1999 Dodge Avenger EX from North America - Comments

My engine blew at 40,000 miles. Yes, the assumption is that the Serpentine belt broke and (somehow) a very small piece of it got under the engine cover, wrapped around the drive shaft pulley causing the timing belt to slip, then breaking the valves and pushing them into the pistons. I have an extended warranty on my car (the manufacturers is 3 years, 36,000) which you can see JUST passed as I bought my car in July, 1999, and this happened in November, 2002. The extended warranty I purchased refuses to pay because they say that it was the belt that caused the engine to break, and belts are not covered under warranty.

I have gone back to the Dodge dealer, where I purchased my car, and they said that even though my engine looks "Clean"

that I must show all the receipts of the oil changes performed on my car. Well the unfortunate thing is that I have moved across the US 4 times in the past 1 1/2 years, so unfortunately, I threw all of them away (I know, stupid me!)

So here I am, with a $22,000 car, that I only got 40,000 miles out of, and to fix it with a new engine is going to cost me around $8000.00!!!

Please, don't buy Dodge vehicles, my understanding is that these belts break all the time. The Avengers I believe have a defective part because there is no way anything should get under that engine cover.

Customer Service at Dodge\Chrysler has been fair, at best, and have no intention of resolving this problem.

They have not only lost a customer in me, but everyone I know.

It's a very sharp looking car, but not worth the money.

Their new/newer minivans are notorious for having the same problem, which I think was recalled. This is a design flaw, and from what I've heard they still haven't been able to successfully re-engineer it.

The problem is a Chrysler design defect, and they won't cover the repair because you don't have receipts for oil changes?! Changing the oil had nothing to do with their flawed design and I think its messed up that they won't fix your vehicle.

Let me just say that I think you just got a bad deal, I just turned 152,000 in my 1997 Avenger and I haven't had so much as an oil leak. I rarely do scheduled maintenance and its still ticking! Actually rather than buying a new car I am just going to have a new engine put in a keep going.

Same exact thing happened to my 1997 Avenger with the Serpentine belt! Luckily I got it re-timed and it ran for about 4000 miles, now it has a rod-knock, probably related, but who knows.. It needs an engine regardless.. It's a piece of crap... Love how it looks, but like the money in my pocket...