Noticed slight gear slippage travelling 35-45mph. All fluids checked, at proper levels. A week later, engine 'jerked' when coming to complete stop, check eng light illuminated. Progressively worsened. Once engine warmed up, started hearing a 'whirring' noise from lower-middle area of engine. Stopped @ local repair shop, they checked fluids and vac hoses, noise stopped, but noticed coolant in reservoir side 3/4 full & boiling, temp gauge on dash 'normal'. Next day, while cold, I checked coolant level in reservoir (left side) still full, (hadn't flowed back thru system once cool). I added water to 'fill line', checked condition of pressure cap (looked fine), placed & tightened, started engine, let run a few minutes, loosened 'air bleeder' on top of coolant bleeder hsng. Then I slowly shifted thru all gears, w/foot on brake, let air bleed til solid stream of liquid and shut car off. Waited an hour, started up and drove. Ck eng lt= off. Fine for a few days, same issues started up again. Louder 'whirring', like a belt or band slipped. Irratic shifting, trans never failed. Ran both code tests on dashcluster=no dtcs. Jan 2014-drove to dodge dealership: disposition: replace mopar 41te trans. My lost wages / loss of veh use(dec/jan) + burden of a loan to replace the transmission = more than I paid in full to buy the car barely 6 months ago. Unfair to customers: ongoing computer and PCM/transmission failure since 1999. The 'oops' tech spec-correct trans fluid atf+4 how many damaged & failed transmissions? Refused to honor powertrain warranty!! And continued placing. Shame on all of the corporate executives & engineers that got rich from robbing the consumers. You were 'successful failures' mopar, chrysler-dodge-daimer-iacocca, etc. 90+ tsbs, no recalls. Class actions dismissed! Time for the consumers to prevail. Time for a california class action!!
Dodge Stratus transmission failure problems
31 of the 2,653 owner complaints about the Dodge Stratus describe complete transmission failure, most of them for the 1995 model year.
- owner complaints
- 31
- worst model year
- 1995
- typical repair cost reported
- $1,800
- typical mileage
- 79,000
By model year
Often reported together
Slipping 2Check engine light 2Ball joint 2Tire blowout 1Won't shift 1Stalling 1Power steering loss 1
What owners say
Tl*the contact owns a 2004 dodge stratus. While driving approximately 35 MPH, the engine was between 4 to 5 RPM's, but the vehicle would not accelerate forward. The vehicle was towed to a dealer and they stated that the transmission failed. The current mileage was 96,000 and failure mileage was 95,500.
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.
The events leading up the failure of my vehicle were, the car kept turning off. I could restart it afterwards without a problem. I took the vehicle to the dodge dearlership and was told I needed a new transmission. This was repaired under the warranty. Afterwards, the car stalled a few times and I could restart. The last time it stalled I could not restart it and I was told by the dealership that I needed a new fuel pump. I paid for the repair services and the next searched the recalls on the internet. I just want my $724.13 refunded. There was a the federal safety agency recall, # 03v443000, regarding the fuel system/fuel pump and another the federal safety agency recall, # 04v313000, regarding the fuel system/fuel pump as well.
Tl*the contact owns a 1999 dodge stratus. The contact stated that the power steering failed. The vehicle began smoking underneath the hood , and the mechanic replaced the power steering pump and hose. Also, the contact stated that the transmission failed and caused the indicators on the instrument panel to malfunction. This failure prevented her from determining how fast she was driving. In addition, the gears failed to shift from second gear. The mechanic stated that a sensor in the transmission and the air conditioning system failed. Also, the cooling system failed, and the water pump and timing belt were replaced twice. The failure began when the vehicle ran hot. She will collect the work reports and receipts from the dealer regarding the other failures that occurred. The current mileage is 105,000, and failure mileage was 79,000.
Tl* - the contact complained about transmission failures about 1 year ago. The contact took vehicle to dealership last year, and was told that the computer needed to be reprogrammed. The contact stated that vehicle would not accelerate after coming to a complete stop, and it was not accelerating properly when going up a hill. The contact stated that when trying to accelerate after she came to a complete stop, the rpms would go up but the vehicle wouldn't advance. The contact took the vehicle to dealership in december, at which time she was told that her transmission had failed. The contact stated that the dealership said to have transmission fixed would cost $5,000.00. The contact called chrysler corporation and filed a complaint, and was given a file number 15815556.*ak updated 2/6/2007 -
Dt*: the contact stated the transmission failed while traveling 55 MPH on the interstate. The vehicle was towed to the service dealer who determined that the transmission had been rebuilt in the past and was no longer under warranty. The manufacturer was not contacted. The vehicle was taken to an independent repair shop for repairs.
Dt*: the contact stated while attempting to put the vehicle into gear the transmission would not engage. The gear shifter would maneuver into drive and reverse but the transmission would never engage. The vehicle was towed to an independent repair shop for inspection. It was determined the transmission failed with 5 transmission codes. On several occasion prior to the transmission failure during regularly schedule maintenance there was diagnostic testing performed however the test showed no transmission codes. The manufacturer was alerted.
My dodge stratus 2000, 65,071 mileage, caught fire in the engine compartment. Everything under the hood "melted." the fire did not reach the inside compartment of the car. The firefighters were speedy at putting out the fire. There was smoke coming out from under the hood after about 10 min. Of driving. And a burning smell which I thought was engine oil. I took it to a dodge dealer for repair. They replaced the transmission pan, the valve cover gasket, spark plugs and belts. The car continued to smoke and, as I told my husband, I thought there was like sooty ashes being deposited on top of the hood. I assumed it was burning off the old oil that had spilled on the engine. After two days of driving I called the dodge dealer in the morning when I confirmed that the car was still leaking transmission fluid and oil and still smoking. They said to bring it back on monday. I went home that evening, picked up one child from day care and then we both went to pick up another child from her after-school place. We walked out about 12 minutes later and half the street was engulfed in thick smoke. I could see fire under the front of the car. We ran back in and called the fire dept. My insurance investigators could not determine the source of the fire because everything was melted in the engine compartment. They totaled the car. The dealer said leaking oil does not cause fires. They believed it was electrical.
The automatic transmission failed at 59,000 miles on my 2002 dodge stratus. The vehicle started to make a popping sound under the hood on the drivers side. The sound was intermittent for about 3 months. On september 22, 2005, the vehicle began to make a loud whistling sound and started to shift hard and/or delay shift. I took the vehicle to a repair shop and it was diagnosed with a hard part transmission failure. The total cost of repair was $2100.00 and the vehicle went out of warranty at 50,000 miles.
Related recalls
Power train: automatic transmission: lever and linkage: floor shift
- What is wrong
- On certain passenger vehicles, the floor shifter ignition-park interlock may fail and allow the shifter to be moved out of the park position with the key removed. An inoperative interlock may also allow the key to be removed when the shifter has not been placed in the park position.
- Risk
- Either circumstance may result in the vehicle rolling away without warning.
- Remedy
- Dealers will install a new load-limiting push rod into the floor shifter lever of the affected vehicles. Owner notification began on june 14, 2004. Owners should contact daimlerchrysler at 1‑800‑853‑1403.
Recall number 04V021000 · Recall details
Power train: automatic transmission: cooling unit and lines
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: passenger vehicles equipped with automatic transmissions. A hose manufacturing process allowed the reinforcement yard to breach the inner layer of some automatic transmission hoses weakening the inner wall which could result in leakage of the automatic transmission fluid.
- Risk
- Fluid leakage from the cooler hoses can cause transaxle driveability problems and smoke if the oil contacts the front exhaust pipe.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the transaxle oil cooler hoses. Owner notification began april 9, 2001. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact daimlerchrysler at 1‑800‑853‑1403.
Recall number 01V011002 · Recall details
Power train: automatic transmission: park/neutral start interlock switch
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: passenger vehicles equipped with automatic transmissions. The adjustment of the cable connecting the console shifter mechanism to the ignition key can cause a trapped key condition which can result in a low force required to depress the shift button. A combination of applying a mis-adjusted release button with a low force attempt to shift out of park with the key in the locked position, can break the connecting pin in the shifter.
- Risk
- If this happens, the "ignition-park" interlock system will be nonfunctional.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect for proper operation of the system. Any vehicles that are not functional after the inspection will have the shift mechanism and cable replaced with a "self-adjusting" design.
Recall number 98V183000 · Recall details
Questions about the Dodge Stratus transmission failure
Which Dodge Stratus years have complete transmission failure problems?
The model years with the most reports are 1995 (6 complaints), 2002 (6 complaints) and 1996 (3 complaints).
How much does it cost to fix complete transmission failure on the Dodge Stratus?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $1,800 (median of 7 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
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