Dodge Avenger reliability by year
16 recall campaigns and 2,591 owner complaints across 8 model years. Best year to buy: 2009. Year to avoid: 2008.
Worst model years to avoid → — the single year to avoid for every model line we track, ranked side by side.
Years to avoid — and why 3 flagged on the NHTSA record
Cleaner on the data: 2009, 2011, 2013, 2014 . Still verify the specific vehicle.
At-a-glance: every year color-coded
Each cell shows the last two digits of the model year and its 0–10 reliability score from NHTSA data. Click any year to see the full record. ★ best year · ✕ year to avoid.
Year-by-year reliability 8 model years · newest first
Per-year recall counts add up to 27, more than the 16 campaigns above, because a single NHTSA campaign often covers several model years and is counted once in each.
Common trouble spots across the Avenger aggregated across 8 model years
Common questions
What's the best year to buy a Dodge Avenger?
Based on NHTSA complaint volume and severity weighting, the 2009 Dodge Avenger scores 7.6/10 — the strongest in the 2007–2014 range. 67 complaints on file, 2 active recalls. Reliability scores reflect the federal complaint record, not subjective owner reviews.
Which Dodge Avenger year should I avoid?
The 2008 Dodge Avenger scores 5.6/10 — the weakest in the lineup. 844 owner complaints with NHTSA, 6 active recalls. That doesn't mean every 2008 is a problem — it means failure rates run higher than peer model years on the same platform.
Which years of the Dodge Avenger should I avoid?
On the NHTSA complaint and recall record, the model years to be most careful with are 2010 (avoid — the electrical system — 6 fire-related complaints on the electrical system); 2008 (avoid — the electrical system — 10 fire-related complaints and 3 crash-related complaints on the electrical system); 2012 (high-risk ownership — electrical system: 96 complaints, classified severe). The cleaner years on the data are 2009, 2014, 2013, 2011. This is our read of the federal data, not a substitute for a pre-purchase inspection of the specific vehicle.
How many years of the Dodge Avenger are tracked?
8 model years (2007 through 2014) with NHTSA records on file. Total across the lineup: 16 distinct recall campaigns and 2,591 owner complaints. Those campaigns land on 27 model-year entries in total, because one campaign often covers several years at once — which is why per-year recall counts add up to more than the campaign count.
What's the most-reported problem on the Dodge Avenger?
electrical is the most-reported category — 478 complaints across 7 model years. Average shop repair runs about $850.