Engine Belts And Pulleys Problems of Dodge Stratus - part 1

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!!.

See all problems of the 2002 Dodge Stratus 🔎.

04/20/2012 drove out of drive way down heading down the street to stop sign *(cul-DE-sac) heard something like a bang. . . Drove back in to drive way. Open hood. . . Found an open gap on left side of cover showing time chain exposed. . . Had a mechanic look over car, while he was checking under the engine , releasing a few bolts to repair saw timing chain guide had broken off causing time chain shift and go out of position causing the cover to bust open. . . I was told vehicle was not repairable. Due to the timing chain guide . Purchased in December 2011 failed components timing chain and timing chain guide and pulley.

See all problems of the 2004 Dodge Stratus 🔎.

The contact owns a 2006 Dodge Stratus. While traveling 60 mph, the contact noticed smoke coming from the rear of the vehicle. Seconds later, the contact noticed that the bottom of the vehicle was covered in oil. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic where the front seal and timing belt were replaced. There were no prior warnings of the failure. The failure mileage was 54,000 and the current mileage was 64,000. Updated 09/09/10. The consumer stated the front seal failed three more times. Updated 09/10/10.

See all problems of the 2006 Dodge Stratus 🔎.

Dodge 2005 Stratus engine failure. Engine seized up. No oil in engine caused stall. Oil light came on & thought that it indicated low oil. Instead oil light indicated no oil in engine causing engine seize up, timing belt breaking, stalling in the middle of midtown manhattan.

See all problems of the 2005 Dodge Stratus 🔎.

The contact owns a 1996 Dodge Stratus. The contact purchased the vehicle and noticed that the motor was not mounted down and was missing two screws. The motor jerks back and forth so severely that it seems as if the engine will fall out of the vehicle. In addition, the timing chain, fuel pump, ignition coil, serpentine belt, and muffler are failing. New brakes and struts are also needed. The contact did not discover these issues until after the vehicle was purchased. Two days later, the vehicle would not start and had to be towed back to the dealer. The failure mileage was 100,000.

See all problems of the 1996 Dodge Stratus 🔎.

The contact owns a 2001 Dodge Stratus. While the vehicle was parked in a loading zone, the engine suddenly shut off. The vehicle made a knocking noise and the contact attempted to restart the vehicle, but was unsuccessful. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and they stated that the water pump, oil gasket, and timing belt failed. The vehicle was towed to a different shop for a less expensive repair. The new repair shop confirmed the same failures, in addition to oil contamination and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle is currently at a local repair shop. The current and failure mileages were 62,890. Updated 02-18-09 updated 02/18/09.

See all problems of the 2001 Dodge Stratus 🔎.

The contact owns a 2005 Dodge Stratus. The engine warning light illuminated. When the vehicle was taken to the dealer for an oil change, the mechanic stated that the seal on the front crank shaft failed and began leaking oil. A replacement seal was placed on the vehicle; however, there was a 1/4 inch movement in the crankshaft and the seal failed again. The timing belt was also replaced. The current and failure mileages were 48,848. Updated 4/2/08 updated 04/02/08.

I have my automobile routinely maintained, every 6-8 months, (oil, tune up,. . . )oil sludge baking in engine block-cylinder at 50,000 and again 114000. Corrosion build up & gunk in cylinder block, coils & spark plug corrosion causing bad-strong order in automobile and sputtering, poor emission. Transmission slips from time to time at 25,000 and now again at 114000, with leaks which we can smell very strong in automobile. Excessive brake lockage while attempting to break in normal-average speed of 25 miles. Constantly having to have the breaks repair although I have life warranty on breaks. Repairer states its the automobile. Safety belt does not always latch properly and has unlatched all by itself while im driving with my son, (6 yrs old). Drivers belt also unlatches from time to time. While driving I notice the car tens to sway to the right. I have had this auto aligned as well as, routine tire rotation, balancing, ect,. . . Yet it still does this to date. Ball joints, struts wearing out at 25,000. I am tired of investing so much in this automobile. More than I really should have to. I also feel unsafe to drive this automobile. Should my automobile cause any sudden fire due to gunk in a hot running engine & transmission, I will file a law suit. As a consumer I feel that Chrysler should repair my auto and reimburse me for all I have paid simply so that my son and I can feel & be safe driving in this automobile.

See all problems of the 2000 Dodge Stratus 🔎.

Timing belt failure resulted in engine failure. Bearings on both front wheels were replaced at 30,000 miles, replaced front bearings and replaced engine.

1998 Dodge Stratus faulty head gasket.

See all problems of the 1998 Dodge Stratus 🔎.

At approx 60,000 miles my 1998 Dodge Stratus, developed an oil leak at the head gasket, a cracked exhaust manifold, a timing belt tensioner and cover that have failed, a leaking water pump that needs replacing. My mechanic estimates $2150. 00 to replace and repair all these items. To top this off my mechanic tells me that it will take 2 to 3 weeks to get the timing belt tensioner and cover because there's a big back order on these items. Meanwhile I'm without a car! by reveiwing the complaints on the web, I see that this vehicle's head gasket was redesigned by Chrysler since 1998, also the timing belt tensioner has been redesigned. The car has been great up to this point. However I feel, all these recent problems are clearly pre-mature especially since Chrysler has had to redesign the head gasket and tensioner in order to correct the problems with these items. Should there not be a recall on the 1998 Dodge Stratus for all these breakdowns? do I have any recourse on this? could you please help out. Thank you.

Timing belt tensioner broke while driving full speed on the freeway. The engine stalled and I was lucky to get to the side of the road safely. Now the car has been at the shop for two weeks and Dodge states the parts are not in production and unavailable until a later unknown date. I have been told that the part is being remanufactured to eliminate the problem, but the new part hasn't been produced yet. There is not a date set for when the part will be available. Dodge obviously knew the part was defective or they would not have improved it for replacement. Why was my safety put at risk for a part they knew was a problem?.

Engine serpentine belt was frayed.

My 2002 Dodge Stratus se's 2. 7 litre v6 200hp engine completely failed. The mechanic at the first shop said my timing belt was bad, and that my engine, even though maintained was sludged. My vehicle is currently being held at a dealership for possible repair. They said that for $5850 I can have a new engine with a 12,000 mile, or 12 month warranty- I am not shelling out near $6000 for a new engine when it has a 12,000 mile warranty.

I had to fill my oil every week, my oil stick wasnt even reading the oil, thats how bad my leak was I then took it to an independent technician and told it was a head gasket problem. I then took it to another guy and was told there was a "silent recall" on head gaskets. My timing belt broke going 70mph on I-40 in the middle of nowhere at dusk in the tennessee/nc border. And b4 I left for the trip they told me it was ok to drive. Had to pay 300$ towing bill cause it was "ok" to drive! I will never buy another Dodge again. . . I understand there can be problems with any car. . . But when they charge us the consumer to fix there mistakes makes no sense at all.

See all problems of the 1997 Dodge Stratus 🔎.

I have had numerous problems with this vehicle, other than those listed, plus there is much more information to support the problems I have listed. I have experienced a heater core failure, brakes replaced already twice on the vehicle with less than 40,000 miles on the car. I have had a defective seat belt (passenger), the timing chain is a major engine repair that I just had down. Now I am still dealing with the residule prodblem with my heating/defrost since k & m replaced my water pump on 10/17/01. Overall I consider this car to be a real piece of crap and I absolutely would never buy another Stratus and in fact, I will never buy another Chrysler vehicle ever. I feel I have stung with a lemon and basically I no legal recourse which is very unfair to me, the consumer. I am still paying on this piece of crap. If nothing else, I hope to warn anybody else, please do your homework ahead of time and don't buy a Dodge Stratus. Any assistance NHTSA might offer would be greatly appreciated. I can provide any documentation and detail that you require. Thank you.

I took my car in because I needed to have the brakes repaired as a regular item of repair, secondary to wear and tear. This was early in December 2000. The mechanic also checked over the car and reported that as with many 1998 Dodge Stratus' I will need to keep an eye on the cylinder head gasket. The mechanic also informed me that I should check with the dealer and see if this item has yet been recalled. I then had no problems for the next few weeks when I was turning around a corner slowly and an awful noise occurred. I then parked the car and when I returned I had a large oil leak on the ground. I scheduled an appointment with my trusted mechanic and they checked it over when they noticed that the head gasket needed replacing, the entire pulley system was seizing up and needed replacing and my manifold needs to be replaced. The cost of this was $1,000 and that was without replacing the manifold, as I could not afford it at that time. I have called the dealership and they reported that they would have to schedule an appointment to look at the car, submit a claim to the regional manager of daimler Chrysler and they have been known to help out with approx. $200. Of the repairs. Well since I was in the process of moving to GA from CA and had to stay on schedule I was unable to stay back for the appointment which wasn't until a week later. Upone my request for the name and number of the regional manager of daimler Chrysler, they said , I cannot give that information to you. We are the only ones with this information and you must bring to car in for us to inspect. When I asked them if this inpection would cost, they reported, depending upon the tests needed. I knew that financially, even if I was approved for $200 assistance I was better off getting this fixed by a trusted less expensive mechanic and fight the battle later. Clearly a vehicle with 70,000 hwy miles, with oil changes every 3,500 miles should not need a new manifold, a new pulley system and all new gaskets.

While driving, my car stopped in the middle of a busy road. The timing belt had broken n. It took the dealer 3 weeks to fix it. With the head gasket, I brought the car to a service station 3 separate times to find out why it was running hot, before the problem was discovered. This happened only when the car leaked out all of the antifreeze. I have also replaced the front brakes 4 times and the rear brakes 3 times in this vehicle. I have never had to do this with any other car that I have owned.

While driving down the driveway floor mat became entangled within the steering column where it went down to the floor because thier was no protective cover to prevent this from happening. Head gasket and timing belt failed also.

Had problem with timing belt when first purchased. Now having problem with head gasket leakage and stalling of vehicle in operation. Just paid 790. 42 for head gasket repair on April 11, 2000 nad work is still not solving problem. It stalled on me 3 times in traffic and still leaks oil. A recall needs to be placed or vehicle replaced. Im sick to my stomach over this and will never buy another Chrysler or Dodge automobile again.

Timing bel/ pulley bearing failed, causing pulley to break.

Premature failure without warning resulted in being stranded on capitol beltway. Replacement period is 100,000 miles. Actual failure at 45000. Failure cause reported mechanical with tensioner bearings.

I took my car into the dealer after immediately finding out what the problem is. I am financing this car and have an extended warranty. They stated that it is covered, but that they won't fix it do to me not keeping oil in the car. I have had regular maintenance/oil changes on this car and this is a crock of s---. I have been on the web and find that this is a common defect with Dodge neons and Stratuses. My mechanic has even offered to vouch for this problem. I refuse to pay for damages incurred by faulty construction of the car by the Chrysler company, especially when it is a *covered* part. I will never again buy a Dodge car. I have had to replace the brake pads/ rotors twice and seem to continuously need "belts and tune ups". I am thoroughly upset that my first car purchase turned out to be a piece of crap and nothing but trouble. If they will not fix this "covered" repair, they will see me in court. No safety defect listed in summary.

Vehicle has undergone every recall, consumer paid cost of failed engine head gasket, engine seized due to improper timing belt installation. Car was being driven at 50mph on interstate, transmission shifted to neutral, pulled off to shoulder, transmission shifted to park transmission blew up and car locked up. Pregnant passsenger suffered wiplash etc. Dodge conducted investigation (# 5804935) stated this was impossible. Note: incident occured days before notification of shifter recall. Letter sent by Dodge stating they found no problems, refuses to release full report claiming propriatory info. Consumer again had to pay for full cost of repair, new trans. $ 1,700.

Engine pulley that holds the timing belt broke which may have caused a loss of vehicle control if driving.

There was a recall on the timing belt/tensioner, my car was built outside of the build date for recall. Chrysler has changed the parts for the gaskets several times, they know this problem exists, but they will not provide any assistance with it. Sounds like a class action suit is in order!.

I went to get an oil change. I was informed that I had an oil leak. I than went to my local garage to make an appointtment. I than discovered that it was leaking due to the head gasket. This also means that the timing belt needs to be done. I called peter kotch (where I purchased the car) and was informed that I did not purchase additional coverage and they could not help. I than called the Chrysler corp 800 number. I talked with a represenative about the problem. He stated that they could not help. But, he did inform me of several safty recalls for the car. I have since went searching into the web sights for recalls. There was a recall 1/97 for a timing belt problem. I was wondering if this could be something that could be causing the problems I have now. I am not sure if this one was taken care of before I purchased the car. I just do not believe that a car of only 2 years and 66093 miles should need this type of expense. All the work that is needed is costing me 937. 00 estimate.

The timing belt tensioner and pulley failed causing the car to totally shut down while driving.

Timing belt and idler pulley tensioner failed. Mjs (attorney for consumer).

Timing belt idler pulley broke damaging the timing belt.

Timing belt and casing broke. Yh.

Timing belt tensioner broke while driving, causing problems including rough idle, idle rpm cycling, surging, bucking, higher than normal rpms on deceleration, problems persist after three visits to dealer.

Vehicle was brought in for timing gear belt pulley system. Car engine winded really loud. Engine head gasket was blown and leaking oil, foamy whit residue formed around inside of oil cap. Dealer told consumer that may be a manufacturer's defect. Gasket has been replace almost 4 times.

Idler pulley bearing seized up and broke apart and tore timing belt.

Rear seat belt. Engine--cylinder head gasket.