Owners have filed 2,111 complaints on the Dodge Stratus, covering 1995–2006. The system named most often is Engine And Engine Cooling (699 reports). Worst years by volume: 1996, 1997, 1995; cleanest: 2005, 2006, 2003. 187 reports describe a crash, 201 a fire, 4 a death. On average the car was 4.7 years old when the problem happened.
What breaks on Dodge Stratus
Grouped by the system owners named — percentages are shares of all 2,111 Stratus complaints. Open any row for the full reports in owners' own words.
Engine And Engine Cooling 699 Read
The contact stated while attempting to start the vehicle, the engine revved and the tires spun. The vehicle accelerated the hit the consumer's garage. The vehicle and garage sustained damage. The vehicle was taken to the dealership for inspection but they were unable to duplicate the problem. The manufacturer was…
While driving the car on a road trip (about 2 hours) the vehicle began smoking. After stopping the vehicle and opening the hood, the engine burst into flames. The car was a total loss
While driving on the highway suddenly there was a pop and then a banging noise. Consumer immediately pulled off the highway, lifted the hood, and saw flames coming from the engine compartment. Consumer extinguished the fire with a gallon of water. Vehicle was towed to a mechanic, who determined that engine rod bearing…
Steering 236 Read
I was starting to turn left to enter a highway on ramp when suddenly the car lost steering for a second and I had no control of the car. I hit the brakes and clipped a curb which blew out the right front tire and damaged the wheel. I took the car to the dealership and their service department reported nothing wrong…
The contact owns a 2006 dodge strauss. The contact was driving 65 mph as he noticed smoke emitting from the steering column. The headlights and blinkers failed yet there were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was shut off and the smoke vanished. The dealer advised that the multi-function switch within the…
Hi! My son was driving my 2006 dodge stratus and the control arm broke and the axle separated on the passenger side causing it to hit a parked car. We have a police report that documents the axle separation and pictures are available. I noticed online that this had been a problem with the 2006 dodge stratus so I…
Service Brakes 214 Read
Upon being struck in the left front wheel well, near the battery, my car bursted into flames. The vehicle continued to travel another 200 feet desipite various methods of application of the brakes. I then deployed the emergency brake. The vehicle didn't stop until the power cut off and the finally died
The contact owns a 2006 dodge stratus. The contact stated that the brakes failed while driving. There were no warning indicators. The failure resulted in a crash with one minor injury. Presently, the vehicle has not been diagnosed. The engine size and purchase date were unknown. The current and failure mileages were…
My name is [xxx] I have a 06 dodge stratus in 07 I had a terrible accident due to my breaks my car hit another car and ended up in the neighbor house I was trying to stop but my breaks went out on me the car was able to be fix but since then my car has been in the shop twice for oil leake I'm still having problem with…
Suspension 186 Read
I was driving down the high way when I heard a bang and the car pulled me hard into the medium at 75 miles an hour. I totaled my car. This is the second time the ball joint has sheared off causing the tire to jam in to the fender. First time I was able to get of the road and it was on the driver side of the vehicle.…
The left rear lower arm control snapped causing damaged to the leftside drivetrain components including frame and cross member the whole rear was replaced including the gas tank
Suspension feels very loose at higher speeds when you encounter bumps and potholes in the road also steering wheel catches and pulls right when attempting to make a right hand turn causing the vehicle to hit curbs or cross into traffic
Power Train 161 Read
The ignition interlock on my 2004 dodge stratus is inoperative. At least twice, the key was removed after the engine was shut off by while the car was in drive. The car then began to roll away. The second time this happened, the car ran into an obstruction and suffered 25 thousand dollars in damage
I own a 2003 dodge stratus sxt sedan 2.4l. When I bought the car I happened to notice that there was rusting on the axles & brakes to the front end of the car. The second day I had the car it completely shut itself down and wouldn't start, immediately my car dealership picked up the car and said it was because the…
Grandaughter was returning home from college . Vehicle suddenly caught fire on highway between marble falls tex and burnet texas.. Her mother was following in another car and barely had time to rescue some of the personal items before entire car was engulfed in flames. Granddaughter barely escaped the vehicle without…
Electrical System 136 Read
The contact owns a 2005 dodge stratus. The contact stated that there were no air bags and no horn in her vehicle. In addition, the cruise control and fuel gauge were not working. She also noticed the ignition (where the key is inserted) was smoking. The dealer performed a diagnostic and the contact was informed that…
A truck made an illegal lane change and he hit me on the front drivers side and damaged my light, hood, windshield, the computer, and other things under the hood. The impact was very strong and none of the air bags deployed
3 separate incidents as described above
Air Bags 114 Read
Vehicle was involved in a head on collision while driving at 65 mph. Upon impact, the air bags failed to deploy. Driver and passenger were both killed, and vehicle burned. *ak according to the police report seatbelt usage was not determined. Most likely the driver was not belted because he was pulled from the vehicle…
The vehicle was in an accident. The vehicle was traveling about 60 mph when it was struck broadside. The vehicle ran into some trees and the air bags did not deploy. *jb this incident occurred because the consumer tried to avoid a head on collision. A fire started in the passenger side area. *sc
I was driving on the highway 6:40 a.m. And crashed with tow horses, I was driving at 150 km/hr and the tow air bag do not open, I ask the dealer why the air bags do not open and the answer was because I pushed the brake, the damage in the car was a lot but the air bag do not open
Fuel System 65 Read
My wife was driving our children to school in the morning. Just a few blocks from home, the engine light went on. Then a lady in another vehicle suggests to my wife that her vehicle may be overheating as little smoke was coming from under the hood. My wife called for a tow truck, but the vehicle caught fire and was…
The contact stated upon parking the vehicle, there was smoking flowing from under the hood. The contact raised the hood, and extinguished the fire. The dealership sent a representative, who determined the fire started in the fuel line
I had a 2000 dodge stratus se which caught on fire in my driveway after my daughter returned home with it. She came running inside saying it was smoking so when we went to look in was on fire, with flames shooting out of the hood. I call 911 while my husband and a neighbor sprayed the car with a hose. Everything under…
Stratus years to avoid — and the clean ones
Complaints per model year. More reports usually means more cars on the road as well as more trouble, so read the crash and fire columns alongside the count.
| Model year | Complaints | Top system | Crashes | Fires |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Air Bags | 17 | 3 | |
| 2005 | Air Bags | 10 | 1 | |
| 2004 | Air Bags | 23 | 1 | |
| 2003 | Air Bags | 4 | — | |
| 2002 | Air Bags | 9 | 4 | |
| 2001 | Air Bags | 8 | 2 | |
| 2000 | Air Bags | 11 | 58 | |
| 1999 | Air Bags | 17 | 51 | |
| 1998 | Air Bags | 22 | 15 | |
| 1997 | Air Bags | 20 | 25 | |
| 1996 | Air Bags | 28 | 30 | |
| 1995 | Air Bags | 18 | 11 |
The same model year, different builds
Every complaint carries the first 11 characters of the VIN — plant, year, body and engine. That is a production series, and complaints are spread across them very unevenly.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Distinct production series | 633 |
| Average complaints per series | 3.3 |
| Worst single series | 37 complaints |
| Average age at failure | 4.7 years |
A model average of 3.3 hides a worst series at 37. Enter a VIN above to see the numbers for that exact build instead of the model as a whole.
Owners reported these. Find out if yours is one of them.
- Complaints matched to the exact production run, not just the model
- What the car is worth given what tends to fail on it
- The original window sticker and factory options
- Full research report as a PDF for the pre-purchase inspection
- No ads, on every page
- No ads, no tracking — and much more
How we count
Every figure here comes from complaints owners filed with NHTSA — 1,100,006 of them, covering 1,982 models built between 1981 and 2026.
A complaint is an unverified report: someone wrote down what happened to their car. It is not a confirmed defect and not a recall. What makes the volume useful is the pattern — when thousands of owners of the same build describe the same failure, that is a signal no marketing brochure will give you.
Two things we do that the source does not. First, we compute the age of the car at the moment of failure from the incident date and the model year. Second, we group complaints by the first 11 characters of the VIN — the production series — so a bad plant run does not disappear into a model-wide average.
Frequently asked questions
What are the worst years for the Stratus?
By complaint volume, 1996, 1997, 1995 drew the most owner reports. Bear in mind that popular years put more cars on the road, so check the crash and fire columns too.
Which Stratus years are the cleanest?
2005, 2006, 2003 have the fewest complaints on file. For recent years that can simply mean the cars are young.
How many complaints does the Dodge Stratus have?
2,111 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, covering 1995–2006. Of those, 187 describe a crash and 201 a fire.
Are these complaints verified?
No. They are unverified reports from owners. NHTSA publishes them as filed and investigates only a fraction. The value is in the pattern, not in any single report.
Can I check complaints for one specific car?
Yes — enter its VIN above. We match the first 11 characters, which identify the plant, year, body and engine, so you get complaints on that exact production series rather than the whole model.