What breaks most · 1995 to 2015 model years
Dodge Avenger problems by year
Owners have filed 2,562 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Dodge Avenger across model years 1995 to 2015. Three years stand out: 2008 for powertrain and transmission complaints, 2012 for air bags complaints and 2013 for air bags complaints. The quietest years are 2007, 2000 and 2009.
- Years to check closely: 2008, 2012, 2013
- Fewest complaints: 2007, 2000, 2009
- Complaints on file
- 25621995 to 2015, all trims
- Worst year
- 2008768 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 21056 fires · 184 injuries · 1 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 65kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 55Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 195 | 24 | 3 | Suspension (59) | |
| 157 | 19 | 3 | Suspension (59) | |
| 83 | 15 | 6 | Suspension (19) | |
| 58 | 14 | 6 | Suspension (17) | |
| 62 | 6 | 5 | Brakes (hydraulic) (15) | |
| 22 | 0 | 5 | Powertrain and transmission (6) | |
| 2 | 0 | 4 | Engine and cooling (2) | |
| 768 | 34 | 6 | Powertrain and transmission (223) | |
| 52 | 3 | 2 | Electrical system (9) | |
| 128 | 16 | 3 | Electrical system (31) | |
| 163 | 10 | 3 | Unknown or other (39) | |
| 400 | 30 | 3 | Unknown or other (100) | |
| 334 | 21 | 5 | Air bags (116) | |
| 137 | 18 | 1 | Air bags (51) | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | Powertrain and transmission (1) |
What fails on the 2008 Dodge Avenger
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 29% |
223 | 2 | Shop powertrain and transmission parts for the 2008 Dodge Avenger |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 26% |
197 | 3 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2008 Dodge Avenger |
| Speed control and throttleThrottle and pedal sensors | 18% |
135 | 1 | Shop speed control and throttle parts for the 2008 Dodge Avenger |
| EngineEngine gaskets and seals | 13% |
97 | 2 | Shop engine parts for the 2008 Dodge Avenger |
| Air bags | 11% |
82 | 20 | Check recalls for air bags on NHTSA.gov |
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 8% |
61 | 4 | Shop engine and cooling parts for the 2008 Dodge Avenger |
| Unknown or other | 5% |
40 | 3 | — |
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 4% |
31 | 0 | Shop fuel system parts for the 2008 Dodge Avenger |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
-
Car shuts off when put in drive, if not it will jerk really hard and shut off . It's as if the transmission locks up and it cuts the car off. Almost cause and accident a couple of times . I do not feel safe driving the car
-
When opening the door a clicking noise coming from the dash. Closed the door and stayed inside a few minutes & it started clicking again. I had to replace the tie rods at 63,000 and the sway bar clip is broken.
-
When vehicle is at operating temperature the passenger side has no heat and was told by a mechanic that the heater core needs replaced due to the coolant that's in the system. The drivers see has heat but not the passenger side
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 30, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Dodge Avenger years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2008, 2012, 2013 carry the most filings on the Dodge Avenger. The 2008 alone has 768 complaints, led by powertrain and transmission.
What is the most common Dodge Avenger problem?
On the 2008 model year, the most-reported component is powertrain and transmission with 223 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Dodge Avenger problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Dodge Avenger complaints that include mileage is about 65,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.