Owners filed 13 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the structure. No safety recall has been issued.
| Component | Reports | Crashes | Fires | Injuries | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Structure | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Electrical System | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Unknown or Other | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Visibility | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Steering | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Air Bags | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
CRACKS IN THE DASHBOARD. CAR DOESN'T SIT IN MUCH DIRECT SUNLIGHT. APPEARED OUT OF NOWHERE. I AM CONCERNED ABOUT SAFETY ISSUES REGARDING AIRBAGS. ALSO NOT AESTHETICALLY PLEASING ON OTHERWISE NICE INTERIOR. I DO NOT TAKE THIS VEHICLE ON BUMPY ROADS.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 DODGE STRATUS COUPE. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 15V338000 (AIR BAGS) AND STATED THAT THE PART WAS NOT AVAILABLE WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME FRAME TO SCHEDULE THE RECALL REPAIR. THE DEALER DID NOT GIVE A SPECIFIC DATE FOR WHEN THE PART WOULD BECOME AVAILABLE. THE MANUFACTURER COULD NOT PROVIDE AN ESTIMATED DATE FOR WHEN THE VEHICLE WOULD RECEIVE THE RECALL REPAIR. A MONTH AGO, WHILE DRIVING AN UNKNOWN RATE OF SPEED, THE CONTACT STRUCK A DEER AND THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED PAINS TO THE RIGHT LEG, RIGHT KNEE, AND FOOT. A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED AND THE CONTACT DID NOT RECEIVE MEDICAL ATTENTION. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INSPECTED TO DETERMINE WHY THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. THE MANUFACTURER AND THE DEALER WERE CONTACTED FOR SEVERAL MONTHS AND THE CONTACT WAS UNABLE TO DETERMINE WHEN THE RECALL REPAIR WOULD BE COMPLETED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN.
SPEAKER IN THE BACK CARGO AREA STARTED SMOKING AND CAUGHT FIRE AND STEREO SHORTED OUT. *TR
PLASTIC COVER OVER DRIVER DOOR THAT CONTROLS THE WINDOWS CRACKED AND BROKE OFF CAUSING THE BUTTONS TO DROP INSIDE THE DOOR CAVITY. WENT TO DEALER TO GET REPLACEMENT PART, TOLD I HAD TO ORDER ENTIRE DOOR COVER AS REPLACEMENT FOR APPROX $800. NOW THE DRIVER DOOR WILL NOT CLOSE AND LATCH SHUT. ATTEMPTED TO MOVE PLASTIC PART THAT WOULD LOCK ONTO METAL DOOR FRAME, NO LUCK. UNABLE TO DRIVE CAR IF DOOR WILL NOT CLOSE. *TR
I PURCHASED A 2002 DODGE STRATUS R/T. THE MAIN PROBLEM THAT I AM EXPERIENCING IS: STRONG (DANGEROUS) GAS FUMES ARE ENTERING THE CABIN. IT'S BEEN GOING ON SINCE FEB 2009. I CAN SMELL THE FUMES ALMOST ALL OF THE TIME WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE. THE SMELL IS STRONG OUTSIDE THE VEHICLE EVEN WHILE IT IS PARKED WITH THE ENGINE RUNNING. I CANNOT DRIVE MY VEHICLE WITH THE AIR CONDITIONING OR HEAT ON BECAUSE IT SUCKS THE GASOLINE FUMES FROM THE ENGINE INTO THE CABIN. I'VE TAKEN THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP SEVERAL TIME AND THEY CANNOT FIND THE SOURCE OF THE LEAK. ALSO I'VE HAD OTHER MECHANICS LOOK AT THIS VEHICLE AND THEY DON'T KNOW HOW FIX THE PROBLEMS. I CANNOT ALLOW PASSENGERS TO RIDE IN MY VEHICLE BECAUSE I HAVE CONCERNS FOR THEIR SAFETY. I BELIEVE THERE IS A SAFETY DEFECT (FIRE HAZARD/POISONOUS) AND THAT SOMEONE REALLY NEEDS TO LOOK INTO THIS. I'M GETTING FREQUENT HEADACHES, WEAKNESS AND DIZZINESS AND CANNOT AFFORD TO PURCHASE A NEW CAR RIGHT NOW. *TR
MY STEERING ALL OF A SUDDEN GOT LOCKED TO THE LEFT AND I ALMOST RAN INTO AND OTHER CAR. I WENT TO A REPAIR PLACE AND THEY TOLD ME IT WAS MY RACK AND PINION. I JUST GOT BACK FROM A TRIP AND HAD NO PROBLEMS THANK GOD BUT TO GO OUT ALL OF A SUDDEN. IT SCARED ME PRETTY BAD I PARKED THE CAR IT IS TO DANGEROUS TO DRIVE. *TR
I HAVE 2 LARGE CRACKS IN MY DASH, MY CAR IS WELL TAKEN CARE OF AND DOES NOT SIT IN DIRECT SUNLIGHT, ONE CRACK APPEARED OVER A YEAR AGO, I WAS DRIVING AND ALL OF A SUDDEN A LOUD CRACKING NOISE, NOW AGAIN THE SAME THING ONLY THE NEWEST CRACK IS MUCH LARGER AND STILL GETTING BIGGER I ALSO HEAR OTHER CRACKING NOISE WHILE DRIVING SO I IMAGINE IT IS JUST MATTER OF TIME BEFORE I HAVE MORE CRACKS. I AM CONCERNED THAT THIS MAY CAUSE SAFETY ISSUES. DEALER SAYS NOTHING IS COVERED TO FIX THIS PROBLEM. *TR
DASHBOARD CONTINUES TO CRACK IN SEVERAL PLACES. THIS RAISES SAFETY CONCERNS IN TERMS OF FRONTAL IMPACT AND AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT. VEHICLE WAS NEVER IN A CRASH THAT WOULD CAUSE CRACKS. *JB
I HAVE TWO LARGE CRACKS THAT HAVE APPEARED IN THE DASH OF MY VEHICLE. I DO NOT KNOW HOW THE CRACKS OCCURRED, THEY JUST APPEARED. BECAUSE OF THE CRACKS, I'M AFRAID THAT IN A CRASH THE DASH WILL FALL APART AND HARM THOSE INDIVIDUALS IN THE VEHICLE. AT THIS POINT, NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE TO CORRECT THIS PROBLEM.*JB
DASH COVER CRACKED AND BROKEN IN SEVERAL PLACES. RAISES AIRBAG DEPLOYMENT (SAFETY) AND AESTHETIC (RE-SALE) ISSUES. *NM
MY 2002 DODGE STRATUS COUPE HAS FAULTY STARTS. THIS PROBLEM HAS OCCURRED SEVERAL TIMES, I HAVE HAD IT TOWED TO THE DEALERS TWICE BEFORE. THERE WAS ONE OCCASION WHEN IT DIDN'T START, THEN HOURS LATER ALL OF A SUDDEN IT DID. THE FIRST TIME I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALERS, THEY SAID IT WAS A PROBLEM WITH A LARGE EVAPORATION LEAK. THE SECOND TIME, THE DEALERSHIP COULDN'T FIGURE OUT THE PROBLEM , KEPT THE CAR FOR 4 DAYS, THEN TOLD ME THE CAR STARTED ON ITS OWN. THIS LAST TIME THE CAR DIED WHEN I WAS REVERSING OUT OF A PARKING SPACE. I TRIED TO RESTART IT MANY TIMES WITH NO LUCK, I HAD IT TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP AGAIN, WHICH AT FIRST THEY COULDN'T FIGURE OUT THE PROBLEM, NOW THEY ARE TELLING ME ITS A PROBLEM WITH THE PSM CONNECTION TO THE FUEL PUMP. BUT SOMETHING HAPPENED WHILE THEY TRIED TO FIX IT WHICH CAUSED A SHORTAGE , THEN THEY REALIZED IT WAS "DEFECTIVE WIRING". THE MECHANICS AT THE DEALERSHIP ARE NOW TAKING MY CAR APART AND TRYING TO REPLACE ALL THE FAULTY WIRING. BUT THERE IS ANOTHER ISSUE, I HAVE SERVICE RECEIPTS SHOWING "WON'T START, DRIVABILITY CONCERN" DATING BACK FROM 6/13/02 , 14 MONTHS PRIOR TO MY PURCHASING THE NEW VEHICLE. *JB
SERVICE ENGINE SOON LIGHT KEEPS COMING ON. CAR WAS RUNNING AT EXTREMELY HIGH RPMS AT TIMES. GAS MILEAGE WAS SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER THAN IN THE PAST. DODGE STATED ORIGINALLY THAT THE PROBLEM WAS THE SPARK PLUGS. REPLACED ALL SPARK PLUGS. LIGHT CAME BACK ON TWO WEEKS LATER. THEY THEN STATED IT WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE PULLEY ON THE END OF THE CRANK SHAFT THAT WAS CAUSING THE ENGINE TO MISFIRE AND TRIGGER THE LIGHT TO COME ON. AFTER 10 ADDITIONAL DAYS IN THE SHOP, THEY REPLACED THE PART. TODAY THE LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN AND AS OF NOW ARE UNSURE WHAT THE PROBLEM IS. TODAY IS THE 18TH DAY IT HAS BEEN IN THE SHOP IN THE PAST 6 WEEKS. *LA
2002 STRATUS MAKES LOUD NOISE WHEN TURNING VEHICLE AND GOING ACROSS ROAD BUMPS AT SAME TIME. OUR DRIVE HAS A 6 IN SLOPED CURB THAT WHEN PULLING OUT OF, OR PULLING INTO, IS A CONSTANT SOURCE OF THIS NOISE. DEALER SERVICE TECH WENT ON TEST RIDE WITH ME HEARD THE NOISE AND COULD NOT FIND SOURCE. HE WANTED TO KEEP CAR FOR SEVERAL DAYS TO DETERMINE PROBLEM. *JB
13 of 13 complaints, reproduced as filed.
No unusual pattern of severe incidents in the complaint record.
Complaint counts track how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road as much as they track quality. A common model from 2013 has had a decade to accumulate reports; a rare one from last year has not. The signal worth weighing is in the severity columns, in whether the same component keeps appearing, and in whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.
Most recent recall on file: none. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.