P0563: How to Diagnose & Fix — System Voltage High

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.

Ford Transit vans experience premature alternator failure, often between 50,000-80,000 miles. The internal voltage regulator fails first, causing undercharging or overcharging conditions. Commercial Transit vans with aftermarket upfitter packages (extra lighting, inverters, refrigeration units) are particularly susceptible due to sustained high electrical loads. Symptoms often start as intermittent battery warnings before progressing to a no-start condition.

eTorque (mild-hybrid) Wranglers replace the conventional alternator/starter with a 48V belt-driven motor-generator (BSG/MGU) plus a 48V power pack unit (PPU) and a 12V system. Owners report charging-system failures, battery warning lights, rough/failed auto-starts during stop-start cycling, voltage drops, stalling, and no-starts. The most common culprit is the 48V PPU rather than the MGU itself, though both fail. The MGU/BSG (Mopar 68452771AF) is expensive and, once replaced, must be programmed with the dealer scan tool or it will not function. Components fall under the 8-year/80k-mile hybrid warranty, but out-of-warranty repairs are costly.

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.

The alternator (or its integrated voltage regulator) commonly wears out around 100,000-150,000 miles, showing a battery/charging warning light, headlights and dash lights that dim at idle and brighten with revs, and eventually a no-start from a dead battery. On 9th-gen cars a persistent 'check charging system' light can also stem from the battery-management sensor (see the 17V-418 recall) rather than the alternator, so the charging fault must be pinpointed before parts are replaced.