P0562 on Dodge: How to Diagnose & Fix

The alternator can fail prematurely, causing charging system warnings and potential stalling. The battery may not charge properly, leading to electrical issues and eventually a no-start condition. High electrical loads from factory or aftermarket accessories can accelerate alternator wear.

The alternator can fail prematurely, causing charging system issues. The Durango has many electrical systems that put demand on the charging system. High electrical loads accelerate alternator wear.

Alternators fail prematurely due to bearing wear, voltage regulator failure, and internal diode damage. Stops charging battery properly causing electrical system problems and eventually dead battery. Sometimes overcharges, damaging electrical components.

The Dodge Challenger has two distinct, well-documented power-steering complaints on the pre-2015 LC/LX-platform cars, and both are flagged by RepairPal as common problems (MotorBiscuit lists "a loud power steering system" among the four most-reported Challenger issues). FIRST, a HYDRAULIC NOISE: owners hear a honk, hiss, groan, or whine from the steering during low-speed parking-lot maneuvers, worst when turning the wheel toward full lock. RepairPal documents this as a recognized concern on 2008-2012 Challengers; Chrysler addressed it with TSB 19-005-10 ("Steering Gear Honk, Hiss or Groan During Low Speed Parking Lot Maneuvers," superseding 19-003-09), which traces the noise to the power-steering return hose and, in some cases, the steering gear (rack). Fluid aeration, a low or contaminated fluid level, and worn pump vanes/bearings produce the same groan/whine. SECOND, an ASSIST-LOSS failure on EHPS cars: 2011-2014 Challengers with the 3.6L Pentastar or 5.7L HEMI use an electro-hydraulic power-steering (EHPS) pump that depends on the charging system. Under NHTSA recall 17V-435 (Chrysler recall T36, ~442,214 vehicles across Challenger/Charger/300/Durango/Grand Cherokee), the alternator can suffer diode thermal fatigue specifically because of the cyclical electrical loads the EHPS pump imposes; when the diodes fail, system voltage drops, the EHPS pump shuts down, the steering goes heavy, and the vehicle can stall without warning (failed diodes can also short and cause heat/smoke/fire). Note the engine/fluid split: 3.6L/5.7L EHPS cars require Mopar Electric Power Steering Fluid, while the conventional hydraulic SRT8/392 (6.1L/6.4L) and base V6 systems use ATF+4 — using the wrong fluid causes noise, seal damage, and pump failure. This entry is distinct from the later electronic-EPS-rack failure on the 2015+ refreshed Challenger (recalls S19/16V-167 and VB8/19V-812), which is a different rack design and root cause.

The Dodge Challenger has a well-documented tendency to stall or shut off completely without warning while driving — a top-3 engine-category complaint at NHTSA and one of the most-reported electrical/engine problems at CarComplaints. There are two primary, separately documented root causes that present the same symptom. (1) ALTERNATOR FAILURE (3.6L Pentastar, and later 5.7L/6.4L with electro-hydraulic power steering). Chrysler began investigating stalling complaints on 2011-2012 Dodge Chargers in August 2014 and found thermal fatigue of the silicon diodes inside the alternator. The large, intermittent current draw of the electro-hydraulic power-steering (EHPS) pump thermally stresses the diodes until the alternator fails suddenly. This became NHTSA recall 14V634 (Chrysler P60), covering ~434,000 2011-2014 Chrysler 300, Dodge Charger, Challenger, Durango, and 2012-2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee vehicles with the 3.6L engine and 160-amp alternator (remedy began Feb 27, 2015). It was later expanded under NHTSA recall 17V435 (remedy began Feb 12, 2018) to additional 2011-2014 cars with EHPS and 5.7L or 3.6L engines. NHTSA's stated consequence for both: "If the alternator fails, the vehicle may stall without warning, increasing the risk of a crash," with an additional risk of an underhood fire from a short circuit. (2) TIPM (Totally Integrated Power Module) / FUEL-PUMP-RELAY FAILURE (2008-2014, all engines). The TIPM is the car's central fuse/relay/electrical-distribution computer. When it (or its internal fuel-pump relay) degrades, owners report the engine stalling or shutting off mid-drive, intermittent no-starts, flickering lights, and multiple simultaneous warning lights (check engine, traction control/ESC, ABS). CarComplaints documents this on the 2009 Challenger ("engine shuts down while driving," 7 complaints, severity 8.6/10, ~$800 average repair, ~43,300 miles) and the 2013 Challenger ("bad TIPM," 12 complaints, severity 7.2/10, ~$940 average repair, ~43,050 miles). Because the engine quits unexpectedly, the driver loses power steering and (on automatics) power braking assist while the car is in motion — making this a genuine safety hazard, especially in intersections, on highway merges, and during turns. Multiple NHTSA complaints describe near-crashes and crashes from sudden loss of power.

A widely reported electrical complaint across nearly all Challenger model years is excessive parasitic battery drain that leaves the car dead overnight or after sitting a few days. A healthy modern vehicle should settle to roughly 25-50 mA of key-off draw once all modules go to sleep; owners reporting this problem measure anywhere from several hundred milliamps to over 2-4 amps, which is enough to flatten a battery in a day or two. There are several distinct, real-world root causes documented across owner forums (ChallengerTalk, ChallengerForumz, Hellcat.org), NHTSA/CarComplaints filings, and repair sites: 1) Smart-glass / one-touch power window self-cycling — the single most-reported cause in NHTSA and CarComplaints/CarProblemZoo data (18+ "battery dead" reports concentrated on 2010-2014, plus 2018). A faulty window switch or window module causes the driver- or passenger-side glass to drop and raise itself a fraction of an inch repeatedly with the key off, running the motor until the battery is dead. Chrysler issued a recall on 2011 cars for a related concern, but owners of 2012+ report the same symptom with no recall. 2) TIPM (Totally Integrated Power Module) faults — the under-hood power/fuse-relay computer controls dozens of circuits and can keep a circuit "awake" or stick a relay closed, producing a steady ~1-2 A draw. TIPM failure is a known weak point on Chrysler/Dodge platforms and a common diagnosis on early (2008-2014) cars. 3) Infotainment / Uconnect radio (RER, 730N, and later Uconnect head units) not entering sleep mode — a hung or buggy radio keeps the accessory bus awake. Owners report dealers pulling the radio fuse to confirm, then resolving it with a head-unit software re-flash (e.g., updating to 18.45.01) or radio replacement; multiple owners also report repeated radio/touchscreen failures on 2015-2017 cars. 4) Stuck switches and accessories — faulty door-jamb/courtesy switches that keep a dome light on, a trunk/glovebox/vanity light staying on, door-lock actuator faults, or aftermarket add-ons (alarms, amps, dash cams) wired to a constant-hot circuit. 5) Alternator diode failure — a shorted rectifier diode lets current bleed backward through the alternator with the engine off; some owners also have a charging fault where the PCM voltage regulation is at fault, so a new alternator alone does not fix it. 6) Hellcat / supercharged charge-air-cooler (intercooler) auxiliary coolant pump not shutting off — on 2015+ supercharged cars the aux pump can fail to power down (often after coolant intrudes into the connector or a loose intake-box ground), running the pump and killing the battery in as little as 3 days; this typically also sets charge-air-cooler pump DTCs (P023B, U02A9). SRT models from 2018+ include a "Storage Mode" that reduces key-off draw and should be enabled when parking.

The 2011-2014 Dodge Challenger is the subject of two overlapping NHTSA safety recalls for sudden alternator failure, and CarComplaints.com ranks alternator failure among the worst-reported electrical problems on the 2012 model year (its lowest-rated year overall). The root cause is thermal fatigue of the alternator's internal silicon rectifier diodes: repeated heat cycling cracks the diodes, producing rapid, near-warningless failure that can manifest as no output, reduced output, or a fully shorted-to-ground condition. Recall 14V634 (filed October 2014, remedy began February 2015, Chrysler campaign P60) covers 2011-2014 Chrysler 300, Dodge Charger, Challenger and Durango plus 2012-2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee built April 22, 2010 to January 2, 2014 with the 3.6L Pentastar V6 and a 160-amp alternator -- roughly 435,000 vehicles. Recall 17V435 (filed November 2017, remedy began February 2018, campaign T36) expanded the population to vehicles with Electro-Hydraulic Power Steering (EHPS) and either the 3.6L V6 or 5.7L V8 HEMI equipped with 160-, 180-, or 220-amp alternators, built August 23, 2010 to July 4, 2014. When the alternator fails the engine can stall without warning, raising crash risk; the voltage collapse can also disable safety systems (ABS / electronic stability control warning lamps illuminate and the systems can drop out) and, on EHPS-equipped cars, cause loss of power-steering assist, making the vehicle hard to control. In a worst-case shorted condition the alternator can overheat and catch fire. CarComplaints owners report failures clustering around 40,000-55,000 miles -- typically just outside the 36,000-mile basic warranty -- with whining/hissing from the engine bay, flickering ABS and traction-control lights, dimming headlights and interior lights, burning smells, and in several cases visible smoke or fire before complete shutdown.

Alternators fail prematurely, often around 60,000-80,000 miles. The 2.4L models are especially prone. Symptoms progress from dim lights to battery drain to complete electrical failure.