1998 DODGE STRATUS Complaints

CONSUMER STATED THAT WHEN THEY WAS HIT IN THE FRONT CENTER OF THE VEHICLE THE AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY CAUSING MINOR INJURIES TO THE CONSUMER. DEALER NOTIFIES. TS

TIMING BELT TENSIONER BROKE WHILE DRIVING FULL SPEED ON THE FREEWAY. THE ENGINE STALLED AND I WAS LUCKY TO GET TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD SAFELY. NOW THE CAR HAS BEEN AT THE SHOP FOR TWO WEEKS AND DODGE STATES THE PARTS ARE NOT IN PRODUCTION AND UNAVAILABLE UNTIL A LATER UNKNOWN DATE. I HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT THE PART IS BEING REMANUFACTURED TO ELIMINATE THE PROBLEM, BUT THE NEW PART HASN'T BEEN PRODUCED YET. THERE IS NOT A DATE SET FOR WHEN THE PART WILL BE AVAILABLE. DODGE OBVIOUSLY KNEW THE PART WAS DEFECTIVE OR THEY WOULD NOT HAVE IMPROVED IT FOR REPLACEMENT. WHY WAS MY SAFETY PUT AT RISK FOR A PART THEY KNEW WAS A PROBLEM?

AT APPROX 60,000 MILES MY 1998 DODGE STRATUS, DEVELOPED AN OIL LEAK AT THE HEAD GASKET, A CRACKED EXHAUST MANIFOLD, A TIMING BELT TENSIONER AND COVER THAT HAVE FAILED, A LEAKING WATER PUMP THAT NEEDS REPLACING. MY MECHANIC ESTIMATES $2150.00 TO REPLACE AND REPAIR ALL THESE ITEMS. TO TOP THIS OFF MY MECHANIC TELLS ME THAT IT WILL TAKE 2 TO 3 WEEKS TO GET THE TIMING BELT TENSIONER AND COVER BECAUSE THERE'S A BIG BACK ORDER ON THESE ITEMS. MEANWHILE I'M WITHOUT A CAR! BY REVEIWING THE COMPLAINTS ON THE WEB, I SEE THAT THIS VEHICLE'S HEAD GASKET WAS REDESIGNED BY CHRYSLER SINCE 1998, ALSO THE TIMING BELT TENSIONER HAS BEEN REDESIGNED. THE CAR HAS BEEN GREAT UP TO THIS POINT. HOWEVER I FEEL, ALL THESE RECENT PROBLEMS ARE CLEARLY PRE-MATURE ESPECIALLY SINCE CHRYSLER HAS HAD TO REDESIGN THE HEAD GASKET AND TENSIONER IN ORDER TO CORRECT THE PROBLEMS WITH THESE ITEMS. SHOULD THERE NOT BE A RECALL ON THE 1998 DODGE STRATUS FOR ALL THESE BREAKDOWNS? DO I HAVE ANY RECOURSE ON THIS? COULD YOU PLEASE HELP OUT. THANK YOU.

I HAVE A 1998 DODGE STRATUS AND LIKE MANY OTHERS THE HEAD GASKET NEEDS REPLACING. I WAS TOLD ABOUT THIS IN JULY 2002. I WAS TOLD BY SERVICE THAT THIS WAS A KNOWN PROBLEM AND THAT CHRYSLER WOULD PARTICIPATE IN THE EXPENSE OF THE REPAIR AND IT WOULD ONLY COST ME $200. AT THE TIME I COULD NOT AFFORD THE REPAIR. ALSO, THE LEAK WAS NOT THAT BAD. I WAS LED TO BELIEVE THAT THE $200 WOULD BE THE COST WHEN I HAD THE REPAIR WORK DONE. WHEN I CALLED TO MAKE THE APPOINTMENT JAN 20, 2003 BECAUSE THE LEAK WAS STARTING TO GET WORSE, I ASKED THE SERVICE PERSON IF THIS $200 COST WAS STILL IN EFFECT. HE SAID HE CHECKED ON IT AND WAS TOLD IT WAS. AFTER I DROPPED OFF THE CAR, I GOT A CALL LATER IN THE MORNING TELLING ME IT WOULD COST ME FULL PRICE. MY ISSUE IS THAT SINCE THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM ON THE 98 STRATUS WHY HASN'T CHRYSLER (DODGE) BEEN MADE TO ISSUE A RECALL. THE REALIZED THE PROBLEM WITH THE HEAD GASKET BECAUSE THEY CHANGED THE HEADGASKET PART APPROXIMATELY NOV 1998 IN PRODUCTION AND REPLACEMENTS.

MASSIVE OIL LEAK FROM HEAD GASKET THERE IS A CONSISTANT PROBLEM WITH THE 98 (AND OTHER YEARS) DODGE STRATUS ENGINES. THE HEAD GASKET IS LEAKING OIL MASSIVELY. WHE YOU ARE DRIVING IT SPLATTERS DOWN THE UNDERSIDE OF THE CAR, LANDING ON THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER, THE EXHAUST PIPES AND MUFFLER. I HAVE NO FIRES OF YET, BUT WE HAVE RESTRICTED USE TO SHORT TRIPS. HERE IS A LINK TO A MESSAGE BAORD WITH SIMILAR PEOPLE WITH PROBLEMS. HTTP://WWW.CARTRACKERS.COM/FORUMS/LIVE/CHRYSLER/8.HTML

HEAD GASKET HAS BUSTED. IT'S LEAKING FUEL ALL OVER THE EXHAUST. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER WHO SAID IT COULD START A FIRE. HE SAID IT WOULD COST ABOUT $800 TO FIX. IT REQUIRES ME TO PUT A QUART OF OIL IN IT WEEKLY.

I HAVE A 1998 DODGE STRATUS WITH A 2.4L 4 CYLINDER ENGINE WITH 86,000+ MILES THAT HAS RECENTLY DEVELOPED A HEAD GASKET OIL LEAK. I AM AWARE THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS ENGINE AND THE ASSOCIATED TSB(09-05-98). WHEN I NOTICED THE LEAK, I TOOK MY CAR TO THE DEALER IN TOWN AND WAS TOLD THAT THE REGIONAL OFFICE DENIED MY REQUEST FOR PAYMENT OF THE REPAIR. I DID NOT HAVE THE REPAIR DONE, BUT GOT AN ESTIMATE FOR $800. NEXT, I CONTACTED THE CHRYSLER CUSTOMER SERVICE LINE IN DETROIT, MI.(1-800-992-1997). I WAS TOLD POLITELY THAT THEY WOULD LIKE TO HELP ME BUT THAT MY CAR WAS TOO FAR OUT OF WARRANTY AND THAT THERE WAS NO WARRANTY EXTENSION FOR THIS PROBLEM. I ASKED WHY SOME PEOPLE RECEIVED ASSISTANCE FOR THE SAME PROBLEM WHILE OTHERS DID NOT, AND WAS TOLD THAT "THIS OFFICE WOULD NOT HAVE AUTHORIZED THOSE PAYMENTS". I ASKED FOR A NUMBER OR ADDRESS TO MAKE AN APPEAL TO THIS DECISION AND WAS TOLD THAT THEY HAD ALREADY MADE THE FINAL DECISION, THERE WAS NO ONE ELSE TO APPEAL TO, AND THE DECISION WOULD NOT BE OVERTURNED.

CONSUMER CALLED COMPLAINING ABOUT HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THE HEAD GASKETS. ALSO STATED THAT HAS BEEN ON OUR WEB SITE WHERE THERE IS MORE THEN 40 COMPLAINTS.DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED AT THE TIME OF THIS PHONE CALL. MR

WHEN CHECKING THE OIL, CONSUMER STATES THE OIL READING KEPT DECREASING RAPIDLY. CONSUMER TOOK TO DODGE, DODGE SAYS THE GASKET IS TOO THIN AND IS CAUSING A LEAK. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION. PH

I'VE LOST A SEAT PART TO MY CAR AND I'M HAVING TROUBLE GETTING IT FROM ANYONE. I'VE CONTACTED DODGE CUSTOMER SERVICE, HAD THE PART ON ORDER AND THEN THEY CANCELLED IT WITHOUT NOTIFYING ME OR TELL ME WHY. THE PART # IS RD161AZAA AND IS A PILLOW THAT CONNECTS TO AN INTERGRATED CHILD SEAT IN THE BACK. I'M NOW UNABLE TO USE THE ENTIRE BACK SEAT FOR FEAR THAT ONE OF MY CHILDREN WILL GET HURT. CAN YOU HELP? DT