seemed to bring a new delay. Communication became increasingly strained, with the buyer calling Stellantis multiple times in a week and often failing to reach anyone who could provide meaningful updates.
Going Public With Frustration
After nearly two months of waiting, the buyer decided to share his experience publicly. On LinkedIn, he posted about the situation with humor, dubbing himself “Technical Program Manager of Trying To Get the Car I Paid for Back in September.” The post gained traction, and soon after, Stellantis contacted him directly. An executive-level manager reached out to apologize, promising that the issue would be escalated internally.
To their credit, Stellantis acknowledged the inconvenience and offered compensation: a $3,134 payment meant to cover the equivalent of monthly loan payments for the ongoing delay. The buyer appreciated the gesture, though tangible progress on the vehicle’s repair still lagged.
A Symbol of a Larger Problem
As of early December, Stellantis engineers had ordered another round of replacement components and requested further disassembly of the car — meaning that the timeline for delivery was once again pushed back. For the lessee, the experience has become emblematic of what can go wrong when a cutting-edge product meets corporate disorganization.
The Charger Daytona EV symbolizes Dodge’s bold leap into the electrified future — a striking, two-door design inspired by muscle car heritage, yet loaded with contemporary electric performance technology. In a landscape of indistinguishable crossover EVs, the Daytona stands out as a stylistic statement. Unfortunately, for this particular buyer, that statement remains hypothetical.
Stellantis issued a brief statement emphasizing that its customer care team is in communication with dealerships to resolve cases like this. The company underscored that its retailers have access to escalation tools and support processes to improve part availability and service timelines.
Meanwhile, the customer continues to wait. Months into ownership, his experience remains defined not by horsepower or acceleration but by missed deadlines and endless follow-ups. He jokes that disappointment seems to be part of the Stellantis ownership package.
Dreams on Hold
When he signed the lease, he imagined driving his Charger Daytona down California’s scenic coastlines, enjoying the blend of muscle car bravado and EV innovation. Instead, he’s left with receipts, emails, and a VIN representing a car he’s still never driven.
As he puts it, “I’ve got three months of ownership with no ownership.” While Stellantis continues to troubleshoot the unresolved issues, the buyer awaits the day that his once-incredible deal transforms into an actual driving experience, rather than an extended lesson in patience and corporate bureaucracy.