general problems of the 2001 Dodge Stratus

While parked and turned off, my '01 Dodge Stratus r/t encountered an engine fire. The entire engine is almost beyond recognition. There was no indication that anything of the kind was wrong; the car had been running as usual. A simple google of "stratus engine fire" turned up an overwhelming occurrence of Stratus owners with this same problem. It appears to have started near the fusebox, which was also the location of the fire in the countless search results. The car had idled too high from a few days after I purchased it. We had the idle air control valve changed and the idle speed adjusted by the shop four or five times, yet nothing would stop the high idle. The only thing that would decrease it was to turn the air conditioner on--which brings me to another problem. The drain holes for the air conditioner are not sufficient for drainage. Thus, running the ac leads to water pooling in the driver's side floorboard. All we could get the shop to do was blow out the drain holes and check for clogs. So, if we wanted the car to idle at a lower speed, we would have to deal with a couple inches of water on the floorboard.

Has problems with starting. Replaced wire and fuse in box. Still doing the same thing.

While driving and turning to the right consumer heard a noise coming from the brakes. Also brake light illuminated on the dashboard . Dealer inspected several times, but problem recurred. The emergency brake light illuminated when the consumer made right turns down a grade. It was later determined that the brake fluid was low. The interior lights blink intermittently.

I bought this car brand new off the lot on 01/12/01 with 14 miles on it. 04/14/02 I was driving the car when the "service engine soon" light came on and stalled out in the middle of an intersection. When the car was able to be started again, blue smoke was coming out the back. I parked the car nearby and let it sit for about 20 minutes, and when I tried to start the car again, it would not stay running, and there was more blue smoke coming out of it. I called the Dodge towing service, and had the car towed to the original dealer that I bought it at. They "fixed" the problem and told me I had dirty gas particles. I have had the check engine light come on 4 times since that, and the car stalls when in idle while the light is on. The dates are as follows 04/14/02, 06/24/02, 01/13/03, 04/07/03, and 04/29/03. The dealer has on this last attempt to fix my vehicle that the "fix" they have applied again is not permanent (said it may work for another 4 months) and that they do not have any answer for what they need to do in order to make my vehicle a safe car to be in again. They are admitting to me that this is an electrical engine problem, and that they have other consumers out there having the same problem I am. In the meantime, I had sent a letter of defect notification to the manufacturer, dated 04/22/03. The letter was sent certified, and return receipt. I received a phone call from the manufacturer the morning of 04/28/03 confirming that they received my letter and paperwork regarding the lemon law. As of today, 05/06/03, the manufacturer is telling my dealer service manager that they would be more than happy to trade me into another vehicle, but that they do not want to buy the vehicle back, despite the lemon law of az 44-1261. I am in the process of contacting the az attorney general, and filing a complaint with the center for auto safety. Thank you.

The dashboard lights became dim while driving. The dash lights flickered while the vehicle was in motion. Repair was available for the consumers to pay out of pocket. Service bulletin# l4-148.