Lower ball joint recall
2002 Dodge Stratus suspension complaints
Page 2 of 2: complaints 11 to 31 of 31, newest first, as owners wrote them.
I have had to replace control arms on my 2002 dodge stratus several times now. There is constant knocking under my car. I believe it is the same problem as all of the recalls that are with the dodge products; however, no recall has been issued for the dodge stratus 2002.
Rear frame to suspension mount has broke. The shock inside the coil then was able to get lodged into the spring. This made the suspension stuck/immobile. The vehicle was 3-wheeling around corners on the way to the dealership. We were told the part was back-ordered to the factory and was not available at any other dealership across the us. Wait time for the new part is more than a month. I work for an automotive supplier. If its this hard to get a part, something more is wrong. How many others are suffering our fate.
Took my dodge stratus 2002 in and mechanic deemed rear struts bad. Ordered replacements. When arrived they had sent rear upper strut housing mr31114 instead of #4879072ad. When local chrysler dealer called it was stated that there was a backorder of over 8000 of these. I then called the 800 number and after 4 hrs of climbing the ladder was informed that this part was in fact backordered with currently that many cars awaiting this part and that it was being retooled and would be unavailable till late august. The issue is safety in that the rear upper strut housing if broken presents an issue for driver and vehicle safety and the number of cars needing what is not available is growing and the company has neither a recall or safety notice out nor in my conversations at least have any concerns or care about this. For many if this is your only vehicle you have limited options and many of these vehicles will be on the road in this condition of broken rear upper strut housings. What am I to do and what recourse is there? *tr 'information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).'
Mopar agrees recall should be done on this part failure. 02 dodge stratus rear strut mounts. Strut mounting plates on vehicle are made of aluminum or some type of white metal and they have disintegrated into a powder like dust and the strut was detached. Mopar confirmed about 8553 backorders on 7/8/08 dealers and 8607 backorders as of 7/9/08 - I replaced part from a junkyard car, as this is the quickest way to get a car back on the road until supply is adequate on new parts with new design. Vehicles can be expected to be out of commission as this is a safety issue. Possibly for months with the current situation.
2002 dodge stratus rear strut mounts. The top, rear, strut mounting plates on this vehicle are made of aluminum or some type of pot metal and they have completely corroded to the point of the struts not being attached to the body of the vehicle. As my wife was driving home from work the vehicle suddenly swerved to the left and she proceeded home at a very slow speed. Upon inspection the left rear strut mounting plate had completely disintegrated and the strut was not attached at all to the vehicle. I believe this is what caused the swerve. Upon checking with dealers and people on the internet I've found that this part has failed on thousands of cars. No parts are available and we were told by a dealer that, on average, there are 1800 requests per week for this part and a total of almost 8,000 on backorder this seems to me to be a safety defect and it is made worse by the fact that no parts are available. I would think there should be a safety recall on these as they could easily cause a wreck when they break free.
I drive a 2002 dodge stratus,at 40,000 miles transmission completely failed costing me 1300 dollars to replace,at 62,000 the second transmission failed me again,another 1300 dollars,now at 90,000 miles transmission is having problems down shifting on a downward incline,3,000 miles ago I was driving at 35 MPH when the lower ball joint completely broke on driver side, wheel came completely off costing me 700 dollars to repair,was just informed the passenger side is going out now.
I have had the control arm replaced on this car twice on the same side within a two year period. Now I am having problems with the car it jerks when it gets up to 50 MPH.
Rear shock upper mount attacked by corrosion, vehicle only 4.5 years old and 60,500 miles. Un-painted pot metal like material broke up into multiple pieces without warning. One minute vehicle drove fine, hit a typical pavement expansion joint causing a light clunk to develop. Within two miles I pulled over to inspect because the hammering in the suspension got so bad. Found the rear shock absorber was no longer retained at the upper end. Vehicle could still be driven home gently but there was nothing retaining the coil spring to the body other than gravity. Both upper mounts were replaced with painted replacement parts from the dealer. The left rear mount had not failed yet, but corrosion was rapidly turning it into powder from the top down.
Rear strut mount plates disintegrated turned to powder creating unsafe condition with rear suspension. Replaced strut and plates. Have pieces what is left of it.
My daughter was driving the car on a residential street at about 25 MPH. She hit a slight pot hole and hear a loud bang in the rear of the car. The car continued to make a sound like something was rolling around (banging) in the trunk. I took the car to the dealer and was told the rear strut plate mount disintegrated and was dangerous to drive without replacement. I was aware of another dodge stratus of same type and year with this exact same problem so I felt I should report it to you as did the other party.
I was driving at about 30 MPH and drove over a slight depression in the pavement when I heard a loud bang from the passenger right rear. The loud banging sound continued as long as the car was driven. I noticed a compromise in the handling of the vehicle. I took the vehicle to a registered repair shop where I have been a customer for over twenty years. I was told not to drive the vehicle since the rear strut plate top mount had disintegrated due to the fact they were made out of aluminum. The driver rear strut mount was on the verge of breaking apart also. It appears that road salt probably contributed to this situation. The replacement mounts purchased from the dealer were not made of aluminum. The following repair/parts was performed: rear shock & or strut assembly (2), upper shock mount (2).
I drive a 2002 dodge stratus 4 door r/t and noticed a sound coming from the rear of car. I pulled over could not see anything and drove again. It still made a loud thump sound from the rear of car. Inspected car at home with proper tools, I found the rear strut mount on the left of car was broke in to 6 pieces. In sight of this I took the right rear strut mount off and found it to be broke into 2 piece with a 2 inch crack going across part of it. Ordered two new rear strut mounts to find out there has been a major part change. The old parts are aluminum and not painted and the revised parts are steel and are painted black. I called dodge's compliant line and was hung up on. Please note that 4 door r/t suspensions are not the same as all other 4 door stratus cars. Tires wore on the inner edges and the shocks were free to jump up and down since not attached to the car.
Left front axle came apart while driving. The previous month the right front axle came off while driving. Lower control arm on both sides were replaced.
Dt: 2002 dodge stratus. The problem was a broken upper rear right ball joint. While driving in a parking lot at 5 MPH heard a noise , and the back end of the car settled down, upon inspection the rear right wheel was leaning towards the car. The car was not drivable, and had to have it towed. It has been fixed at the cost of $200. There were no recalls. Very dangerous situation if driving at highway speeds. No accidents. *ak
Lower ball joint failure (separation) on right front of 2002 dodge stratus, pulling in to driveway, under normal driving conditions.
While driving to work a bolt broke on my upper control arm. My tire was on a 45 degree angle. Very dangerous. Took to place I bought car to get under extended warranty. Warranty place refused to fix I am fighting it. I paid out of my pocket.
I bought my 2002 dodge stratus brand new in july 2002 and had to have the left wheel bearing replaced in march of 2003. In february of 2004, I had to get my right wheel bearing replaced. I now have another appointment in march 15,2004 to get my wheel bearings checked again due to needing replaced. If there is a recall on this please notify me at my available mailing or web address. If not I would like this to be filed as a complaint. Thanks.
Ther is a definite noise in the right front coil spring area. It only shows up on uneven or rough surface roads. The dealer keeps insisting there is nothing wrong with the front end. Of course all of the roads they test drive it on are smooth. They won't let me take a tech on a drive in my area.
My car makes a loud clicking/grinding noise while applying the brakes and turning. I have had the steering rack replaced, the upper and lower control arms replaced twice, the ball joints replaced twice, the control arm bracket replaced, the sway bars replaced. The noise stopped after the bracket was replaced but came back after a month. This car has been in seven times with no resolve.
I am so dissatisfied with my 2002 dodge stratus se. Ever since I bought my car in jan 2003, I have had more problems with this car than any other. My car leaks fluids constantly, my breaks don't work when applied, my car hesitates in all weather circumstances, my windshield makes a crackling noise, my doors squeak along with my trunk lid. Not to mention that I get anywhere from 10-15 miles per gallon for gas. I drive for about 40 min and half of my gas is gone!!! This vehicle is a hazard to the road and anyone or thing it comes in contact with :-( I never recommend my car to anyone and am ashamed to say it's mine. Dodge is definately one dealer that I wil never ever ever buy another car from!!!!!
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