CarComplaints.com Notes: The Dodge Stratus, Intrepid & other Chrysler sedans are infamous for oil sludge problems with the 2.7L V6 engine. If someone offers to sell you a 2.7L V6 model, it's only worth the price of the scrap metal it's going to shortly turn into.

NOTE: Only the 2.7L V6 has the oil sludge problem. Our "Avoid like the Plague" designation is ONLY for models with the 2.7L V6 engine. All other available engines are very reliable with no major problems.

Even with regular maintenance, the oil sludge defect eventually destroys the 2.7L engine typically around 80,000-100,000 miles. The only true fix we know about is to put in the larger 3.2L engine, which has a great reputation.

This issue was never deemed a safety defect by the Feds, so there was no recall. In the end, Chrysler got away with FOUR YEARS worth of defective 2.7L V6 engines in their sedans.

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 19
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
58,084 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

1999 Dodge Stratus steering problems

steering problem

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1999 Dodge Stratus Owner Comments (Page 1 of 2)

problem #29

Nov 292008

Stratus 4-cyl

  • 90,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 1999 Dodge Stratus. After parking the vehicle, the high pressure power steering hose failed and caught fire. The fire department extinguished the fire and there were no injuries. A police report was filed. The manufacturer stated that a recall notice was sent to the contact, but it went unacknowledged. Therefore, they will not be responsible for the fire. The NHTSA campaign id number was unknown. The failure mileage was 90,000. Updated 03/23/09. Updated 03/24/09.

- Pinson Fork, KY, USA

problem #28

Jan 142008

(reported on)

Stratus

  • miles
1999 Dodge Stratus high pressure power steering hose recall. Consumer states that he had the repair done and paid for it. He would like reimbursement for the cost of repairs. Recall 06V001000.

- Glendale, AZ, USA

problem #27

Dec 052007

Stratus 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 140,000 miles
The contact owns a 1999 Dodge Stratus. The vehicle caught fire while parked in a parking lot. The vehicle was smoking approximately one month before the fire. The vehicle was destroyed and both a police and fire report were filed. The dealer stated that the smoke was due to power steering fluid entering the engine. There were two safety recalls on the vehicle: NHTSA campaign id number's 04V021000 (power train:automatic transmission:lever and linkage:floor shift), which was previously performed on the vehicle and 06V001000 (steering:hydraulic power assist:hose, piping, and connections), which was scheduled to be repaired. The purchase date and powertrain were unknown. The current and failure mileages were 140,000.

- Wilsonville, AL, USA

problem #26

Apr 062005

Stratus 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 148,946 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 1999 Dodge Stratus. On September 12, 2007, the contact received a recall notice regarding the high power steering hole failure that her vehicle was experiencing. She stated that the vehicle caught fire on April 6, 2005. The fire originated under the hood of the vehicle while the contact was still inside. The contact stated that the power steering fluid leaked and caused the fire. She was referred to a repair shop and brought in the vehicle for repair. The contact believed that the repair shop never repaired the vehicle. A police report was filed and she has the repair invoices. The vehicle is presently not in her possession. The recall number was unknown. The current and failure mileages were 148,946.

- Chicago, IL, USA

problem #25

Jun 302007

Stratus 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 120,000 miles
The contact owns a 1999 Dodge Stratus. On June 30, 2007, the contact was notified that her vehicle caught fire a couple of minutes after being parked. The under hood fire destroyed the vehicle. The fire department filed a report. On September 11, 2007, the contact received NHTSA campaign id number 06V001000 (steering:hydraulic power assist:hose, piping, and connections). The purchase date and dealer information were unknown. The current and failure mileages were 120,000. Updated 12/12/07

- Lima, OH, USA

problem #24

Apr 232007

Stratus 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 83,000 miles
The contact owns a 1999 Dodge Stratus. The contact stated that the power steering began to leak, however, the vehicle caught fire before it could be repaired. The fire department extinguished the fire. He received NHTSA recall id number 06V001000 (steering:hydraulic power assist:hose, piping, and connections). The current and failure mileages were 83,000.

- Detroit, MI, USA

problem #23

Aug 222006

Stratus 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 79,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

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.

- Cameron, TX, USA

problem #22

Apr 262006

Stratus 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 119,953 miles
1999 Dodge Stratus. Consumer states the vehicle caught on fire and was totaled. The consumer believed the fire originated from the power steering hose.

- West Palm Beach , FL, USA

problem #21

Mar 042007

Stratus

  • Automatic transmission
  • miles
- the contact stated that while driving at about 35 mph in the 1999 Dodge Stratus she noticed smoke coming from under the hood of the vehicle. The contact and family got out of the vehicle and started smelling smoke, then the vehicle burst into flames. The contact received recall 06V001000 this past weekend, but was out of town. She stated that the fire was on 03/04/07, which was after she just returned home from her trip to atlanta. The contact stated that the fire department was called, and they came to put the fire out, which took about one hour. The contact stated that the fire department informed the contact that the fire did come from under the hood. The contact insurance company driver's choice will be doing an investigation sometimes on or about 3/8/07. When she returned home after the fire and checked the mail she noticed the letter from the manufacturer, stating that there was a recall on the vehicle. The contact stated that she will submit pictures and both the insurance and the fire department reports.

- Spartanburg, SC, USA

problem #20

Apr 012006

Stratus

  • miles
1999 Dodge Stratus car caught on fire before recall was done. * the consumer's vehicle caught on fire prior to receiving the recall notification. The consumer did not indicate the recall number or recalled component. The high pressure power steering hose was recalled on some of these vehicles, due to a leak which could result in a fire.

- West Palm Beach, FL, USA

problem #19

Sep 122006

Stratus 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 0 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

- the contact owns a 1999 Dodge Stratus. The contact observed smoke from under the hood while parking the vehicle; within ten minutes the vehicle was on fire. The fire department extinguished the flames. The contact's vehicle was serviced at a repair shop the day prior to the fire and found the vehicle to be operating normally. The contact received recall notice, number 06V001000) regarding the steering: Hydraulic power assist: Hose, piping, and connections, and believes that was the cause of the fire. The contact was unsure of the current mileage at the time of the failure.

- Tallahassee, FL, USA

problem #18

Jan 162007

Stratus 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 100,000 miles
- the contact stated that his 1999 Dodge Stratus caught on fire and was destroyed. The contact does not know many details regarding the fire. He learned about the fire approximately 1 month after the incident, which occurred in August. The vehicle had approximately 100,000 miles at the time of the failure. The only details the contact knows is that the vehicle was being driven, when the driver saw smoke coming from under the hood. The driver then pulled over to the side of the road and the vehicle caught fire. The contact received recall letter E23 & C45 after the vehicle was totaled.

- Muscle Shoals, AL, USA

problem #17

Sep 282006

Stratus

  • miles
Regarding recall notice on a 1999 Dodge Stratus high pressure power steering hose* the consumers vehicle caught on fire before the recall notice was received.

- Cochran, GA, USA

problem #16

Dec 302006

Stratus 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • miles
On December 30, 2006 at 6:10 a.M. (pst) our vehicle (1999 Dodge Stratus, caught fire and burned significantly. My wife left home for work around 5:18 a.M. and arrived around 6:00 a.M. shortly afterwards a co-worker came in and said there was a vehicle on fire in the parking lot. After describing the vehicle and its location my wife realized that it was her vehicle her co-worker was talking about. She went downstairs to find the santa barbara fire department on scene attempting to extinguish the blaze. She notified me of the events and I immediately went to her job. Upon my arrival I spoke with the fire captain (name unknown) and he informed me that it took them close to 40 minutes to extinguish the blaze first using water, then utilizing foam. He was not able to determine the cause of the fire. We filed a claim with our automobile insurance provider, interinsurance exchange of the automobile club, and they sent an investigator out to inspect the vehicle. This individual reports the vehicle as a total loss. I forgot to mention that when I contacted our insurance provider to file a claim I was asked if there were any outstanding recalls on our vehicle and I informed them that there were none. However, on Saturday, January 6, 2007 we received a safety recall notice (E23 - high pressure power steering hose) which reads "the high pressure power steering hose on your vehicle may crack and develop a power steering fluid leak. Power steering fluid leakage in the presence of an ignition source can result in an underhood fire." I have called DaimlerChrysler (888-327-4236) and left a voice message informing them of this incident and our receipt of their safety recall notice and them to return my call. I have also notified my insurance provider of this safety recall notice. Please contact me to discuss this issue further.

- Ventura, CA, USA

problem #15

Jan 052006

Stratus 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • miles
-the contact stated that he took the 1999 Dodge Stratus to the dealer for a recall repairs and was charged for the service. The consumer was charged for the labor. Updated 01/29/07.

- Firebaugh, CA, USA

problem #14

Sep 262006

Stratus 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 145,000 miles
- the contact stated that while 1999 Dodge Stratus was sitting in a parking lot it caught on fire. The contact stated that prior to the vehicle catching fire nothing was wrong with her vehicle. The weather was fine, and the car was immobile at the time of the incident. The contact stated that the fire department broke into the hood of the car to find the origin of the fire. The contact received recall notice 06V001000. The contact stated that she has pictures, and could get a report from the fire department. The contact has been offered no resolution from the dealership concerning this matter.

- Lexington, KY, USA

problem #13

Jun 062006

Stratus

  • Automatic transmission
  • 188,699 miles
: the contact stated a NHTSA recall letter # 06V001000 regarding the steering: Hydraulic power assist: Hose, piping, and connections was received. The vehicle was repaired under the recall. Soon after, the vehicle caught on fire and was towed back to the contact's residence were it was later examined by an inspector sent by the insurance Agency. Upon examination the inspector determined that the fire was cause by a direct result of a malfunction in the power steering hose that allowed steering fluid 2 be sprayed onto the hot exhaust system. The contact spoke to the dealer who determined it was not their problem. Updated 12/15/2006 -

- Seneca, SC, USA

problem #12

Sep 222006

(reported on)

Stratus 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • miles
Upon having recall work done mechanic installed left outer tire rod upside down causing it to contact the inside of the wheel.

- Seal Beach, CA, USA

problem #11

Sep 062006

Stratus 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • miles
Drove car to hospital, came out and found car had an under hood fire and was totaled.

- Alvin, TX, USA

problem #10

Jul 262006

Stratus 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 130,000 miles
: the contact stated on July 26, 2006, while at a red light, the vehicle started smoking from all of the vents resulting in the vehicle becoming engulfed in flames. The fire department came and extinguished the fire. The vehicle was deemed totaled. The fire originated from under the hood. Prior to the incident, power steering fluid had to be added to the vehicle every two-three weeks. A recall was found on the internet, NHTSA campaign id # 06V001000; steering: Hydraulic power assist: Hose, piping, and and connections the same day as the incident. The dealership was made aware of the incident. The contact just received a recall letter from the manufacturer on 8-8-06, NHTSA campaign id # 06V0010000; regarding the steering: Hydraulic power assist: Hose, piping, and and connections.

- Bryan, TX, USA

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