FaultScore

2014 Dodge Avenger stability control problems

13 of the 330 complaints about the 2014 Dodge Avenger are about the stability control — 4% of everything reported for this model year. Half of the failures with a mileage on record happened before 60,000 miles.

C

13

Complaints

1

Crashes

0

Fires

1

Injuries

Exactly what failed

Electronic Stability Control (Esc) 12 92.3%
Traction Control System 1 7.7%

Stability & Traction Control across every Dodge Avenger year

2008 31 28.4%
2011 10 9.2%
2012 26 23.9%
2013 29 26.6%
2014 13 11.9%

What owners said

Filed with NHTSA, in their own words.

at 89,000 miles Saint Louis, MO

ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)

THE VEHICLE STALLS AND JERKS VIOLENTLY DURING ACCELERATION AT TAKE OFF AFTER A COMPLETE STOP. IT STRUGGLES ACCELERATING THROUGH INTERSECTIONS ALSO AT MAKING LEFT N RIGHT TURNS. AT RANDOM TIMES THE VEHICLE STOPS IN THE MIDDLE OF AN INTERSECTION AFTER TAKE OFF AND CAUSES CARS BEHIND YOU AND THOSE WHO CHOOSE TO PROCEED TO RUN THE RED LIGHT GOING THE INTERSECTION TO HIT YOU. THE CAR IS UNSAFE TO DRIVE MAKING IT A SAFETY ISSUE. COME TO FIND OUT ONLINE THAT ALOT OF DODGE AVENGERS ARE HAVING THE SAME ISSUE. CAR ALSO DOES THIS WHILE MAKING LEFT AND RIGHT TURNS. IT JERKS N LOSES ACCELERATION RANDOMLY NO MATTER HIGH ROMS OR LOW RPMS. ON THE HIGHWAY OR STREET YOU CAN'T GAIN ACCELERATION TO PASS OR TO GET OVER WITHOUT RISKING AN ACCIDENT DUE TO NOT MOVING WITH THE SPEED OF TRAFFIC. ALSO AM UNKNOWN OIL LEAK APPEARS HAD THE CAR VALVE COVER GASKET AND OIL PAN GASKET REPLACE AND STILL LOOSES OIL. OIL IS SHOOTING ALL OVER THE ENGINE AND ENGINE MAKING UNKNOWN SOUND THAT DOESN'T TRIGGER A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT. BUT THERE IS A TICKING SOUND COMING FROM ENGINE. TOOK IT TO A DODGE DEALERSHIP THEY FOUND NOTHING WRONG WITH THE ENGINE OR TRANSMISSION. I BELIEVE DODGE ACKNOWLEDGE THESE PROBLEMS BUT REFUSE TO FIX WHAT MAJORITY OF THEIR CUSTOMERS COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS SAME ISSUE.

NHTSA complaint #11337502 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 109,000 miles Modesto, CA

ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 DODGE AVENGER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH, THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME DIFFICULT TO TURN WITH AN ABNORMAL SOUND. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE TRACTION CONTROL WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS SLOWLY DRIVEN TO HER RESIDENCE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC AND THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE AIR BAG SENSOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED HOWEVER, THE FAILURE RECURRED TWICE. NEITHER THE DEALER NOR THE MANUFACTURER WERE NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 109,000.

NHTSA complaint #11328562 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 97,247 miles Marble Falls, TX Crash 2 injured

ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)

I WAS DRIVING THE CAR DOWN THE ROAD WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN THE WHEELS LOCKED UP AND PULLED HARD LEFT AND MY STEERING WHEEL LOCKED UP AS WELL AND I CRASHED

NHTSA complaint #11278733 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 53,400 miles Cary, IL

ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)

IN APRIL 2017, THE ENGINE CONTROL MODULE FAILED AND THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT GO OVER 10 MILES PER HOUR. YES THE PART WAS REPLACED BY WICKSTROM CHRYSLER DODGE IN BARRINGTON IL. ON APRIL 18TH 2019, THE SAME PART FAILED AGAIN. THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVE ON THE A LOCAL HIGHWAY WHEN IT LOST POWER AND WOULDN'T GO ABOVE 10 MPH BOTH TIMES.

NHTSA complaint #11202754 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 37,000 miles LAS Vegas, NV

ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM HAS CRITICAL INTERNAL ERRORS WHERE CAR WILL JUST SHUT-OFF COMPLETELY. I'VE BEEN ON HIGHWAY MANY TIMES WHERE MY 2014 DODGE AVENGER SE V6 HAS LOST POWER AND COMPLETELY IDLES. THE BATTERY IS STILL WORKING BUT CAR WILL NO LONGER START. I HAVE INFANT CHILD AND THIS DEFECT HAS BECOME A SOURCE OF ANXIETY EVERY TIME I DRIVE THIS VEHICLE. ALSO, THE NUTS AND BOLTS SEEM TO COME UNDONE FROM THE SIDE FRAMES BELOW THE DRIVER AND REAR DOORS, AS WELL AS BOLTS UNDER HOOD SUCH AS ON THE ENGINE COMPARTMENTS. FINALLY, ROYALTY AUTO INFORMED ME THAT THE OIL FILTER HOUSING UNIT ON THIS VEHICLE IS STOCKED WITH PLASTIC, WHEN IT SHOULD BE MADE FROM ALLOY METAL TO ENSURE QUALITY AND SAFETY.

NHTSA complaint #11128276 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 98,000 miles Austibn, TX

ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)

IT STARTED WITH THE BLINKER SHORTING OUT THE LIGHTS INSIDE THE CAR AND THE PROBLEM IS PERSISTENTLY GETTING WORSE. NOW THE HORN GOES OFF WITHOUT NOTICE WHILE DRIVING, NOW THE HORN IS NO LONGER WORKING AT ALL. I WAS NEARLY IN AN ACCIDENT BECAUSE I COULDN'T WARN A VEHICLE THEY WERE ENTERING MY LANE. I AM CONCERNED THAT MY CAR ELECTRICAL SYSTEM WILL COMPLETELY MALFUNCTION WHILE DRIVING AS THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM IS ESSENTIALLY THE BRAIN OF THE VEHICLE. NUMEROUS DODGER OWNERS HAVE EXPRESSED THAT IT WILL ONLY GET WORSE, EVEN TO THE POINT OF COMPLETELY CUTTING OFF WHILE IN TRAFFIC.

NHTSA complaint #11089008 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 75,000 miles Smyrna, GA

ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)

THE FIRST TIME THE THROTTLE CONTROL WARNING LIGHT CAME ON, I WAS MID-TURN INTO ONCOMING TRAFFIC WHEN MY VEHICLE STALLED, COMPLETELY STOPPING ALMOST CAUSING ANOTHER VEHICLE TO T-BONE ME. CAR SHUT OFF AND WHEN I RESTARTED IT, IT AUTOMATICALLY ACCELERATED. ARRIVED AT MY DESTINATION WITHIN A MILE AND LATER THAT DAY WHEN I TURNED ON MY CAR TO GO HOME, THE LIGHT WAS OFF AND NO ISSUES. A COUPLE DAYS GO BY, ON MY WAY TO WORK AGAIN, I AM TRYING TO STOP FOR A RED LIGHT, THROTTLE CONTROL WARNING LIGHT COMES ON AND CAR ACCELERATES INSTEAD CAUSING ME TO RUN THE RED LIGHT. THROTTLE CONTROL LIGHT STAYS ON FOR THE REST OF THE DAY BUT WHEN I GO TO DRIVE IT THE NEXT DAY ITS OFF AND NO ISSUES. TOOK CAR IN TO GET OIL CHANGED AND OTHER UNRELATED WORK DONE AND THEY DON'T FIND ANY ISSUES. ABOUT 3 WEEKS GO BY, DON'T DRIVE THE CAR FOR 5 DAYS, IT DRIVES FINE THE FIRST DAY AND THEN TODAY (THE SECOND DAY) ON MY WAY TO WORK, I WENT TO SLOW DOWN FOR A STOP LIGHT, WHEN I PUSHED ON THE GAS TO ACCELERATE AGAIN, THROTTLE CONTROL LIGHT COMES ON AND I HAVE THE GAS PEDAL TO THE FLOOR BUT CAR WON'T GO ABOVE 13 MPH. DROVE THIS WAY FOR ABOUT 3 MILES, MAKING NO STOPS WORRIED THAT I WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO GET IT TO GO AT ALL, UNTIL I WAS SOMEWHERE SAFE THAT I COULD PARK THE VEHICLE. JUST WENT TO GO TURN IT ON AFTER ABOUT 4 HOURS AND LIGHT IS STILL ON.

NHTSA complaint #11080640 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 60,000 miles Erie, PA

ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)

I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY WHEN THE ELECTRICAL THROTTLE CONTROL LIGHT CAME ON. IT FLASHED THEN STAYED ON. MY VEHICLE WOULDN'T GO PAST 30MPH. I TOOK IT TO BE LOOKED AT AND THEY COULDN'T FIND ANYTHING. THE NEXT TIME THIS HAPPENED I WAS DRIVING ON A STREET. THE ELECTRICAL THROTTLE LIGHT AND THE ELECTRONIC STABILITY LIGHT CAME ON. MY VEHICLE WILL NOT MOVE PAST 30MPH. IF I HAVE TO STOP IT WON'T GO PAST 10MPH UNTIL I'M OVER HALF WAY DOWN A BLOCK. THIS HAS HAPPENED MULTIPLE TIMES NOW ON HIGHWAYS AND STREETS. SOMETIMES THE LIGHTS JUST FLASH AND GO OFF. NOW THE LIGHTS ARE ON WHEN I TURN THE VEHICLE ON, WITHOUT ANY MOTION.

NHTSA complaint #11080015 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 46,700 miles Bealeton, VA

ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)

ISSUES OVER THE YEARS SINCE PURCHASING INCLUDE HAPPENED MANY TIMES: DUMMY LIGHTS FLASHING ON/OFF AT THEIR PLEASURE, CLOCK ALWAYS BEING OFF TIME AND HAVING TO BE RESET EVERY COUPLE OF DAYS, RANDOM ACCELERATIONS NOT PROVOKED BY DRIVING OR INCLINE WHILE ON CRUISE AND OFF, WARNING LIGHTS COME ON WHILE SPEEDOMETER STOPS WORKING YET RPM IS CORRECT, AND CAR COMPLETELY SHUT OFF WHILE DRIVING

NHTSA complaint #11016273 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 60,000 miles Dallas, TX

TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 DODGE AVENGER. WHILE DRIVING, THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED A LOSS OF POWER AND PREVENTED THE VEHICLE FROM ACCELERATING PAST 10-15 MPH. THE ETC WARNING INDICATOR AND TRACTION CONTROL WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE FAILURE OCCURRED APPROXIMATELY SIX TIMES. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 60,000. THE VIN WAS NOT PROVIDED.

NHTSA complaint #10914497 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 4,789 miles Bradford, PA

ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)

WHILE TRAVELING ON THE HIGHWAY I NOTICED A PULLING/SHAKING OF THE VEHICLE FELT AS IF THE CAR DID NOT WANT TO FOLLOW MY CONTROL. IT WILL ALSO FEEL AS IF IT WANTS TO ATTEMPT TO STALL OR SWITCH GEARS WHILE DRIVING

NHTSA complaint #10681864 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 12,500 miles Petersburg, WV

ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)

I HAD STARTED CAR AND PUT IN DRIVE. WHEN I PUSHED ON GAS THE CAR SHUT OFF. IT HAD DONE TWO TIMES EARLIER IN THE MONTH. I TOOK BACK TO DEALER I PURCHASED IT FROM AND THE MECHANIC SAID IT WAS THE SENSOR WHICH KEPT VEHICLE RUNNING AND I WAS LUCKY I WASN'T GOING FAST BECAUSE I WOULD HAVE PROBABLY HAD AN ACCIDENT BECAUSE I WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO CONTROL IT.

NHTSA complaint #10633050 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 600 miles Sierra Vista, AZ

ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)

WITH ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) ON THE 2014 AVENGER R/T SELF STEERS UNDER HEAVY ACCELERATION, WHEN LANE-CHANGING, AND WHEN TURNING LEFT ONTO HIGHWAYS. WHEN THIS HAPPENS THE CAR IS ALL OVER THE ROAD. DODGE PROVIDES AN ESC OFF SWITCH. WITH ESC OFF THE CAR IS STABLE AND SAFE. THE DEALER IS AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM BUT SAYS THEY ARE NOT ALLOWED TO PERMANENTLY DISABLE THE ESC. THEIR ADVICE IS TO PRESS THE ESC OFF SWITCH EACH TIME THE CAR IS STARTED.

NHTSA complaint #10583579 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Other 2014 Dodge Avenger problems

← Full 2014 Dodge Avenger report