2002 Dodge Stratus

GRANDAUGHTER WAS RETURNING HOME FROM COLLEGE . VEHICLE SUDDENLY CAUGHT FIRE ON HIGHWAY BETWEEN MARBLE FALLS TEX AND BURNET TEXAS.. HER MOTHER WAS FOLLOWING IN ANOTHER CAR AND BARELY HAD TIME TO RESCUE SOME OF THE PERSONAL ITEMS BEFORE ENTIRE CAR WAS ENGULFED IN FLAMES. GRANDDAUGHTER BARELY ESCAPED THE VEHICLE WITHOUT INJURY. SHE WAS ABLE TO GET SEVERAL PICTURES OF THE VEHICLE FIRE ON HER CELL PHONE.. THE FIRE BEGIN EITHER UNDER THE HOOD OR UNDER THE FRONT OF THE CAR AND WAS COMPLETELY ENGULFED IN A MATTER OF MINUTES.. GRANDAUGHTER AND HER MOM WAS VERY DISTRAUGHT AND TERRIBLY UPSET UNTIL FIRE DEPT FROM BURNET ARRIVED ON THE SCENE . THEY WERE CALLED (911) BY A PASSING MOTORIST. THE BURNED OUT VEHICLE WAS HAULED IN TO BURNET TEXAS BY ADVANTAGE TOWING 512-756-7995. WE HAVE NEVER RECEIVED A RECALL FROM DODGE ABOUT THE POSSIBLE FIRE HAZARDS ON THIS VEHICLE. *TR

NOTICED SLIGHT GEAR SLIPPAGE TRAVELLING 35-45MPH. ALL FLUIDS CHECKED, AT PROPER LEVELS. A WEEK LATER, ENGINE 'JERKED' WHEN COMING TO COMPLETE STOP, CHECK ENG LIGHT ILLUMINATED. PROGRESSIVELY WORSENED. ONCE ENGINE WARMED UP, STARTED HEARING A 'WHIRRING' NOISE FROM LOWER-MIDDLE AREA OF ENGINE. STOPPED @ LOCAL REPAIR SHOP, THEY CHECKED FLUIDS AND VAC HOSES, NOISE STOPPED, BUT NOTICED COOLANT IN RESERVOIR SIDE 3/4 FULL & BOILING, TEMP GAUGE ON DASH 'NORMAL'. NEXT DAY, WHILE COLD, I CHECKED COOLANT LEVEL IN RESERVOIR (LEFT SIDE) STILL FULL, (HADN'T FLOWED BACK THRU SYSTEM ONCE COOL). I ADDED WATER TO 'FILL LINE', CHECKED CONDITION OF PRESSURE CAP (LOOKED FINE), PLACED & TIGHTENED, STARTED ENGINE, LET RUN A FEW MINUTES, LOOSENED 'AIR BLEEDER' ON TOP OF COOLANT BLEEDER HSNG. THEN I SLOWLY SHIFTED THRU ALL GEARS, W/FOOT ON BRAKE, LET AIR BLEED TIL SOLID STREAM OF LIQUID AND SHUT CAR OFF. WAITED AN HOUR, STARTED UP AND DROVE. CK ENG LT= OFF. FINE FOR A FEW DAYS, SAME ISSUES STARTED UP AGAIN. LOUDER 'WHIRRING', LIKE A BELT OR BAND SLIPPED. IRRATIC SHIFTING, TRANS NEVER FAILED. RAN BOTH CODE TESTS ON DASHCLUSTER=NO DTCS. JAN 2014-DROVE TO DODGE DEALERSHIP: DISPOSITION: REPLACE MOPAR 41TE TRANS. MY LOST WAGES / LOSS OF VEH USE(DEC/JAN) + BURDEN OF A LOAN TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION = MORE THAN I PAID IN FULL TO BUY THE CAR BARELY 6 MONTHS AGO. UNFAIR TO CUSTOMERS: ONGOING COMPUTER AND PCM/TRANSMISSION FAILURE SINCE 1999. THE 'OOPS' TECH SPEC-CORRECT TRANS FLUID ATF+4 HOW MANY DAMAGED & FAILED TRANSMISSIONS? REFUSED TO HONOR POWERTRAIN WARRANTY!! AND CONTINUED PLACING. SHAME ON ALL OF THE CORPORATE EXECUTIVES & ENGINEERS THAT GOT RICH FROM ROBBING THE CONSUMERS. YOU WERE 'SUCCESSFUL FAILURES' MOPAR, CHRYSLER-DODGE-DAIMER-IACOCCA, ETC. 90+ TSBS, NO RECALLS. CLASS ACTIONS DISMISSED! TIME FOR THE CONSUMERS TO PREVAIL. TIME FOR A CALIFORNIA CLASS ACTION!! *TR

I DRIVE A 2002 DODGE STRATUS,AT 40,000 MILES TRANSMISSION COMPLETELY FAILED COSTING ME 1300 DOLLARS TO REPLACE,AT 62,000 THE SECOND TRANSMISSION FAILED ME AGAIN,ANOTHER 1300 DOLLARS,NOW AT 90,000 MILES TRANSMISSION IS HAVING PROBLEMS DOWN SHIFTING ON A DOWNWARD INCLINE,3,000 MILES AGO I WAS DRIVING AT 35 MPH WHEN THE LOWER BALL JOINT COMPLETELY BROKE ON DRIVER SIDE, WHEEL CAME COMPLETELY OFF COSTING ME 700 DOLLARS TO REPAIR,WAS JUST INFORMED THE PASSENGER SIDE IS GOING OUT NOW. *TR

02/2005 - DURING NORMAL COMMUTE HOURS, I NOTICED MY TRANSMISSION SLIPPING DURING ACCELERATION. TOOK IT INTO THE DEALERSHIP (63,067 ODOMETER), THEY SAID THAT THE TRANSMISSION COOLER LINES WERE LEAKING AND BOTH HOSES NEEDED TO BE REPLACED.( I PARK MY CAR IN THE SAME SPOT AT WORK AND AT HOME, AND HADN'T NOTICED ANY LEAKAGE) I WAS ASSURED THAT ALTHOUGH THERE WERE NO SPOTS, THAT SHOULD FIX THE PROBLEM ALONG WITH A FLUSH, CLEAN, AND CONDITIONER. UNFORTUNATELY, THOSE PARTS WEREN'T COVERED UNDER MY EXTENDED WARRANTY.($406.62 IN REPAIRS) NOTHING WAS LISTED OR MENTIONED ABOUT ANY OTHER PARTS THAT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. 11/2005 - ON MY WAY TO WORK, THE TRANSMISSION STARTS SLIPPING AGAIN AND WENT OUT ON ME. THIS TIME I'M BEING TOLD I NEED A FRONT PUMP, VALVE BODY, AND TORQUE CONVERTER ($2,900 IN REPAIRS). WITH 81,000+ MILES ON THE CAR, AND NOW OUT OF WARRANTY, I'M BEING TOLD THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO ABOUT IT. *NM

THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION FAILED AT 59,000 MILES ON MY 2002 DODGE STRATUS. THE VEHICLE STARTED TO MAKE A POPPING SOUND UNDER THE HOOD ON THE DRIVERS SIDE. THE SOUND WAS INTERMITTENT FOR ABOUT 3 MONTHS. ON SEPTEMBER 22, 2005, THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO MAKE A LOUD WHISTLING SOUND AND STARTED TO SHIFT HARD AND/OR DELAY SHIFT. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A REPAIR SHOP AND IT WAS DIAGNOSED WITH A HARD PART TRANSMISSION FAILURE. THE TOTAL COST OF REPAIR WAS $2100.00 AND THE VEHICLE WENT OUT OF WARRANTY AT 50,000 MILES. *JB

SEVERAL MONTHS AGO I BEGAN NOTICING THAT THE TRANSMISSION ON THE VEHICLE WAS NOT SHIFTING DOWN IN A SMOOTH MANNER. I WENT TO THE LOCAL DODGE DEALERSHIP AND TALKED WITH THE SERVICE MANAGER, EXPLAINED THE PROBLEMS I WAS EXPERIENCING AND ASKED FOR ADVICE ON WHAT TO DO. THE SERVICE MANAGER SAID THAT WITH THE COMPUTER OPERATED TRANSMISSION, THAT THE COMPUTER IS A LITTLE SLOW AND NOT TO WORRY ABOUT IT. RECENTLY HOWEVER THE PROBLEM HAS BEEN INCREASING IN BOTH FREQUENCY AND SEVERITY. TO THE POINT WHEN I AM COMMING TO A STOP AT A STOP LIGHT OR STOP SIGN THE VEHICLE SURGES FORWARD AS I COME TO A STOP AND IT SHIFTS TO THE LOWEST GEAR. IF THE TREND CONTINUES I CAN SEE THIS EITHER DESTROYING THE TRANSMISSION OR CAUSING AN ACCIDENT AS THE SURGE PUSHES THE VEHICLE FORWARD. THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT AT THE LOCAL DEALERSHIP REFUSES TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM AND CONTENDS THAT IT IS JUST A SLOW COMPUTER AND WILL NOT CAUSE ANY PROBLEMS.

TRANSMISSION SOLENOID LEAKING ALONG WITH TRANSMISSION HOSE LINES. SOLONOID WAS COVERED IN WARRANTY. HOSE LINES AND CLAMPS WERE NOT. CAR HAD ONLY 60K. BOOK SPECIFIES TRANSMISSION SERVICE AT 100K. I CONTEND THAT THE CLAMPS USED ON THE LINES ARE NOT ABLE TO ADJUST TO THE AGING HOSE AND CANNOT LAST THE RECOMMENDED SERVICE TIME. ADJUSTABLE CLAMPS WERE EMPLOYED TO CORRECT THE ISSUE.*AK