Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (automatic and manual transmissions, CVT, axles, driveshaft, 4WD/AWD).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2010 Dodge Avenger owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2010 Dodge Avenger. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled without warning. The contact stated that on several occasions the vehicle would not immediately restart. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who diagnosed that the PCM was faulty and needed to be replaced. The PCM was replaced with an aftermarket part however, the failure persisted. The local dealer was contact and informed that the manufacturer PCM part had been discontinued and was no longer available for purchase. The manufacturer was not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 142,086.
The contact owns a 2010 Dodge Avenger. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle would not properly accelerate while depressing the accelerator pedal. Also, while operating the vehicle a knocking noise was present coming from the engine when the air conditioning unit was turned on. The cause of the failure was not determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 150,000.
I was reversing out of a parking spot and when I tried to go forward, the car kept wanting to go in reverse. The shifter then became stuck in park and would not move to another gear. I was in the middle of the road now blocking traffic. The dashboard still showed I was in reverse even though the shift lever was stuck in park. I was forced to keep reversing until I found a safe spot to park. Later I looked up this problem on YouTube and found many videos posted with my same problem with the stuck gear shift. I would definitely say this is a manufacturing defect that needs to be recalled on all versions of the Dodge Avenger car.
The transmission began slipping on Saturday, July 23, 2022 with 120,000 miles on the odometer. The car was driving normally then suddenly went into neutral causing it to slow down and back up traffic until I manually changed to a lower gear. The car was also doing this change to neutral on its own while I was trying to park the car and then when I went back to my car to pull out of the parking space, it took several attempts to engage the gears to move. I limped home with the car and got it parked in my driveway. The transmission fluid reading was normal. The car started doing this shift change to neutral without warning.
The vehicle on three separate turn arounds did the same thing after 3 plus hrs of driving stopping shifting into reverse then drive. Near the end of the rural/local 4 straight hrs transmission appeared to not shift out of first gear. Each time the vehicle came to a complete stop while applying brakes. The car was then shifted into r(reverse) and the brake pedal was released and gas pedal applied approximately. After reaching the reversed turning destination the brake was reapplied and car came to a stop. Car was shifted into d (drive) from r (reverse) and all three times the car accelerated to 30 -34 MPH rpms staying at 3 and the automatic transmission did not did not go into normal 2nd year mode. All three times the car was completely stopped. The gearshift put into p(park for 5sec.) then gear shift put into d. The car ran fin again until time to turn around. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2010 Dodge Avenger. The contact stated that the gear shifter cable became loose. The contact was unable to shift gears and the vehicle became stuck in traffic. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The contact exited the vehicle while in traffic and reconnected the cable. The vehicle was taken to five star Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram of macon (3068 riverside dr, macon, ga 31210, [phone]), but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 110,000. The VIN was not available.
Tl* the contact owns a 2010 Dodge Avenger. While driving approximately 40 MPH, the vehicle failed to accelerate and the check engine warning indicator illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who determined that there was transmission failure and referred the contact to a transmission specialist. The dealer and manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 108,272.
Tl* the contact owns a 2010 Dodge Avenger. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 40 MPH, the etc warning light illuminated and the accelerator pedal was depressed but the vehicle did not accelerate over 15 MPH. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 94,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2010 Dodge Avenger. The contact stated that when attempted to switch from reverse to drive, the vehicle instead shifted to neutral. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 214,000.
While driving at about 35 miles per hour, I lost speed down to about 15 miles per hour. I had to stop, turn off the engine and restart. The issue did not reoccur, but there have been a few more times when the acceleration has decreased and then just started again and I took off faster than I wanted to go.
Transmission complaints in other Avenger years
Frequently asked questions
How common are transmission problems on the 2010 Dodge Avenger?
NHTSA has 20 complaints about the transmission & drivetrain of the 2010 Dodge Avenger, 12% of the model year's 163 complaints. The component named most often is automatic transmission › control module (tcm/pcm/tecm) (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2010 Dodge Avenger transmission problems?
No. NHTSA lists no transmission & drivetrain recall for the 2010 Dodge Avenger, though it has 3 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2010 Dodge Avenger transmission problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 94,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.