RoadVitals

1996 Dodge Avenger Exterior lighting Problems

Owner-reported complaints naming the exterior lighting system, filed with NHTSA

Data refreshed

Exterior lighting reportsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
8
Latest Oct 25, 2004
Share of all reportsThis category as a share of every owner report on file for this model year. One report can name more than one component, so the categories overlap.
5%
of 157 total
Crash or fire reportedReports in this category whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. The reporter's own answer on the NHTSA form, not a verified finding.
0
Injuries or deaths reportedTotals the submitters entered on their own reports in this category. Not verified by NHTSA and not a casualty statistic.
0

What this page shows

Reports naming headlights, tail lights, turn signals and other exterior lighting. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 1996 Dodge Avenger submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 8 reports on file name it.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

Owner reports naming exterior lighting

Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed

Exterior lighting
Filed Oct 25, 2004

WHILE DRIVING CONSUMER NOTICED THAT THE BOTH DRIVER'S SIDE AND PASSENGER'S SIDE HEADLIGHTS FAILED TO SEE DUE TO LENS HAVING A CLOUDY RESIDUE ON THEM. THIS CAUSED POOR VISIBILITY, CONSUMER WAS UNABLE TO SEE. CONSUMER TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER FOR INSPECTION, AND MECHANIC STATED THAT THE PARTS FOR LENS WERE NOT ON RECALL. CONSUMER WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE PARTS AND LABOR. *AK

NHTSA ID
10097656
Incident
Oct 25, 2004
EngineExterior lighting
Filed Apr 28, 2004

REPEATED HEAD GASKET FAILURE ON ENGINE. A RECALL NEEDS TO BE INITIATED AS THIS IS A PREVALENT PROBLEM WITH THIS AUTOMOBILE! AWAITING THIRD REPAIR. ADDITIONALLY, TWICE DEALTH WITH TENSIONER AND PULLY PROBLEMS. A DEFECT RECALL NEEDS TO BE INITATED ON THESE PARTS. DEFECTIVE HEADLIGHT LENSES RESULTING IN EXTREME VISABILITY REDUCTION. A REPLACEMENT RECALL NEEDED ON THESE PARTS. THE ASOG (ADVENGER/SEABRING OWNERS GROUP) INTERNET MEMBERS GROUP REPEATEDLY IDENTIFYING THE ENGINE GASKET PROBLEMS! CRYSLER INITIATED A RECALL CHANGE TO THE DODGE NEON'S, BUT DISCONTINUED THE ADVENDER MODEL WITHOUT RECALL AND REPLACEMENT OF DEFECTIVE HEAD GASKETS. PLEASE DO SOMETHING FOR THE CONSUMER PUBLIC WITH THESE THREE MAJOR AREAS OF DEFECTIVE WORKMANSHIP. THANKS FOR YOUR ASSISTANCE.

NHTSA ID
10067976
Incident
Jan 1, 2004
Exterior lighting
Filed May 19, 2003

MY 1996 DODGE AVENGER ES V-6 HAS SEVERELY PITTED HEADLAMP LENSES WHICH SERIOUSLY REDUCES THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE HEADLAMPS FOR NIGHT DRIVING AND I BELIEVE IS DANGEROUS. I'VE EXPERIENCED THIS IN OTHER CARS I'VE OWNED, BUT NOT NEARLY TO THE DEGREE WITH THIS DODGE. THE LENSES LOOK CLOUDY. *JB

NHTSA ID
10018917
Incident
Apr 19, 2003
Exterior lighting
Filed Jul 10, 2002

THERE IS A BROWN FOG BUILDING UP IN THE HEADLIGHT LENSES, CAUSING THE LIGHT TO BE DIM MAKING IT HARD FOR THE CONSUMER TO SEE WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT. THE CAUSE IS UNKNOWN AND THE DEALER WAS NOTIFIED. *AK THE CONSUMER STATES THAT THERE IS NO MOISTURE BUILD UP AND IS NOT ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE LIGHTS. *SCC

NHTSA ID
8013680
Incident
Jun 16, 2002
Exterior lighting
Filed Apr 3, 2002

HEAT FROM HEADLIGHTS WAS MELTING INSIDE OF HEADLIGHT COVER. VEHICLE CANNOT PASS INSPECTION WITH THIS PROBLEM. ALSO, HIGH BEAMS HAVE TO BE ACTIVATED FOR DRIVING ABILTY. DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOTIFIED, AND HAVE BEEN RECEIVING SAME OTHER COMPLAINTS.*AK BOTH HEAD LIGHT LAMP ASSEMBLIES NEED TO BE REPLACED TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM. *YH

NHTSA ID
8006892
Incident
Mar 18, 2002
Exterior lighting
Filed Feb 22, 2002

THE CLEAR PLASTIC HEADLIGHT LENSES ON OUR VEHICLE ARE DETERIORATING TO THE POINT THAT NIGHT VISIBILITY IS SEVERELY LIMITED. THE DETERIORATION IS ON THE OUTER SURFACE OF THE HEADLIGHT LENS, AS EVIDENCED BY A ROUGH TEXTURE. THERE IS NO EVIDENCE ON THE PAINTED SURFACE OR WINDSHIELD THAT THIS VEHICLE HAS BEEN DRIVEN OR GARAGED IN ABRASIVE OR CORROSIVE CONDITIONS.*AK

NHTSA ID
758476
Exterior lighting
Filed Jun 5, 2000

WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT RIGHT SIDE HEADLIGHT HAS A FILM OR COATING THAT OBSTRUCTS VISION. *AK

NHTSA ID
863022
Incident
May 1, 2000
ElectricalExterior lightingSteering+3 more
Filed Sep 10, 1996

HORN MALFUNCTIONED PRIOR TO/AFTER RECALL.

NHTSA ID
508476
Incident
Aug 6, 1996

Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.

Other components reported on this vehicle

Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own

Elsewhere on this vehicle

Data sources

Data on this page last refreshed .