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.
1.2
hardly worth mentioning
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
140,065 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.
I was driving and hear a metal scraping noise from my front right side by the wheel when I turned left.before I got home the noise got extremely loud and constant.I took the tire off when I got home and found the ball joint was broken and was out of position cause a rubbing inside my tire rim.it looked like the arm of the ball joint had been burned through causing it to break.there seems to be a recall on some 1999 Dodge Stratus' ball joints but when I entered my VIN# mine did not come up.they shouldn't just break from normal use.it was on the highway when it happened driving normally then the noise started and I felt kind of a pop and almost lost control of the car.
While driving the vehicle I noticed a very loose sound coming from the lower left wheel. Especially when going over bumps. I took the vehicle to les schwab company for a lookover and found that it needed upper and lower ball joints replaced, a steel arm replaced, as well as an alignment. When researching recalls on my 1999 Dodge Stratus I noticed the problems I was/am having with the vehicle were noted in similar situations involving recalls of other Stratus'. my car should be fixed and included in similar recalls. Thank you.
The contact owns a 1999 Dodge Stratus. The contact stated while driving approximately 30 mph, the vehicle began to rattle and felt loose. The failure recurred multiple times. The vehicle was taken to a dealer and noticed that the ball joint on the control arm assembly had failed which caused the ball stud to wear through the control arm housing which resulted in the noise. The vehicle had not yet been repaired. The manufacturer had not yet been notified of the failure. The VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign number:10E059000 (suspension). The approximate failure mileage was 190,000.
While driving the consumer heard a loud noise coming from the front end. The vehicle was serviced but they weren't able to identify the cause of the noise.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Baton Rouge, LA, USA