10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
3 / 6
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
50,501 miles

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« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #24

Oct 232011

Avenger

  • 19,014 miles
This is a car imported into Mexico. Manufactured at usa car just started shaking, took it to the authorized dealer/service center who is now arguing it is not warranty despite car had service at 30,000 km and previous maintenances. No reason that a motor may present this kind of big failures with just 30000 km. No alarms shown on controls nor other warnings.

- Aguascalientes, OH, USA

problem #23

Oct 252011

Avenger 4-cyl

  • 56,100 miles
I was driving on a turnpike when I heard a loud explosion and my car started to shake violently and smoke was pouring out of the engine compartment. I slowed the car down and immediately pulled over to the shoulder. I got out of my car and opened the hood of the car and there was a fire coming out of both sides from underneath the engine. I had just had my oil changed the week prior and when the engine caught on fire it was from all the oil that sprayed out. I had the car towed and when the insurance adjuster and the mechanic looked at the engine they said that is was purely engine failure from mechanical reasons and not from a collision of any kind that caused the engine to blow up.

- Thorndale, PA, USA

problem #22

Dec 012009

Avenger

  • 3,000 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Dodge Avenger. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled without warning while driving 70 mph. The failure was experienced numerous times. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who performed a diagnostic that was unable to locate a failure code. The dealer also test drove the vehicle, but was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was repaired. A local mechanic replaced the motor. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 3,000 and the current mileage was not available.

- Lake Charles , LA, USA

problem #21

Sep 192011

Avenger 4-cyl

  • 110,000 miles
We were driving on the highway about 65 mph when our electric throttle control indicator light along with our engine light came on. When this happened we did not have a speedometer or RPM gauge. All of the lights that are related to the shifter (park, neutral, drive) also all lit up. The car did continue to drive but had less power. We pulled over and turned the car off. We tried to start it again but it would not start at first. The power locks and truck release would not work either. After about 5 minutes we tried it again and everything worked. The check engine light did stay on but the car drove fine. The engine light is still currently on.

- Temple, TX, USA

problem #20

Jul 012011

Avenger

  • 54,500 miles
I have a 2008 Dodge Avenger that I purchased about one year ago that I pay $350 a month for. My car started having problems about a month ago. It would not hold antifreeze but no visible leak, the car may have ran hot once or twice since this problem started. There was also a recall on my vehicle for an interlock bracket so on June 30 I decided to take my car to bob caldwell Chrysler on morse rd to have them investigate and repair my car (I also had the recall corrected). I told the service tech all the symptoms the car was having so he could properly diagnose my car. He told me I would have to pay $95 to have a diagnostic on my car. After they tested my vehicle I was told it was a small "$35" problem that could be fixed by replacing the radiator cap. I paid them for the replacement thinking this would solve the problem. The very same day the car was having the same problems so I called the dealership to inform them. They told me it was a "bubble in the system the needed to work itself out" and the car should be fine, drive it and call me in the morning if your having the same problem". I took their expert advice but the car did not improve so I took it back to bob caldwell Chrysler. They told me they would run the tests again on my car. When I went back they told me "there is nothing wrong with you car it pass all the test". they even stated I would not tell you to pick up your car if I felt something was wrong or it would damage your car more( I let him know I had this concern) or if there was something wrong, come pick up your car". I went back to get it on the way home from work the car would not pick up speed, there is thick white smoke from the front and back the overflow container under the hood swell up from the pressure looking like it was about to burst. I was driving on the freeway I could have killed myself.

- Columbus, OH, USA

problem #19

Jul 292011

Avenger 4-cyl

  • 47,000 miles
I have a 2008 Dodge Avenger that burst into flames all of a sudden when I was headed home from work during rush hour on a city street doing between 25-30 miles an hour. There was no warning when a man started shouting for me to get out of the car. In another half an hour my kids would have been in the car. This is the third time I've heard of this happening with this Chrysler made car, yet the insurance is giving me the run-A-round. I'm sure with instructions from Chrysler. I need them to pay up, I need to be able to get to work and take my children to day care. I could have been killed cause there is obviously a defect in the engine or fuel system.

- Chicago, IL, USA

problem #18

Jul 202005

Avenger

  • 9,000 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Dodge Avenger. While driving approximately 60 mph, the contact heard a loud noise in the engine area. The contact drove onto the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer for diagnostic testing and stated the engine locked and would need to be replaced. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where the engine was replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the defect. The failure mileage was 9,000. The VIN was unavailable.

- Lake Charles, LA, USA

problem #17

Apr 112011

Avenger 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 74,000 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Dodge Avenger. The contact stated that the vehicle would lose power abnormally and stall whenever it would rain accompanied by an unusual fluctuation in the engine rpms. The failure would occur only when the vehicle was at a complete stop not when the vehicle was in motion. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 74,000 and the current mileage was 75,231. Updated 05/25/11 the consumer was informed there was no remedy for the failure as of yet. Updated 06/03/11

- Lenox, MI, USA

problem #16

Dec 282010

Avenger 4-cyl

  • 51,000 miles
At 51000 miles on my 2008 Dodge Avenger, started smelling antifreeze odor inside the car. Eventually the check engine light and electrical light indicator illuminated and the car ran extremely rough and started to run hot. Eventually engine would lose power then shut off and not be able to restart for a couple of hours. Did not appear to be losing radiator fluid. Took to the dealership and found that the thermostat housing, (made out of plastic) was cracked and it was leaking antifreeze from that point. Had parts replaced. The part and service was warranted for 12 months/12000 miles. 10 months later, but 30000 miles later, current vehicle mileage 81000, same problem occurred again, same parts replaced.

- San Tan Valley, AZ, USA

problem #15

Sep 182010

Avenger

  • 54,900 miles
I was slowing down to make a left hand turn on 9/18 when, in the middle of turning and while there were other vehicles driving towards me, my steering wheel locking in the position it was in, my brake locked so I couldn't slow down, my gas locked and all the dash lights went off. The car stalled. The only thing I was able to do, was put the car in park as fast as possible and turn the car off and back on. Luckily, the cars that were heading right towards me swerved as to not hit me and the car that I was heading straight for was able to move before we had a head on collision. I took the car to the dealership where I bought the vehicle and where I purchased the warranty, and they were unable to diagnose what the problem was. My biggest fear is that I have two small children and have to travel on the freeway next to large semi's and if this happens there, we will surely die in a horrible accident seeing as how my wheel locks as well as my brakes. I only hope that more investigation will be done to prevent that from happening.

- Glendale, AZ, USA

problem #14

Jul 112010

Avenger

  • 25,251 miles
On Saturday 07/10/10 I had driven my car and did some shopping that I needed to do. On Sunday 07/11/10 I was planning to go grocery shopping. I got in my car started the engine and tried to put the car in reverse to get out of my garage. The car would not go into reverse it was stuck in park. After several minutes of trying to get the gear shift to move out of park I gave up and went into the house. On Monday 07/12/10 I had to call a tow truck to come and pick up my car and tow it to the dealership because the car was still stuck in park. When the tow truck driver got to my house he informed me that I was the 3rd Dodge Avenger in the last week that he had to tow to a garage because the gear shift was stuck in park. When I went to pick up my car at the dealership I was talking to the mechanic and he informed me that he had two other Dodge cars in the shop that he was working on that had the same problem as mine. One was a Dodge Avenger and the other was a Dodge magnum. He said that in the last couple of months his shop has been repairing more and more Dodge vehicles with the same problem, gear shift stuck in park. He stated that there were at least 12 - 15 cars in the last month that they had to fix. I feel that someone needs to look into this of why so many Dodge cars gear shifts are getting stuck in park and that Dodge needs to possibly do a recall of this product. I have only had my car 6 months and I feel that this should not have happened.

- Redding, CA, USA

problem #13

Apr 092008

Avenger

  • 19,000 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Dodge Avenger. When the contact started the vehicle the engine stalled; however, the vehicle began functioning normally with no warning lights illuminated on the instrument panel. When the vehicle came to a complete stop it surged forward. The failure occurred intermittently while driving approximately 35 mph. The vehicle had not been repaired for the malfunctions. The current and failure mileages were 19,000.

- Pleasant Prairie, WI, USA

problem #12

Mar 052010

Avenger

  • 65,000 miles
On March 5, 2010 (Friday) - approximately 5:30 P.M., while driving on sunrise highway in long island, New York, an indicator light went on inside my 2008 Dodge Avenger, in the shape of a lightning bolt in my car. Literally 30 seconds later, and before there was time to react at all, my brakes stopped working and there was no way to stop my vehicle. I had just about made it to the exit ramp when I realized by looking in the rearview mirror that there was smoke coming from my car. As I had steered onto the exit ramp, I opened the door and saw flames shooting from the underneath part of my car. Without thinking twice I jumped from the moving vehicle (which at the time still was going at about 20 mph). I was not hurt physically but was extremely shaken up. Another traveler who had pulled up on the service road to help me, informed me that the car was on fire for at least 1/4 of a mile on the highway and that he had been attempting to flag me down. After I had escaped the vehicle, the car continued in a diagonal path toward oncoming rush hour highway traffic. The fire continue to burn and had become very bad, to the point where the entire front half of the car was ablaze. The only thing that stopped the out of control vehicle was a wire fence in the divider between the service road and main highway. The insurance company and manufacturer are currently in the process of investigating. The fire department took at least 15-20 mins to respond which caused the vehicle to become severely damaged to the point where it is now extremely difficult to ascertain a cause. My insurance only covered my car loan and now I am out money for the down payment on a new vehicle. This situation is very serious. There could have been children or elderly persons in the vehicle who could have died. Please help me investigate this issue. I consider myself lucky to still have my life and evaluate the situation as having initiated a duty to keep others safe from dangers of the same.

- Sayville, NY, USA

problem #11

Jan 132010

Avenger

  • 350 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Dodge Avenger. The vehicle stalled constantly when she attempted to engage brake pedal and when she turned the vehicle off the brakes would reset. She took the vehicle to the dealer and they would not offer her any assistance with trading in the vehicle. She contacted the manufacturer. The manufacturer told her that she had to take the vehicle to the dealer to be diagnosed. The failure mileage was 350 and the current mileage was 48,000.

- Morrison, IL, USA

problem #10

Oct 242009

Avenger

  • 35,000 miles
I have numerous problems with my 2008 Dodge Avenger it has stalled out unexpectedly with no sensor indication, I brought it to the shop a few times concerning this issue and nothing could be detected the mechanic fixed something but was not certain it would fix the issue, and now the car has had a knocking sound coming from the steering I took into the shop and they said it was fixed after the car warms up it returns.

- South San Francisco, CA, USA

problem #9

Apr 202008

Avenger

  • 39,000 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Dodge Avenger. The contact stated that the cruise control failed to work and the engine light was illuminated. The failures began on April 20, 2008. He stated that there were recalls on the same issue he was experiencing; however, his VIN was not included. The NHTSA campaign id number was unknown. The failure mileage was 39,000.

- Macon, GA, USA

problem #8

Jun 252009

Avenger

  • miles
I purchased a used 2008 Dodge Avenger from enterprise car rental less than a year ago. Since then I've replaced the brakes twice, the car stalls out when coming to a stop, delayed response on acceleration & now I cant get the car out of park. I was shocked to google so many complaints about this vehicle. I contacted Chrysler Dodge recall line and was informed until your office investigate these issues my car and others like me will have to dish out hundreds of dollars or drive unsafe. I was even more shocked to hear this stupid process when the company is aware there is a big problem. There has to be a better way to make these big company's take responsibility before there is a incident, crash or injury. Chrysler has made its money so why must hard working us americans that support american made cars have to get hurt or killed to get this moving when there's so many complaints?

- Norcross, GA, USA

problem #7

Mar 262009

Avenger

  • 35,500 miles
The car when on highway tachometer fluctuates and when coming to a stop almost stalls. Also today after the defroster/air conditioner was turned off when I came to a stop at a red light the car almost stalled then proceeded to counteract the stall by revving up to at least 2000 RPM's causing me to jump forward into the intersection. Luckily no cars were in front of me because it would have caused a crash.

- New Britain, CT, USA

problem #6

Oct 042008

Avenger 6-cyl

  • 10,000 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Dodge Avenger. The vehicle accelerated on its own twice while stopped at a red light. When he parked the vehicle in the garage, it accelerated to 45 RPM's and decrease on its own. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The failure could not be duplicated. The failure mileage was 10,000 and current mileage was 10,350. Updated 11/6/08 updated 11/10/08.

- Dracut, MA, USA

problem #5

Jul 292008

Avenger

  • 24,100 miles
I purchased a 2008 Dodge Avenger with a little 21,000 mile on it. On 07/29/2008 I pulled into the bank to make a withdrawal. In less than 20 seconds of arriving at the bank drive through I noticed smoke. The smoke appeared to be coming from the bottom of the car. I then pulled out of line to see where the smoke was coming from. After turning the vehicle off. Smoke then began to intensify and sparks shooting from under the hood. Fire then began to blaze from under the hood and then the entire front of the car was engulfed in flames. The fire department came extinguished the fire. I later search online that the car had 4 recalls dating back to 11/2007 that resulted in fire and 2 recalls after 11/2007. I did not have any knowledge of these recalls until after the fire. I purchased the car in 03/2008.

- Birmingham, AL, USA

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