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2012 Dodge Avenger Recalls & Complaints

3

open safety recalls on record

Serious

837 owner complaints filed · Severity Index 0.48 · updated 2026-08-07

The recalls

Serious17V640000

Seats:Front Assembly:Head Restraint

If the active headrests do not deploy in certain rear-end crashes, the front seat occupants have an increased risk of injury.

Remedy & full details

Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the ORC as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on December 4, 2017. Owners may contact FCA customer service at 1-800-853-1403. FCA's number for this recall is T56.

Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2012 Jeep Liberty and 2012-2013 Chrysler 200 and Dodge Avenger vehicles. A component within the occupant restraint controller (ORC) may fail and prevent the active headrests from deploying in the event of a rear-end crash.

Serious16V668000

Seat Belts:Pretensioner

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.

Remedy & full details

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.

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.

Serious13V282000

Electrical System

In the event of a crash necessitating the deployment of the active head restraints , their non-deployment could raises the risk of injury.

Remedy & full details

Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will flash the Totally Integrated Power Module (TIPM) or replace the occupant restraint control module, as needed, free of charge. The recall began on November 19, 2013. Owners may contact Chrysler at 1-800-247-9753. Chrysler's recall campaign number is N38.

Chrysler is recalling certain model year 2011-2013 Sebring and 200 vehicles manufactured June 28, 2011, through December 13, 2012; model year 2011-2013 Dodge Avenger vehicles manufactured June 25, 2011, through January 14, 2013; model year 2011-2012 Dodge Nitro vehicles manufactured June 17, 2011, through December 15, 2011; and model year 2011-2012 Jeep Liberty vehicles manufactured June 17, 2011, through August 15, 2012. Electrical over-stress of a resistor in the occupant restraint control module may lead to the non-deployment of the active head restraints during a rear impact collision.

Complaint volume

837 this model-year 8 median, same year

Volume alone is not a fault rate — popular vehicles attract more reports. Read it next to the severity mix below.

What owners reported happened

61Crashes
17Fires
58Injuries
0Deaths

Across 837 complaints. Severity Index 0.48.

Severity Index weights each complaint's reported outcome (death ×10, injury ×4, fire ×3, crash ×2) and divides by total complaints. It measures how severe reports are, not how often faults occur.

What owners report most

Unknown Or Other163 · 19%Air Bags108 · 13%Electrical System107 · 13%Visibility/Wiper95 · 11%Engine86 · 10%Seat Belts42 · 5%Power Train30 · 4%Electronic Stability Cont…25 · 3%
  1. Unknown Or Other — 163 reports
  2. Air Bags — 108 reports
  3. Electrical System — 107 reports
  4. Visibility/Wiper — 95 reports
  5. Engine — 86 reports
  6. Seat Belts — 42 reports
  7. Power Train — 30 reports
  8. Electronic Stability Control (Esc) — 25 reports
  9. Service Brakes — 21 reports
  10. Steering — 19 reports

What to do

  1. Find your 17-character VIN on the driver's door jamb or the base of the windscreen.
  2. Check it against NHTSA's official lookup at nhtsa.gov/recalls — the authoritative record for your exact car.
  3. Book the repair with any franchised dealer. Safety recall work is free, with no time limit and regardless of who owns the car now.

Other model years

1995 (3) · 1996 (3) · 1997 (6) · 1998 (6) · 1999 (5) · 2000 (5) · 2007 (4) · 2008 (6) · 2009 (2) · 2010 (3) · 2011 (3) · 2012 · 2013 (5) · 2014 (1)

Numbers in brackets are open recall campaigns for that year.

Questions

Does an open recall mean the car is unsafe to drive?

Not usually. NHTSA issues a "do not drive" or "park outside" advisory when a defect is dangerous enough to keep you out of the car — those are flagged Critical above. Everything else should be repaired promptly but is not an immediate stop-driving order.

Do I pay for recall repairs?

No. Federal law requires the manufacturer to fix a safety recall free of charge, including parts and labour, whether or not you are the original owner.

Why are there complaints but no recalls?

Complaints are unverified reports filed by owners. They can prompt an investigation, but many never become recalls — either the fault isn't safety-related or it isn't widespread.

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