I took my car to be inspected and they informed me that there was a serious oil leak due to a gasket failure. They advised me to take it to the dealer in the hope that there would be a "silent recall" for this design failure. I was also told that the cost for this repair would be about $1,000! While looking through the database of reported failures I noticed that there are several other reports about the same issue. Please help!
1997 Dodge Stratus engine complaints
Page 6 of 6: complaints 131 to 158 of 158, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Valve cover gasket failure caused oil to leak. Yh
Timing belt and casing broke. Yh
Dec/99 I now have another oil leak. The replacement work has also failed. The first repair under the warranty the was $2578.65. It has only been 3000 miles since the first repair. I only have approx. 6 months left on my warranty. I'm worried it will happen again & I'll have to pay myself.
Vehicle leaks oil and requires constant attention to make sure it doesn't damage engine.
Vehicle losing over a quart of oil a week. I noticed oil loss a couple of weeks after I purchased the car , but attributed it to normal break in. Now it leaks down on to the exhaust system and may pose a fire hazard. The front brake rotors have been replaced 2 times and are in need of replacement again. They warp in a very short period of time.
Engine pulley that holds the timing belt broke which may have caused a loss of vehicle control if driving.
Idle bearing failed wearing out timing belt within 42,000 miles. Could have caused loss of vehicle control.
Rear seat belt. Engine--cylinder head gasket.
Dodge chrysler did not inform owners of a potential problem with the head gasket. There was no recall notice; instead there was a "silent recall" -- that is, owners are unaware until there is a problem.
While driving consumer smelled oil burning which was leaking from engine head gasket, and getting into engine manifold. Dealer has repaired engine head gasket four times, but problem has returned.
Engine head gasket blew out. Also, loud knocking in front left side of wheel due to rack pinon failure. Dealer notified, and informed consumer that repairs will be made at consumer's expense.
Oil is leaking from engine head gasket. The dealer has been notified.
Engine head gasket has prematurely blown, causing the engine to malfunction. Cause unknown. Please give any further details.
Consumer believes that when the head gasket blew the transmission fluid burned out resulting in the transmission overheating and locking up.
The moving steering shaft between the steering wheel and floor of the passenger compartment is exposed. A clamp on the steering shaft caught the floor mat and made it almost impossible to steer the car. I talked to the dealer and was told all stratus are made this way. The steering shaft needs a shield. If chrysler doesn't fix this, I may sell the car. I have had numerous other problems, including timing belts/iginition key/ head rests/body, electric mirrors,etc.. This may be the last straw. I am a mechanical engineer with 20 years experience and I have worked on cars since grade school. A design flaw like this borders on criminal!!! If there is an accident caused by this design, I would be glad to testify. It would be an open and shut case!!! I would appreciate a reply to this message if possible.
Head gasket leaking oil, chrysler will not provide relief.
When driving at 70 MPH and without any prior warning the vehicle dies out,and there is an oil leak.
Head gasket failed.
Several owners of the neon and stratus cars have been showing up with head gasket failures which are not an inexpensive repair. Between the oil leaks, overheating and worries, I am wondering who to contact to see if chrysler failed to build the motor with the consumer in mind.
Timing belt idler pulley broke damaging the timing belt.
On may 27,1998 I called the dealer to have my car looked at because I was having a major oil leak.when the dealer got it in for service they noticed it was a blown head-gasket and fixed the problem for me.on nov. 11,1998 at 38616 miles I now have a bad transmiision and I'm wondering if it is a defect,I have a family member who owns a 1996 dodge stratus and she was expriencing some problems with her transmission.the transmission will not go into 3rd. Or 4th. Gear, all I have is 2nd. Gear even if I were to put it in 3rd. Gear manually.
Timing belt tensioner broke while driving, causing problems including rough idle, idle RPM cycling, surging, bucking, higher than normal rpms on deceleration, problems persist after three visits to dealer.
Engine cylinder failure.
While driving the vehicle became sluggish and lost the brakes and power steering. Vehicle continued in motion . The dealer has been contacted.
Battery light came on and stayed on while driving, the dealer was contacted and appointment was scheduled. While driving car 13 miles for repairs, 50-55 MPH, the engine light came, on and the engine caught on fire. Fire department came. The dealer cannot duplicate the problem.
Head gasket failed causing oil to leak.
While driving the the vehicle experienced vibration and engine noise. Dealer replaced water pump/timing belt, etc. Dealer cannot determine the problem.
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