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1996 Dodge Avenger

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 1996 Dodge Avenger do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 157.

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How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

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Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.

What owners reported most

All reported categories

Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

Limited mileage data: 9 of 157 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Suspension. Review the 59 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 24 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Service Brakes, Hydraulic. Review the 22 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

19 crash reports3 fire reports9 injury reports

Engine And Engine Cooling complaints

24 reports
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Mileage unknown · Apr 28, 2004
Engine And Engine CoolingExterior Lighting

REPEATED HEAD GASKET FAILURE ON ENGINE. A RECALL NEEDS TO BE INITIATED AS THIS IS A PREVALENT PROBLEM WITH THIS AUTOMOBILE! AWAITING THIRD REPAIR. ADDITIONALLY, TWICE DEALTH WITH TENSIONER AND PULLY PROBLEMS. A DEFECT RECALL NEEDS TO BE INITATED ON THESE PARTS. DEFECTIVE HEADLIGHT LENSES RESULTING IN EXTREME VISABILITY REDU…

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REPEATED HEAD GASKET FAILURE ON ENGINE. A RECALL NEEDS TO BE INITIATED AS THIS IS A PREVALENT PROBLEM WITH THIS AUTOMOBILE! AWAITING THIRD REPAIR. ADDITIONALLY, TWICE DEALTH WITH TENSIONER AND PULLY PROBLEMS. A DEFECT RECALL NEEDS TO BE INITATED ON THESE PARTS. DEFECTIVE HEADLIGHT LENSES RESULTING IN EXTREME VISABILITY REDUCTION. A REPLACEMENT RECALL NEEDED ON THESE PARTS. THE ASOG (ADVENGER/SEABRING OWNERS GROUP) INTERNET MEMBERS GROUP REPEATEDLY IDENTIFYING THE ENGINE GASKET PROBLEMS! CRYSLER INITIATED A RECALL CHANGE TO THE DODGE NEON'S, BUT DISCONTINUED THE ADVENDER MODEL WITHOUT RECALL AND REPLACEMENT OF DEFECTIVE HEAD GASKETS. PLEASE DO SOMETHING FOR THE CONSUMER PUBLIC WITH THESE THREE MAJOR AREAS OF DEFECTIVE WORKMANSHIP. THANKS FOR YOUR ASSISTANCE.

NHTSA ODI #10067976

78,000 miles · Aug 27, 2003
Engine And Engine Cooling

AT ANY GIVEN TIME WHILE DRIVING AND AT ANY SPEED VEHICLE WILL STALL. AFTER A FEW MINUTES VEHICLE CAN BE RESTARTED AS IF NOTHING HAPPENED.*AK

NHTSA ODI #10037792

Mileage unknown · Sep 15, 2002
Engine And Engine CoolingPower Train

ON THE TRANSMISSION THE SEAL FOR THE FRONT SHAFT IS LEAKING,ALSO THE HEAD GASKET IS LEAKING WHICH IS MADE OUT OF PAPER AND DISOLVED WHICH NOW NEEDS REPLACED THE INPUT AND OUTPUT SENSORS ARE ALSO IN NEED OF REPLACEMENT I HAVE TWO OF THESE CARS AND FIND IT APPAULING THAT BOTH ARE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEMS. NLM

NHTSA ODI #767188

Mileage unknown · Jul 22, 2002
Electrical SystemEngine And Engine Cooling

ENGINE HAS OVERHEATED SIX TIMES ALREADY BECAUSE THERE WAS A SHORT IN WIRES. ALSO, THERMOSTAT HAS GONE OUT SIX TIMES. CONTACTED DEALER, AND DEALER WAS NOT WILLING TO DO ANYTHING.*AK

NHTSA ODI #8014412

Mileage unknown · Jun 27, 2001
Engine And Engine Cooling

OIL LEAKS FROM A DEFECTIVE SEAL LOCATED NEAR THE OIL PAN, REPAIR SHOP CONCLUDED FAILURE.

NHTSA ODI #9003005

Mileage unknown · Jun 13, 2001
Engine And Engine CoolingSuspension

THE ENGINE RUNS ROUGH DUE TO FAULTY VALVE COVER GASKETS. NLM

NHTSA ODI #561581

Mileage unknown · Apr 18, 2001
Engine And Engine CoolingPower Train

CONSUMER WAS ACCELERATING UP TO 45 MPH SPEED LIMIT WHEN ALL DRIVETRAIN CAPABILITY AND FORWARD MOTION WAS LOST. VEHICLE CURRENTLY AT A DODGE DEALERSHIP, AND THEY INFORMED CONSUMER THAT TRANSMISSION HAS TO BE REBUILT BECAUSE NO TRANSMISSIONS WERE AVAILABLE FOR 1996 MODEL. THIS WILL COST CONSUMER $2200.00. *AK BURNING R…

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CONSUMER WAS ACCELERATING UP TO 45 MPH SPEED LIMIT WHEN ALL DRIVETRAIN CAPABILITY AND FORWARD MOTION WAS LOST. VEHICLE CURRENTLY AT A DODGE DEALERSHIP, AND THEY INFORMED CONSUMER THAT TRANSMISSION HAS TO BE REBUILT BECAUSE NO TRANSMISSIONS WERE AVAILABLE FOR 1996 MODEL. THIS WILL COST CONSUMER $2200.00. *AK BURNING RUBBER SMELL WAS DETECTED AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN FOR FLUID CHANGE AT THE DEALER. BELTS AND THE TENSIONERS WERE REPLACED BUT THE RUBBER SMELL STILL CINTINUED. LATER ON, THE TRANSMISSION FAILED. *YH

NHTSA ODI #886256

Mileage unknown · Feb 20, 2001
Engine And Engine CoolingUnknown Or Other

VEHICLE STARTED SMOKING, IT STALLED AND ENGINE CHECK LIGHT CAME ON. IT HESITATED, SITTING STILL. PUTTING VEHICLE IN NEUTRAL KEPT IT FROM CUTTING OFF. DEALER HAS REPLACED A SENSOR IN ENGINE. PROBLEM CAME BACK AFTER A WHILE. *AK

NHTSA ODI #880811

Mileage unknown · Oct 26, 2000
Engine And Engine CoolingInjury

WIFE AND MOTHER IN-LAW WAS POISONED BY CARBON MONOXIDE ENTERING VEHICLE. PROBLEM WAS REPORTED TO CHRYSLER. CHRYSLER DID SEND OUT AN INVESTIGATOR, BUT NOTHING COULD BE DONE ABOUT THE PROBLEM. *AK CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING OCCURED RIGHT AFTER THE DRIVER TURNED THE A/C ON. *YH

NHTSA ODI #873950

Mileage unknown · Oct 2, 2000
Engine And Engine Cooling

TENSIONER PIVOT BOLT HAS FAILED 2 TIMES CAUSING EXTENSIVE DAMAGE TO THE ENGINE. *SLC

NHTSA ODI #555288

Official recalls

2

00V421002 · Suspension:front:control Arm:lower Ball Joint

Dec 18, 2000

VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. IF THE RUBBER BOOTS ON THE LOWER LATERAL ARM BALL JOINTS OF THE FRONT SUSPENSION WERE DAMAGED DURING ASSEMBLY, DIRT AND WATER CAN INTRUDE. ALSO, MMC HAS ADDED THE POTENTIAL OF LEAKING MOISTURE, WHICH CAN CAUSE THE BALL STUD TO CORRODE.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: THIS CONDITION COULD CAUSE THE LOWER LATERAL ARM BALL JOINT TO SEPARATE, INCREASING THE RISK OF A VEHICLE CRASH. THIS CAMPAIGN SUPERCEDES MMC'S PREVIOUS SAFETY RECALL CAMPAIGN, SEE 99V-066.

Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE LOWER LATERAL ARM BALL JOINT FOR WEAR. BALL JOINTS THAT EXHIBIT WEAR BEYOND THE ESTABLISHED TOLERANCE WILL BE REPLACED WITH NEWLY DESIGNED LATERAL ARM BALL JOINTS. BALL JOINTS THAT ARE WITHIN THE ESTABLISHED TOLERANCE WILL BE CLEANED AND A SPECIAL SEALANT WILL BE APPLIED TO PREVENT INTRUSION OF MOISTURE.

99V066003 · Suspension:front:control Arm:lower Ball Joint

Apr 5, 1999

VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. IF THE RUBBER BOOTS ON THE LOWER LATERAL ARM BALL JOINTS OF THE FRONT SUSPENSION WERE DAMAGED DURING ASSEMBLY, DIRT AND WATER CAN INTRUDE.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: THIS CONDITION COULD CAUSE THE LOWER LATERAL ARM BALL JOINT TO SEPARATE, INCREASING THE RISK OF A VEHICLE CRASH.

Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE RUBBER BOOTS, AND IF THE BOOT IS DAMAGED, THEY WILL REPLACE THE LOWER LATERAL ARM AND BALL JOINT ON THE AFFECTED VEHICLES.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

1

RQ00015 · Lower Contrtol Arm Ball Joint

Opened Aug 2, 2000 · Closed Apr 20, 2001

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Suspension

There is no summary currently available

Additional source detail variants (3)

Suspension

There is no summary currently available

Suspension

There is no summary currently available

Suspension

There is no summary currently available