ZF8HP Dodge Charger Common Problems and Fixes

The Charger eight-speed is not one transmission. Depending on the year and engine, the car in your bay has an 845RE, a ZF-built 8HP45, an 8HP70, an 8HP90 or an 850RE, and every FCA bulletin that matters is gated by that sales code and a build date. Get the build sheet before you diagnose anything, because a 2-1 bump on a 2013 V6 is a valve body job and the same complaint on a 2016 Hemi car is a reflash.

This guide runs through the problems FCA actually documented on the LD Charger, what each one feels like from the driver's seat, and what fixes it. For the platform-wide ZF view see our ZF8HP common problems guide.

Recommended ZF 8HP parts for Charger shift problems

A 3.6L 845RE/8HP45 valve body for the 2-1 bump that software does not cure, a mechatronic solenoid kit for out-of-range solenoids, and an 8HP70 pan, filter and ATF kit for V8 cars. Match the part to your sales code. Secure checkout on our own site.

845RE ZF8HP45 Valve Body - Charger Challenger 300 RAM 3.6L

$413.99View part

ZF 8HP45/8HP70 Mechatronic Solenoid Kit, 9-Piece

$175.99View part

ZF 8HP70 Transmission Pan, Filter & ATF Kit RAM/Jeep/Dodge

$254.99View part

Which Eight-Speed Is in the Car

The V6 went eight-speed first. FCA's recall report for 16V-240 lists 2012-2014 Chargers with the 3.6L, eight-speed automatic and monostable shifter. The V8 cars did not follow right away: FCA bulletin 21-049-15 still covers 2013 Chargers with the five-speed WA580 (sales code DGJ) behind the 3.6L, 5.7L and 6.4L, so a 2012-2014 Hemi car is a five-speed and does not belong in this article. The 5.7L got the 8HP70 (DFK) for 2015, per bulletin 21-022-15.

The DFL/DFG split is real and it matters for bulletins: FCA's 2015 and 2016 V6 flashes (21-023-15 Rev. B, 21-063-15, 21-023-16) name both codes on the LD Charger. Sonnax's ZF8 webinar notes the 845RE is the 8HP45 design built by Chrysler in Kokomo, Indiana, with ratios of 4.71, 3.14, 2.10, 1.67, 1.29, 1.00, 0.84 and 0.67 and a 3.30 reverse. Internally they share the same layout: two brakes (A and B), three clutches (C, D and E), and a mechatronic with the TCM bolted to the valve body.

Problem 1: The Harsh 2-1 Downshift on the V6

This is the classic Charger 845RE complaint. The driver feels a bump or clunk right as the car rolls to a stop, usually under light braking. FCA's bulletin 21-041-14 (December 10, 2014) for 2013 Chargers and 300s with the 3.6L and 845RE says it can happen at any transmission temperature, is most noticeable during light braking or coasting to a stop, and sets no DTCs.

The fix depends on the model year:

• 2013 V6: bulletin 21-041-14 replaces the valve body. The test is simple: drive to at least 25 mph so it shifts past 2nd, bring it to a stop with light braking, and feel for the bump. If it is there, the valve body comes out (FCA kit RL259301AA, fluid 68218925AA, 1.7 hours including the TCM flash, plus 0.2 for AWD), and the job ends with the 8-speed shift adaptation drive learn.
• 2014 V6: bulletin 21-003-14 Rev. A is TCM software "to correct a harsh bump feel during a 2-1 downshift" on LD and LX 3.6L cars with the 845RE. The same flash enables the scan-tool Quick Learn and fixes a false P215C (output shaft speed, wheel speed correlation) on AWD Chargers, which 21-031-14 covered first.
• 2015-2016 V6: 21-041-17 lists "harsh 2-1 downshift or bump at low speeds" for the 8HP45 DFG cars, and 21-023-16 adds 2-1 quality on the sister Challenger.

If the calibration is current and the bump is still there, look at the valve body. Sonnax documents wear in the TC-V (converter clutch valve) bore causing dragging or bumpy downshift complaints, because the converter clutch does not release fast enough as the car slows. That is why a 2013 car went to a valve body and not just software.

Problem 2: The Check Engine Light With P1DCD, P1B13 or P0734

2015 V6 Chargers had a run of false transmission codes. Bulletin 21-023-15 Rev. B (August 21, 2015) covers LD cars with the 3.6L and 845RE built March 9 to June 26, 2015, and LD cars with the 8HP45 built on or before June 27, 2015. On the 845RE cars FCA lists an "erroneous" MIL with:

• P1DCD: TCM monitoring processor performance, multiple clutches locked up
• P1B13: Park-by-wire unintended out of Park position
• P0734: gear 4 shift incorrect ratio

The repair is a TCM reflash. Bulletin 21-041-17 (September 12, 2017) later rolled the same codes into a broader 2015 flash for both DFL and DFG cars. Before you order hard parts for a P0734, check the TCM software level against these bulletins. A false ratio code on a car that drives normally is software until a road test with the scan tool says otherwise.

Problem 3: High Shift Points and No 7th or 8th After a Radio Update

This one sends people looking for slipping clutches that are not there. Bulletin 21-041-17 describes 2015 3.6L Chargers where, during a flash-over-the-air (FOTA) radio update, the transmission shift points default high: it shifts at high RPM and 7th and 8th may be blocked. The car feels like it is stuck in a low gear on the highway. The fix is the TCM flash in that bulletin, not a rebuild. If an owner says it started right after the radio updated itself, believe them.

Problem 4: Hanging or Delayed Upshifts

The most common drivability complaint across 2015-2016 Chargers is an upshift that hangs. FCA describes it the same way in several bulletins: hanging or delayed upshift when braking downhill or after hard acceleration, and a hang when the driver lifts off the pedal quickly. It is covered on the V6 by 21-063-15 and 21-023-16 (LD built on or before May 31, 2016, DFL or DFG) and on the 5.7L 8HP70 by 21-062-15 and 21-026-16 (built on or before June 6, 2016). The 2015 5.7L cars built on or before February 28, 2015 also have 21-022-15 for weak WOT upshifts and downshifts while coasting, braking or passing. All of these are TCM software.

On the 6.4L 8HP70 and the Hellcat 8HP90, bulletin 21-028-16 (cars built on or before August 5, 2016) addresses a poor 3-2, 2-1 or 6-5 coast-down shift, again with a reflash.

Problem 5: The 2019 V6 That Shows D and Does Not Move

Bulletin 21-030-20 (April 7, 2020, also RRT 20-025) covers 2019 Chargers built on or before January 25, 2019 with the 3.6L and the 850RE (DFT). After a cold start, in rare cases, the car can be shifted into Drive and will not move; shifting to Park and back to Drive clears it. The fix is a TCM reflash. Nothing inside the transmission is broken, so do not condemn it on that complaint alone.

Problem 6: Getting Out While It Is Not in Park

The 2012-2014 V6 Charger's monostable shifter returns to center after every selection, and drivers got out of cars that were not in Park. FCA's Part 573 report for recall 16V-240 (FCA S27) lists 2012-2014 Chargers with the 3.6L and eight-speed built February 15, 2011 to November 27, 2014, in a total population of 811,586 vehicles across the Charger, 300 and Grand Cherokee. Run the VIN for open recalls on any car with a shifter or Park complaint before chasing the transmission.

How to Diagnose a Charger Eight-Speed

The order that saves the most time:

1. Sales code and build date. Pull them from the build sheet and match them against the bulletins above. Half of what comes in is covered by a flash.
2. TCM software level. If it is not current, flash it first. FCA's rule on every one of these flashes: put a charger on so the battery stays above 13.2 volts and does not climb past 13.5 volts, restart the flash if it aborts, and do not clear the shift adaptives, because the transmission may not shift smoothly until they relearn.
3. Fluid level. There is no dipstick. ZF's oil filling specification for the 8HP family sets the basic check at 30-50 C oil temperature, filled at the fill plug until it runs out. Low oil from a pan, cooler line or mechatronic sleeve leak (see our 8HP sleeve leak guide) is what turns a shift complaint into burned frictions.
4. Codes and data. Graph input and output speed and TCM oil temperature on a road test. A ratio code with clean oil and a correct level after a current flash is when you start looking at hardware.
5. Electrical checks on the mechatronic. Sonnax gives the solenoid layout for the 8HP45/70 (EDS-1 A, EDS-2 TCC, EDS-3 B, EDS-4 E, EDS-5 C, EDS-6 D, EDS-7 line pressure, MV-1 Park) and puts the solenoids at 5 to 6 ohms depending on temperature.
6. Converter clutch check. Sonnax's TCC test uses the PZT pressure tap: about 30 psi in D at a stop, dropping to about 20 psi at 14 mph in 1st when the TCC applies.

GEARS Magazine's write-up on 8HP shift strategy is worth reading before any of this, because it explains how the TCM falls back: with no TCM power at start the unit stays in Park, and if it loses power moving forward it holds 6th. A car that "only has one gear" and no codes in other modules may simply have a TCM that is not powered or not communicating.

When It Does Need Parts

• Bump on the 2-1 after a current flash, 3.6L: valve body, as FCA did in 21-041-14, followed by the shift adaptation drive learn.
• Solenoid circuit or pressure codes with out-of-range resistance: solenoids or the valve body assembly.
• Pan full of friction material, slip in multiple gears: a rebuild. Low oil kills the A and B brakes first, because every forward gear and reverse uses them.

After any valve body, mechatronic or clutch work, run the drive learn. A repaired car that has not learned can feel harsh enough that the owner thinks the repair failed.

Keeping a Charger Eight-Speed Healthy

• Keep the TCM calibration current. It is the fix for most of what FCA documented.
• Check the fill-plug level at 30-50 C any time there is a damp case or a new shift complaint.
• Use the specified ZF 8-speed fluid (FCA's 845RE bulletins call for 68218925AA) and no additives. Our ZF8HP fluid type and capacity guide covers the details.
• Fix pan, cooler line and sleeve leaks when you find them, not when the car stops shifting.

Frequently Asked Questions

What transmission is in my Dodge Charger?

It depends on year and engine. 2012-2014 3.6L V6 Chargers use the 845RE eight-speed (sales code DFL), and some 2015-2016 V6 cars got the ZF-built 8HP45 (DFG). V8 Chargers kept the five-speed W5A580 through 2014 and moved to the 8HP70 (DFK) for 2015, the Hellcat uses the 8HP90 (DFE), and later 3.6L cars use the 850RE (DFT). The sales code on the build sheet settles it.

Why does my Charger clunk when slowing down to a stop?

On 3.6L Chargers the most common cause is the harsh 2-1 downshift, which FCA addressed with TCM software in bulletin 21-003-14 Rev. A and, on 2013 cars, with a valve body replacement in bulletin 21-041-14. V8 8HP70 and SRT cars have their own coast-down shift bulletins, 21-026-16 and 21-028-16. Check the TCM calibration and the fluid level before replacing parts.

What do codes P1DCD and P1B13 mean on a Charger?

P1DCD is TCM monitoring processor performance, multiple clutches locked up, and P1B13 is Park-by-wire unintended out of Park position. On 2015 3.6L Chargers with the 845RE, FCA bulletins 21-023-15 Rev. B and 21-041-17 describe these as erroneous MIL events and fix them with a TCM reflash, along with P0734.

Is the Charger 8-speed transmission reliable?

The hard parts hold up well when the fluid level is right and the software is current. Most Charger 8-speed complaints in FCA's bulletins are shift-quality and false-code issues fixed by TCM reflash, not broken gear trains. The ones that do need parts are usually valve body, solenoid or leak related, and low fluid from a leak is what turns a minor complaint into burned clutches.