Dodge Avenger vs Mazda CX-9: which is more reliable?
The Mazda CX-9 is ahead of the Dodge Avenger on the federal record, 84/100 against 74/100 — a real but narrow gap that a bad model year on either side closes.
The record, side by side
Dodge Avenger
- 4 model years scored
- 1,515 owner complaints on record
- about 30 complaints per year on the road
- 12 recall campaigns, 9 safety-critical
- best year 2014 (89/100) · worst 2013 (60/100)
Mazda CX-9
- 11 model years scored
- 885 owner complaints on record
- about 7 complaints per year on the road
- 19 recall campaigns, 13 safety-critical
- best year 2022 (93/100) · worst 2012 (50/100)
Mean score is the average across model years from 2013 on, where both records are comparable. How the score works.
Year by year: Avenger against CX-9
The comparison that decides the purchase. A nameplate is not one car — a redesign can move the record sixty points inside two years, and the two nameplates rarely move together.
What owners actually complain about
Dodge Avenger
- Air Bags — 367 complaints
- Unknown Or Other — 341 complaints
- Engine — 286 complaints
Mazda CX-9
- Engine — 302 complaints
- Service Brakes — 284 complaints
- Power Train — 87 complaints
They do not fail the same way: the Avenger's complaints concentrate in Air Bags, the CX-9's in Engine. That difference matters more to a buyer than the score gap, because it says which repair bill you are taking on.
Years to avoid on each
Dodge Avenger: no model year scores below 45; the strongest are 2011, 2014.
Mazda CX-9: no model year scores below 45; the strongest are 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020….
A year scores below 45 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. Every car’s years to avoid.
What each costs today
A recent used Dodge Avenger prices at about $15,400 and a Mazda CX-9 at about $34,200 — the Dodge Avenger is roughly $18,800 less, and they return 24.0 against 23.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Dodge Avenger or the Mazda CX-9 more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Mazda CX-9 scores 84/100 against the Dodge Avenger's 74/100, averaged across every model year we hold. The gap is small enough that the model year matters more than the badge.
Which Dodge Avenger and Mazda CX-9 years should I avoid?
Dodge Avenger: no year scores below 45. Mazda CX-9: no year scores below 45. Each of those scores under 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns.
What goes wrong on the Dodge Avenger and the Mazda CX-9?
The largest complaint group on the Dodge Avenger is Air Bags (367 complaints); on the Mazda CX-9 it is Engine (302).
Is the Dodge Avenger or the Mazda CX-9 cheaper to own?
A recent used Dodge Avenger prices at about $15,400 and a Mazda CX-9 at about $34,200, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.