10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
83,380 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2008 Dodge Avenger drivetrain problems

drivetrain problem

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2008 Dodge Avenger Owner Comments (Page 7 of 8)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #25

Jun 252010

Avenger

  • 75,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Dodge Avenger 2008 shifter assembly breaks and leaves the car stuck in park, at the dealership this will cost over $400 to fix and I am going to attempt to fix on my own due to financial difficulties but this is a very common problem with this and the sebring models and it should definitely be addressed.

- Orlando , FL, USA

problem #24

Jun 212010

Avenger

  • 62,000 miles
I was getting ready for work, had to be there by 7am. My fiance' had already left for work. I went to start my car and it wouldn't come out of park. Tried over and over to get it out of park. As a result of this happening I was late for work and I can't afford to be late for work. We are docked points when we are late or miss work and I am never late and never miss work. You can be terminated with just 4 points. I did research on the internet about my car, trying to find out what could be wrong with it and found out alot more people have had the exact same problem as I have. This could have happened anywhere. Luckily it happened in my driveway but I have a small child that I'm out with alot by myself. I feel it is a safety concern because you don't know when it's going to happen. It's a plastic piece that breaks off and causes the spring that's attached to it to let the car out of park fly off and then you are just stuck. There is no way to over ride it unless you take the entire console out and manually pull the pink lever back. I'm not a helpless female but I can't take a complete console out by myself. So therefore I feel that puts myself and my daughter in a bad situation if we are out by ourselves and this happens. I called the dealership and they said it would cost around $300 plus tax to fix the problem. But the problem is that they are just replacing it with the same plastic moldings that will break again at some point and time. I feel very unsafe with this car the way it is. Right now I don't have the money to pay $300 for something that I might have to replace again in a day another week or who knows when. I have not had it repaired at the moment..I'm driving with my console completely off and manually pulling up on the pink latch and putting it in gear. I think it's really sad that the company can't stand behind their product and let the consumer know that they are important and will fix the problem the right way.

- Fairdale, KY, USA

problem #23

Jun 102010

Avenger

  • miles
I have a 2008 Dodge Avenger that I was unable to use as of today. I got ready to leave my house and my car would not go out of park to reverse. I started trying to figure out why. I went to google and found numerous people had the same problem. And what's worse, is that Dodge doesn't see it as a problem and has not placed a recall out for it. It needs to be done. Its a safety thing. My warranty on my car is up. I have an extended warranty but its still going to cost me $200 at least to fix it and I do not have that. I have 2 kids, one who is a diabetic, and I am a stay at home mom. What is it going to take for Dodge to get with it and take care of this and make sure a recall is sent out on this?? too many people have had this same problem.

- Mustang, OK, USA

problem #22

Jan 012010

Avenger

  • 60,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I have been very very disappointed with my 2008 Avenger.. seems like I've experienced one problem after the other.. the first was the TPMS, which a recall was made and that was fixed. 2nd I had to replace the whole gear shift because it wouldn't come out of park... I called the dealership and they advised me that they saw a significant increase on those parts and alot of the Avengers were experiencing the same thing. 3rd, now the bearings inside the alternator have broke.. and I have to replace the whole alternator itself. We again called the Dodge house and they also explained how many request they are getting ref this part and having to keep them in stock continuously. Everyone I know that has an Avenger have all experienced all of these same problems.. and my question is at what point does Dodge start issuing a recall?? if Dodge can call the dealerships and get a tally on all amount of replacement parts they would be surprised and realize that a recall does need to be in effect.

- Burleson , TX, USA

problem #21

Jun 062010

Avenger

  • 48,300 miles
I have a 2008 Dodge Avenger that has a defective gear shift. My car was in the middle of the road and I was almost injured trying to get out of the car when I discovered the car would not come out of park after I turned back on. This may not be considered a safety problem to Dodge but depending on where your car is when you turn it off it does really become a safety issue. This was the first incident I have had with this problem and I am attempting to get this repaired now. This really has been a pain for me and my bank account!!

- Dallas, TX, USA

problem #20

Jun 062010

Avenger

  • 44,000 miles
Car would not shift out of park.

- El Paso, TX, USA

problem #19

Jun 052010

Avenger

  • 58,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Went to go leave work at 9:30 at night and the car will not go into drive. The gear shifter seems to be stuck in park. Had to get it towed to the Dodge dealer nearby. I have seen numerous complaints on this issue while researching it online.

- Commerce , GA, USA

problem #18

May 312010

Avenger

  • miles
Gear shift on my 2008 Dodge Avenger stuck in park.

- Palm Springs, CA, USA

problem #17

May 202010

Avenger

  • 54,000 miles
I have a 2008 Dodge Avenger it got stuck in park and I could not get it out. I called a mechanic friend who showed me a little pink switch that should release it to what ever gear you need. It does not work unless you push it yourself. I notice online that they have a lot of people who own 2008 Avengers with the same problem. Something needs to be done. I will be bringing mine to the dealership.

- Krotz Springs , LA, USA

problem #16

May 212010

Avenger

  • 52,000 miles
When leaving work I started my car but was unable to move the car out of park. It was completely unexpected and stranded me in 100 degree weather. I located a website where I found this to be a common occurrence with the 2008 Dodge Avenger. I have yet to take my car in to the dealership to have it looked at but several comments on the website I found said that this repair will cost around $350. Seems to me with so many people having this issue it should be a recall and not something that we should have to dish out that kind of money to repair.

- Mesa, AZ, USA

problem #15

May 052010

Avenger

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

2008 Dodge Avenger stuck in park.

- Chicago, IL, USA

problem #14

Mar 192010

Avenger

  • 49,477 miles
My daughter was leaving her job at 1130pm when her car would not shift out of park. We attempted the suggestions in the manual which made it seem like this was a safety feature. The next day I called the service dept. And the technician told me to remove the shift console and pull the pink switch and it release park and I would be able to drive it. I drove directly to the dealer. They knew the exact problem (must have had before). The shifter and the shifter assembly were replaced in two days. Was very satisfied with the service dept. Many more complaints were noted on the internet, but stated no recall.

- Kentwood, LA, USA

problem #13

Apr 182010

Avenger

  • 49,000 miles
Ref : Dodge Avenger 2008 - gear shift module lock up - please look into above issue since this is happening with most of the Avengers. The gear shift locks and cannot be released. The whole gear shift console needs to be replaced. The dealer does not want to take responsibility and it's very expensive to replace. After further research most of the Dodge and Chrysler vehicles have been having these problems for years.

- Plantation , FM, USA

problem #12

Apr 072010

Avenger

  • 40,700 miles
I have a 2008 Dodge Avenger with 40,800 miles on it. I had a problem with the gear shifter stuck in park. The problem seems to be very common in many Dodge vehicles, it seems to be a very cheap plastic part. Could there be a recall on this problem"??"

- Boynton Beach, FL, USA

problem #11

Apr 092010

Avenger

  • 71,895 miles
I have had my 2008 Dodge Avenger for almost 2 years. Car has no problems when I drove it earlier in the day. The car cranked with no problems, but when I tried to put it in gear would not move. Called a mechanic who towed the car and informed me it was a broken shifting column. Item not broken from wear and tear.

- Lumberton, NC, USA

problem #10

Mar 152010

Avenger

  • 58,000 miles
Bought the car used. 41,000 miles. Car stalls when coming to a stop at stop lights and stop signs when it is raining. Talked with dealer and stated nothing noted about the problem.

- Pottstown, PA, USA

problem #9

Mar 082010

Avenger

  • 73,000 miles
I took my son to the er room and my car was running fine. I come out and start my car everything was good. I tried to take it out of park and my shift gear was stuck. I have researched and a lot of people are having the same problems. My car is only two years old. 2008 Dodge Avenger.

- Louisville, KY, USA

problem #8

Oct 282009

Avenger

  • 30,000 miles
I purchased a 2008 Dodge Avenger Dec. 31, 2008. It was a used vehicle, the first problem may have been 5-6 months of having the car, it would stall when cranking and had cut off a couple of times when driving in traffic. I took it to the dealer and they claim they couldn't find what was wrong with it. About a month later the airbag light stays on while driving. They fix that. Now 10 months after having the car I'm in the car and trying to reverse and can't. the dealer tells me that my warranty just ran out. The part costs $200. I can't afford that and I don't think I should because I hadn't even had the car for a year. They told me I couldn't do anything unless I had a warranty. My boyfriend's brother had to take the cover off and now everytime I want to go in reverse I have to push in this red spring in order for it to reverse. Please let me know who I can talk to about this problem. It is unsafe for me to drive like this, the console is not there but I can't afford the part right now.

- Danville, VA, USA

problem #7

Oct 012009

Avenger

  • miles
This is the second time my shifter will not work. I am unable to remove out of park. I have already had to replace it once. This was a cost of 250 dollars. With in a month this piece broke again. If this is a problem that the current oem part can not fix please redesign a new one for the recall.

- Piedmont, SC, USA

problem #6

Aug 252009

Avenger

  • 47,912 miles
My gearshift suddenly stopped working. I had no previous problems or any indications that it was going to break and leave me stranded at my house. I contacted coffee Chrysler in douglas ga and spoke to the service manager. She informed me many people have been having this problem lately. I told her I noticed the complaints on the internet about it and suggested that Dodge needs to issue a recall. She informed me, the problem is caused by consumers not engaging the brake while engaging the gear shift. You have to engage the brake in order to engage the gear shift. It cost me $226.22 to repair. I was lucky this had happened at my house. I would have been beyond furious if this had happened anywhere else. I feel Dodge needs to fix this problem and pay for it. My car is a 2008. This kind of thing should not be happening.

- Baxley, GA, USA

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