2002 Dodge Stratus

2002 DODGE STRATUS BEGAN TO HESITATE AND ACT LIKE IT WAS STALLING DRIVING A 10 MILE COMMUTE. WIFE PULL OVER, OPENED THE HOOD, BUT SAW NOTHING WRONG. BEING ONLY A COUPLE MILES FROM HOME SHE ATTEMPTED TO RESTART THE CAR. THE CAR WOULD NOT START AND DIDN'T SOUND RIGHT. SHE CALLED OUR MECHANIC AND HAD THE CAR TOWED TO HIS BUSINESS. HE TOLD US THAT AFTER MAKING SEVERAL ATTEMPTS TO START THE CAR THAT THE ENGINE SEIZED. BOTH THE WATER AND OIL WERE WELL WITHIN THE NORMAL OPERATING RANGE. THE CAR HAS ONLY 58,000 MILES ON IT HAS BEEN WELL CARED FAR AND DRIVEN BY MY OVERLY CAUTIOUS WIFE. AS I HAVE LEARNED MORE ABOUT THIS ENGINE I HAVE FOUND PLENTY OF EVIDENCE ONLINE THAT THE 2.7L V6 ENGINE IS PROBABLY ONE OF THE WORST EXAMPLES OF FAULTY ENGINEERING IN MEMORY. THIS COULD HAVE CAUSED VERY SERIOUS PROBLEMS, AND CHRYSLER SHOULD HAVE BEEN FORCED TO RECALL THIS. THIS IS AN OUTRAGEOUS FRAUD UPON THE AMERICAN PUBLIC THAT ALSO MAKES ME THINK THAT NHTSA IS NOT DOING THEIR JOB FOR THE AMERICAN PEOPLE. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 DODGE STRATUS. WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH, THE CONTACT HEARD A RATTLING NOISE IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. A MECHANIC STATED THAT THE ENGINE COULD EXPLODE IF THE VEHICLE IS DRIVEN. THE CONTACT SPOKE WITH DODGE AND THEY STATED THAT THEY WERE UNAWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE POWERTRAIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 94,000.

I BOUGHT THIS CAR IN JANUARY 2006. I WAS HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THE CAR, LITTLE THINGS KEPT GOING WRONG. I HAVE KEPT UP ON MAINTENANCE. 3 WEEKS AGO MY WATER PUMP WENT OUT. I PICKED UP MY CAR AFTER THE REPAIR AND THE OIL LIGHT WAS STILL ON. APPARENTLY WHEN THE WATER PUMP HAD FAILED, IT WAS LEAKING COOLANT AND SUCH INTO THE ENGINE. NOT TO MENTION THE SLUDGE. OF COURSE 2 DAYS AFTER PICKING UP THE CAR, THE ENGINE FAILED ON THE INTERSTATE WITH MY 2 YEAR OLD SON IN THE CAR. IT IS STILL IN THE SHOP. I AM HAVING TO HAVE A BRAND NEW ENGINE INSTALLED. *TR

I HAD MY DODGE STRATUS 2002 SINCE SUMMER OF 2005. WHILE GOING TO WORK ONE MORNING, I THOUGHT I HEARD THAT THE STARTER WAS GOING. I CALLED AND HAD THE MANUFACTURER'S LOCAL INSPECTION SHOP LOOK AT THE CAR AND THEY TOLD ME THAT THE ENGINE HAD BLOWN OUT. IF I RECALL THE ENGINE SHOULD BE THE LAST THING TO DIE IN A CAR. THIS VEHICLE IS ONLY FIVE YEARS OLD, REGARDLESS OF MILEAGE THE ENGINE SHOULD STILL BE GOING. THE MANUFACTURER CLAIMED THAT THEY COULDN'T HELP BECAUSE I BOUGHT THE CAR FROM ANOTHER CAR DEALER AND NOT THE MANUFACTURER. THIS MATTER SHOULD BE INSPECTED. *JB

REAR SHOCK UPPER MOUNT ATTACKED BY CORROSION, VEHICLE ONLY 4.5 YEARS OLD AND 60,500 MILES. UN-PAINTED POT METAL LIKE MATERIAL BROKE UP INTO MULTIPLE PIECES WITHOUT WARNING. ONE MINUTE VEHICLE DROVE FINE, HIT A TYPICAL PAVEMENT EXPANSION JOINT CAUSING A LIGHT CLUNK TO DEVELOP. WITHIN TWO MILES I PULLED OVER TO INSPECT BECAUSE THE HAMMERING IN THE SUSPENSION GOT SO BAD. FOUND THE REAR SHOCK ABSORBER WAS NO LONGER RETAINED AT THE UPPER END. VEHICLE COULD STILL BE DRIVEN HOME GENTLY BUT THERE WAS NOTHING RETAINING THE COIL SPRING TO THE BODY OTHER THAN GRAVITY. BOTH UPPER MOUNTS WERE REPLACED WITH PAINTED REPLACEMENT PARTS FROM THE DEALER. THE LEFT REAR MOUNT HAD NOT FAILED YET, BUT CORROSION WAS RAPIDLY TURNING IT INTO POWDER FROM THE TOP DOWN. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 DODGE STRATUS. WHILE DRIVING 20 MPH, A KNOCKING NOISE WAS HEARD COMING FROM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. THE VEHICLE FAILED AND WAS TOWED. THE CONTACT WAS TOLD THAT THIS IS A VERY COMMON FAILURE DUE TO SLUDGE BUILD UP IN THE ENGINE. THE ENTIRE ENGINE HAD TO BE REPLACED. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 80,000.

NORMAL DRIVING THEN THE ENGINE STARTED CLANKING AND QUIT. SERVICE STATION SAID THE 2.7 V6 IS A TERRIBLE ENGINE AND NEED TO BE TOTALLY REPLACED. CALLED CHRYSLER AND THEY SAID THEY WOULD NOT HELP ME. IT COST ABOUT $4000 TO FIX. NOT SURE WHAT TO DO. CAN'T AFFORD THAT THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF COMPLAINTS ON WWW.DONTBUYONE.ORG WITH THE SAME COMPLAINT.*AK

I BOUGHT MY 2002 DODGE STRATUS IN OCTOBER OF 2004. THE DEALERSHIP TOLD ME THERE WAS STILL THE FACTORY WARRANTY ON IT BUT FAILED TO TELL ME IT EXPIRED IN ONE WEEK. IT WAS AT THIS ONE WEEK MARK I TOOK MY CAR IN FOR A TICKING NOISE TO THREE DIFFERENT PLACES, TWO OF THEM DODGE DEALERS AND THEY TOLD ME THERE WAS NO PROBLEM. AS THE NOISE GOT WORSE, I TOOK THE CAR BACK TO A DEALERSHIP AND THEY TOLD ME MY TIMING CHAIN WAS GOING OUT AND COULD RUIN MY WHOLE ENGINE AT ANY TIME. THE COST OF REPAIR WAS $800. I HAD TO FIGHT WITH CHRYSLER THAT A CAR THIS NEW SHOULD NOT HAVE THIS PROBLEM BEFORE THEY AGREED TO PAY HALF. I HAVE ALSO HAD TO RECENTLY REPLACE MY STARTER OCTOBER 2006 AFTER THE FUSE BLOWING THREE TIMES OF WHICH I HAD TO HAVE MY CAR TOWED TO A MECHANIC IN ADDITION TO PAYING FOR REPAIRS. I HATE THIS CAR!!!!!! *JB