1998 Dodge Avenger problems
Owners have filed 72 complaints with NHTSA about the 1998 Dodge Avenger. Suspension is the most reported problem area, at 25% of complaints. After that come air bags (11%) and brakes (11%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 72 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Suspension 25% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 16 and 1
- Injuries and deaths
- 16 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 85,000 miles 24 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 0 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 3 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 1 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 7 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 5 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 3 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 3 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 0 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 0 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 1 |
| 200k+ miles | 1 |
What the data shows
Among the 24 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 84,000 miles. For suspension specifically, the median reported mileage is about 86,000 miles (11 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 16 complaints mention a crash; 1 complaint mentions a fire; 16 injuries reported. Its complaints are more severe on average than those of 92% of model years in our database.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 1998 ranks 12th most-complained-about out of 13 model years of the Dodge Avenger with enough data (44 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 2 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
While driving at 25 MPH this vehicle struck another vehicle in the direct side and the air bag restraints did not deploy. Dealer has not been contacted.
Thank you very much for your site. Thanks to your information we now know that our car was subject to a recall that evidently caused an accident. We have never been notified of a recall and are very much concerned about the air bags not actuating. The vehicle struck a telephone pole head on after failing to reduce speed while negotiating a turn. Fortunately, my son and his friend were wearing seatbelts. What a merry christmas this has turned out to be.
If my vehicle is involved in a recall, I should not have to pay to have my vehicle "diagnosed" to see if it is defective, especially when I have inspected it and know that the "ball joint" recall for my 1998 dodge avenger is a definite problem.
Tl* the contact owns a 1998 dodge avenger. While the vehicle was stationary, it would not turn off when the ignition key was removed. The failure occurred after having the ignition switch replaced. The vehicle was diagnosed as needing the tipm replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 185,000. The VIN was not available.