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.
1.0
hardly worth mentioning
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
185,068 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.
2000 Dodge Stratus, had a leakage in the fuel line, in June 2009 and had it repaired, than transmission was going out, needed a new engine, car wouldn't go past 50mph without jerking and still was a gas-hogger, cost more to fix the car so had to have it salvaged couldn't afford the repairs, and my friend also had a Dodge Stratus same year and had the same problem I did and she also had to salvaged her car.
My spark plug just popped out of the socket while I was driving and it stripped the threads, this is the second time this happened to me. The first time I thought that the plug was not installed properly on cylinder #2, this time it happened on cylinder #3. I'm afraid that this could cause an engine fire due to the vehicle still spraying the gas into the cylinder and the spark plug will still fire igniting the fumes.
- Manchester, NH, USA
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- Atwater, CA, USA