10.0
really awful- Crashes / Fires:
- 2 / 0
- Injuries / Deaths:
- 1 / 0
- Average Mileage:
- 83,380 miles
About These NHTSA Complaints:
The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.
« Read the previous 20 complaints
Stick shifter stuck in park. Can not engage at all. Dodge is not acknowledging the problem with the consumer. Not fair to the buyer it is not covered in warranty.
- Stone Mountain, GA, USA
2008 Dodge Avenger will not shift out of park.
- High Ridge, MO, USA
2008 Dodge Avenger: Gear shift will not allow gear to move out of park. Obviously a manufacturer defect. Dodge has not recalled to fix the part. The cost of repair exceeds $400. I have removed gear shift plate and have to manually move a plastic part to shift gears. This is obviously dangerous. Dodge is aware of the problem yet has not recalled in order to fix the defect - they are making the customer fix a mechanical problem at the customer's cost.
- Birmingham, AL, USA
Sept. 12,2010- I got in my car to run errands and my car would not get out of park. I own a 2008 Dodge Avenger, never had any problems with the gear shift till today.
- Palm Harbor, FL, USA
Our 2008 Dodge Avenger suddenly would not shift out of park. It has 52,000 miles on it. Defect was found to the brake interlock cable. Dodge advised that it was not covered under any recall. Internet search reveals that many Avengers are having this problem. I believe it is a manufacturing problem related to the interlock system, and is a safety related defect.
- Liberty, MO, USA
I own a 2008 Dodge Avenger, bought it brand new a couple years ago. I go get in my car today to get my son's prescriptions and pick up my kids when I find my gear shift locked in 'park'. now I will have to pay for a tow plus repairs for something that should have been a recall!!! bad business Dodge!!! I will never own another Dodge.
- Antioch, CA, USA
This was a sudden failure. My family and I enjoy a great day at a theme park, we head back to the parking garage to head home. We get in our four door 2008 Dodge Avenger and it will not shift out of park. The vehicle turns on great, I check the emergency brake, I turn on the car, turn off the car and the shifter will not budge out of park. I call a towing service and he said this happens with a lot of Dodge Avengers and sebrings. He had to pull the trim off where the shifter is located and push this pink release down and the shifter moved freely. I contacted a Dodge dealership and they said it will cost me $200 which is ridiculous! I went online no recall, but I found thousands of other people who are having the same issue. This issue needs to be addressed to Chrysler and get a [xxx] recall on these vehicles. Thank you. Information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
- Plant City, FL, USA
I have a 2008 Dodge Avenger and my car cannot change gears I cannot get it out of park therefore my car is non operational.
- New Orleans, LA, USA
I got into my Dodge Avenger(2008) and I couldn't put it in gear. The shifter will not move.
- Tunrersville, NJ, USA
I have a Dodge Avenger, 2008. Couldn't get it out of park this morning as I was rushing to take my daughter to the hospital. Seems the manufacturer put a hidden' little pink plastic piece described as a safety feature in the console. This little pink plastic piece somehow broke (just cant understand how plastic could break). From what im reading this isn't uncommon. Wonder how they're gonna feel when there's a lawsuit?
- Forrest City, AR, USA
My 2008 Dodge Avenger SE will not shift out of park.....while doing some research I found that over 50 customers are having the same problem with there Dodge Avenger however there does not seem to be a recall yet!!!!!!!! by providing this information I hope something can be done about this major problem.
- Birmingham, AL, USA
Faulty gear shift mechanism caused gear shift selector to stick in park. Happened suddenly, without warning. Had to have car towed to dealership for repair. Gear selector mechanism was replaced at a cost of $342. Apparently a known issue which has happened to thousands of 2008 and 2009 Dodge Avenger owners. Not covered under extended warranty. Recall needed.
- Valencia, CA, USA
I went to get in my car about a week and half ago, to go to work, and I started it and went to put it in drive, and could not shift it out of park. I let off the brake, and then back on, and then retried, but still nothing. So I turned it off and waited a few minutes, and then retried, but still could not get it out of park. So I went and woke my husband up and he tried and we were still unable to get it out of park. We called the dealership and they said they have replace numerous shifters in vehicles just like mine in the past year, and it was going to be around $400! we have tried to take the up holder out of the console and find the release button that the manual talks about, but it is not working either! my car is still sitting in park in the driveway!
- Liberty, KY, USA
I bought a used 2008 Dodge Avenger on 6/22/2010, on 8/18/2010 I was leaving work started my car and could not get it out of "park". this happened without any warning as I had driven the car 3 hours earlier with no problems at all. Called the Dodge dealership the next day and was told this was a common problem but not a recall and would cost over $300 to repair. This was all very confusing too me, wish I knew what was looked at or the criteria to consider this a recall. I would think Dodge would be able to pull a report of how many "shift assemblies" has been repaired. It appears from the website I have found a lot of Dodge customers have experience this unforeseen debacle when trying to drive off.
- San Antonio, TX, USA
No warning, the gear shift in my 2008 Dodge Avenger was stuck in park. The Dodge dealership say this is going to cost $400. I investigated on line and several thousand people are also dealing with the same issue.
- Radcliff, KY, USA
I have a 2008 Dodge Avenger that a spring attached to the shifter broke on last night. It makes it so you cannot put the car into gear. There are people all over the internet with the same problem and my dealership said they are fixing 2 a day and it costs $400 for us to fix it! if there are that many people having problems they need to recall it, my car is only a couple years old, this is ridiculous!
- Tallahassee, FL, USA
2008 Dodge Avenger SXT will not shift out of park. Brake switch activates but gear shifter will not move past park safety stop.
- Pierre, SD, USA
I was trying to start my 2008 Dodge Avenger when I was unable to release it from park. The car starts properly, but the shift gear does not move. This is due to the cheap plastic that Dodge has used as a lever to release a spring that releases the shift. The cheap plastic has broken!!! unacceptable. My Dodge has 50,000 miles on it.
- Houston, TX, USA
The first one was on August 7th 2010 the car slid and I hit an embankment the brakes did not work we were pretty shook up I messed up the right front tire with the crash the second incident happened on August 13 2010 the cars gear will not shift it is stuck we are trying to fix by looking at the internet it seems this is a common problem because Chrysler used a plastic part for the gear shift spring this is crazy I am still paying off my car please help!
- Arlington , TX, USA
- Portland, TX, USA