1996 Dodge Stratus ES review from North America
"Stay far, far away from Dodge"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Radiator core
Fuse block (internal short)
Belts
Belt tensioner
Air conditioning (twice)
Water pump
Trunk seal
Steering wheel wore out in grip area
Starter
6 batteries
8 oxygen sensors
Struts.
General comments?
The car is extremely hard to work on. The radiator required removal of the front end by Walt's Radiator. The senior mechanic took two days. He said he would never work on another one.
Sears would not replace the struts... only Dodge could accomplish the work because it requires OEM parts. After market parts have to be modified.
The car is too heavy, and even with cable chains on will not go up hills with light snow on them.
Dodge completes partial repairs and usually doesn't fix the problem the first time. Usually the Man in the household is the only one listened to. My Wife has been extremely upset at this and refuses to take the car in for servicing.
Parts are expensive and take excessive time to obtain after order.
Shop manual are difficult to obtain.
Recommended reviews
| Buy something that wasn't made by Dodge! |
|
| Would be very good car without electrical gremlins! |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | No |
| Year of manufacture | 1996 |
| First year of ownership | 1996 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2004 |
| Engine and transmission | 6 cylinder Automatic |
| Performance marks | 2 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 2 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 6 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 1 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 2 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 0 miles |
| Most recent distance | 142000 miles |
| Previous car | Dodge Lancer |
| Date of Entry | 31st August, 2004 |