1997 Dodge Avenger: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 109 complaints
109
Total Complaints
94,500mi
Median Mileage
SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM:LOWER BALL JOINT
Top Issue
18
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

91,000 25th Percentile
94,500 Median Mileage
139,853 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM:LOWER BALL JOINT
11
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
10
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC
5
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:ROTOR
4
SUSPENSION
4
WHEELS
4
SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM:UPPER BALL JOINT
4
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
4
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
3
TIRES
3

Severity Assessment

18
Crashes
0
Fires
23
Injuries
0
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"SEAT BELTS ARE TOO TIGHT. DEALER SAYS THAT THIS IS NORMAL. *AK"
"PASSENGER'S SEAT BELT STAYS LOCKED WHILE JUST SITTING STILL. CONSUMER HAS TO PRESS THE RELEASE BUTTON ABOUT 3 OR 4 TIMES BEFORE THE BELT RELEASES. CONSUMER HAS CONTACTED THE DEALER, BUT THE DEALER HASN'T BEEN ABLE TO FIX THE PROBLEM. *AK"
"WARPED FRONT BRAKE ROTORS, CAUSING SEVERE VIBRATION IN FRONT END AND EXCESSIVE SQUEALING OF THE BRAKES. *AK"

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