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. Also the 2.4L engine doesn't have the oil sludge problem.
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.
9.0
really awful
Typical Repair Cost:
No data
Average Mileage:
87,000 miles
Total Complaints:
2 complaints
Most Common Solutions:
Dodge should replace the defective rocker panel / door (1 reports)
I own a 2002 Dodge Stratus. WOW, this car is awesome in every way, fast, comfortable, sleek! Then you have the rear passenger door and rocker panel! This is another story! For the age of this car, there is no reason why this area should be literally falling apart! Trying to find this part is difficult because every Stratus I see has the same rusted area, bubbling paint and crappy craftsmenship! The same door is like this on EVERY Stratus I have seen! I have made it a point to inspect every Stratus to see if this is a possible defect in the steel and then primer and paint! The damage is so bad it completely distracts from the beauty of my Stratus!
I bougt Dodge vehicles all throughout college and loved my Omnis, Carvans etc. They were all great cras that held up very well. This defect is very much a disappointment!
My doors keep falling apart. The clips brake off and then I have to hold the door to shut it. It is very bad on the drivers door and bad on the front passengers door. I had it fixed professionally last year. since then I find myself fixing it myself over and over again.
- Carolyn H.,
Buckeye, AZ, US
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A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
I own a 2002 Dodge Stratus. WOW, this car is awesome in every way, fast, comfortable, sleek! Then you have the rear passenger door and rocker panel! This is another story! For the age of this car, there is no reason why this area should be literally falling apart! Trying to find this part is difficult because every Stratus I see has the same rusted area, bubbling paint and crappy craftsmenship! The same door is like this on EVERY Stratus I have seen! I have made it a point to inspect every Stratus to see if this is a possible defect in the steel and then primer and paint! The damage is so bad it completely distracts from the beauty of my Stratus!
I bougt Dodge vehicles all throughout college and loved my Omnis, Carvans etc. They were all great cras that held up very well. This defect is very much a disappointment!
- rebeccapa, Charleroi, PA, US