Unknown, all i know is that i leave my car to go play basketball and 3 hours later i come back and its popped out randomly.
2013 Dodge Avenger seats problems
60 complaints (11% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 87,000.
- owner complaints
- 60
- of this car's complaints
- 11%
- typical mileage
- 87,000
- crashes
- 0
- recalls
- 1
Which part fails
- Front assembly: head restraint13
At what mileage
Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.
0k-25k
25k-50k
50k-75k
75k-100k
100k-125k
125k-150k
150k-175k
175k-200k
200k+
Dodge Avenger seats problems in other years
Related recalls
Seats: front assembly: head restraint
- What is wrong
- Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2012 Jeep Liberty and 2012-2013 Chrysler 200 and Dodge Avenger vehicles. A component within the occupant restraint controller (ORC) may fail and prevent the active headrests from deploying in the event of a rear-end crash.
- Risk
- If the active headrests do not deploy in certain rear-end crashes, the front seat occupants have an increased risk of injury.
- Remedy
- Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the ORC as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on December 4, 2017. Owners may contact FCA customer service at 1‑800‑853‑1403. FCA's number for this recall is T56.
Recall number 17V640000 · Recall details
Related investigations
Active Head Rest Inadvertent Deployment
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE19014 on September 9, 2019, to investigate 128 consumer complaints alleging that the Active Head Rest (AHR) inadvertently deployed without the occurrence of a crash or other rear impact event in model year (MY) 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee and Dodge Durango vehicles.When ODI opened the investigation, ODI was aware of thirteen alleged injuries.A small number of Early Warning Reports identified driver and/or passenger front seat AHR inadvertent deployments without a rear impact event.Reported safety consequences resulting from the AHR deployments include concussions, headaches, soft tissue injuries, disorientation, nausea, vomiting and/or loss of vehicle control as a result of being surprised and distracted by being struck in the head by the inadvertent AHR deployment. On September 24, 2019, ODI sent an Information Request (IR) letter to Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA).ODI requested certain detailed information from FCA related to the following subject vehicles: MY 2010-2014 Dodge Avenger 200, MY 2010-2014 Dodge Calber, MY 2010-2014 Chrysler Sebring, MY 2013-2015 Ram Tradesman, MY 2012 Ram Van, MY 2010-2019 Dodge Grand Caravan, MY 2010-2016 Chrysler Town and Country, MY 2010-2017 Jeep Compass, MY 2011-2020 Dodge Durango, MY 2011-2020 Jeep Grand Cherokee, MY 2010-2019 Dodge Journey, MY 2010-2012 Jeep Liberty, MY 2010-2011 Jeep Nitro, and MY 2010-2011 Jeep Patriot vehicles.On December 2, 2019, ODI received a response from FCA that included vehicle production data, consumer complaints, field reports, warranty claims, manufacturer actions, production changes, and other data related to the alleged defect from the start of production (2010) through September 24, 2019.On January 27, 2020, ODI received an update to the December 2, 2019, IR response from FCA.On September 22, 2020, ODI requested additional subject vehicle AHR information from FCA.ODI received FCA's response on October 21, 2020.ODI subsequently received an update to FCA's October 21, 2020, response on February 16, 2021.During the investigation, ODI requested updates to certain IR questions on two occasions.FCA provided updates to question #2 on March 5, 2021, and questions #2 and #5 on May 26, 2023. FCA’s IR response data identified approximately 7.5 million subject vehicles (with approximately 15 million AHR assemblies).Due to the large number of vehicles and failure reports, ODI focused its analysis on the FCA vehicle model with the highest failure rate to represent the worst-case scenario.For this purpose, ODI focused on MY 2012-2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee vehicles for its analysis.This population includes 710,890 vehicles that FCA manufactured between August 19, 2011, and August 8, 2015.ODI identified 2,839 alleged AHR failures within this limited population.ODI identified 263 alleged injuries that were caused by AHR failures in MY 2012-2015 Grand Cherokees vehicles.Of these alleged injuries, ODI categorized them as eighty-two (82) soft tissue (neck/whiplash, bruise) injuries, four (4) concussions, fifty-nine (59) headaches, and one hundred eighteen (118) without a specific injury description.Although complainants have alleged injuries, ODI has been unable to obtain evidence to substantiate or validate any injuries where medical treatment was required.Consumer outreach was conducted by ODI, where sixty-three (63) FCA complainants with alleged injuries were contacted.Twelve of the sixty-three FCA consumers responded and were interviewed by ODI.ODI requested medical records, however, only one response was provided. Attorneys representing the responding complainant provided a synopsis that indicated they had experienced prior neck-related injuries dating to the mid-1990s.ODI also contacted one hundred (100) consumers who submitted Vehicle Owner Questionnaires (VOQ) in an attempt to validate alleged injuries. Despite the efforts of ODI, the office has been unsuccessful at obtaining substantive documentation/evidence supporting complaints that allege serious injuries (where pre-existing medical conditions did not already exist). In addition to the low severity of alleged injuries caused by AHR deployments, there have been eleven alleged crashes and two alleged lane departures within the entire subject vehicle population that has been in the field up to sixteen years (with over 8,500 AHR inadvertent deployments).ODI was not able to validate that the alleged crashes were the result of inadvertent head rest deployments, and the crashes were minor in nature. ODI has conducted a thorough investigation of the alleged safety defect and with up to sixteen years of exposure for some vehicles and over 8,500 inadvertent AHR deployments, no serious crashes or injuries could be validated in the sub-population of focus.The lack of serious injuries validated by ODI with such large period of field exposure is consistent with thework done by the federal safety agency’s Human Injury Research Division and the Biodynamic Research Corporation, which support that an inadvertent AHR deployment is not likely to cause serious injury.In addition to the low risk of injury, FCA released an extended warranty program that covers inadvertent AHR deployment for ten years / unlimited mileage from the vehicle's in-service date. PE19014 is closed with the FCA extended warranty program.The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by the federal safety agency that a safety-related defect does not exist, and the Agency reserves the right to take additional action if warranted by new circumstances. To review a complete closing summary, please the attached closing report. To review the ODI reports cited in the Closing Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to
PE19014
What 2013 Dodge Avenger owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
Headrest deployed
Both head rest which is attached to airbags or have airbags in them I don’t know but the exploded open. Headrest could have exploded while someone was in the seat and got head injuries. No problem has not been confirmed by anyone but myself,husband and self employed mechanic, I didn’t know what to do. No, no type of warning before it happen. Passenger one exploded January 2025, driver exploded about May 2025.
I was driving my car and the active headrests on the driver side and passenger side both deployed prematurely. I wasn't in any collisions and the headrests deployed. It was very unexpected when they went off as i was driving to school it put both my safety and my sisters safety at risk when they deployed. As stated previously i am unsure as to why they went off as i was never involved in any collisions. There were no warning lamps or any messages prior to them deploying.
Driver side head rest exploded.
On May 10, 2024 my passenger headrest deployed on its own. I went to work, came back to my car for lunch and heard a pop and saw my passenger headrest deployed. No accident, no one hit my car, just my car parked. I did some research and found a recall for my make and model. I contacted the dealership that I bought the car and was told there's no recall and my problem is mechanical. I contacted another dealership and they couldn't find the recall, but was willing to set up an appointment. I took my car to the dealership and was told, yes there was a recall, but the headrests were fixed. They also stated my car was out of warranty so the repair would be at my expense. The headrests are obviously a continuous problem. I am now concerned that my headrest could pop while I am driving and result in injury to my head and neck. I am concerned that I could end up getting into a accident or even die from an unexpected deployment that possibly cause a blackout or concussion. I zip tied my headrests since dealerships are refusing to fix the problem for free. They even told me to contact you. Please help me.
The contact owns a 2013 Dodge Avenger. The contact stated that while her son was driving approximately 40 MPH, the front driver's side headrest restraint deployed. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were not yet contacted. The contact stated that the same failure had previously occurred on the front passenger’s side headrest restraint. The cause of the previous failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 90,000.
The contact owns a 2013 Dodge Avenger. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the passenger's side headrest deployed aggressively, striking the passenger in the head. The passenger did not receive medical attention. The contact stated that the plastic inside the headrest bent the bar, causing the headrest to deploy. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 37,600.
The AHR in the drivers side headrest of my 2013 Dodge Avenger randomly deployed and will not reset. I believe it to have a common defect in that, under normal conditions, the AHR can deploy without any warning and strike the back of the occupant’s head. This condition is caused because the AHR contains a “cheap” plastic bracket that acts as a trigger mechanism and holds the spring loaded release in place, the drivers state. Chrysler used an inferior and inexpensive form of plastic which can crack and break down prematurely. There are hundreds of thousands of Chrysler vehicles equipped with the defective AHR and there is no way of knowing when the AHR in the headrest will spring forward. According to a the Chrysler class action, the following vehicles contain the AHR defect: 2010-2018 Dodge Journey; 2010-2011 Dodge Nitro; 2010-2012 Jeep Liberty; 2010-2017 Jeep Patriot or Compass; 2010-2012 Dodge Caliber; 2010-2018 Dodge Caravan; 2011-2018 Dodge Ram C/V 2011-2018 Dodge Durango; 2011-2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee; 2010-2014 Sebring/Avenger; 2011-2018 Chrysler Town & Country; 2011-2018 Chrysler 200; and 2011-2018 Chrysler 300. The National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration (the federal safety agency) opened an investigation in September 2019 called “Active Headrest Inadvertent Deployment,” where the government organization reviews consumer reports of inadvertent deployment of the AHRs, according to the Chrysler class action lawsuit. I maintain that Chrysler has known about the defects since 2010 but did not provide this information to the public. The Larry H Miller dodge in centennial co is telling me after having my car for over a week they aren’t responsible for this and won’t cover the repair.
The headrest in front passenger side made a loud noise and opened. It's scared me, because I had no clue what the noise was from at the time. It was night time and all I can say is thank God no other cars were near me...I probably would have wrecked. I'm very thankful that my son was not sitting there when it happened. There were no lights or warnings and I never knew that could happen let alone know the headrests could pop open. The vehicle has not been looked at our inspected. I seen there was a recall on this but after entering my Vin, it says this car has no active recalls.
Questions about the 2013 Dodge Avenger seats
Does the 2013 Dodge Avenger have seats problems?
Owners have filed 60 complaints about the seats of the 2013 Dodge Avenger, 11% of all its complaints.
At what mileage do 2013 Dodge Avenger seats problems start?
The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 87,000 miles.
Was there a recall on the 2013 Dodge Avenger seats?
Yes, 1 recall: 17V640000. Check your VIN to see if your car still needs the free repair.
What year does the Dodge Avenger have bad seats?
The Dodge Avenger model years with the most seats complaints are 2013 (60 complaints), 2014 (24 complaints) and 2012 (14 complaints).
Other 2013 Dodge Avenger problems
Airbags 154Engine 126Electrical 98Seat belts 52Visibility 51Brakes 38Acceleration 34Driver assistance 32Transmission 32Fuel system 29Steering 19Body 11Wheels 8Lights 7Suspension 5Locks 2Tires 2
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