[Rileysdad]

I recently bought a '13 Avenger STX w/ 6 speed A/T. Its a retired avis car w/60k miles... it was one of those deals that you should walk away from, I didn't.

The biggest issue remaining is both front tires rub when turning lock to lock... I welcome any input on this.

Another, less pronounced issue, is a knocking from the front wheels going over uneven surfaces, speed bumps, etc.

The tranny in this car irritates to no end, it never stops shifting. I cant seem to find a speed where it isn't toggling between two gears. Add a hill and the dance continues between three gears or more. The shifting delay during a rapid acceleration is long enough to cure a spiral ham!
I wonder if these transmissions are just "like this" or is mine a lemon...

Any ideas out there?

Thanks!
RileysDad

 

[Intrepid]

Welcome to the forum! Sounds like a ton of issues with this car.
The tires rubbing....are they the right size for the car(specified on your drivers door pillar)?
The front end knocking may be worn sway bar end links which is fairly common.
The transmission shifting certainly isn't normal.
If you have a trusted mechanic I would pay him/her a visit

 

[5rebel9]

Welcome aboard! and I concur with member Intrepid!

 

[brannigan03]

What size are the tires? How is the alignment? Knocking sound is probably the swaybar endlinks. They’re easy to diagnose. Put it up on jack stands so both front wheels are off the ground. Reach under and shake them up and down or turn them side to side. If there’s little resistance when turning them you need new ones. I recommend moog cuz they are quality and have a grease fitting on each end. If they clunk when you shake them then obviously they need to be replaced. The clunk could also be the upper strut mounts which you can check by pushing down hard on the fender to see if it clunks. I hate the trans in these cars, it definitely seems like it’s confused as to what gear it should be in. I drive in auto-stick 90% of the time so I avoid this issue.

 

[Rileysdad]

Welcome to the forum! Sounds like a ton of issues with this car.
The tires rubbing....are they the right size for the car(specified on your drivers door pillar)?
The front end knocking may be worn sway bar end links which is fairly common.
The transmission shifting certainly isn't normal.
If you have a trusted mechanic I would pay him/her a visit

That's good to know about the transmission. I don't know a trusted mechanic, yet. I'm in the Portland OR area, if anyone can refer someone for me to call...

Thanks again!

 

[Rileysdad]

What size are the tires? How is the alignment? Knocking sound is probably the swaybar endlinks. They’re easy to diagnose. Put it up on jack stands so both front wheels are off the ground. Reach under and shake them up and down or turn them side to side. If there’s little resistance when turning them you need new ones. I recommend moog cuz they are quality and have a grease fitting on each end. If they clunk when you shake them then obviously they need to be replaced. The clunk could also be the upper strut mounts which you can check by pushing down hard on the fender to see if it clunks. I hate the trans in these cars, it definitely seems like it’s confused as to what gear it should be in. I drive in auto-stick 90% of the time so I avoid this issue.

Hey, thanks for the input! Oddly perhaps, mine still shifts on its own even while in auto-stick, just not as often. ;/

 

[Intrepid]

The transmission will shift up(at higher revs) and back down when you stop while in auto stick mode.

 

[brannigan03]

The transmission will shift up(at higher revs) and back down when you stop while in auto stick mode.

Mine only downshifts unless I just don’t rev it high enough for it to upshift.

 

[wolfsblood07]

Just my opinion, the Avenger 6-speed seems quirky to me as one who is accustomed to 3-speed or 4-speed w/ OD automatics. Part of it is the extra gears, but also it sometimes does a fairly noticeable downshift when slowing down at a creeping speed. And as has been mentioned in other threads it can be sluggish when accelerating out of a turn. None of this makes me dislike the car, but it just is what it is.

 

[tercesyrev]

If i were you I'd sell it ASAP. Transmission problems with this car are well known and discussed in this forum. These Avengers can turn into a money pits rather quickly.

 

[lwalker222000]

If i were you I'd sell it ASAP. Transmission problems with this car are well known and discussed in this forum. These Avengers can turn into a money pits rather quickly.

Wow. OK Debby Downer. Someone is a bit grouchy today. This is the 5'th thread I have seen this am that you are telling someone how bad the avenger is. Every model car has its issues/gremlins.