1995 Dodge Stratus

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1995 DODGE STRATUS. WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH, THE VEHICLE SHIFTED INTO FIRST GEAR WITHOUT WARNING, WHICH CAUSED THE VEHICLE SPEED TO DECREASE. THERE WERE SEVERAL REPAIRS PERFORMED ON THE VEHICLE TO CORRECT THE FAILURE; HOWEVER, THE FAILURE CONTINUED TO OCCUR. THE TRANSMISSION WAS REBUILT AND THE SOLENOID WAS REPLACED ON TWO OCCASIONS. THE SENSORS AND RELAYS WERE REPLACED ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS; HOWEVER, THE FAILURE CONTINUED TO OCCUR. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 63,000 MILES AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 68,000.

WHILE DRIVING THE TRANSMISSION DOWNSHIFTS TO LIMP MODE CAUSING A HIGHLY PROBABLE DANGER SITUATION THAT MAY LEAD TO SERIOUS INJURIES ESPECIALLY IF TRAVELING ON THE FREEWAY. WE HAVE REPLACED THE TCM AT $166.00FROM A DEALER AND ANOTHER DEALER SUCKED APPROX.300.00 KNOWING THAT THERE IS NO WAY OF FIXING THE DEFECTIVE TRANSMISSION. WHY ARE YOU STILL ALLOWING THE DEALERS TO REPLACE PARTS THAT THEY FULLY KNOW WON'T FIX THE MAIN PROBLEM? WHY IS THERE NO RECALL ON THE DEFECTIVE TRANSMISSIONS? ON THE COMPLAINT SIDE OF YOUR WEB PAGE THERE ARE A LOT OF SIMILAR COMPLAINTS! THE DEALER WANTS US TO TAKE THE CAR BACK TO THEM FOR DIAGNOSTICS AND I AM SURE THEY WILL RECOMMEND ANOTHER PROBLEM SOLVING IDEA TO MAKE US SPEND MORE MONEY KNOWING IT WILL NOT WORK. *TR

PURCHASED VEHICLE WITH CLEAN CARFAX RECORD IN FEB 06 WITH 75K MILES. AT 81K MILES TRANSMISSION STARTED GOING INTO LIMP MODE(SLAMS INTO SECOND GEAR REGARDLESS OF VEHICLE SPEED). TOOK CAR TO DEALERSHIP FOR DIAGNOSTIC. THEY STATED THE INPUT AND OUTPUT SPEED SENSORS WERE FAILING ACCORDING TO THE COMPUTER. I REPLACED THEM. A WEEK LATER THE TRANSMISSION FULLY FAILED. TOWED TO A REPUTABLE TRANSMISSION CHAIN STORE. THEY FULLY REBUILT THE MECHANICALS OF TRANSMISSION AND REPLACED THE SPEED SENSORS AGAIN. AS I DROVE HOME THE TRANSMISSION RETURNED TO LIMP MODE. RETURNED TO SHOP. THEY TEST DROVE IT AND SECOND GEAR CLUTCHES BURNED UP. THEY REBUILT IT AGAIN AND ALSO REPLACED VALVE BODY AND SOLENOID PACK. I DROVE THE CAR FOR A MONTH BEFORE IT AGAIN STARTED LIMPING. TOOK THE CAR TO ANOTHER DEALERSHIP FOR DIAGNOSIS. THEY BLAMED THE SHOP AND STATED THEY COULDN'T DO ANYTHING FOR ME BUT UPGRADE THE FLASH IN THE TRANSMISSION COMPUTER. THE COMPUTER DIAGNOSTICS COULD NOT REVEAL WHY THE COMPUTER WAS PUTTING THE CAR IN LIMP. RETURNED CAR TO PREVIOUS TRANSMISSION SHOP FOR YET ANOTHER REBUILD. DROVE CAR 2 MONTHS BEFORE IT AGAIN STARTED LIMPING. RETURNED CAR TO TRANS SHOP, THEY REBUILT IT AGAIN. STILL COULDN'T FIND CONCRETE CAUSE, REPLACED VALVE BODY AGAIN, HAD ME BUY REPLACEMENT TRANSMISSION COMPUTER FROM DODGE, THIS FIXED IT FOR ANOTHER 2 MONTHS. YESTERDAY IT AGAIN STARTED GOING INTO LIMP. THERE IS 200 MILES REMAINING IN THE 12,000 MILE REBUILD WARRANTY FROM THE FIRST REBUILD SO IT WILL BE IN THE SHOP FOR THE 5TH TIME IN LESS THAN A YEAR. *NM

AUTO TRANSMISSION DOWNSHIFTS AT FREEWAY SPEEDS, THROWING DRIVER TOWARDS WINDSHIELD. PROBLEM BEGAN 2003. HAVE MANY, MANY SERVICE VISITS. LUBE SHOP FLUSHED SYSTEM. DEALER REPLACED TPS SWITCH, DEALER REPLACED TCM, TRANS SHOP REBUILT TRANSMISSION WITH NEW TORQUE CONVERTER AND NEW INPUT AND OUTPUT SWITCHES (WORKED ONE YEAR) THEN PROBLEM RETURNED. TRANS SHOP FLUSHED SYSTEM, TRANS SHOP REPLACED TPS (AGAIN), TRANS SHP RECOMMENDED TO REPLACE TCM (AGAIN), BUT, DEALER SAID NO PROBLEM FOUND. ANOTHER DEALER SAYS TPS BAD. WHEN I SAID IT WAS REPLACED 100 MILES EARLIER, THEY SAID THAT IT WAS EITHER WIRING SHORT, OR MAIN COMPUTER FAILURE, HAS NO WAY TO KNOW WHAT PROBLEM IS. ALSO SAID THAT IF I FIX THE "WIRING" I WOULD HAVE TO REBUILD THE TRANSMISSION (AGAIN), AWEN I SAID IT WAS REBUILT LAST YEAR, DEALER CHANGED HIS STORY AND SAID I DID NOT HAVE TO REBUILD TRANSMISSION. DEALER RECOMMENDS JUNKING THE CAR. MANUFACTURER IS NOT HELPING AT ALL. NOT LOOKING FOR FREE WORK, I ALREADY SPENT $3000. I JUST WANT THE PROBLEM FIXED. IT IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM FOR DODGE, BUT THEY WON'T FIX IT, AND THEY WON'T ADMIT TO A PROBLEMATIC TRANSMISSION IN THIS 4 SPEED. *NM

DT: SINCE THE CONSUMER PURCHASED THE VEHICLE IT WOULD SHIFT INTO LOW GEAR OR NEUTRAL ON ITS OWN WHILE DRIVING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO TWO SEPARATE DEALERS FOR REPAIRS. THE DEALER PERFORMED A DIAGNOSTIC TEST AND THAT ULTIMATELY LED TO THE REPLACEMENT OF A SOLENOID PACK. THIS DID NOT CORRECT THE PROBLEM. THE DEALER NOTED THAT TRANSMISSION COMPUTER HAD TO BE FLASHED. CONSUMER TOOK VEHICLE TO A DODGE DEALER AND NO REPAIRS WERE DONE. THEY DID NOT OFFER AN EXPLANATION AS TO WHY THIS HAPPENED. THE GEAR STILL MOVED WHILE IN DRIVE. THIS IS STILL A PROBLEM. *AK *JB

CAR HAS HAD TRANSMISSION REBUILT THREE TIMES. FIRST TIME IT WAS REBUILT BY DEALER AT APPROXIMATELY 85000 MILES BECAUSE OF "ROUGH" SHIFTING. SECOND TIME AT 150000 MILES AT TRANSMISSION RE-BUILDER BECAUSE OF IT CONSISTENTLY GOING IN TO "LIMP" MODE. AFTER SEVERAL RETURN VISITS, THEY STILL COULD NOT FIX THE PROBLEM. I DROVE THE CAR FOR 10000 MILES BEING CAREFUL OF CONDITIONS THAT I WAS IN CASE IT SLIPPED IN TO "LIMP" MODE. I EVENTUALLY TOOK IT TO A DIFFERENT SHOP TO HAVE IT RECHECKED. AFTER HAVING ALL MECHANICAL PARTS REPLACED, ALL SENSORS, AND TCM MODULE THE CAR STILL GOES IN TO "LIMP" MODE ALMOST ON A DAILY BASIS. *JB

I HAVE A 1995 DODGE STRATUS WHEN TRAVELING ABOUT 45 MPH MY CAR AUTOMATICALLY SLIPS INTO NEUTRAL THE VEHICLE JERKS AND SLOWS DOWN IN SPEED I HAVE TO PULL OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND SHUT THE CAR DOWN AND RESTART IT, THIS PROBLEM HAPPENS INTERMITTENTLY, I TOOK IT A TRANSMISSION SHOP AND THEY COULD NOT FIND THE PROBLEM THEY REPLACED THE SOLENOID PACK I STILL HAVE THE PROBLEM. *JB

I AM FILING THIS COMPLAINT WITH RESPECT TO A 1995 DODGE STRATUS. THE DODGE STRATUS IS EQUIPPED WITH A DEVICE WHICH I ASSUME IS TIED IN WITH THE CAR'S ELECTRONICS OR COMPUTER. THE PURPOSE OF THIS SPECIFIC DEVICE IS TO MONITOR THE OPERATION OF THE CAR'S TRANSMISSION SO THAT WHENEVER THE TRANSMISSION IS UNDER STRESS OR IS NOT OPERATING AS DESIGNED OR INTENDED (OR AT LEAST THE THE COMPUTER SURMISES THAT THE TRANSMISSION IS NOT OPERATING NORMALLY OR UP TO STANDARD), THE COMPUTER WHENEVER THAT OCCURS AUTOMATICALLY DOWNSHIFTS THE DODGE STRATUS TO 2ND GEAR WITHOUT ANY PRIOR WARNING OR NOTICE WHATSOEVER TO THE DRIVER AND THE DODGE REMAINS IN 2ND GEAR UNTIL SUCH TIME AS THE DODGE IS BROUGHT TO A COMPLETE STOP AND UNTIL THE ENGINE IS COMPLETELY TURNED OFF. IF YOU THEN ALLOW THE DODGE ENGINE TO REMAIN OFF FOR 3 OR 4 MINUTES AND THEN TURN THE ENGINE BACK ON AGAIN, THE CAR WILL PERFORM NORMALLY AGAIN AND WITHOUT INCIDENT AT SPEEDS UP TO 40 OR 50 OR 60 MILES PER HOUR UNTIL SUCH TIME AS THE COMPUTER, ONCE AGAIN, SUCCUMBS TO THE URGE TO DOWNSHIFT TO 2ND GEAR. AT THAT POINT, THE DRIVER FINDS HIMSELF IN 2ND GEAR AND WITH NO VIABLE ALTERNATIVE BUT TO PULL OFF THE ROAD AND TURN OFF THE ENGINE ONCE AGAIN. TO COMPREHEND WHAT THAT PREDICAMENT IS LIKE FROM THE DRIVER?S POINT OF VIEW, ONE HAS ONLY TO ENVISION YOURSELF ON THE NEW JERSEY TURNPIKE OR THE LONG ISLAND EXPRESSWAY IN RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC WITH DOZENS AND DOZENS OF 18 WHEELER TRUCKS ALL GOING 55AND 65 MILES AN HOUR WHEN, OUT OF THE BLUE, THE COMPUTER ON THE DODGE STRATUS DECIDES TO DOWNSHIFT TO 20 MILES AN HOUR AND THE NEAREST 18 WHEELER TRUCK IS ONLY 10 FEET BEHIND YOU AND DOING 60 MILES AN HOUR. IN THAT SCENARIO, THE POSSIBILITIES FOR A HORRIBLE AND CATASTROPHIC ACCIDENT COSTING DOZENS OF LIVES IS APPARENT---ALL BECAUSE THE ONBOARD COMPUTER ON THE DODGE STRATUS DECIDED ON ITS OWN TO DOWNSHIFT TO 2ND GEAR. *AK