Dodge Avenger vs Toyota 4Runner: which is more reliable?
The Toyota 4Runner is ahead of the Dodge Avenger on the federal record, 78/100 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)
Toyota 4Runner
- 14 model years scored
- 817 owner complaints on record
- about 11 complaints per year on the road
- 62 recall campaigns, 23 safety-critical
- best year 2024 (90/100) · worst 2025 (44/100)
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 4Runner
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
Toyota 4Runner
- Air Bags — 238 complaints
- Unknown Or Other — 122 complaints
- Electrical System — 79 complaints
Both nameplates have Air Bags as their largest complaint group, so the choice between them is about how often, not about what.
Years to avoid on each
Dodge Avenger: no model year scores below 45; the strongest are 2011, 2014.
Toyota 4Runner — avoid: 2025.
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 Toyota 4Runner at about $40,800 — the Dodge Avenger is roughly $25,400 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 Toyota 4Runner more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Toyota 4Runner scores 78/100 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 Toyota 4Runner years should I avoid?
Dodge Avenger: no year scores below 45. Toyota 4Runner: 2025. 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 Toyota 4Runner?
The largest complaint group on the Dodge Avenger is Air Bags (367 complaints); on the Toyota 4Runner it is Air Bags (238).
Is the Dodge Avenger or the Toyota 4Runner cheaper to own?
A recent used Dodge Avenger prices at about $15,400 and a Toyota 4Runner at about $40,800, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.