Sharing our experience with our beloved 2008 Dodge Avenger SE. This Avenger was purchase with a little over 21,000 original miles back in 2010 and was very well taken care of.

All the problems arose when I took the car to the local dealer who mistakenly had a mechanic do a Auto Transmission service and I came in for just an Engine Oil & Filter change! This was back in 2014 and I found Automatic fluid on my garage floor the day after the Engine Oil Change! The official receipt didn't show anything about the Automatic Transmission and came to the Service manager to show that one of the captive fastener had been striped and that no one else besides them had been working on the Avenger ever since we purchased it. They took down the Automatic Transmission pan down and they repaired the base of the Automatic Transmission case where this captive fastener was located and put everything back together and gave me the Avenger back. The next day more leaks were found and took it back once again and they had to bring back down the Automatic Transmission pan down to re-perform the Automatic Transmission service and this time use enough sealant and finally no more leaks. Approximately, many years went on by and we thought that all our troubles were gone.

This Avenger has had lots of history and almost always registering P2006 or a combination of these codes plus dealer replaced the entire intake manifold twice and the ugly code came back. It got so bad that the Dealer could not determined and told me it was an internal short in the PCM (Power Control Module) that rides in the Engine compartment. At this point, I just decided to just keep the car and reset the error codes and then, another ugly code appeared, P0740 results were a wide brush effect citing dirty Automatic Transmission Fluid and the Torque Converter itself as probable cause. Well, the Torque Converter Solenoid Block was Replaced and about two (2) months the same combination of error codes returned (P2006 & P0740).

Well, my daughter's 2008 Avenger SE left her stranded May of 2021 while going to work. Fortunately, she called AAA Club and they towed her car to a Certified AAA repair shop. They gave us the diagnosis (Dead Auto Transmission). The senior mechanic at this AAA Certified Shop informed us that it was the Automatic Transmission because there doesn't exist any internal sensor inside the Automatic Transmission to tell the PCM that you have a bad and going bad Auto Transmission. Therefore, other codes come UP because it causes a chain effect and the PCM senses other items being triggered instead.

If anyone is having persistent Check Engine Light (CEL) that doesn't go away and you took an honest effort to correct then, I highly recommend you to take your Avenger to a trusted and highly trained mechanic that knows Auto Transmission to rule out a Auto Transmission issue.

Just to be clear, my daughter's SE shifted fine but, gradually gave worse and worse MPG.

Referenced Threads as follows:
https://dodgeforum.com/forum/2008-cu...-stuck-cl.html

https://dodgeforum.com/forum/2008-cu...placement.html

 

 

Okay good people!

It has been over one solid year and my Daughter's 2008 Dodge Avenger SE with 117,000+ original miles and newer Automatic Transmission (Certified 55,000 Miles) has been performing like a DREAM!

It has been getting 28-MPG consistently 80% Highway and 20% City.

The Transmission shifts smooth and doesn't have that Force at Idle like the original Factory Transmission that was removed.

Many have asked me why I didn't go after the Dealer for the cost of an Automatic Transmission and my easy answer is that two or more years went by and it will be HARD PRESS to prove that their mistake of doing an unsolicited Auto Transmission Service that was NOT documented on the Receipt for just an Oil & Filter Change can be proven to say that it was them, especially when I went to another Pro Shop for the Auto Transmission Solenoid Block.

Yesterday, I changed the Engine Oil & Filter (super easy) as I will no longer take this car or any other car that I own to any DEALER!

Guapo

 

Thank you for the information. I know how you feel. I have been rebuilding the A604/41TE since 1989 when they first came out. I have retired 3 years ago and still have my 1996 avenger with 110k. I would have tried a wire overlay on the circuit first before saying the PCM was bad. I have seen too many people replace the output sensors on these transmission and ended up being a broken wire in the connector.

 

Congratulations on your Retirement.

Thanks for the reply.

It turns out that I didn't believe the Dodge Dealer in Titusville, Florida (Parks Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram Space Coast) because the Orlando, Florida Dealer (Greenway Dodge Jeep) performed a detailed analysis and found zero issues on the PCU (Power Control Module).

My daughter's 2008 Dodge Avenger SE just turned 113,069 original miles and has had ZERO CEL (Check Engine Light) on the dash ever since installation of the newer certified Automatic Transmission and gets 31-MPG (85% Hwy & 15% City).

 

Anytime you have a question about the product let me know. I also worked on Fiat, Alfa Romeo ,Jeep, Chrysler and Ram Trucks.

 

Hi good people!

It's September 13th, 2023 and my daughter's 2008 Dodge Avenger SE is still running like new with that newer (Certified Used) Automatic Transmission.

And BEST OF ALL, zero CEL on the dash!

Of course the vehicle doesn't get driven daily, perhaps once a week or once every two weeks and it still smells like new inside.

Just wanted to update everyone!