Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (automatic and manual transmissions, CVT, axles, driveshaft, 4WD/AWD).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 1997 Dodge Stratus owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Have contacted Dodge/daimler-Chrysler several times about transmission on my 1997 Dodge Stratus going out. Hesitation on shifting into gear, slipping out of gear and back in on turns, trans leaks, slipping into gear suddenly and jerking the car, and so on. Car has only 66,000 miles on it now and I got it in 2001 when my father passed away. It had only 53,000 miles on it then. A trans shouldn't be going out at 50-60,000 miles. If Dodge has a bad product they should correct it themselves. I shouldn't have to pay to repair a problem Dodge already knows about and isn't doing anything about. I never haul or pull anything and I only put 13,000 miles on it in five years. Not heavy driving. I should not have any problems at all and Dodge refused to do anything or pay for repair- just saying "it's past warranty". …
The vehicle was used to travel from home to a cinema; was parked, turned off the engine. After cinema session ended the driver and passangers were surprised to see the fire dept turning off a fire that ignited unexpectedly. The vehicle was a total loss; the fire ignited under the motor, to the driver's side.
Automatic transmission would intermittently shift out of drive into neutral while driving 40 MPH or more. Consumer was concerned that the vehicle May be involved in a rear end collision because of this condition. Dealer was not notified.
With no prior warning, I was driving my car on a busy street and when I tried to accelerate, the car acted like it had been put in neutral. I limped it over to a transmission place and they put a machine on it. The third gear is out so we had to have it rebuilt. The cost to do this is $1650.00. It doesn't seem that a vehicle should have to have a new transmission with only 9,000 miles out of warranty. We previously had trouble with this car because we were stranded at night with 3 children in the car on the freeway due to the timing belt being shredded at 23,000 miles. We had to be towed to a dealership and rent a vehicle to get home (70 miles away). After that, we had trouble with the manifold. We had a cracked manifold and I had to repeatedly go back and argue that there was something wrong. I finally got it replaced after 3 visits and a week long stay, it was fixed. …
Dt: Dodge Stratus 1997. Consumer received recall notice concerning transaxles floor shifter park interlock. Consumer said that it broke, causing the axle to malfunction. When turn the car on consumer could shift the shifter into gear without pushing the button on shifter or pressing the brakes. Before had to press the brake and push button to go into gear. Currently, vehicle will not go into gear unless consumer shut the vehicle off and turning it back on. Sometimes when shutting the vehicle off it would not shut off until consumer messed with the shifter. Consumer called in for recall repairs, and consumer went back to pick up vehicle and the dashboard and steering column were taken apart and not put back together. Consumer said it was laying on the front passenger's side. There was no fan belt on engine. Consumer said that dealer charged her $87.00.
About 3 weeks before the problem was realized, I heard a very loud whirring sound. I had taken it to feeney Dodge in palatine to have the front brakes done. They did the brakes but I don't understand why they did not notice the left wheel bearing noise. I took it to Goodyear in mt. Prospect for regular maintenance and they noticed it right away. They said that the left wheel bearing needed to be replaced. I had an amoco station I know well do the repair. Why did a car that is only 2 1/2 years old need a wheel bearing replaced? I have never had a car have this problem. Why wasn't this under the three year warranty? I contacted feeney and another dealer in the area and got told that no, that is not under the 3 year warranty. This repair should have been paid for by Chrysler not me. The part had to be defective for this to have happened.
The transmission has failed 3 times in my Dodge Stratus, wont shift out of 2nd gear,it was towed to the dealer 3 times they said they fixed it the first 2 times but it was not fixed properly. It is currently at the dealer again for the same problem. I have talked to 3 other people that have had the same problem with the transmissions in their Chrysler vehicles however, Chrysler corp main office denies any problem with transmission...not that I thought they would say so. But someone at the service department of my dealer admits that chrsyler knows of the problem but will not go public.
On May 27,1998 I called the dealer to have my car looked at because I was having a major oil leak.when the dealer got it in for service they noticed it was a blown head-gasket and fixed the problem for me.on nov. 11,1998 at 38616 miles I now have a bad transmiision and I'm wondering if it is a defect,I have a family member who owns a 1996 Dodge Stratus and she was expriencing some problems with her transmission.the transmission will not go into 3rd. Or 4th. Gear, all I have is 2nd. Gear even if I were to put it in 3rd. Gear manually.
I have contacted Dodge without any help. The representative I talked to was very insensitive to the problem I called in about. I know of 2 different individuals that had the same problem and got it fixed, even after the warranty was out. I had no option but to have the car towed and fixed. The car is only 2 and 1/2 years old and is only driven on the expressway. I don't understand how this could happen. Please contact me with any info. No safety defect listed in the summary.
It would stick when I would put my car into drive or reverse and the engine started sounding louder than it should when I accelerated. Then on Friday October 1, 1999 as I was increasing speed from 35 to 45mph the RPM gage started spinning. Though I had my foot on the gas the speed did not increase and it felt like my wheels locked up. I have been told that I am missing third gear.
Related recalls
Power train › Automatic transmission › Lever and linkage › Floor shift
On certain passenger vehicles, the floor shifter ignition-park interlock May fail and allow the shifter to be moved out of the park position with the key removed. An inoperative interlock May also allow the key to be removed when the shifter has not been placed in the park position.
Remedy: Dealers will install a new load-limiting push rod into the floor shifter lever of the affected vehicles. Owner notification began on June 14, 2004. Owners should contact daimlerchrysler at 1-800-853-1403.
Power train › Automatic transmission › Park/neutral start interlock switch
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles equipped with automatic transmissions. The adjustment of the cable connecting the console shifter mechanism to the ignition key can cause a trapped key condition which can result in a low force required to depress the shift button.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect for proper operation of the system. Any vehicles that are not functional after the inspection will have the shift mechanism and cable replaced with a "self-adjusting" design.
NHTSA investigations
Auto trans ignition-park interlock
The manufacturer reports above are based on daimlerchrysler?s (dc) analysis of model year (my) 1998 (population = 356,384) and 1999 (population = 486,948) ja, jx and lh family subject vehicle data (earlier mys excluded).the population number includes all mys.the precise number of duplicates between odi and dc reports cannot be determined due to missing or incomplete information.the fatality incident involved an…
Transmission complaints in other Stratus years
Frequently asked questions
How common are transmission problems on the 1997 Dodge Stratus?
NHTSA has 36 complaints about the transmission & drivetrain of the 1997 Dodge Stratus, 10% of the model year's 349 complaints. The component named most often is automatic transmission (23 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1997 Dodge Stratus transmission problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 04V-021 (floor shift, Jan 13, 2004); NHTSA recall 98V-183 (park/neutral start interlock switch, Aug 6, 1998). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 1997 Dodge Stratus transmission problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 58,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 3 fires and 0 injuries to transmission & drivetrain problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.