Comments: 1-15, 16-17
The head gasket was shot at 30000 kms and was replaced under warranty.
The front brake rotors started to pit at 20000 kms and didn't replace until 115000 kms.
Engine light came on once, just had to tighten the gas cap.
The front end was squeaking, but went away after spraying all the rubber mounts on the suspension with brake fluid.
The front end now is clunking on the left side, it could be the ball joint on the lower control arm.
The Stratus is very quick and great on gas. It handles very well. Seems to run best at 120kms/hr.
There is plenty of interior room as well as trunk space.
I've had so many problems out of my 2000 Stratus, I sympathize with anyone who has this car in their possession.
Please if you have this car and hear a thunk or a thud in the front end when you have your steering wheel all the way to the left or right, please be sure to have an independent mechanic check your brake lines. The lines may be rubbing against the tires or wheel weights, actually tearing pieces out of your brake line. The Dodge dealerships will cover this up! Please check your brake lines for your safety and the safety of those around you!
I have had my 97 dodge stratus since 96, and I have no problems at all. Maybe everyone else just got a lemon?? my car is great on gas, and other than normal oil changes, I have not had to bring it in to the shop!
I have a 1997 Dodge Stratus. I LOVE IT! I have not had to put any money into it besides the regular maintance that you must do with all cars.
It is very good on gas. It does very well going on long trips. Considering we drive 2,743 miles to go home once a year to see family.
I highly recommend a Dodge Stratus to anyone that is looking to buy a dependable. Low cost maintance car.
UPDATE.
We now have 156,000 kms on this 97. The clunking sound on the drivers side front-end was the tie rod end and I replaced it myself for $147.00 CAN. and 1 hour my time. The engine light did come on again, but no big deal, had it reset at the dealership. Went for a 5000km. trip this summer and got between 37 and 41 mp CAN. gallon which was higher than the car was rated for. The car still feels as tight as new and still goes like a bandit. As far tune-ups the only things that have to be replaced are the spark plugs and air filter (there is no distributor cap or rotor to replace) We usually trade every two years, but my wife loves this car.
Bought 1996 Stratus ES with 2.5 6 cylinder Mitsubishi engine, used in 1998 with 55000 miles. Replaced rear wheel bearings at 60000 miles. had to replace tie rod ends at 60000 miles - the originals have no grease fittings. the new ones cost about $55 each with grease fittings - MOOG. The car ran well until about 90000 miles with normal maintenence, then developed an annoying and dangerous dead spot where the car would barely run when trying to accelerate. Changed fuel pump (remove fuel tank), plugs, wires distributor cap, idle air valve. still has the same problem. the only thing left is the coil which only comes in a new distributor which is very expensive. To change any of these engine tune up parts the intake manifold has to be removed. Pain in the neck!!. The car is roomy, zippy and has good gas mileage, but I worry about my son driving this car long distances to college. I would not recommend this car with this engine.
I just want to know if anybody out there knows how to stop a squealing noise in the front end of my 97' dodge stratus. if so ;
please email me at tguimond8537@rogers.com thank you!
I bought my 1997 Dodge Stratus 2.4L Auto 2 years ago, and up until a few months ago had no problems. It has only 85,050km on it, and now the head gasket is leaking oil from one of the sides. Needless to say I'm not impressed, with such low KM this type of problem shouldn't be happening. Of course you ask Chrysler/Dodge for help, yeah right. I'm gonna let it pollute the environment for a few years until I get rid of the car, oil is cheap, head gaskets aren't!
I love my car, but I hate Chrysler, they just copy and pasted some Joe blow response when I questioned them on the gasket. It seems like other people have had the same problem, and I know even the Neons have had leaky gaskets.
I can say I am happy with my car, except for the oil leak. I just had a tensioner pulley go, but it was only $190 CDN to replace including a new timing belt, which was needed aways. I figure I drive my car fast so it's probably my own fault for the timing belt. I don't bag on my car, but like other posts say, the car does purr nicely at 120km, no doubt about that :-)
I have noticed from a lot of boards that people have hit or misses with the Stratus, but overall it's a nice car, lots of room, and it goes pretty damn fast for a family car! If it wasn't for the governor in it, I could easily hit 240km/h and still be under the red.
I doubt I would buy a Dodge again given from the lack of support they showed me. A car company should stand by their products, not tell you to piss off once the warranty is up, even if you baby your car like I have (service >5000km, new plugs every 15,000km, high performance parts, etc)
Fanatik5000@hotmail.com.
Floating heads; is the reason for all of your head gasket problems; which is unavoidable, as long as you use a cast block with aluminum, your head will inevitably come loose; that doesn't mean it's a bad vehicle,
UPDATE 2 (original poster)
Car now has 170000 kms. and still very smooth and quiet. 140000 kms. after head gasket replacement and no problems yet. Still on the second set of brakes (front and back) and rotors (still look to be in good shape). Still haven't changed the timing belt, but will do so soon. Only new problem is the steering occasionally is stiff during colder morning start ups, could this be the rack and pinion (power steering belt seems to be tight enough, but does need replacement)? Engine does burn some oil between changes (no visible oil leaks or seepage into coolant). Has the head gasket issue been corrected on the newer cars (2001-2003) sebrings? Thinking of buying a new sebring.
July 9, 2004.
We own two 2000 Dodge Stratus and both cars have experienced front end problems.
Both cars have had to have the front wheel bearings replaced, the first at 20,000 miles, and the second at 29,000 miles.
Both cars had to have the tie rods replaced. The first at 37,000 miles, and the second at 39,000.
The second car has had to replace the left upper ball joints at 21,000 miles.
My personal view is that the front end components are not properly engineered to carry the weight of the front end.
Richard Jones,
Rochester, NY.
I have a dodge 97 stratus with bad headlight lens that is cloudy. dose anyone know how to fix? or after market parts fix. help. please email me kramarchyk@wva.army.mil.
My 1997 Dodge Stratus had a recall on it because of some gasket that was leaking oil into my radiator. Since I went over my mileage I was not eligible for the recall, now my car needs "dialysis" once a month where I have to completely flush the radiator--we have been doing it ourselves to save money, but I cannot wait to get rid of this damn car.
It was awesome on Gas, but this problem is a headache.
Has anyone else had this problem?
A whole new engine is out of the question because that would cost me more than the car is worth.
I own a 97' Dodge Stratus, great car by the way. It is great on gas and very fast too. I recently took it in for service b-cause it was making a loud clunking noise in the front end. Turns out the ball joints were bad and needed to be replaced. Since the upper ball joints are not sold separate you have to replace the control arms also. Thanks to a great honest mechanic I saved myself about 1,200 US dollars. He told me that car had a recall on these ball joints and they can be replaced for free by any dodge dealer for the life of your vehicle as many times as it needs it. Hope this was of any help for everyone out there with a 97' Stratus. By the way does anybody know if the radiator on this car has a coolant flushing plug? Email me @ joseeone@sbcglobal.net.
I am 17 Years old and I have a 96 dodge stratus 2.4l. this car is great considering I drive it like it is a race car.
The only problem I have with it is the gap where the thermostat goes won't seal and antifreeze sprays out. Most of you don't need to worry about this since I am 17 and it only happens when I run the car at 5000 rpm a few corners in a row. other than that it is a great car.
UPDATE (original poster)
We sold the 97 stratus and never replaced the timing belt or exhaust with over 195,000kms. All said and done we only replaced the head gasket (under warranty), one tie rod end and one wheel bearing. Did replace the usual parts such spark plugs, air filter, brakes, serpentine belt, tires, battery and coolant. It was an excellent car and my wife did not want to part with it. We now own a 2004 SEBRING sedan (2.7 v6). Another great car so far.