RoadVitals

1996 Dodge Avenger Transmission Problems

Owner-reported complaints naming the transmission system, filed with NHTSA

Data refreshed

Transmission 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.
19
Latest Sep 15, 2002
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.
12%
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.
3
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 the automatic or manual transmission, including shifting behaviour, shudder, slipping and transmission control modules. 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. 19 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 transmission

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

EngineTransmission
Filed Sep 15, 2002

ON THE TRANSMISSION THE SEAL FOR THE FRONT SHAFT IS LEAKING,ALSO THE HEAD GASKET IS LEAKING WHICH IS MADE OUT OF PAPER AND DISOLVED WHICH NOW NEEDS REPLACED THE INPUT AND OUTPUT SENSORS ARE ALSO IN NEED OF REPLACEMENT I HAVE TWO OF THESE CARS AND FIND IT APPAULING THAT BOTH ARE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEMS. NLM

NHTSA ID
767188
Incident
Sep 9, 2002
Transmission
Filed Apr 2, 2002

TRANSAXLE LOCKED UP. *AK

NHTSA ID
760136
Incident
Apr 2, 2002
Transmission
Filed Apr 1, 2002

GEARS ARE NOT CHANGING PROPERLY, VEHICLE HAS A REALLY ROUGH START, VEHICLE STALLS, AND SOMETIMES WON'T START. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK

NHTSA ID
8006692
Incident
Mar 15, 2002
Transmission
Filed Feb 25, 2002

TORQUE CONVERTER DROPPED AND HIT METAL CASING. TOW OPERATOR INDICATED IT WAS FROM TRANSMISSION FAILURE. CONTACTED CHRYSLER, AND THEY WERE AWARE OF PROBLEM. *AK

NHTSA ID
8004497
Incident
Feb 21, 2002
Transmission
Filed May 14, 2001

MY TRANSMISSION SEAL BLEW OFF AT 18,000 MILES, WHCH SHOULDN'T HAVE HAPPENED. IT TOOK THE DEALER 2 WEEKS TO FIX CAR, AND WHEN I GOT IT BACK, THE TRANSMISSION FELL OUT. THEY ALSO USED MY CAR AS A RENTAL CAR, AND I GOT IT BACK WITH 700 EXTRA MILES ON IT.

NHTSA ID
745297
Incident
Feb 15, 1999
EngineTransmission
Filed Apr 18, 2001

CONSUMER WAS ACCELERATING UP TO 45 MPH SPEED LIMIT WHEN ALL DRIVETRAIN CAPABILITY AND FORWARD MOTION WAS LOST. VEHICLE CURRENTLY AT A DODGE DEALERSHIP, AND THEY INFORMED CONSUMER THAT TRANSMISSION HAS TO BE REBUILT BECAUSE NO TRANSMISSIONS WERE AVAILABLE FOR 1996 MODEL. THIS WILL COST CONSUMER $2200.00. *AK BURNING RUBBER SMELL WAS DETECTED AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN FOR FLUID CHANGE AT THE DEALER. BELTS AND THE TENSIONERS WERE REPLACED BUT THE RUBBER SMELL STILL CINTINUED. LATER ON, THE TRANSMISSION FAILED. *YH

NHTSA ID
886256
Incident
Apr 16, 2001
Transmission
Filed Dec 15, 2000

NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOV EVEHICLE. *AK

NHTSA ID
737850
Incident
Dec 7, 2000
Seat beltsSuspensionTransmission
Filed Jun 5, 2000

THE PASSENGER SEAT BELT COMES LOOSE AND THE SEAT SLIDES UP WHEN APPLYING BRAKE. YH

NHTSA ID
552476
Incident
May 8, 2000
Seat beltsTransmission
Filed Aug 30, 1999

WHEN CAR IS TURNED OFF AND KEY IS OUT OF IGNITION, AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION CAN MOVE INTO ANY OTHER GEAR . 2. PASSENGER'S SIDE SEATBELT CAN UNLATCH BY ITSELF, CAUSING SAFETY HAZARD. *AK

NHTSA ID
846134
Seat beltsSuspensionTransmission
Filed Feb 11, 1999

TRANSMISSION FAILED.

NHTSA ID
530329
Incident
Apr 28, 1996
Transmission
Filed Jan 1, 1999
Crash reported

CAR WAS PARKED WITH SHIFTER IN "P" AND ENGINE OFF. WHEN I TURNED THE KEY IN THE IGNITION THE CAR TOOK OFF LIKE A BANSHEE AT FULL REVS. I HIT A BUILDING, SOME STONE STEPS, WENT OVER A CURB, AND BARELY MANAGED TO MAKE A 90 DEGREE TURN TO AVOIDING RUNNING DOWN TWO PEDERTRIANS. WHEN KEY WAS TURNED OFF THE CAR WAS STILL IN "P". IT APPEARS THAT THERE MAY HAVE BEEN A RECALL (98V183000) FOR THIS PROBLEM, HOWEVER WE WERE NEVER NOTIFIED OF IT. WE WILL NEVER TRUST THIS CAR TO DRIVE AGAIN AND ARE REQUESTING THAT CHRYSLER REPLACE IT.

NHTSA ID
701787
Incident
Dec 29, 1998
BrakesTransmission
Filed Nov 26, 1998
Crash reported

GONE THROUGH MANY NUMBER OF BRAKES, WITH NORMAL DRIVING, AND TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS.

NHTSA ID
700917
BrakesTransmission
Filed Sep 28, 1998

ABS BRAKE FAILURE. ALSO, TRANSMISSION MALFUNCTIONED.

NHTSA ID
780824
ElectricalEngineSuspension+1 more
Filed Apr 1, 1998

DEAD BATTERY.

NHTSA ID
533562
Incident
Feb 18, 1997
Transmission
Filed Sep 24, 1996
Crash reported

FAILURE ON THE TRANSMISSION, FOUR TIMES VEHICLE WAS IN THE NEUTRAL POSITION AND VEHICLE JUMPED OUT OF GEAR/ 3 TIMES VEHICLE ROLLED IN PARK, RESULTING IN LOSS OF CONTROL/ACCIDENT. *AK

NHTSA ID
801911
Incident
Sep 14, 1996
ElectricalExterior lightingSteering+3 more
Filed Sep 10, 1996

HORN MALFUNCTIONED PRIOR TO/AFTER RECALL.

NHTSA ID
508476
Incident
Aug 6, 1996
Driver assistanceElectricalTransmission
Filed Aug 30, 1996

VEHICLE FIALS TO START/STALLS, ALSO TRANSMISSION FAILURE/ROUGH IDLE. *AK

NHTSA ID
508050
Incident
Feb 1, 1996
ElectricalTransmission
Filed Jul 11, 1996

WHILE DRIVING CAR JUMPS GEARS FROM DRIVE TO NEUTRAL, ALSO REPLACED COMPUTER.

NHTSA ID
985681
Incident
Mar 1, 1996
Transmission
Filed Sep 7, 1995

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

NHTSA ID
971709
Incident
Sep 7, 1995

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 .