IllustrationCAR HESITATES WHEN TRYING TO GET UP TO SPEED ON THE FREEWAY TO PASS OR EVEN AT A COMPLETE STOP.HAS HAPPENED MULTIPLE TIMES AND MULTIPLE SPEEDS.
2014 Dodge Avenger
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 2014 Dodge Avenger do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 157.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Avenger years →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
380–25K
3225–50K
3050–75K
2475–100K
17100–150K
4150K+
145 reports with mileage · 60 unknown
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.
- Air Bags. Review the 69 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine. Review the 42 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Seat Belts. Review the 39 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
20 crash reports3 fire reports7 injury reports
What owners actually said
205 reportsI WAS LESS THAN 1 MILE FROM HOME. I NOTICED THE THROTTLE WASNT RESPONDING AS IT SHOULD WHEN I PRESSED THE PEDAL. THE ETC LIGHT WAS BLINKING AND THE TRACTION LIGHT WAS ON. I WAS NOT ABLE TO DRIVE OVER 20 MPH AND I WAS ALMOST REAR ENDED BY THE VEHICLE BEHIND ME. AFTER HAVING IT TOWED AND HAVING TWO MECHANICS LOOK AT IT, THEY DETER…
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I WAS LESS THAN 1 MILE FROM HOME. I NOTICED THE THROTTLE WASNT RESPONDING AS IT SHOULD WHEN I PRESSED THE PEDAL. THE ETC LIGHT WAS BLINKING AND THE TRACTION LIGHT WAS ON. I WAS NOT ABLE TO DRIVE OVER 20 MPH AND I WAS ALMOST REAR ENDED BY THE VEHICLE BEHIND ME. AFTER HAVING IT TOWED AND HAVING TWO MECHANICS LOOK AT IT, THEY DETERMINED IT TO BE A THROTTLE BODY FAILURE. THIS WAS REPLACED. I PICKED THE CAR UP. LESS THAN 1/2 A MILE FROM THE SHOP, I LOST POWER AGAIN AND THE SAME LIGHTS REAPPEARED WITH THE ENGINE LIGHT NOW LIT UP. I TOOK IT BACK. HE RAN THE CODE AND IT WAS SHOWING POSSIBLE AN VACUUM ISSUE. HE KEPT IT OVER NIGHT TO TAKE A LOOKED AT IT AGAIN. IT WAS DETERMINED THEIR WAS NO VACUUM ISSUE AND NOW A CODE FOR THE MAP SENSOR WAS BEING REPORTED. IT WAS REPLACED AND THE MECHANIC DROVE IT THREE TIMES AT DIFFERENT DISTANCES. NO ISSUES. I PICK THE CAR UP. I GET ALMOST HOME (3 MILES AWAY). ETC LIGHT BLINKS, ENGINE LIGHT ON, TRACTION LIGHT ON. AT THIS POINT THE MECHINCA BELIEVES IT TO BE THE PCM WHICH HE SAYS IS A COMMON ISSUE WITH DODGES. SO AT THIS POINT HE IS GOING TO PUT THE OLD THROTTLE BODY AND MAP SENSOR BACK ON AND REPLACED THE PCM.
I BOUGHT MY CAR AND LIKE A MONTH LATER WAS NOTIFIED OF A RECALL IT WAS FOR THE AIRBAG , HOWEVER MY SEATBELT WOULD JUST COME UNLATCHED. I TOOK THE CAR IN FOR THE RECALL TO BE FIXED AND DID MENTION IT TO THE DEALER. I THAN RECEIVED THE CAR BACK AND I AM STILL HAVING THE SAME ISSUE. I WILL BE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD OR FREEWAY AND YO…
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I BOUGHT MY CAR AND LIKE A MONTH LATER WAS NOTIFIED OF A RECALL IT WAS FOR THE AIRBAG , HOWEVER MY SEATBELT WOULD JUST COME UNLATCHED. I TOOK THE CAR IN FOR THE RECALL TO BE FIXED AND DID MENTION IT TO THE DEALER. I THAN RECEIVED THE CAR BACK AND I AM STILL HAVING THE SAME ISSUE. I WILL BE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD OR FREEWAY AND YOU CAN HEAR IT UNLATCH AND COMES OFF. IT HAS BEEN HAPPENING MORE OFTEN AND NO ONE KNOWS WHY.
PASSENGER SIDE AIR VENTS BLOW ONLY COLD AIR WHEN USING HEATER. DRIVER SIDE BLOWS HEATED AIR WITH A ELECTRIC BURNING SMELL. CRUISE CONTROL WILL NOT STAY ENGAGED. TRACTION CONTROL CONTINUALLY ENGAGES WHILE DRIVING ON DRY ROADS.
I BOUGHT THIS CAR AT A DEALERSHIP ON JULY 30, 2018 WITH 58,200 MILES. IT WAS PARKED IN THE GARAGE FROM 9/7/18 WHILE WAITING FOR THE PERMANENT TAG BECAUSE THE TEMPORARY TAG EXPIRED. AFTER A WEEK I NOTICED OIL ON THE FLOOR AND DECIDED TO TAKE IT TO A DEALERSHIP. I WAS ON THE HIGHWAY WHEN THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. LU…
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I BOUGHT THIS CAR AT A DEALERSHIP ON JULY 30, 2018 WITH 58,200 MILES. IT WAS PARKED IN THE GARAGE FROM 9/7/18 WHILE WAITING FOR THE PERMANENT TAG BECAUSE THE TEMPORARY TAG EXPIRED. AFTER A WEEK I NOTICED OIL ON THE FLOOR AND DECIDED TO TAKE IT TO A DEALERSHIP. I WAS ON THE HIGHWAY WHEN THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. LUCKILY, I WAS NOT SPEEDING, THE CAR WAS PUSHED TO THE NEAREST DEALERSHIP. THE NEXT DAY AFTER DIAGNOSES, WE WERE TOLD IT WAS THE ENGINE AND WE NEED TO TAKE IT BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP TO FIX IT BECAUSE WE JUST BOUGHT THE CAR FROM THEM. THE DEALERSHIP TOLD ME, I NEED $6,000.00 TO CHANGE THE ENGINE. THE MILEAGE WAS ABOUT 61,000 WHEN THE CAR WAS RETURNED. NOW, I DON'T HAVE A CAR AND IN THE HOLE FOR OVER $11,000.00 THE DEALERSHIP IS JUST GIVING ME THE RUN AROUND AT THIS TIME. DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO. DODGE DOES NOT PARTICIPATE ARIZONA FOR LEMOM LAW.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM HAS CRITICAL INTERNAL ERRORS WHERE CAR WILL JUST SHUT-OFF COMPLETELY. I'VE BEEN ON HIGHWAY MANY TIMES WHERE MY 2014 DODGE AVENGER SE V6 HAS LOST POWER AND COMPLETELY IDLES. THE BATTERY IS STILL WORKING BUT CAR WILL NO LONGER START. I HAVE INFANT CHILD AND THIS DEFECT HAS BECOME A SOURCE OF ANXIETY EVERY TIME I …
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ELECTRICAL SYSTEM HAS CRITICAL INTERNAL ERRORS WHERE CAR WILL JUST SHUT-OFF COMPLETELY. I'VE BEEN ON HIGHWAY MANY TIMES WHERE MY 2014 DODGE AVENGER SE V6 HAS LOST POWER AND COMPLETELY IDLES. THE BATTERY IS STILL WORKING BUT CAR WILL NO LONGER START. I HAVE INFANT CHILD AND THIS DEFECT HAS BECOME A SOURCE OF ANXIETY EVERY TIME I DRIVE THIS VEHICLE. ALSO, THE NUTS AND BOLTS SEEM TO COME UNDONE FROM THE SIDE FRAMES BELOW THE DRIVER AND REAR DOORS, AS WELL AS BOLTS UNDER HOOD SUCH AS ON THE ENGINE COMPARTMENTS. FINALLY, ROYALTY AUTO INFORMED ME THAT THE OIL FILTER HOUSING UNIT ON THIS VEHICLE IS STOCKED WITH PLASTIC, WHEN IT SHOULD BE MADE FROM ALLOY METAL TO ENSURE QUALITY AND SAFETY.
IMPORTANT NOTE : MY WIFE'S VEHICLE WAS NEVER INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT. THE ACTIVE HEAD RESTRAINT ON THE VEHICLE DECIDED TO SPONTANEOUSLY DEPLOY. WE ARE NOT SURE WHEN IT HAPPENED, BUT THANK GOD IT WASN'T WHILE SHE WAS DRIVING WITH THE VEHICLE IN MOTION. THE FORCE OF THE HEADREST OPENING APPEARS TO HAVE BROKEN SOME PLASTIC RETAI…
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IMPORTANT NOTE : MY WIFE'S VEHICLE WAS NEVER INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT. THE ACTIVE HEAD RESTRAINT ON THE VEHICLE DECIDED TO SPONTANEOUSLY DEPLOY. WE ARE NOT SURE WHEN IT HAPPENED, BUT THANK GOD IT WASN'T WHILE SHE WAS DRIVING WITH THE VEHICLE IN MOTION. THE FORCE OF THE HEADREST OPENING APPEARS TO HAVE BROKEN SOME PLASTIC RETAINER PIECES, AND NOW WE ARE FACED WITH REPLACING THE HEADREST. I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP TO BE SURE THERE WERE NO SAFETY RECALLS, AND WAS INFORMED THERE WERE NOT. I ASKED IF THEY WOULD REPLACE A FAULTY SAFETY DEVICE THAT DECIDED TO MALFUNCTION AND WAS TOLD THAT THE ONLY WARRANTY WE HAD ON THE VEHICLE WAS FOR POWERTRAIN AND THEREFORE, THIS WOULD NOT BE A COVERED ISSUE. WE WERE THEN TOLD THE COST TO REPLACE THE DEFECTIVE HEADREST WOULD BE $625 PLUS TAX FOR THE PART ALONE! I ASKED FOR THE AREA REPRESENTATIVE'S NAME AND CONTACT INFORMATION AND THEY WERE ONLY ABLE TO PROVIDE ME WITH A NAME. I CALLED JIM BROWN DODGE IN TAMPA AND THEY REFUSED TO PROVIDE ME WITH THE INFORMATION AND THEY REFUSED TO TAKE MY INFORMATION TO RELAY TO THEM. I CALLED THE CUSTOMER SERVICE NUMBER FOR DODGE AND THEY REFUSED TO DO ANYTHING AS WELL, SAYING IT WAS NOT A COVERED PART. THE SERVICE MANAGER AT JIM BROWN TOLD ME HE SEES THIS 5-6 TIMES PER YEAR. WHY ARE CUSTOMERS BEING CHARGED FOR REPLACEMENTS OF SAFETY DEVICES THAT ARE FAILING? FURTHERMORE, IF THE HEADREST IS DEPLOYING WITH SUCH FORCE AS TO BREAK THE PARTS INSIDE, WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED IF MY WIFE HAD BEEN DRIVING AT THE TIME?!?
PASSENGER SIDE HEADREST SPLIT.OPEN BUT WAS NEVER IN AN ACCIDENT. CAR WAS IN MOTION AT THE TIME BUT NO ONE WAS IN PASSENGER SEAT. CAN NOT GET HEADREST TO PUSH BACK CLOSED.
THE PASSENGER ACTIVE HEADREST RESTRAINT POPPED OPEN WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY AND THE PLASTIC PIECES INSIDE OF IT BROKE MAKING IT UNABLE TO RESET.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 DODGE AVENGER. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH, THE DRIVER LOST CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE AND CRASHED INTO A TREE. DURING THE CRASH, THE FRONT END WAS SEVERELY DAMAGED; HOWEVER, THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. THERE WERE NO INJURIES AND A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN UNDISCLOS…
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 DODGE AVENGER. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH, THE DRIVER LOST CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE AND CRASHED INTO A TREE. DURING THE CRASH, THE FRONT END WAS SEVERELY DAMAGED; HOWEVER, THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. THERE WERE NO INJURIES AND A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN UNDISCLOSED LOCATION. THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WAS NOT DETERMINED. THE MANUFACTURER AND LOCAL DEALER WERE NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 42,000.
Official recalls
116V668000 · Air Bags; Air Bags:frontal:sensor/control MODULE-INACTIVE ; Seat Belts:pretensioner
Sep 15, 2016
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain model year 2011-2014 Chrysler 200, 2010 Chrysler Sebring, 2010-2012 Dodge Caliber and 2010-2014 Jeep Patriot, Compass and Dodge Avenger vehicles. The Occupant Restraint Control (OCR) module may short circuit, preventing the frontal air bags, seat belt pretensioners, and side air bags from deploying in the event of a crash.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: If the frontal air bags, seat belt pretensioners, and side air bags are disabled, there is an increased risk of injury to the vehicle occupants in the event of a vehicle crash that necessitates deployment of these safety systems.
Remedy: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the OCR, free of charge. Interim letters informing owners that parts are not available yet were mailed on October 26, 2016. The recall began on August 15, 2017. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is S61.
Additional source detail variants (3)
Seat Belts:pretensioner
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain model year 2011-2014 Chrysler 200, 2010 Chrysler Sebring, 2010-2012 Dodge Caliber and 2010-2014 Jeep Patriot, Compass and Dodge Avenger vehicles. The Occupant Restraint Control (OCR) module may short circuit, preventing the frontal air bags, seat belt pretensioners, and side air bags from deploying in the event of a crash.
Consequence: If the frontal air bags, seat belt pretensioners, and side air bags are disabled, there is an increased risk of injury to the vehicle occupants in the event of a vehicle crash that necessitates deployment of these safety systems.
Remedy: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the OCR, free of charge. Interim letters informing owners that parts are not available yet were mailed on October 26, 2016. The recall began on August 15, 2017. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is S61.
Air Bags:frontal:sensor/control MODULE-INACTIVE
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain model year 2011-2014 Chrysler 200, 2010 Chrysler Sebring, 2010-2012 Dodge Caliber and 2010-2014 Jeep Patriot, Compass and Dodge Avenger vehicles. The Occupant Restraint Control (OCR) module may short circuit, preventing the frontal air bags, seat belt pretensioners, and side air bags from deploying in the event of a crash.
Consequence: If the frontal air bags, seat belt pretensioners, and side air bags are disabled, there is an increased risk of injury to the vehicle occupants in the event of a vehicle crash that necessitates deployment of these safety systems.
Remedy: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the OCR, free of charge. Interim letters informing owners that parts are not available yet were mailed on October 26, 2016. The recall began on August 15, 2017. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is S61.
Air Bags
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain model year 2011-2014 Chrysler 200, 2010 Chrysler Sebring, 2010-2012 Dodge Caliber and 2010-2014 Jeep Patriot, Compass and Dodge Avenger vehicles. The Occupant Restraint Control (OCR) module may short circuit, preventing the frontal air bags, seat belt pretensioners, and side air bags from deploying in the event of a crash.
Consequence: If the frontal air bags, seat belt pretensioners, and side air bags are disabled, there is an increased risk of injury to the vehicle occupants in the event of a vehicle crash that necessitates deployment of these safety systems.
Remedy: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the OCR, free of charge. Interim letters informing owners that parts are not available yet were mailed on October 26, 2016. The recall began on August 15, 2017. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is S61.
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
1PE19014 · Active Head Rest Inadvertent Deployment
Opened Sep 9, 2019 · Closed Feb 25, 2026
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Seats; Seats:front Assembly:head Restraint
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE19014 on September 9, 2019, to investigate 128 consumer complaints alleging that the Active Head Rest (AHR) inadvertently deployed without the occurrence of a crash or other rear impact event in model year (MY) 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee and Dodge Durango vehicles.When ODI opened the investigation, ODI was aware of thirteen alleged injuries.A small number of Early Warning Reports identified driver and/or passenger front seat AHR inadvertent deployments without a rear impact event.Reported safety consequences resulting from the AHR deployments include concussions, headaches, soft tissue injuries, disorientation, nausea, vomiting and/or loss of vehicle control as a result of being surprised and distracted by being struck in the head by the inadvertent AHR deployment. On September 24, 2019, ODI sent an Information Request (IR) letter to Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA).ODI requested certain detailed information from FCA related to the following subject vehicles: MY 2010-2014 Dodge Avenger 200, MY 2010-2014 Dodge Calber, MY 2010-2014 Chrysler Sebring, MY 2013-2015 Ram Tradesman, MY 2012 Ram Van, MY 2010-2019 Dodge Grand Caravan, MY 2010-2016 Chrysler Town and Country, MY 2010-2017 Jeep Compass, MY 2011-2020 Dodge Durango, MY 2011-2020 Jeep Grand Cherokee, MY 2010-2019 Dodge Journey, MY 2010-2012 Jeep Liberty, MY 2010-2011 Jeep Nitro, and MY 2010-2011 Jeep Patriot vehicles.On December 2, 2019, ODI received a response from FCA that included vehicle production data, consumer complaints, field reports, warranty claims, manufacturer actions, production changes, and other data related to the alleged defect from the start of production (2010) through September 24, 2019.On January 27, 2020, ODI received an update to the December 2, 2019, IR response from FCA.On September 22, 2020, ODI requested additional subject vehicle AHR information from FCA.ODI received FCA's response on October 21, 2020.ODI subsequently received an update to FCA's October 21, 2020, response on February 16, 2021.During the investigation, ODI requested updates to certain IR questions on two occasions.FCA provided updates to question #2 on March 5, 2021, and questions #2 and #5 on May 26, 2023. FCA’s IR response data identified approximately 7.5 million subject vehicles (with approximately 15 million AHR assemblies).Due to the large number of vehicles and failure reports, ODI focused its analysis on the FCA vehicle model with the highest failure rate to represent the worst-case scenario.For this purpose, ODI focused on MY 2012-2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee vehicles for its analysis.This population includes 710,890 vehicles that FCA manufactured between August 19, 2011, and August 8, 2015.ODI identified 2,839 alleged AHR failures within this limited population.ODI identified 263 alleged injuries that were caused by AHR failures in MY 2012-2015 Grand Cherokees vehicles.Of these alleged injuries, ODI categorized them as eighty-two (82) soft tissue (neck/whiplash, bruise) injuries, four (4) concussions, fifty-nine (59) headaches, and one hundred eighteen (118) without a specific injury description.Although complainants have alleged injuries, ODI has been unable to obtain evidence to substantiate or validate any injuries where medical treatment was required.Consumer outreach was conducted by ODI, where sixty-three (63) FCA complainants with alleged injuries were contacted.Twelve of the sixty-three FCA consumers responded and were interviewed by ODI.ODI requested medical records, however, only one response was provided. Attorneys representing the responding complainant provided a synopsis that indicated they had experienced prior neck-related injuries dating to the mid-1990s.ODI also contacted one hundred (100) consumers who submitted Vehicle Owner Questionnaires (VOQ) in an attempt to validate alleged injuries. Despite the efforts of ODI, the office has been unsuccessful at obtaining substantive documentation/evidence supporting complaints that allege serious injuries (where pre-existing medical conditions did not already exist). In addition to the low severity of alleged injuries caused by AHR deployments, there have been eleven alleged crashes and two alleged lane departures within the entire subject vehicle population that has been in the field up to sixteen years (with over 8,500 AHR inadvertent deployments).ODI was not able to validate that the alleged crashes were the result of inadvertent head rest deployments, and the crashes were minor in nature. ODI has conducted a thorough investigation of the alleged safety defect and with up to sixteen years of exposure for some vehicles and over 8,500 inadvertent AHR deployments, no serious crashes or injuries could be validated in the sub-population of focus.The lack of serious injuries validated by ODI with such large period of field exposure is consistent with thework done by NHTSA’s Human Injury Research Division and the Biodynamic Research Corporation, which support that an inadvertent AHR deployment is not likely to cause serious injury.In addition to the low risk of injury, FCA released an extended warranty program that covers inadvertent AHR deployment for ten years / unlimited mileage from the vehicle's in-service date. PE19014 is closed with the FCA extended warranty program.The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exist, and the Agency reserves the right to take additional action if warranted by new circumstances. To review a complete closing summary, please the attached closing report. To review the ODI reports cited in the Closing Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to NHTSA.gov.
Additional source detail variants (2)
Seats
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE19014 on September 9, 2019, to investigate 128 consumer complaints alleging that the Active Head Rest (AHR) inadvertently deployed without the occurrence of a crash or other rear impact event in model year (MY) 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee and Dodge Durango vehicles.When ODI opened the investigation, ODI was aware of thirteen alleged injuries.A small number of Early Warning Reports identified driver and/or passenger front seat AHR inadvertent deployments without a rear impact event.Reported safety consequences resulting from the AHR deployments include concussions, headaches, soft tissue injuries, disorientation, nausea, vomiting and/or loss of vehicle control as a result of being surprised and distracted by being struck in the head by the inadvertent AHR deployment. On September 24, 2019, ODI sent an Information Request (IR) letter to Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA).ODI requested certain detailed information from FCA related to the following subject vehicles: MY 2010-2014 Dodge Avenger 200, MY 2010-2014 Dodge Calber, MY 2010-2014 Chrysler Sebring, MY 2013-2015 Ram Tradesman, MY 2012 Ram Van, MY 2010-2019 Dodge Grand Caravan, MY 2010-2016 Chrysler Town and Country, MY 2010-2017 Jeep Compass, MY 2011-2020 Dodge Durango, MY 2011-2020 Jeep Grand Cherokee, MY 2010-2019 Dodge Journey, MY 2010-2012 Jeep Liberty, MY 2010-2011 Jeep Nitro, and MY 2010-2011 Jeep Patriot vehicles.On December 2, 2019, ODI received a response from FCA that included vehicle production data, consumer complaints, field reports, warranty claims, manufacturer actions, production changes, and other data related to the alleged defect from the start of production (2010) through September 24, 2019.On January 27, 2020, ODI received an update to the December 2, 2019, IR response from FCA.On September 22, 2020, ODI requested additional subject vehicle AHR information from FCA.ODI received FCA's response on October 21, 2020.ODI subsequently received an update to FCA's October 21, 2020, response on February 16, 2021.During the investigation, ODI requested updates to certain IR questions on two occasions.FCA provided updates to question #2 on March 5, 2021, and questions #2 and #5 on May 26, 2023. FCA’s IR response data identified approximately 7.5 million subject vehicles (with approximately 15 million AHR assemblies).Due to the large number of vehicles and failure reports, ODI focused its analysis on the FCA vehicle model with the highest failure rate to represent the worst-case scenario.For this purpose, ODI focused on MY 2012-2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee vehicles for its analysis.This population includes 710,890 vehicles that FCA manufactured between August 19, 2011, and August 8, 2015.ODI identified 2,839 alleged AHR failures within this limited population.ODI identified 263 alleged injuries that were caused by AHR failures in MY 2012-2015 Grand Cherokees vehicles.Of these alleged injuries, ODI categorized them as eighty-two (82) soft tissue (neck/whiplash, bruise) injuries, four (4) concussions, fifty-nine (59) headaches, and one hundred eighteen (118) without a specific injury description.Although complainants have alleged injuries, ODI has been unable to obtain evidence to substantiate or validate any injuries where medical treatment was required.Consumer outreach was conducted by ODI, where sixty-three (63) FCA complainants with alleged injuries were contacted.Twelve of the sixty-three FCA consumers responded and were interviewed by ODI.ODI requested medical records, however, only one response was provided. Attorneys representing the responding complainant provided a synopsis that indicated they had experienced prior neck-related injuries dating to the mid-1990s.ODI also contacted one hundred (100) consumers who submitted Vehicle Owner Questionnaires (VOQ) in an attempt to validate alleged injuries. Despite the efforts of ODI, the office has been unsuccessful at obtaining substantive documentation/evidence supporting complaints that allege serious injuries (where pre-existing medical conditions did not already exist). In addition to the low severity of alleged injuries caused by AHR deployments, there have been eleven alleged crashes and two alleged lane departures within the entire subject vehicle population that has been in the field up to sixteen years (with over 8,500 AHR inadvertent deployments).ODI was not able to validate that the alleged crashes were the result of inadvertent head rest deployments, and the crashes were minor in nature. ODI has conducted a thorough investigation of the alleged safety defect and with up to sixteen years of exposure for some vehicles and over 8,500 inadvertent AHR deployments, no serious crashes or injuries could be validated in the sub-population of focus.The lack of serious injuries validated by ODI with such large period of field exposure is consistent with thework done by NHTSA’s Human Injury Research Division and the Biodynamic Research Corporation, which support that an inadvertent AHR deployment is not likely to cause serious injury.In addition to the low risk of injury, FCA released an extended warranty program that covers inadvertent AHR deployment for ten years / unlimited mileage from the vehicle's in-service date. PE19014 is closed with the FCA extended warranty program.The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exist, and the Agency reserves the right to take additional action if warranted by new circumstances. To review a complete closing summary, please the attached closing report. To review the ODI reports cited in the Closing Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to NHTSA.gov.
Seats:front Assembly:head Restraint
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE19014 on September 9, 2019, to investigate 128 consumer complaints alleging that the Active Head Rest (AHR) inadvertently deployed without the occurrence of a crash or other rear impact event in model year (MY) 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee and Dodge Durango vehicles.When ODI opened the investigation, ODI was aware of thirteen alleged injuries.A small number of Early Warning Reports identified driver and/or passenger front seat AHR inadvertent deployments without a rear impact event.Reported safety consequences resulting from the AHR deployments include concussions, headaches, soft tissue injuries, disorientation, nausea, vomiting and/or loss of vehicle control as a result of being surprised and distracted by being struck in the head by the inadvertent AHR deployment. On September 24, 2019, ODI sent an Information Request (IR) letter to Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA).ODI requested certain detailed information from FCA related to the following subject vehicles: MY 2010-2014 Dodge Avenger 200, MY 2010-2014 Dodge Calber, MY 2010-2014 Chrysler Sebring, MY 2013-2015 Ram Tradesman, MY 2012 Ram Van, MY 2010-2019 Dodge Grand Caravan, MY 2010-2016 Chrysler Town and Country, MY 2010-2017 Jeep Compass, MY 2011-2020 Dodge Durango, MY 2011-2020 Jeep Grand Cherokee, MY 2010-2019 Dodge Journey, MY 2010-2012 Jeep Liberty, MY 2010-2011 Jeep Nitro, and MY 2010-2011 Jeep Patriot vehicles.On December 2, 2019, ODI received a response from FCA that included vehicle production data, consumer complaints, field reports, warranty claims, manufacturer actions, production changes, and other data related to the alleged defect from the start of production (2010) through September 24, 2019.On January 27, 2020, ODI received an update to the December 2, 2019, IR response from FCA.On September 22, 2020, ODI requested additional subject vehicle AHR information from FCA.ODI received FCA's response on October 21, 2020.ODI subsequently received an update to FCA's October 21, 2020, response on February 16, 2021.During the investigation, ODI requested updates to certain IR questions on two occasions.FCA provided updates to question #2 on March 5, 2021, and questions #2 and #5 on May 26, 2023. FCA’s IR response data identified approximately 7.5 million subject vehicles (with approximately 15 million AHR assemblies).Due to the large number of vehicles and failure reports, ODI focused its analysis on the FCA vehicle model with the highest failure rate to represent the worst-case scenario.For this purpose, ODI focused on MY 2012-2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee vehicles for its analysis.This population includes 710,890 vehicles that FCA manufactured between August 19, 2011, and August 8, 2015.ODI identified 2,839 alleged AHR failures within this limited population.ODI identified 263 alleged injuries that were caused by AHR failures in MY 2012-2015 Grand Cherokees vehicles.Of these alleged injuries, ODI categorized them as eighty-two (82) soft tissue (neck/whiplash, bruise) injuries, four (4) concussions, fifty-nine (59) headaches, and one hundred eighteen (118) without a specific injury description.Although complainants have alleged injuries, ODI has been unable to obtain evidence to substantiate or validate any injuries where medical treatment was required.Consumer outreach was conducted by ODI, where sixty-three (63) FCA complainants with alleged injuries were contacted.Twelve of the sixty-three FCA consumers responded and were interviewed by ODI.ODI requested medical records, however, only one response was provided. Attorneys representing the responding complainant provided a synopsis that indicated they had experienced prior neck-related injuries dating to the mid-1990s.ODI also contacted one hundred (100) consumers who submitted Vehicle Owner Questionnaires (VOQ) in an attempt to validate alleged injuries. Despite the efforts of ODI, the office has been unsuccessful at obtaining substantive documentation/evidence supporting complaints that allege serious injuries (where pre-existing medical conditions did not already exist). In addition to the low severity of alleged injuries caused by AHR deployments, there have been eleven alleged crashes and two alleged lane departures within the entire subject vehicle population that has been in the field up to sixteen years (with over 8,500 AHR inadvertent deployments).ODI was not able to validate that the alleged crashes were the result of inadvertent head rest deployments, and the crashes were minor in nature. ODI has conducted a thorough investigation of the alleged safety defect and with up to sixteen years of exposure for some vehicles and over 8,500 inadvertent AHR deployments, no serious crashes or injuries could be validated in the sub-population of focus.The lack of serious injuries validated by ODI with such large period of field exposure is consistent with thework done by NHTSA’s Human Injury Research Division and the Biodynamic Research Corporation, which support that an inadvertent AHR deployment is not likely to cause serious injury.In addition to the low risk of injury, FCA released an extended warranty program that covers inadvertent AHR deployment for ten years / unlimited mileage from the vehicle's in-service date. PE19014 is closed with the FCA extended warranty program.The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exist, and the Agency reserves the right to take additional action if warranted by new circumstances. To review a complete closing summary, please the attached closing report. To review the ODI reports cited in the Closing Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to NHTSA.gov.