Dodge Journey vs Dodge Avenger: which is more reliable?
The Dodge Journey and the Dodge Avenger are level on the federal record — 74/100 against 74/100 across the years we score. Which one to buy is decided by the model year, not the badge.
The record, side by side
Dodge Journey
- 10 model years scored
- 2,843 owner complaints on record
- about 28 complaints per year on the road
- 41 recall campaigns, 20 safety-critical
- best year 2020 (92/100) · worst 2015 (49/100)
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)
Mean score is the average across model years from 2013 on, where both records are comparable. How the score works.
Year by year: Journey against Avenger
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 Journey
- Electrical System — 711 complaints
- Engine — 633 complaints
- Service Brakes — 511 complaints
Dodge Avenger
- Air Bags — 367 complaints
- Unknown Or Other — 341 complaints
- Engine — 286 complaints
They do not fail the same way: the Journey's complaints concentrate in Electrical System, the Avenger's in Air Bags. 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 Journey — avoid: 2015.
Dodge Avenger: no model year scores below 45; the strongest are 2011, 2014.
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 Journey prices at about $26,600 and a Dodge Avenger at about $15,400 — the Dodge Avenger is roughly $11,200 less, and they return 21.0 against 24.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Dodge Journey or the Dodge Avenger more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Dodge Journey scores 74/100 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 Journey and Dodge Avenger years should I avoid?
Dodge Journey: 2015. Dodge Avenger: 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 Journey and the Dodge Avenger?
The largest complaint group on the Dodge Journey is Electrical System (711 complaints); on the Dodge Avenger it is Air Bags (367).
Is the Dodge Journey or the Dodge Avenger cheaper to own?
A recent used Dodge Journey prices at about $26,600 and a Dodge Avenger at about $15,400, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.