Table 1 shows two common air brake related problems of the 1996 Dodge Stratus.
| Problem Category | Number of Problems |
|---|---|
| Air Brake Antilock problems | |
| Air Brake Disc Caliper problems |
Accident occurred due to failure of the brakes. While driving northbound on knights road in bensalem, a car (2 cars ahead of me)slammed on their brakes to make a left hand turn. The Mini-van that was directly in front of me also stopped suddenly. As I approached, I slowed down to a stop. The Mini-van started to proceed around the vehicle. I then took my foot off the brake to also go around the vehicle, however the Mini-van stopped suddenly again. At this point I placed my foot on the brake pedal and it went to the floor. My car rolled into the Mini-van. My insurance paid out approximatly $1500. 00 in damage to fix their bumper. I am now however going through a lawsuit for bodily damage. After the accident occurred I contacted Chrysler. They sent an inspector out to check my brakes at the dealership. The result was they found nothing wrong with my brakes and that I need to learn how to drive a car with anti-lock brakes. This infuriated me for it is not the first car I have had with anti-lock brakes and I never had a problem before with any other car. This accident was not the first time that the brakes failed on this car. Several incidents occurred previous where I would turn into a driveway or parking lot and suddenly loose my brakes for a few minutes. After I took my car to the dealership for the inspection, I haven't had any further problems with the brakes. I was never informed whether any adjustments were made to fix the problem or if it is just a coincedance. Since I've had this car there has been at least 4 recalls on various things. I lease the vehicle and when I contacted the dealership because I didn't feel safe driving it, there was nothing that I could do except ot buy out the lease which I couldn't afford.
Brake pads and calipers failed.