2001 Dodge Stratus Coupe

I BOUGHT THE CAR USED FROM A DODGE DEALER WITH ONLY ABOUT 4000 MILES ON IT. A FEW YEARS LATER AND THE CLEAR COAT HAS FADED FROM THE HOOD, ROOF AND TRUNK. IT LOOKS TERRIBLE. I'VE HAD 2 OTHER BLACK CARS IN THE PAST: A CHEVY AND A PONTIAC AND NEITHER OF THEM FADED ONE BIT. AND THE CHEVY WAS AN '85 CAMARO. LOVE THE WAY THE DODGE DRIVES BUT IT LOOKS VERY BAD. *NM

I BOUGHT THIS CAR BRAND NEW... DROVE IT OFF THE LOT FEELING CONFIDENT AND NOW 5 YEARS LATER THERE IS BARELY ANY PAINT ON IT AND I CAN'T KEEP THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT OFF. THE CLEAR COAT STARTED CRACKING EARLY OF 2003. WHEN I ASKED THE DEALER ABOUT THE PAINT SITUATION THEY ASKED ME HOW MANY MILES WERE ON MY CAR AND THEN SAID THEY COULDN'T DO ANYTHING. MY QUESTION IS WHAT DOES THE MILAGE HAVE TO DO WITH THE PAINT JOB???? ALSO THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT RANDOMLY COMES ON. I HAVE NEEDED SOME NORMAL MAINTENANCE ON MY CAR BUT THIS LAST TIME, EARLIER THIS YEAR I TOOK IT IN FOR THE LIGHT. THEY SAID IT WAS NOTHING, CHARGED ME $100 AND THEN SENT ME ON MY WAY ONLY FOR THE THING TO COME RIGHT BACK ON THE NEXT DAY. THIS IS ALL VERY DISCOURAGING BECAUSE THIS VEHICLE IS NOT EVEN PAID OFF YET. *JB

1. THE CAR BATTERY OF MY 2001 DODGE STRATUS RT WENT DEAD ON SUNDAY MORNING. I PURCHASED A CORRECT REPLACEMENT BATTERY AND INSTALLED IT ON THE VEHICLE. 2. UPON STARTING THE CAR AFTER INSTALLING THE NEW BATTERY, THE CAR WOULD NOT IDLE BUT WOULD ONLY SHUT DOWN. I TRIED THIS SEVERAL TIMES AND I COULD ONLY KEEP THE CAR RUNNING WHILE GIVING IT GAS. I TRIED DRIVING THE CAR AND IT DROVE OK UNTIL I RELEASED THE GAS PEDAL IN ORDER TO SLOW DOWN, STOP, OR MAKE A TURN AND EACH TIME THE CAR ENGINE SHUT DOWN. 3. I MANAGED TO DRIVE THE CAR TO THE DODGE DEALER, STALLING OUT AT STOP SIGNS, STOP LIGHTS, INTERSECTIONS, AND TURNS. THE CAR WOULD ALWAYS RESTART AND BY GIVING IT GAS AND THROWING IT BACK INTO DRIVE, I COULD CONTINUE. AFTER A DAY, THE DODGE DEALER ANALYSIS WAS THAT BECAUSE I HAD CHANGED THE CAR BATTERY, THE ENGINE COMPUTER LOST ALL OF ITS "LEARNING" PARAMETERS AND THE CAR WOULD HAVE TO BE DRIVEN FOR 2 WEEKS TO LEARN THE PARAMETERS. I WAS TOLD THAT CHRYSLER HAD NO "QUICKSTART" SOFTWARE THAT COULD BE LOADED ONTO THE AUTOMOBILE'S COMPUTER TO ALLOW IT TO RUN PROPERLY. SO THE DODGE DEALERSHIP TOLD ME THAT I WOULD HAVE TO OPERATE MY CAR IN TRAFFIC WHEN IT STALLED EVERY TIME MY FOOT CAME OFF THE GAS PEDAL, AND THAT WAS THEIR SOLUTION TO FIX THIS PROBLEM....TO OPERATE MY CAR IN AN UNSAFE MANNER BECAUSE THEY HAD NO MEANS TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM. THERE IS NO WARNING IN THE VEHICLE OPERATORS MANUAL ABOUT THIS POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS CONDITION WHERE YOUR CAR STALLS IN TRAFFIC IF YOU CHANGE THE BATTERY AND I FIND THIS "SOLUTION" UNSAFE AND TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE. *JB

2001 DODGE STRATUS WAS HIT ON PASSENGER SIDE BY A JEEP CHEROKEE TRAVELING AT APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH. THE DOOR SETUP IN THE STRATUS WAS NOT AT ALL EFFECTIVE. NOT ONLY DID THE DOOR PROVIDE ABSOLUTELY NO PROTECTION TO A PASSENGER HAD THERE BEEN ONE, BUT THE ENTIRE DOOR WAS FORCED INTO THE INSIDE OF THE VEHICLE. THE INTRUDING DOOR STRUCK AND INJURED THE DRIVER IN THE CAR. WHETHER OR NOT THERE WAS ANYTHING WRONG WITH THE STRUCTURAL DESIGN IN THE DOOR, IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN SECURED TO THE OUTSIDE OF THE VEHICLE. REGARDLESS, THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN FATAL TO ANYONE ON THE PASSENGER SIDE OF THE CAR. CHANGES SHOULD BE MADE TO NEW MODELS. THIS IS AN UNACCEPTABLE FLAW IN THE DESIGN OF THE CAR. HOW CAN DAIMLERCHRYSLER SACRIFICE A HUNDRED OR TWO POUNDS OF SOLID STEEL AND HUNDRED OF PRECIOUS LIVES TO GET ANOTHER MILE TO THE GALLON? THAT PASSENGER SHOULD HAVE BEEN ME, BUT I DIDN'T FEEL LIKE GOING OUT THAT NIGHT. LITTLE DID I KNOW, THAT HAD I LEFT MY HOUSE, I WOULD NOT BE HERE TODAY. PLEASE HELP ME CORRECT THESE AWFUL FLAWS IN TODAY'S COMPACT AND MIDSIZE CARS.*AK

ENGINE STARTED TO IDLE VERY ROUGH WITH AND WITHOUT BRAKES APPLIED FOR SEVERAL DAYS UNTIL IT FAILED TO START. 3 DAYS AT DEALERSHIP SERVICE FOR CONCERNS. (NEW BATT AND PCM REPROGRAM THAT RESULTED IN A 10 MINUTE DRIVE AWAY FROM CENTER AFTER SERVICE COMPLETED TO HAVE THE SERVICE ENGINE SOON LIGHT COME ON) RETURNED CAR TO DEALER THE NEXT DAY TO FIND THE ERG VALVE WAS FAULTY TO FAILURE, HAD TO RESTRICT AIR FLOW TO MAINTAIN PROPER IDLE. PENDING 2 MORE DAYS OF SERVICE TIME TO CORRECT. MORE LOST TIME AND MONEY. *JB

DRIVERS SIDE SEAT CUSHIONING HAS COLLAPSED. THIS IS ACTUALLY THE SECOND TIME THIS HAS OCCURRED IN THIS VEHICLE, WITH THE FIRST INCIDENT IN JULY OF 2001 (3 MONTHS AFTER PURCHASING THE CAR). IT WAS REPLACED THEN BY THE DEALERSHIP, AND I THOUGHT IT WAS A ONE-TIME OCCURRENCE, HOWEVER THE SAME PROBLEM HAS SURFACED AGAIN ON JUNE 7TH OF THIS YEAR, AGAIN NEEDING TO HAVE THE SEAT BE REPLACED. THIS NOT ONLY MAKES IT HIGHLY PAINFUL TO DRIVE, IT LEAVES ME WITH BACK PAIN FOR HOURS AFTERWARDS BECAUSE THE RESULT IS SITTING ON STEEL BARS. *JB

I BOUGHT THIS CAR BRAND NEW OFF THE LOT ON 01/12/01 WITH 14 MILES ON IT. 04/14/02 I WAS DRIVING THE CAR WHEN THE "SERVICE ENGINE SOON" LIGHT CAME ON AND STALLED OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF AN INTERSECTION. WHEN THE CAR WAS ABLE TO BE STARTED AGAIN, BLUE SMOKE WAS COMING OUT THE BACK. I PARKED THE CAR NEARBY AND LET IT SIT FOR ABOUT 20 MINUTES, AND WHEN I TRIED TO START THE CAR AGAIN, IT WOULD NOT STAY RUNNING, AND THERE WAS MORE BLUE SMOKE COMING OUT OF IT. I CALLED THE DODGE TOWING SERVICE, AND HAD THE CAR TOWED TO THE ORIGINAL DEALER THAT I BOUGHT IT AT. THEY "FIXED" THE PROBLEM AND TOLD ME I HAD DIRTY GAS PARTICLES. I HAVE HAD THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COME ON 4 TIMES SINCE THAT, AND THE CAR STALLS WHEN IN IDLE WHILE THE LIGHT IS ON. THE DATES ARE AS FOLLOWS 04/14/02, 06/24/02, 01/13/03, 04/07/03, AND 04/29/03. THE DEALER HAS ON THIS LAST ATTEMPT TO FIX MY VEHICLE THAT THE "FIX" THEY HAVE APPLIED AGAIN IS NOT PERMANENT (SAID IT MAY WORK FOR ANOTHER 4 MONTHS) AND THAT THEY DO NOT HAVE ANY ANSWER FOR WHAT THEY NEED TO DO IN ORDER TO MAKE MY VEHICLE A SAFE CAR TO BE IN AGAIN. THEY ARE ADMITTING TO ME THAT THIS IS AN ELECTRICAL ENGINE PROBLEM, AND THAT THEY HAVE OTHER CONSUMERS OUT THERE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM I AM. IN THE MEANTIME, I HAD SENT A LETTER OF DEFECT NOTIFICATION TO THE MANUFACTURER, DATED 04/22/03. THE LETTER WAS SENT CERTIFIED, AND RETURN RECEIPT. I RECEIVED A PHONE CALL FROM THE MANUFACTURER THE MORNING OF 04/28/03 CONFIRMING THAT THEY RECEIVED MY LETTER AND PAPERWORK REGARDING THE LEMON LAW. AS OF TODAY, 05/06/03, THE MANUFACTURER IS TELLING MY DEALER SERVICE MANAGER THAT THEY WOULD BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO TRADE ME INTO ANOTHER VEHICLE, BUT THAT THEY DO NOT WANT TO BUY THE VEHICLE BACK, DESPITE THE LEMON LAW OF AZ 44-1261. I AM IN THE PROCESS OF CONTACTING THE AZ ATTORNEY GENERAL, AND FILING A COMPLAINT WITH THE CENTER FOR AUTO SAFETY. THANK YOU. *NLM