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 / 3
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
18,300 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.
The contact owns a 1999 Dodge Stratus which caught on fire on July 23, 2005. She received a recall notice on August 10, 2005 on the floor shift. She said that the fire was first noticed from the engine compartment. The fire marshal was unsure of where the fire originated. Her uncle, a fire fighter, fought a fire on July 1, 2005 on a vehicle with same year, make and model. The vehicle was not operating any differently before the fire started. The vehicle had been sitting for less than 10 minutes before the fire started. Both the contact and her husband smelled something burning when they got out of the car but did not say anything to each other about it. Then, after the fire was noticed they announced at the bowling alley that someone's vehicle was on fire. They went outside and flames where coming from under the hood. The fire was right in front of the hot spot on the driver's side.
The contact owns a 1999 Dodge Stratus. The vehicle caught on fire last week. Contact was unsure of where the fire started. When contact went out to vehicle it had been burnt under the hood. The fireman could not tell how fire started, but it did start on the fire wall. The vehicle had been driving perfectly. The vehicle had been outside, turned off for about ten minutes while she was in the store, and then contact was paged to come out to car. It burned under the hood and was not drivable.
I was borrowing my parents 1999 Dodge Stratus.I staopped to pick up my children at the daycare.. left the car for only 2 minutes and when I returned to leave the car was on fire..there was a black smoke billowing out of the engine compartment and the whole motor was on fire..the fire dept was called and extinguished the fire nothing on the interior was ruined only the hood on the drivers side and the moter looks like a heap of melted plastic. Prior to this incident the drivers side window was going up and down on its own somedays it would be stuck up and somedays it would be stuck down.. luckily my parents had ins to cover the vehicle which now is a total loss but now they need money for a down on another vehicle.. anyone with an attorney or other info please contact me. Carla@jtsconstruction.com
Wiring harness inside fuel tank got hot enough to melt part of plug and weld pins together, even after this the 20 amp fuse did not blow.I have digital pictures I will send you of the failed part if I get an E-mail address. I bypassed the plug and the pump functioned fine but because of the burnt plug I had to purchase a new fuel pump, I have been to two dealerships, contacted the factory and have shown it to the Dodge mechanics I know and they say it happens all the time, electrical connections failing inside the gas tank does not sound very safe to me.
Wiring harness inside fuel tank got hot enough to melt part of plug and weld pins together, even after this the 20 amp fuse did not blow.I have digital pictures I will send you of the failed part if I get an E-mail address. I bypassed the plug and the pump functioned fine but because of the burnt plug I had to purchase a new fuel pump, I have been to two dealerships, contacted the factory and have shown it to the Dodge mechanics I know and they say it happens all the time, electrical connections failing inside the gas tank does not sound very safe to me.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Cape Coral, FL, USA