The 2014 Dodge Avenger carries 1 open NHTSA recall — most recently covering pretensioner. Owners report 5 recurring issue clusters, led by “Passenger-side heater and defrost failure.” Dodge uses Stellantis' Oil Change Indicator — it watches engine load and duty cycle and messages when to change oil, capped at 10,000 miles or 12 months. Know your engine: the 3.6L Pentastar V6 goes 100,000 miles on plugs, while HEMI V8s carry sixteen plugs (two per cylinder) on a roughly 30,000-mile interval — that's a real cost difference at the service counter. HEMI models with MDS cylinder deactivation are especially sensitive to overdue oil.
SEAT BELTS:PRETENSIONER
Campaign #16V668000 · Sep 15, 2016
Issue: Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain model year 2011-2014 Chrysler 200, 2010 Chrysler Sebring, 2010-2012 Dodge Caliber and 2010-2014 Jeep Patriot, Compass and Dodge Avenger vehicles. The Occupant Restraint Control (OCR) module may short circuit, preventing the frontal air bags, seat belt pretensioners, and side air bags from deploying in the event of a crash.
Risk: If the frontal air bags, seat belt pretensioners, and side air bags are disabled, there is an increased risk of injury to the vehicle occupants in the event of a vehicle crash that necessitates deployment of these safety systems.
Fix: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the OCR, free of charge. Interim letters informing owners that parts are not available yet were mailed on October 26, 2016. The recall began on August 15, 2017. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is S61.
What drivers and federal regulators have officially reported about the 2014 Dodge Avenger.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
10 NHTSA complaints · 2017-10 → 2021-09
“THE HEATER CORE GOT CLOGGED AROUND 50,000 MILES, WHICH CAUSES HEAT TO COME OUT OF ONLY ONE VENT AND COLD AIR OUT OF THE REST”
“DRIVERS SIDE OF CAR BLOWS HEAT. PASSENGER SIDE BLOWS COLD”
“TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 DODGE AVENGER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VENT CONTROL FUNCTION WAS NOT WORKING PROPERLY WHEN ATTEMPTING TO HEAT THE VEHICLE”
SEATS
28 NHTSA complaints · 2016-10 → 2026-08
“I WAS MOVING MY SEAT BACK AND THE HEADREST POPPED OUT. THE CLIPS INSIDE BROKE AND IT WON'T GO BACK INTO PLACE. THIS COULD'VE HAPPENED WHILE I WAS DRIVING, WHICH IS A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE”
“WHILE THE CAR WAS AT A COMPLETE STOP (STATIONARY) WITH NO OTHER CARS AROUND, THE HEADREST ON THE DRIVERS SIDE SNAPPED OPEN JERKING THE DRIVERS HEAD FORWARD”
“HEAD REST HAS SEPARATED WHILE NOT DRIVING. SINCE THE TIME IT SEPARATED THE AIRBAG LIGHT IN MY CAR WILL NOT GO OFF”
AIR BAGS, SEAT BELTS
40 NHTSA complaints · 2016-11 → 2025-04
“SEP 13,2016 MANUFACTURER RECALL NUMBERS61 NHTSA RECALL NUMBER16V-668 SUMMARY THE VEHICLES MAY EXPERIENCE LOSS OF AIR BAG AND SEAT BELT PRETENSIONER DEPLOYMENT CAPABILITY IN CERTAIN CRASH EVENTS DUE TO A SHORTING CONDITION RESULTING IN A NEGATIVE VOLTAGE TRANSIENT THAT TRAVELS TO”
“I WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THIS RECALL! I LOGGED ONTO MY CREDIT KARMA (TODAY 3/14/2018) AND THEY NOTIFIED ME THAT 3 RECALLS WERE ISSUED FOR THIS VEHICLE BACK IN 2016”
“The contact owns a 2014 Dodge Avenger. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V668000 (Seat Belts, Air Bags) and the recall repair was performed; however, the failure recurred”
AIR BAGS
13 NHTSA complaints · 2014-12 → 2018-11
“I WAS HIT BY ANOTHER CAR THAT RAN A STOP SIGN AND NONE OF MY AIRBAGS DEPLOYED”
“HIT A FEW DEER HEAD ON IT TOOK OUT BOTH SIDES AND COMPLETE FRONT END AND AIR BAGS DIDN'T DEPLOY AND IT WAS A PRETTY HARD IMPACT ILL BE SURPRISED IF THEY DON'T TOTAL THE VEHICLE OUT WE WERE ON HWY 45 IN BLOOMINGTON INDIANA”
“TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 DODGE AVENGER. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH, THE DRIVER LOST CONTROL OF THE STEERING WHEEL AND CRASHED INTO A TREE”
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
27 NHTSA complaints · 2014-09 → 2023-07
“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”
“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”
“I WAS DRIVING ON THE BELTWAY AND THE CAR JUST STALLED. I WAS DOING 70 MPH AT THE TIME. THE CAR RANDOMLY STALLS/WON'T CRANK AND IT HAS LESS THAN 4000 MILES ON IT”
Note: NHTSA also opened 1 defect investigation(s) on this vehicle that closed without action.
Issues on other model years
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI). Complaint data refreshed Sep 13, 2026. Investigation data refreshed Sep 13, 2026.
We display NHTSA's record with attribution; we don't editorialize on what these complaints mean for any specific vehicle.
Critical for safety and preventing major damage
Change when the indicator says so — never beyond 10,000 miles or 12 months. Pentastar 3.6L: 0W-20. HEMI 5.7L: 5W-20 (0W-40 for 6.4L SRT). MDS-equipped HEMIs punish stretched oil intervals with lifter and cam wear.
Estimated cost — typical U.S. ranges
Dealer
~$120–$160
Shop
~$85–$115
DIY
~$25–$55
Full synthetic costs more than conventional. 5-quart 0W-20 + filter is the typical bill.
Rotate every 8,000 miles. Charger/Challenger R/T and Scat Pack: staggered-width setups can't rotate front-to-rear — budget rear tires accordingly.
Estimated cost — typical U.S. ranges
Dealer
~$85
Shop
~$60
DIY
Free
Often free at the shop where you bought the tires — worth asking before paying.
Inspect pads and rotors at every oil change. Heavy Durangos used for towing and hard-driven Chargers both run through rear pads faster than the front-pad-first rule of thumb suggests.
Estimated cost — typical U.S. ranges
Dealer
~$85
Shop
~$60
DIY
Free
Most shops do this free as a courtesy with any service. Don't pay separately if you can avoid it.
Keeps your vehicle running smoothly and efficiently
HEMI 5.7L: sixteen plugs roughly every 30,000 miles — check your year's manual. Pentastar 3.6L (Charger/Challenger V6, Durango V6, Journey, Grand Caravan): 100,000 miles.
Estimated cost — typical U.S. ranges
Dealer
~$285–$390
Shop
~$200–$275
DIY
~$25–$100
Iridium plugs cost more but last 100k+ miles. V6/V8 access varies wildly — some are tough.
Grand Caravan/Journey (62TE): ATF+4 service every 60,000 miles in family duty. Charger/Challenger/Durango with the TorqueFlite 8-speed: no published normal interval, but specialists recommend service around 60,000-100,000 miles — sooner with towing.
Estimated cost — typical U.S. ranges
Dealer
~$330–$500
Shop
~$235–$355
DIY
~$60–$180
Some sealed transmissions have no dipstick — fill is precise and best left to a shop. Many drivers can still DIY drain-and-fill.
RWD Charger/Challenger and AWD Durango: replace rear diff fluid around 60,000 miles, sooner with towing or drag-strip duty. Limited-slip units need the friction-modifier additive.
Estimated cost — typical U.S. ranges
Dealer
~$150–$195
Shop
~$105–$135
DIY
~$20–$50
Drain plug + fill plug — straightforward DIY. AWD vehicles have two; budget for both.
Replace every 30,000 miles. HEMIs pull serious airflow — a clogged filter costs measurable power before it throws a code.
Estimated cost — typical U.S. ranges
Dealer
~$60–$95
Shop
~$45–$70
DIY
~$15–$40
5-minute job on most cars; the airbox lid usually has clips, no tools needed.
Inspect from 60,000 miles, replace on cracking or glazing. On the HEMI, a shredded belt can take the cooling drive with it mid-drive.
Estimated cost — typical U.S. ranges
Dealer
~$195–$235
Shop
~$135–$165
DIY
~$20–$50
DIY-friendly if you can reach the tensioner. Inspect for cracks rather than swap on a strict mileage interval.
Extends the life of your vehicle and improves comfort
Replace every 20,000 miles where equipped (behind the glovebox on most models). Some earlier Journeys and Avengers shipped without one — check before buying a filter.
Estimated cost — typical U.S. ranges
Dealer
~$60–$95
Shop
~$45–$70
DIY
~$15–$40
Usually behind the glovebox. Shops charge labor for a 10-minute job — easy DIY win.
Stellantis OAT coolant is scheduled for 10 years / 150,000 miles; shops commonly refresh by 100,000. OAT-compatible coolant only — mixing chemistries gels the system.
Estimated cost — typical U.S. ranges
Dealer
~$285–$330
Shop
~$200–$235
DIY
~$25–$60
Use the manufacturer-specified coolant — wrong color/chemistry can damage the cooling system.
Test annually after year 3. Big-audio Chargers and tow-package Durangos lean on the battery hard; weak batteries surface as gremlins in the electronics before they fail to crank.
Estimated cost — typical U.S. ranges
Dealer
~$225–$390
Shop
~$160–$280
DIY
~$130–$250
Most auto-parts stores test and install batteries free with purchase. Skip the dealer markup.
Occupant deaths in fatal crashes (FARS)
73 crashes 2010–2024
FARS counts every occupant death in a fatal crash, whatever the cause — it does not mean the vehicle was at fault or defective. Counts are not adjusted for how many of each vehicle are on the road. How to read this number
Owner-reported problem signals
Separate from the federal fatality data above: complaints owners filed with NHTSA about this year and model. These are reports of problems, unverified, and are counted here only as signals.
20
complaints mentioning a crash
3
complaints mentioning a fire
Reviewed known issues for this vehicle·Open recalls for this vehicle
Typical U.S. ranges. Actual quotes vary by shop, parts choice, and vehicle condition.
How we estimate: Dealer = OEM parts × 1.4 + labor × $165/hr. Shop = parts + labor × $115/hr. DIY = parts only.
This maintenance schedule for the 2014 Dodge Avenger reflects Dodge's published service intervals and the Oil Change Indicator System system. Your actual service needs may vary based on driving conditions, climate, and vehicle usage. Always consult your owner's manual for model-specific recommendations.