1996 Dodge Avenger: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 235 complaints
235
Total Complaints
131,000mi
Median Mileage
SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM:LOWER BALL JOINT
Top Issue
28
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

121,251 25th Percentile
131,000 Median Mileage
137,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM:LOWER BALL JOINT
28
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
15
SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM
12
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
11
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
10
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
9
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:ROTOR
9
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
9
SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM:UPPER BALL JOINT
6
SUSPENSION
6

Severity Assessment

28
Crashes
3
Fires
24
Injuries
1
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"PURCHASE CAR ON 9/04/95 ON 9/07/95 CONSUMER WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY THE TRANSMISSION SHIFT OUT OF GEAR AND COULDN'T GET IT TO GO BACK INTO GEAR . TT"
"UPON IMPACT ESTIMATED SPEED 30 MPH, PASSENGERS AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY. PLEASE DESCRIBE DETAILS. TT"
"UPON IMPACT ESTIMATED SPEED 30 MPH, DRIVERS AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY. PLEASE DESCRIBE DETAILS. TT"

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28