Dodge Avenger vs Subaru Ascent: which is more reliable?
The Dodge Avenger is ahead of the Subaru Ascent on the federal record, 74/100 against 70/100 — 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)
Subaru Ascent
- 7 model years scored
- 1,029 owner complaints on record
- about 29 complaints per year on the road
- 24 recall campaigns, 8 safety-critical
- best year 2025 (87/100) · worst 2019 (32/100)
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 Ascent
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
Subaru Ascent
- Electrical System — 289 complaints
- Power Train — 179 complaints
- Visibility/Wiper — 152 complaints
They do not fail the same way: the Avenger's complaints concentrate in Air Bags, the Ascent's in Electrical System. 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.
Subaru Ascent — avoid: 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 Subaru Ascent at about $44,100 — the Dodge Avenger is roughly $28,700 less, and they return 24.0 against 22.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Dodge Avenger or the Subaru Ascent more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Dodge Avenger scores 74/100 against the Subaru Ascent's 70/100, 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 Subaru Ascent years should I avoid?
Dodge Avenger: no year scores below 45. Subaru Ascent: 2019, 2020. 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 Subaru Ascent?
The largest complaint group on the Dodge Avenger is Air Bags (367 complaints); on the Subaru Ascent it is Electrical System (289).
Is the Dodge Avenger or the Subaru Ascent cheaper to own?
A recent used Dodge Avenger prices at about $15,400 and a Subaru Ascent at about $44,100, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.