While driving forward at about 25-30 MPH, the steering locked to the right, right side fell down and pulled car severely to the right. There was no steering, no control. Air bags deployed, pulled car up a curb into a fire hydrant then another 25 feet into a pole. Car is a total loss. The front end parts are all in tact, only the lower control arm is cracked which caused the wheel to turn completely to the right. Everything was inspected on vehicle and there is not any other explanation or evidence prior to the curb than the lower control arm. The car lost control causing further damage.
1996 Dodge Stratus: loss of power steering
6 of the 553 complaints about the 1996 Dodge Stratus describe loss of power steering.
- owner complaints
- 6
- of this car's complaints
- 1%
- recalls
- 0
Is there a fix? 3 service bulletins cover this area of the car. See below
Loss of power steering by model year
- 20062
- 20041
- 20031
- 20013
- 20001
- 19994
- 19981
- 19974
- 19966
- 19952
What owners say
Tie-rod failed no steering,2 headgasket failures in past 5 years,brake rotors fail every 2 years....
When on interstate(60+MPH)car cuts off, not able to steer, all power goes out. Not safe to drive on interstate, I almost had a car slam into me, he didn't know my car lost power& I had a hard time getting over into an emergency lane w/ no steering. The car does not always start right away. All the dashboard lights come on.this is the fourth time this has happened. The dealership has yet to fix problem, and do not know what causes it to cut off. They claim no responsibility if anything happens while I'm driving the car.
Power steering failed. Nlm
Tie rod failure resulted in total loss of steering. Front wheels were oriented at 90 degrees relative to one another. Likely fatal accident avoided only through circumstance of part failing at low speed in a parking lot.
Car had been taken in last year at van andel dealership in grand rapids michigan for recall work. The left front tire has had a knock or creek in it for about a year to year and a half. I had asked them about this when the car was being fixed for recall work. They told me there was nothing wrong with it. Yesterday my wife and children went to go to the store. They stopped at an intersection and proceeded to go when the car kept going straight instead of turning. There was no warning of a problem until this happened except for the creeking. K and m northfield dodoge of grand rapids called me today with the estimate of thecar. They told me the car has a broken tie rod. The car is only 4 years old with about 55000 miles on it. He said it was nmot uncommon due to the cab-0forward design puts too much stress on the tie rods. I am concerned someone could die in an accident. Should there be stronger tie rods put in these cars. Thank you please e-mail or call with any questions. I am very concerned about my family and others driving these vehicles when there is a sudden loss of steering and the wheel separated from the ball joint.
Service bulletins that may apply
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the 1996 Dodge Stratus power steering loss
Is loss of power steering a common problem on the 1996 Dodge Stratus?
6 of 553 owner complaints about the 1996 Dodge Stratus (1%) mention loss of power steering. The model year with the most reports is 1996.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 1996 Dodge Stratus?
There are 0 recalls and 3 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 1996 Dodge Stratus
Fire or smoke 29Ball joint 26Brake failure 15Stalling 14Oil consumption 12No deployment 8Engine failure 8Jerking 8Loss of power 8ABS 7Check engine light 7Knocking 7Overheating 7Headlights 6Fuel gauge 5
VIN decoder
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