1998 DODGE STRATUS Complaints

CONSUMER HAD TO REPLACE BRAKE PADS EVERY 6 MONTHS, SO FAR 7 TIMES. ALSO, PROBLEMS WITH ROTORS. *AK

BRAKE REPAIRS EVERY 3000 MILES. DEALER CANNOT CORRECT PROBLEM. 1. REPAIRED: BRAKE PADS/TURNED ROTORS/BRAKE SHOES AND DRUMS; 2. BRAKE SHOES AND DRUMS; 3. LEFT AND RIGHT DRUMS; REAR WHEEL CYLINDERS, AND BRAKE SHOES. WAS TOLD POSSIBLE ABS PROBLEM. 4. BRAKE MASTER CYLINDER LEAKING /PROPORTIONAL VALVE. 5. BRAKE RECALL, WAS TOLD DID NOT NEED DONE, 6. RODS AND MASTER CYLINDER AND LEFT FRONT CALIPER. AS SOON AS VEHICLE GETS CLOSE TO 3000 MILES BRAKES START GRINDING. *AK

BRAKE SYSTEM DOES NOT LAST MORE THAN 20,000 MILES DUE TO ENGINEERING DEFECT. MANUFACTURER HAS INCREASED SIZE OF ROTORS AND PADS ON NEWER MODELS. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK

THERE HAVE BEEN 5 TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETINS ISSUED IN REGARD TO THE HEAD GASKET ON THIS VEHICLE. I FEEL THAT IT IS A PROBLEM THAT CHRYSLER HAS BEEN AWARE OF SINCE MANUFACTURING IT, AND THEY SHOULD HAVE EXTENDED THE WARRANTY TO COVER THIS PART. I HAD NOT DRIVEN THE CAR FOR 36 MONTHS YET BUT MY MILEAGE WAS OVER THE 36,000 LIMIT, I FEEL I SHOULD BE REIMBURSED THE $412.71 I WAS CHARGED AS THIS HAS BEEN A PROBLEM WITH THIS VEHICLE. *AK

THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN IN FOR REPAIRS ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS FOR ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS (3) ALTERNATORS, (2) BATTERIES, THE DEALERSHIP STATED THAT IS WAS DUE TO THE AFTERMARKET ALARM SYSTEM, CONSUMER HAD THE ALARM SYSTEM TAKEN OUT AND THE PROBLEMS CONTINUED. *MJS

NOTICED OIL LEAK THAT WOULD COME AND GO. RECENTLY NOTICED OIL LEAKING FROM HEAD GASKET. MECHANIC SAYS IT IS VERRY COMMON ON THESE CARS. IS THERE ANY HELP OFFERED BY DODGE? *AK

3 TIMES WITHIN 6 MONTHS ,TWICE WHILE AT A STOP AND ONCE WHILE DRIVING, BRAKES WILL START TO FADE AND VEHICLE WILL SUDDENLY SURGE/ACCELERATE , CONSUMER HAS TO SHIFT INTO PARK IN ORDER TO STOP VEHICLE.*AK

THIS CAR HAS BEEN A MAJOR PROBLEM. HEAD GASKET FAILED AT APPROX 11,000 ON MY WAY TO AIRPORT TO PICK UP FAMILY ON APRIL 10, 1999. COULDN'T GET IT IN FOR SERVICE UNTIL APRIL 14, 1999. TRANSMISSION CLUTCH STARTED CATCHING OR SCRAPING ON SOMETHING SHORTLY AFTER HEAD GASKET WAS REPLACED, I WAS TOLD WHEN WORK WAS COMPLETED (REPLACED CABLES ON 11/18/1999) THAT PROBLEM WAS MANUFACTURER DEFECT MILEAGE WAS 18,373. WAS AGAIN EXPERIENCING SAME PROBLEM WITH CLUTCH ON 2/29/2000. UPON SPEAKING WITH SERVICE TEAM, WAS TOLD THERE WAS A BAD BEARING IN THE TRANSMISSION AND THEY WOULD BE REPLACING BOTH THE CABLES AND TRANSMISSION PARTS; I ALSO ASKED FOR THEM TO CHECK THE ENGINE LIGHT , BECAUSE IT WAS COMING ON AND HAD A STRONG SMELL OF GASOLINE; VACCUM SYSTEM WAS REPLACED. ON 3/24/2000 INTERNAL PARTS OF TRANSMISSION WERE REPLACED AT 22,349 MI. ON 06/05/2000 ENGINE STALLED AND WAS DIFFICULT TO RESTART, ENGINE WAS RUNNING REALLY ROUGH, REPLACED MAPPING COMPUTER @25,008 MI. CAME HOME FROM WORK ON 8/23/2000 STRONG ODOR OF GASOLINE. OPENED HOOD AND WATCHED GAS LEAKING ALL OVER EXHAUST MANIFOLD. HAD IT TOWED TO DEALERSHIP ON 8/24/2000 W/ 29,539 MI. REPLACED CRACKED FUEL INJECTORS AND LEAKING HOSES. THE CAR IS NOW IN AGAIN BECAUSE OF YET THE SAME TRANSMISSION/CLUTCH PROBLEM PREVIOUSLY COMPLAINED ABOUT. THINK . . . I'M DRIVING DOWN I 95 WITH MY FAMILY IN MY CAR. TRANSMISSION FAILS, BIG TRUCK RUNS THE CAR OVER . . . DOES CHRYSLER WANT THAT HEADACHE?

HEAD GASKET ON THE VEHICLE HAS FAILED. UPON RESEARCH OF THIS ISSUE , I FIND MORE PEOPLE WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. ONE PERSON HAD IT REPLACED 4 TIMESS. THE COMPANY WON'T RECALL IT . THIS IS UNEXCEPTABLE . A HIGH PERCENTAGE OF THESE VEHICLES HAVE THIS FAILURE AT THE 50,000 MILE MARK. WHY IS THERE NOT A RECALL. OIL AND HEAT....FIRE!

I HAVE TALKED TO OTHER STRATUS/BREEZE OWNERS AND THEY TOLD ME TO EXPECT THE LEAK BECAUSE CRYSLER WAS HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THEIR GASKETS. AT THE TIME I DIDN'T HAVE A PROBLEM, BUT SURE ENOUGH, IT'S STARTING TO LEAK ALOT!*AK