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.
10.0
really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
68,949 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.
On my way to work one morning, the car stopped in the middle of the street. It was two blocks from the house. I had 2 neighbors push the car back to the house. I eventually took it to the mechanic, who told me the problem was the engine. He took out the parts trying to rebuild the engine and noticed there was sludge throughout the parts. He then told me it was not safe to try and clean it out, because there is no guarantee how far into the engine it had gone. I would have to purchase an whole new engine. He looked for engines but could only find those with high mileage. He was not sure if the engine would stand-up for long or eventually cause me to have to change it again. The car is still waiting for an engine. I have not been in a financial situation to afford it. I recently started to look again to get an idea of when I may be able to work on this again. I remember hearing there was an issue with the Stratus' but when I called two local dealers for information, they told me they did not know anything about it.
The contact owns a 2002 Dodge Stratus SE. The contact stated that when driving over a pothole at various speeds, the vehicle would exhibit an abnormal feeling. The contact investigated the vehicle and discovered that the engine bracket was fractured. The vehicle was then inspected by an independent mechanic who confirmed the failure and advised that the bracket would need replacing. The vehicle was not repaired due to the part being on backorder. The failure mileage was approximately 112,000.
The timing chain broke causing bent valves and the need to rework the top end of the engine. In doing research it was found out about the issues with the 2.7L V6 and the fact that this issue likely causes catastrophic engine failure.
While driving the car on a road trip (about 2 hours) the vehicle began smoking. After stopping the vehicle and opening the hood, the engine burst into flames. The car was a total loss.
Always changed the oil every 3,00 miles. And the engine seized. It knocked for less than a minute prior to total failure with the correct amount of oil in the engine. The public should be warned and anyone this has happened to should be reimbursed the amount to fix the problem through Dodge.
2002 Dodge Stratus began to hesitate and act like it was stalling driving a 10 mile commute. Wife pull over, opened the hood, but saw nothing wrong. Being only a couple miles from home she attempted to restart the car. The car would not start and didn't sound right. She called our mechanic and had the car towed to his business. He told us that after making several attempts to start the car that the engine seized. Both the water and oil were well within the normal operating range. The car has only 58,000 miles on it has been well cared far and driven by my overly cautious wife. As I have learned more about this engine I have found plenty of evidence online that the 2.7L V6 engine is probably one of the worst examples of faulty engineering in memory. This could have caused very serious problems, and Chrysler should have been forced to recall this. This is an outrageous fraud upon the american public that also makes me think that NHTSA is not doing their job for the american people.
The contact owns a 2002 Dodge Stratus. While driving 40 mph, the contact heard a rattling noise in the engine compartment. A mechanic stated that the engine could explode if the vehicle is driven. The contact spoke with Dodge and they stated that they were unaware of the failure. The powertrain was unknown. The current and failure mileages were 94,000.
I had my Dodge Stratus 2002 since summer of 2005. While going to work one morning, I thought I heard that the starter was going. I called and had the manufacturer's local inspection shop look at the car and they told me that the engine had blown out. If I recall the engine should be the last thing to die in a car. This vehicle is only five years old, regardless of mileage the engine should still be going. The manufacturer claimed that they couldn't help because I bought the car from another car dealer and not the manufacturer. This matter should be inspected.
I bought my 2002 Dodge Stratus in October of 2004. The dealership told me there was still the factory warranty on it but failed to tell me it expired in one week. It was at this one week mark I took my car in for a ticking noise to three different places, two of them Dodge dealers and they told me there was no problem. As the noise got worse, I took the car back to a dealership and they told me my timing chain was going out and could ruin my whole engine at any time. The cost of repair was $800. I had to fight with Chrysler that a car this new should not have this problem before they agreed to pay half. I have also had to recently replace my starter October 2006 after the fuse blowing three times of which I had to have my car towed to a mechanic in addition to paying for repairs. I hate this car!!!!!!
: the contact stated four times since purchase, the vehicle revved out of control while stopped. The brake pedal was depressed and the vehicle was shifted into neutral. The vehicle restarted and was taken to the dealership, who was unable to determine a problem. Updated 10/18/2006 - the irs time this happened the dealer noticed that the intake was very black and that the throttle was possibly sticking, causing the iac motor to overcompensate.
: the contact stated while traveling 55 mph, the vehicle had an oil sludging problem, internal oil leaking and an increase of engine oil consumption by the engine. The manufacturer and dealership did not properly identify the problem and did not honor any warranty claims. The vehicle was taken to a repair shop who determined that the engine needed to be replaced because the damage was too extensive to fix. The vehicle was inoperative since the day of the incident.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Yukon, OK, USA