1997 Dodge Avenger ES from North America - Comments

I've got a 1999 Dodge Avenger ES with (just now) 190,000 miles on it. It's my second Avenger and has been a very good car. I bought it new and have been the only owner. First Avenger (1997) was totalled in a flood.

I've seen a fair number of these problems:

* First the front end shake. If it isn't alignment, wheel balance, or a brake issue, check your halfshafts. Take the wheel off, grab the halfshaft and try to move it. There should be no play up and down or front to back. Check the CV boots and make sure they are intact and that each is clamped on both ends. They can look fine with the CV boot sheared apart. Get your hands in there, move the boots around and make sure they are intact. You'll get a little greasy; worst case you'll learn a little bit about your drivetrain.

* Input speed sensor was replaced at ~16K under warranty. I replaced the output speed sensor much later myself when it failed. The car went into "limp" mode and all the gauges stopped working. The output speed sensor is an easy DIY fix with minimal tools; maybe 10 minutes tops.

* My torque converter lockdown clutch failed at 150K miles and the transmission followed at 157K. Rebuilt the transmission (Aamco - overpriced!) and haven't had any problems since. You'll get an error code and general transmission performance issues (slipping, slow shifting, clunking).

* If you abuse (or someone has abused) the transmission, I've seen (or had) them fail in as little as 40K miles. Take it easy, it's Chrysler's basic transmission, not a performance tranny. They use it in their minivans and Neons. Use common sense.

* Had the rear main seal replaced at ~60K miles.

* For a while I was bending the 17" aluminum wheels with regularity (half dozen wheel repairs at ~$165 each in the course of a year) on the mean streets of Atlanta, but haven't had any problems since we moved away.

* Replace the ball joint as warranty work under recall at ~51K miles.

* My cruise control switch assembly (in dash) broke at ~27K miles and was replaced under warranty. The original and replacement both never worked right. Sometimes it works first push, sometimes you have to press it several times to turn the cruise control on.

* Switched from OEM Goodyear Eagle RSA (nice performance, but soft tread compound that wears out quickly and ~$138/tire) to Yokohama AVID V4S (equal performance for daily driving, harder tread compound that lasts more than twice as long as OEM Goodyear tire and ~$117/tire).

* Chrysler tune-up service at 108K miles. Timing belt, plugs, filters, coolant flush, replaced transmission filter, gaskets, fluid.

* I've replaced 3 batteries in 8 years and 190K miles (normal).

* Regular oil for break-in, then synthetic oil every 5K miles.

* I've got one badly fogged headlight (the other was replaced after an accident and hasn't fogged yet) from UV exposure. This is very common in cars this old. Sad, but the manufacturers probably weren't that concerned with how long the plastic would perform when engineering the car.

* The nose of the car has caught a lot of grief (and curbs) in its lifetime. We've had it repaired or replaced (after accident) several times and probably painted about 4 or 5 times. It needs it now.

* The pressboard spare (donut) cover in the trunk gave way recently. I'm going to replace it with a thin plywood sheet cut to size.

* The switches that indicate the doors are closed both quit on me at about 175K after about 7 years. A trip to my local Pull-A-Part and $5 fixed that.

* The back seats are pleather, not leather. I consider this false advertising on the part of Dodge. They probably indicate this in the fine print somewhere...

* The rear suspension doesn't have a camber adjustment, so my car wears out rear tires, as the wheels are kicked out on the bottom of the wheel more than at the top of the wheel. This causes wear on the in-board edge of the tire. This is pain because you can't easily visually inspect the wear on this area of the tire. There are some ~$100 kits that replace some of the rear suspension, and allow camber adjustment to eliminate this problem. I haven't tried them yet.

* Replaced 1 alternator at ~163K miles.

* Blew out the air conditioning pulley ~157K miles. Scared the bejeezus out of me when this let loose at highway speeds. $367 repair P/L.

You'll hear horror stories out there about Avengers (usually multiple owner, with unknown owner history) but both of my Avengers were very reliable for me. Other than the above-noted repairs, it was just minor fuses, bulbs, etc. Maintain the wearing parts, regular oil changes, brakes, tires (proper inflation and tire rotation) and the car just keeps on running.

I had the problems with my 96 avenger, but I am a mechanic going to school to be a tech. the only problem with my car is the rust. I am looking for an avenger, but I only want the body. I will take it all as is, but I want a no rust avenger. I am going to make it my toy car.

I own a 97 Avenger. I bought the car at 118,000 miles with a bad tranny. I put in a used one out of a Sebring and it worked fine until now.

The question I have is when I bought it, it had first and second gear, and I assumed the tranny was done for. Now it is doing the same thing, but only when it is cold, and it also doesn't want to shift into reverse or drive when cold, acts like it is in neutral. Honestly I was a quart and a half low, I have got it full now.

I was wondering if anyone else has had any issues like this, and if so, do you know what the problem is and any solutions? Any info would be helpful.

Change your fluid in your trany on a warm day. You might have water in the system and it is freezing in the vacume lines. I had the same problem but once I changed the fuild it has not come back...

I have a 2000 Dodge Avenger with approximately 77,000 miles on it. Up until 3 years ago, it was kept in the garage. Not long after having it sit outside, I also noticed the appearance of the same white spots that I've read about in the comments posted here. It looks like oxidation, but it's on the spoiler and just behind the sunroof.

I too had the door handle on the driver's side break and problems with the front end, which an alignment did not seem to help. I plan to take some of these comments/suggestions when I take it in for it's next scheduled maintenance.

I'm curious if anyones vanity mirror has overheated and caused burn marks on the sun visor.

I was glad I found current comments on these issues. I decided to check on line after noticing another Avenger on the freeway with the same white spots as mine. Glad to know I'm not the only one out there.

Wow, this is very useful.. I have had 2 ball joint replacements and tie rod I think it is called. The recall did fix these at the time free of cost. I just went today and the dealer told me I needed an exhaust flex joint, struts, links r. lat arm rt cont arm. I was experiencing a rattling sound as if something was loose. All of this at the cost of 2500 dollars closely. I feel like I should just trade it in...It's a 99 with 66,000 miles. What do you all suggest. Or does anyone know of anywhere cheaper to get these repairs?

I have a used 1998 Avenger ES. I've owned it about a year now. I got it when it had 108,000 miles, and it now has 120,000 miles. I just did a tune up on it; new plugs, new ignition wires, new cap and rotor.

Right after I did this, it turns over and starts, but stalls every time I slow down. Now I can't get it started at all, almost like it's not getting any fuel. Anyone else have this problem? And know what to do? Or what it is?

I've checked the relay and changed the filter, but not the pump. It gets gas, but I don't think enough to keep it running. I know about all the recalls; I'd take it in to have them fixed, but I can't get my car started. Any help would be great...

Check your idle control servo, I believe it is on the rear of the throttle body. This is the unit that computer controls the idle. It zooms in and out automatically to control idle.