10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
3 / 13
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
89,809 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 electrical problems

electrical problem

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2008 Dodge Avenger Owner Comments (Page 9 of 11)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #55

Nov 112012

Avenger 4-cyl

  • 61,479 miles

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

I have had a reoccuring problem with the throttle light coming on after experiencing chugging and deceleration with my car. It was only at low speeds but has now gone on when I am on the freeway. I have had the vehicle come close to losing power at high speeds but I was lucky enough to have light traffic and a clear shoulder. My rpms have been incredibly high during this time and have to start the car again. This fixes it temporarily and starts again a few minutes later. I have seen this issue on other vehicles and needs to be fixed before someone gets killed. I am a police officer and I have defensively driving training but they don't train you on when a part on your car that should be recalled fails while traveling 65 on the freeway. How many complaints do they need to fix this problem" you will recall a stupid tire sensor but not the throttle body that can cause death" fix the problem please. I don't want to die or injured because no one is listening about an obvious problem.

- Fort Worth, TX, USA

problem #54

Jan 042013

Avenger

  • 90,000 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Dodge Avenger. The contact stated that while driving approximately 45 mph, the vehicle stalled. The contact merged to the shoulder, powered off and restarted the vehicle. The contact also stated that the electronic throttle control system warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact that the vehicle was not included in any recalls. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure and current mileage was 90,000.

- Gowanda, NY, USA

problem #53

Mar 282008

Avenger 4-cyl

  • 35,000 miles
I have had nothing but problems with my car. When I first purchased it 2 months later my shifter got stuck I was stranded at work. After that I have had various problems from the alternator, battery, and compressor going out various times and it is not even over 100,000 miles. I looked up there were recalls on the car back in 07 and 08. The dealership says that they fixed it but I feel like it was not fixed and I had the shifter problem right when I purchased that is the only thing they said they can fix.

- Arlington, TX, USA

problem #52

Sep 032012

Avenger

  • 110,000 miles

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

Electronic throttle control light blinks. Loss of engine power with hard breaking. Rough and high idle when in park. When turned off and back on again, car runs fine and etc light turns off.

- Oshkosh, WI, USA

problem #51

Aug 162012

Avenger 4-cyl

  • 54,000 miles
While driving my car, the electronic throttle control light came on and the car lost power and would not accelerate. I have researched this problem and it seems that it is a common occurrence. Please recall now for safety reasons!

- Virginia Beach, VA, USA

problem #50

May 072012

Avenger

  • miles
Driving my car fine one minute, get in it the next day and there's an lighting bolt on my dash. The car won't go over 20mph. The light blinks than I shut car off and restart it and the light just stays on. Couple weeks later the light goes away. Then weeks later after a month of no light, light comes back on. I take it to dealer and they say the codes for the throttle showed up. They cleaned it out, put a new filter on and sent me on my way. Driving for a good week with no light, here comes light again. Sometimes it resets it self after I restart car but now the light stays on. 20mph. Chrysler needs to recall this car. Too many people with the same car, same problem and they just ignore.

- Milwaukee, WI, USA

problem #49

May 152012

Avenger

  • 101,555 miles

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

While pulling out from a stoplight and accelerating up a grade, my 2008 Dodge Avenger made a loud popping noise and began to sputter and lose power. The car would not go over 10 mph and a lighting bolt symbol appeared on my dash display. I drifted the car to the side of the road and could not move. After letting it sit and turning the car off and on, the lighting bolt image on my dash disappeared and the car could be driven. Since then, the car sporadically stutters for no apparent reason and I then pull off the gas fearing a repeat of the above incident.

- Nesquehoning, PA, USA

problem #48

Aug 082012

Avenger

  • 70,650 miles
While driving this morning, my car hesitated and stalled. I was able to get my car restarted, but the check engine light came on. After a couple of minutes of driving, the electronic throttle control light came on and the car lost power and would not accelerate. It was very stressful because this all happened during rush hour traffic in Washington DC. I have researched this problem and it seems that it is a common occurrence... please recall now for safety reasons!!!!

- Falls Church, VA, USA

problem #47

Jun 142012

Avenger 4-cyl

  • 83,086 miles
I was driving 25 mph when the electronic throttle control indicator light came on. The light remained lit while I was driving. The speed of my car decreased and I was not able to accelerate when pushing the gas pedal. My car seemed as if it was coasting. I turned my car around to park it. When I pressed the brakes my car seemed like it wanted to shut off. My car began jerking. I did not make it even 1 mile from my home before this took place.

- Warrensville Heights, OH, USA

problem #46

May 162012

Avenger

  • 91,631 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Dodge Avenger. The contact stated that while driving 50 mph, the voltage indicator began to illuminate and the engine would not accelerate. The contact was able to maneuver the vehicle into a turning lane with less traffic. The vehicle was then towed to the dealer. The dealer diagnosed the vehicle and informed the contact that they were unable to find a failure. The vehicle was taken to a personal mechanic and the alternator was replaced. Two weeks later, the failure recurred and the contact remained on the side of the highway for three hours, at which time she was able to successfully start the vehicle. A week later, the failure recurred again. In each instance the vehicle would start and have power, but would not accelerate. The vehicle had not been repaired. The failure mileage was 91,631 and the current mileage was 93,046.

- Garland, TX, USA

problem #45

Jun 042012

Avenger 6-cyl

  • 91,123 miles

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

While driving on highway, etc light came on signifying problem with throttle component. After doing research, it appears that this is an ongoing problem with Dodge vehicles including the 2008 Avenger. Many statements online urged to open claim here as this can be an expensive problem that is not covered by warranty or recall.

- Easton, PA, USA

problem #44

Oct 132010

Avenger 4-cyl

  • 71,000 miles
I have been having problems with my Dodge Avenger for about 40,000 miles now and have had it into multiple shops without the problem being solved. The electronic throttle control light comes on and off at random times either causing my car to shut off while im going down the road, cause power lag with no acceleration about 45 mph or shifting into different gears, or the engine light comes on along with the etc light and the car will idle very high then very low and repeat the process making the car unable to drive. The vehicle has shut off on me while going down interstate and highways and I've almost been hit several times because of it. I see lots of postings with the same issue but there are no recalls on this issue which dealerships do not know how to fix. I've been told to change the battery, the TPMS was messing up, the throttle valve was sticking, improper fuel delivery, and that the car wasn't getting enough air. None of these once fixed were the cause of the car freaking out and now im forced to drive day to day with my son in the car hoping it works well enough that an accident wont happen. I've seen enough complaints about the electronic throttle control that there should have been a recall a long time ago to fix this yet it's been 4 years and still nothing is being done to help make peoples vehicles safe again that they paid for.

- Osgood , OH, USA

problem #43

Apr 042012

Avenger

  • 141,000 miles
I have been receiving electronic throttle control errors for about a year now (lightning bolt between inverted parenthesis). It happens sporadically but seems to occur more frequently. The last episode occurred today on my morning commute to work - 04/04/2012, approximately 0725. The error code will flash and it becomes more difficult to accelerate. When I take my foot off of the gas pedal to decelerate, the car will 'jerk'. so far, I have been fortunate enough to continue driving the vehicle until I can find a place to pull over. Usually, I can turn the car off then back on and the error code disappears. The car will drive normally. I am now experiencing these issues 3-4 times per week. This issue is chronicled on the internet with details in different forums. This seems to be an on-going frequent issue that Dodge is aware of. From what I have researched, the dealership mechanics seem to be at a loss on how to repair and suggest different repairs that don't work...unless that is their aim. In a time that people are financially struggling, these manufacturers need to repair the issues they know about.

- Kinsman, OH, USA

problem #42

Apr 012012

Avenger 4-cyl

  • 69,000 miles
I noticed a problem with my car on March 29, 2012 as I attempted to get into my car to run an errand. My car would not start...cranked up but wouldn't start. Never, ever, had that problem so I didn't know what to do since it was about 7:30pm. I left well enough alone until the next morning. Attempted to start car at that point and my car started. I drove over to a Goodyear facility to see if they could find out the problem and I was informed there was nothing they could do about whatever problem I had the previous night because my car was starting up. Okay, fine. Well, on April 1, 2012, I was driving on a busy road going about 45mph and all of a sudden my car just stopped on me while driving. As I tried to turn, my steering wheel was like it was stuck and wouldn't maneuver. At that point, I was able to pull to the side since I was close to a sidewalk. I turned my ignition off and waited a few min before trying to start my car again. Tried 2 times, but didn't start up. The third time I tried, my car started up and I was able to turn around to head back home before this problem happen again. I took my car back in to Goodyear the next morning after explaining about my car stopping in the middle of driving. They ran a scan and found nothing. After that, I went online and saw on motortrend.com that a recall was issued on April 2, 2008 which was the same month I purchased my car. I called Chrysler to inquire about the recall because I never received a letter. Was told to bring it into a Dodge dealer, which I did this afternoon on 4/3/12, and they found nothing after running a diagnostic test. Something is wrong with my car, that's for sure. Because a car just doesn't kill in the middle of driving for no reason. A recall is needed for this problem because it appears a lot of other owners are having this same problem. This is a very dangerous situation.

- Stamford, CT, USA

problem #41

Feb 032012

Avenger

  • 120,000 miles
I own a 2008 Dodge Avenger, purchased in 2008 with 20,000 miles on it, I had not had any problems with the vehicle until August 2011 when my vehicle completely shut off on me while I was going 70 miles an hour, lost all power, it was as if my car was not even on. I managed to get to the side of the road before I went back down to 0 mph, my car would not turn back on and I had it towed to a shop, they stated that my battery was bad and I needed a new one, I was surprised because the battery is not even 3 years old. I got a new battery and continued to have problems with my RPM's and my car did not accelerate as it should have nor has before, my RPM's jerk up and down and make my car shake while in park. Now in 2012 two weeks ago I was driving 40 miles per hour and all of a sudden I felt like I lost power and my bolt light came on as well as my check engine light, I took it to shop and they stated that it was nothing, I need to reset my computer and they tried, I replaced my air filer, put fluids in my car to clean it out. I called Dodge and they claim I need an update on my computer, I told them my problem and they did not have a steady answer, I feel this needs to be recalled I see many upset customers and a car just shutting off and slowing down losing power in the middle of driving can no be safe, and they are saying there is nothing wrong with the vehicle? there is obviously something wrong if it just shuts off and the check light comes on and it does not accelerate over 25 miles per hour.

- Poynette , WI, USA

problem #40

Jan 292012

Avenger

  • 86,000 miles
Driving on the freeway and my 2008 Dodge Avenger suddenly loses power and begins to idle and run rough. The red electric bolt sign came on and was flashing. Car continued to run funny not having normal power and unable to accelerate. When I turned the car off and then back on it reset. ?

- Saratoga Springs, UT, USA

problem #39

Dec 182011

Avenger

  • 56,000 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Dodge Avenger xt. The contact was driving 55 mph when the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle was able to be restarted immediately. The manufacturer was notified of the failure who advised that there was a recall for the failure under NHTSA campaign id number: 08V152000 (electrical system: Wiring) but the contacts VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was 56,000 and the current mileage was 57,000.

- Brook Park, OH, USA

problem #38

Sep 012011

Avenger 4-cyl

  • 38,000 miles
Vehicle conditions only happen when it is raining outside. Vehicle stalls or idles erratically during deceleration and hesitates when taking off from a stop.

- Clinton Twp, MI, USA

problem #37

Nov 012010

Avenger 4-cyl

  • 40,000 miles
My 2008 Avenger stalls when accelerating. It seems to happen when it is wet and cold out. It happens mostly when you are at a complete stop and push the gas or when you are slowing down and the accelerate. I have almost been in several accidents due to this happening. I have taken it to the Dodge dealership and they said they can't find anything wrong. There is definitely something wrong.

- Beaver, PA, USA

problem #36

Dec 052011

Avenger

  • 94,000 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Dodge Avenger. The contact was not able to start the vehicle. The contact stated that a lightning bolt failure icon appeared on the instrument panel during the failure. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The manufacturer was notified. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileages were 94,000.

- Converse, TX, USA

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