Alternator or charging system failure on the 2012 Dodge Avenger
When alternator or charging system failure gets reported
Owners of the 2012 Dodge Avenger report alternator or charging system failure at a median of 65,000 miles. A quarter of the reports come in before 45,000 miles and a quarter after 65,000 miles, from 17 reports that carried an odometer reading.
A part like this is normally expected to survive 98,000 miles. It is the 8th most-reported problem on this model year.
The mileage distribution
The reported range runs from 30,000 miles at the tenth percentile to 100,000 miles at the ninetieth, a spread of 67,100 miles across the middle 80% of reports.
When the reports scatter this far, the mileage is telling you about how these cars were driven more than about the part itself.
18% of the dated reports were filed under 36,000 miles.
The whole distribution
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31,900 miles | 45,000 miles | 67,000 miles | 67,000 miles | 99,000 miles |
Read the 10th percentile as “one report in ten arrived this early”. Exact figures are shown in this table because it is the table of record; everywhere else on the site they are rounded to the precision the sample can carry.
What a percentile can and cannot tell you here
These five numbers describe the readings owners gave, in order. The median is the middle one: half the reports arrived below it. The 10th and 90th are the edges of the bulk of the distribution, and the distance between them is the part worth reading. A tight spread — say 70,000 to 95,000 miles — points at something that wears out on a schedule, and the schedule is knowable. A wide one, 20,000 to 190,000, points at a fault that hits some cars and never troubles others, which means the mileage on the listing in front of you tells you very little about your odds.
What these figures are not is a survival curve. Every reading here comes from a car whose owner filed a complaint, so the sample contains only failures: it cannot say what share of the fleet made it past 150,000 miles untouched, because those owners had nothing to report. Nor is the mileage the moment of failure — it is the odometer reading as recalled at the time of filing, which may be weeks later and is sometimes rounded to the nearest ten thousand by the person typing it.
Percentiles are shown at all only once 8 readings exist for the vehicle and mode. Below that the middle of a handful of numbers is noise wearing a decimal point, so the figures are withheld rather than dressed up.
What happens, and what it costs
Putting it right typically runs $450–$1,600 at an independent US shop. That range is an editorial estimate held in this site's failure-mode catalogue, not a figure from NHTSA, and it is a repair cost rather than a diagnosis cost.
The same failure on other years
The same failure is reported on 6 model years of this car. It shows up earliest on the 2012, at a median of 65,000 miles, and latest on the 2014 at 130,000 miles.
By volume the 2008 carries the most reports, with 36; the 2012 has 21. A mode that appears across most years of a model is usually a design choice rather than a bad batch.
If one year stands out to the left, that is the year to avoid; if the whole line sits at a similar mileage, this is wear rather than a defect in one production run.
Tick median reported mileage Solid middle half of reports Faint 10th to 90th percentile Colour how bad the failure is when it happens
What owners wrote
Verbatim from NHTSA complaint narratives, trimmed for length. The mileage is the one the owner gave.
[xxx] was driving down the 294 expressway and the car just turned off all electric items went dead. I called for a tow and was at the dealership 3 to 4 days. Dealer mechanic took car home same thing happened to him needed a tow to the shop. Then on 10/13 the car wouldn't start again. The alternator was replaced from first visit and dodge says no codes are coming up and are not fixing anything. My guess it will continue happening until further investigated by dodge. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr
[xxx] was driving down the 294 expressway and the car just turned off all electric items went dead. I called for a tow and was at the dealership 3 to 4 days. Dealer mechanic took car home same thing happened to him needed a tow to the shop. Then on 10/13 the car wouldn't start again. The alternator was replaced from first visit and dodge says no codes are coming up and are not fixing anything. My guess it will continue happening until further investigated by dodge. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr
While driving down the interstate this vehicle's power steering and anti lock brakes stopped working and the vehicles rpms were as high as could be measured by the vehicle. This issues made it very difficult to navigate the vehicle off the roadway safely. The vehicle had to be towed to the nearest dealership and the alternator was diagnosed as the primary issue. The concern with this vehicle is that it has the same size engine and amp alternator as the chrysler vehicles that are already under recall for alternator failure 3.6l engine with a 160 amp alternator and the dealership repairing this vehicle states it is the same type of failure. I am concerned that this vehicles alternator should also be recalled as it poses a danger to the people driving it and any other vehicles on the road near this vehicle when this failure occurs. *tr
Also reported on the 2012 Dodge Avenger
Heater core failure
Other visibility problem
Other electrical problem
Radiator or coolant leak
Airbag warning light or occupant sensor fault
Other engine problem
How far this goes
Complaints are voluntary, so 21 is a floor and not a count of affected cars. Mileages are typed in by owners and cluster on round numbers. And the mode itself is assigned by software reading the complaint text, which is reliable in bulk and fallible one report at a time.
Questions this page answers
At what mileage does alternator or charging system failure happen on the 2012 Dodge Avenger?
Across 17 owner reports that included an odometer reading, half were filed by 65,000 miles. A quarter were filed before 45,000 miles and a quarter after 65,000 miles. These are the mileages owners reported when they complained, not a prediction for any individual car.
How common is alternator or charging system failure on the 2012 Dodge Avenger?
21 reports have been filed with NHTSA, about 0.3 per 1,000 vehicles. Complaints are voluntary, so this is a floor rather than a count of affected cars.
What this is and is not. These are the mileages at which owners chose to complain to a federal agency, which is not the same as the mileage at which the part fails on every car. It skews toward failures that happened outside warranty, cost real money, or frightened someone. It is still the only public dataset that carries failure mileage at all, and the shape of a few hundred readings is informative even when a single one is not. Methodology · JSON · this failure on other cars
Source Owner complaints and recall records published by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, model years 1996–2027 Figures rebuilt Published by AtWhatMileage How every figure is computed