Problems with 2008 Dodge Avenger ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

2008 dodge avenger caught on fire, purchased on december 01 2007, on my way home from work black smoke came in through air conditioning vents, i pulled over and within minutes the total car was on fire and burned down to the metal, called 911 immediately. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2008 dodge avenger. the contact stated that the cruise control failed to work and the engine light was illuminated. the failures began on april 20, 2008. he stated that there were recalls on the same issue he was experiencing; however, his vin was not included. the nhtsa campaign id number was unknown. the failure mileage was 39,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2008 dodge avenger. when the contact started the vehicle the engine stalled; however, the vehicle began functioning normally with no warning lights illuminated on the instrument panel. when the vehicle came to a complete stop it surged forward. the failure occurred intermittently while driving approximately 35 mph. the vehicle had not been repaired for the malfunctions. the current and failure mileages were 19,000.

I have had nothing but problems with my car. when i first purchased it 2 months later my shifter got stuck i was stranded at work. after that i have had various problems from the alternator, battery, and compressor going out various times and it is not even over 100,000 miles. i looked up there were recalls on the car back in 07 and 08. the dealership says that they fixed it but i feel like it was not fixed and i had the shifter problem right when i purchased that is the only thing they said they can fix. *tr

Loss of complete power while driving. my son's new 2008 dodge avenger loss complete power while he was driving on the interstate today. without warning all electrical and engine power was loss. luckily, he was in the left lane and was able to go onto the shoulder without power steering, there were no brake lights and more than likely the air bags would not have deployed. if he was in the center lane this could have been a much more serious situation. my nine-year son was also in the car at the time. i cannot imagine a more serious situation to be in driving 70 mph and having a complete failure of engine and electrical power. when it was towed to the dealer, their first response was a component in the car's main computer. i am not worried about the repair as it is under warranty, but please warned owners of this very serious situation and have them check their car. my car was purchased at bob boast dodge in bradenton fl. *tr

2008 dodge avenger. my engine has stalled several times at speeds under 15 mph while coming to a stop. my cars brake light and air bag light come on intermittently they cleared the code and released the car to me. they are telling me the same they cannot reproduce the problem. there is a knocking under front end which i am taking it in for tomorrow. they have fixed 2 leaks in the trunk, 1 in the door soaking the floor and the stereo that was loosing time. *tr

I recently purchased a 2008 avenger with the 2.4l vvt 4cylinder and traded in my 2001 dakota with a 4.7l v8 magnum for it. i regret it. i would have don't better off buying a ford. yes, this car gets good highway gas mileage but it has caused nothing but headaches beyond that point. if i drive around town it sucks the gas like no tomorrow. the rpm's are way to high. the car shifts around 3,000 or higher rpm's whether it is warm or cold. when the shifts, it is not smooth. there hard shifts. my fiance's 1999 durango with 135,000 miles on it shifts better than this car does. randomly the car will die when i come to a complete stop for a stop light/sign. there was one occasion where i was driving down one of the busiest roads in our town and it died while i was doing about 40mph. before it dies, it shakes real bad for about 3 seconds then i lose everything. the drivers side rear door handle will not move. it is like it is frozen in place. the handle will not pull out at all. it will open just fine from the inside but i can't do anything from standing outside the car. my doors squeak when i open and close them. whenever i turn the wheel the car groans at me. i've taken it to my local dealer about 3 times. when i told them about the shifting, rpm's, and randomly dying they just said they couldn't get it to act up. finally, two other new avengers came into their service department with the same problems. now they tell me they will look into it. my 2001 dakota with 142,000 miles never gave me this much trouble the entire time i owned it. i had it a little over 2 years and put around 50,000 miles on it and only changed the oil and did a tune up. *tr

A few days after i purchased the vehicle i began hearing a tapping noise in the engine sounds like knocking (bad gas or rod). dealer claims to not hear anything. took to another dealer which heard the noise, kept the car to inspect and repair stating they thought they knew what the problem was. car wasn't fixed i complained because the second dealer admitted to speaking with the first dealer thus the car wasn't fixed. they lied to me and told me it was a federally regulated emissions system that made the car sound that way. dealer #1 offered to set up an appointment with a chrysler rep. then he called back and stated that the rep wouldn't be local for 4-6 weeks. the rep called me and basically stated that it sounded like i just didn't like the car. the dealer would not take the car back, and were rude about repairs. i never saw the rep. now the car is making a rubbing noise in the steering column and the power steering pump sounds like it is going out. i have done everything to try to replace the car but the dealers have put me off so long without repairs that i am stuck with the car. less than 6 months after i owned the car i began seeing commercials for the car only the price was more than $5,000 less than what i was charged. therefore, the bank wants an enormous amount of money in order to put me in another vehicle. the ignition rolls over several times before starting. sometimes i have to attempt starting the vehicle three times. the cd player does not work, it over heats and will burn your hand if you touch the digital display. i have had friends in the community to call me and tell me that my car sounded awful when they saw me in town. additionally i am paying 430 a month for the payment when the girl across the road is having the same problems with her new avenger yet she only pays 279 a month at 11% interest. with all of the problems and the miserable ride this car offers, i can easily compare it to a bicycle " a used bicycle" at best. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2008 dodge avenger r/t. the contact stated that the vehicle has been at the dealer for over a month for repairs. he stated that the engine has noisy lifters. the vehicle was taken to the dealer four times and they only replaced the lifters once. the manufacturer stated that this is how the vehicle had to be manufactured due to the thermal expander. while driving 65 mph, the transmission engages in an automatic neutral drop. the engine races above 5,000 rpms, which is not recommended. the failure has occurred twice. the transmission also jumped into reverse while driving at low speeds. the vehicle has been at the dealer four times for the transmission. the dealer called the contact and stated that they could not find anything wrong with the transmission, however, they do acknowledge the failure. the transmission failure began in april of 2007 and has continued ever since. the current mileage is 2,500 and failure mileage was 7. the check engine light illuminated, there were broken bolts and studs. the shifter would not return to park. the rocker arms, valve cover, lifters and heads were replaced in the engine. updated 08/08/07. *jb

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 dodge avenger. while driving approximately 60 mph, the contact heard a loud noise in the engine area. the contact drove onto the side of the road. the vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer for diagnostic testing and stated the engine locked and would need to be replaced. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where the engine was replaced. the manufacturer was made aware of the defect. the failure mileage was 9,000. the vin was unavailable.