According to Dodge CEO Tim Kuniskis, "More than 150 cars are stolen every day in the United States," which sucks, especially for owners of muscle cars like the Dodge Charger and Challenger, which are often targeted by thieves and joyriders because of their high horsepower. To counter theft, Dodge Tuesday announced a new Security Mode that limits the Hemi engine to idle speed, hindering high-speed getaways and aiding in vehicle recovery.
The feature will be available as a no-charge upgrade for the Challenger and Charger, retroactively applied to 2015-2021 model-year RT Scat Pack models with the 6.4-liter Hemi V8 and SRT Hellcats packing the supercharged 6.2-liter Hemi V8.
While active, Security Mode limits the V8 to idle speed (about 675 rpm), effectively locking the Hemi at around 2.8 horsepower and 22 pound-feet of torque. Restricted to low-speed creeping, Dodge reckons, joyriders will be deterred and even determined thieves will be more easily apprehended by law enforcement without fear of high-speed chases or collisions.
The Security Mode update deters thieves by nerfing all of the fun out of the Hemi V8.
To enable Security Mode, owners can add a four-digit security code to the Uconnect infotainment that activates the new feature and helps protect against key-code-spoofing thieves that steal by replicating the radio signal from the vehicle's electronic fob. A four-digit pin isn't infallible, but like two-factor authentication on your banking software, this adds an extra barrier of security to frustrate thieves.
The new Security Mode update to be available for free at local Dodge dealerships late in the second quarter of 2021.