Used Dodge Magnum Buying Guide: 2005-2008 Engines, Recalls and Problems

The used Dodge Magnum most people should buy is an SXT with the 3.5 V6 or an R/T with the 5.7 Hemi, ideally AWD if you get real snow, and the deal isn't done until the VIN shows both air bag inflator recalls closed: 15V313 for the driver side and 16V352 for the passenger side, which between them reach all four Magnum model years. The 2.7-liter SE is the cheap one, and its engine has a reputation worth understanding before you pay anything for it.

Dodge sold the Magnum for four model years. IIHS notes on its Magnum page that it was discontinued after 2008 and that the Chrysler 300's frontal crash ratings apply to it. This Saturday, October 17, 2026, I pulled all 13 recall campaigns NHTSA lists for it and reread Consumer Guide's file and Car and Driver's tests, including a 40,000-mile long-term R/T.

Engines and trims, quickly

Consumer Guide's 2005-08 Magnum file lays it out. The Magnum replaced the Intrepid and shared its platform with the Chrysler 300. The SE got a 190-hp 2.7-liter V6, rear drive and a four-speed automatic. The SXT got a 250-hp V6 with rear or all-wheel drive, and the R/T a 340-hp 5.7 Hemi with cylinder deactivation, also rear or AWD; both used a five-speed automatic. Dodge quoted 11.3 seconds to 60 for the SE, which is slow for a car this size. If you'd rather have the sedan, see our used Chrysler 300 and used Dodge Charger guides.

The SRT8 is its own animal. Car and Driver's SRT8 test lists a 425-hp 6.1-liter Hemi, 0 to 60 in 5.1 seconds, a 13.6-second quarter mile, Brembo brakes and 20-inch summer tires, at $37,995 new. Consumer Guide says the SRT8 isn't rated for towing and wants 91 octane. Check that a "SRT8" is real with our Dodge VIN decoder guide; an SRT8 badge and 20-inch wheels are easy to bolt onto an R/T.

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The 2.7 sludge story, in proportion

Consumer Reports' engine sludge page says the Center for Auto Safety logged over 3,000 sludge complaints for 1998-2005 models, mostly about the 2.7 V6 in pre-2003 Intrepids, and that Chrysler set up an arbitration program for owners who could prove on-time oil changes. The Magnum version was changed. A 2005 Plain Dealer story reprinted by the Center quotes a Chrysler chief engineer saying the original small oil pan "took away the margin," and reports that the 2.7 got a larger six-quart pan when it went into the 2005 300 and Magnum. So a Magnum SE isn't the engine most of those complaints were about. I'd still walk away from one without oil change records, because a resale buyer can't prove the last owner's maintenance.

Recalls to clear by VIN

15V313, 2005-2008: the driver's dual-stage inflator can take on moisture and rupture. NHTSA's remedy text tells owners not to drive the car until it's repaired.
16V352 (2005-2008) and 14V770 (2005): passenger inflators that can rupture after long exposure to heat and humidity, assigned by the state where the car was sold or registered.
14V567, 2008 built May 23, 2007 to May 12, 2008: the key fob can stick between Start and On, and the ignition can slip to Off or Accessory while driving. Dealers replace the switch and fobs.
08V295, 2008: rear axle hub nuts missing a crimp can loosen and let a halfshaft disengage.
06V341 and 06V493, 2007: software that can briefly lock the drive wheels on a Drive-Neutral-Drive shift above 40 mph, and ABS software that can lock the rear brakes. Both are reflashes.
05V460, 2005-2006 with the 42RLE automatic: a misinstalled cup plug can keep the car from going into Park. 06V149, 2006 2.7: rear brake lines can rub through on the EGR tube.

Check the car at NHTSA's recall API and confirm completion with our Dodge recall check by VIN steps. If the history shows a deployed air bag, read our air bag deployed on CARFAX post, because a replacement module installed after a crash can still be on a recall list.

What wore out on a real one

Car and Driver's long-term R/T needed front rotors turned and later replaced for pulsation, an A/C expansion valve, a satellite radio receiver, broken sun visor clips and, right after 36,000 miles, front anti-roll bar links and bushings. Testers still said it felt tight at 40,000 miles, but complained about the tiny rear quarter windows. Consumer Guide adds a cowl seam leak that soaks the front floor on 2006-07 cars, a transmission solenoid leak on 2005s, and a 2007 oil warning light flicker on the 3.5 from a wire rubbing the A/C pulley. Pull back the front carpet. Damp padding on a Magnum is either that leak or something worse, and only one of them shows up as a flood brand.

Before paying, search NMVTIS for title brands and get your own history report; a Hemi wagon with a "clean" seller printout is exactly where I'd want to see the accident section myself. CarVins is a licensed CARFAX and AutoCheck reseller, not affiliated with CARFAX, AutoCheck, Experian or Stellantis. As of mid October 2026, reports run about $5.50 for guests, $4.50 or so for members and roughly $6.75 for the pair, where retail is $39.99 to $44.99. The checkout price is the real one.