Five problems related to automatic transmission have been reported for the 2001 Dodge Stratus. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2001 Dodge Stratus based on all problems reported for the 2001 Stratus.
I am writing on behalf of the issue concerning safety and reliability of Mitsubishi/Dodge vehicles containing the f4a51 automatic transaxle (2000-05 eclipse, 2001-05 Stratus rt, 1997-2003 v6 galant) the main issue seems to be a manufacturing defect in the wave/cushion spring located in the transmission. Mitsubishi has designed the wave spring as a fragile two coil piece which has been known to repeatedly break causing catastrophic failure in the transmission. This in turn poses a threat on the driver/passengers as when this wave spring breaks, actual pieces of the spring make it through mitsubishis also faulty transmission filter and lodge themselves in the pump gear, causing the gear to break. When broken, all forward and reverse gears immediately stop functioning and in most instances the vehicle shuts off. This could result in potential harm or even death of the driver and/or passenger as the vehicle loses all moving power which can cause an accident with other vehicles on the road. Mitsubishi has recently created an updated version of the wave spring without issuing a recall, a now one piece design instead of a coil setup which is prone to breaking. To many Mitsubishi/Dodge owners this update was discovered after they have had their vehicle in a transmission shop with a hefty bill to pay even though it was mitsubishis fault for engineering a faulty part. All one person would need to find out about this issue is search the internet with the transmission code f4a51 and this issue is well documented, even researched by transmission digest. Not only is this a large inconvenience to most, it is also a hazard to ones life. Mitsubishi should recall all vehicles containing the f4a51 transmission to perform the wave spring and filter update or reimburse those who have already had it done at their cost. This is an issue that needs to be addressed as if you own a vehicle with the f4a51 your vehicle will eventually need this repair, if you are still around to do it.
I purchased my vehicle in July 2005. The vehicle was okay until Feb-2006, the transmission stopped shifting. This caused the vehicle to jerk very hard and loose power. The vehicle was taken to a transmission specialist 3 times and still was not repaired. I was told that he could not fix it. The vehicle is still doing the same thing and on top of it losing power, it cuts off. This is very unsafe and can cause an accident.
Transmission malfunctioned. As a result, when shifting vehicle jerked.
Dealer replaced automatic transmission at very low mileage. Also, replaced steering pump at cost of $200, the deductible.
While driving the automatic transmission went out. The vehicle was taken to an independent repair shop. The transmission had to be replaced. The transmission lasted for only 1 and a half years.