Most common 2001 Dodge Stratus problems
Share of the 218 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Dodge Stratus complaints by model year
Best Stratus years: 2005, 2006, 2003. Years to avoid: 1996, 1997, 1995. Compare all years →
2001 Dodge Stratus recalls (10)
Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module
Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. (MMNA) is recalling certain model year 2001-2002 Chrysler Sebring and Dodge Stratus vehicles, equipped with beige interiors. The affected vehicles were previously repaired for a recall issue using an incorrect part.
Remedy: Chrysler will notify the affected owners. Dealers will install the correct tether strap to retain the passenger sun visor, free of charge.
Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module
Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. (MMNA) is recalling certain model year 2000-2005 Eclipse vehicles manufactured April 5, 1999, to December 17, 2004, 2001-2005 Eclipse Spyder vehicles manufactured January 19, 2000, to March 18, 2005, 2001-2005 Chrysler Sebring vehicles manufactured April 17, 2000, to February 21, 2005, and…
Remedy: MMNA will notify their owners, and Chrysler will notify the Chrysler and Dodge owners. Dealers will install a tether strap to retain the passenger sun visor, free of charge. The recall began on July 20, 2015.
Power train › Automatic transmission › Cooling unit and lines
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles equipped with automatic transmissions. A hose manufacturing process allowed the reinforcement yard to breach the inner layer of some automatic transmission hoses weakening the inner wall which could result in leakage of the automatic transmission fluid.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the transaxle oil cooler hoses. Owner notification began April 9, 2001. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy…
Seats
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. A number of incorrect driver side seat mounting bolts were installed into vehicles.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the seat mounting bolts and then replace the bolts if necessary. Owner notification began February 5, 2001.
Child seat
Vehicle description: certain passenger vehicles, pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of FMVSS no. 225, "child restraint anchorage systems." some of the owner's manuals for these vehicles are missing instructions that provide a step-by-step procedure, including diagrams, for properly…
Remedy: Owners will be provided with an addendum to the owner's manuals.
Fuel system, gasoline › Delivery › Hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. The outer layer only of this 3-layer fuel return hose does not contain the desired ozone protection due to a processing error.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the fuel return hose.
Show 4 more recalls
Air bags › Frontal
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. Passenger air bags were built with suspect aluminum extrusion sections which May not retain the air bag door during an air bag deployment event.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the passenger side air bag.
Engine and engine cooling › Engine
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. The harness for the crankshaft position sensor could come in contact with a new protective shield causing a grounded circuit.
Remedy: Dealers will re-route the crankshaft position sensor harness.
Structure › Frame and members › Underbody shields
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. Through degradation of the bond between the silencer pad and a sheet metal panel (quarter inner upper), the pad May fall onto the map light located in the rear seating area near the c-pillar trim panel (lh and rh).
Remedy: Dealers will remove the insulation pad from behind both rear map lights.
Steering › Gear box (other than rack and pinion)
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. A nut in the steering gear assembly was not properly tightened, resulting in symptoms ranging from steering wheel vibration to stiff steering, and in the worst case, no ability to turn left.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect these vehicles and replace the steering gear assembly if a loose nut connection is found.
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal safety investigators have looked into a possible defect involving the 2001 Dodge Stratus:
Safety belt cinching latch plate
There are no injuries or fatalities associated with this alleged defect.while conducting this investigation, odi found that the subject cinches meet the load bearing requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard 208, and that many of the reported failures were due to incorrect child safety seat installations.
What 2001 Dodge Stratus owners say
Engine & cooling all 65 →
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. …
I bought my 2001 Stratus r/t used. Not even a year after I had bought it, I had to pay over $100 to get it to idle right. Then I was in a not-at-fault accident 6 mos. Later with over $8,000 in damages to the front end and the air bags didn't deploy. After the wreck I had to pay over $ 1,300 to get the shocks & struts fixed just to have it mess up not even 4 mos. Later. It also as a rotten odor coming from it occasionally. I also paid almost $200 for a new battery to have it start to drain not even 6-7 mos. Later! And when the battery had to be cleaned, I had to get it re-idled again! Now it won't stay started unless you're giving it gas. I love the look, but worst car I ever bought. And it's not even paid off!!!! *e.g.*
Suspension all 42 →
2001 Dodge Stratus. Loss of control. Resulting in 2 separate crashes. I did sustain injury in the last incident. I was trying to turn left into a parking lot, wheel turned only partially. I could not get it to move the correct direction, and I ran into a tall (15in.) curb. Sustained whiplash and a large knot on my head. The 1st incident was while trying to turn left and my car would not go that way. I ended up hitting yet another tall curb,due to loss of control. It May be worthy to note I have replaced the lower control arm on the drivers side, but am still getting periods of having a hard time turning my wheel. This occurs whether in motion or just starting my car and turning the wheel to leave . I also had to replace right side due to failure of the wheel to turn right as well. I actually was going about 30mph and barely made my turn, almost broadsiding a sitting vehicle. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 Dodge Stratus. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the contact drove over a bump in the roadway and without warning, the front strut tower fractured and went through the driver's side hood. The vehicle was towed to the residence where it remained awaiting repairs. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The contact went to c.r. Motors of hudson (518 s meridian rd, hudson, mi 49247, [phone]) and requested information on repairing the vehicle. The contact was informed that the part needed to repair the vehicle was not available. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that parts were not available. The failure mileage was approximately 193,000.
Air bags all 29 →
I bought my 2001 Stratus r/t used. Not even a year after I had bought it, I had to pay over $100 to get it to idle right. Then I was in a not-at-fault accident 6 mos. Later with over $8,000 in damages to the front end and the air bags didn't deploy. After the wreck I had to pay over $ 1,300 to get the shocks & struts fixed just to have it mess up not even 4 mos. Later. It also as a rotten odor coming from it occasionally. I also paid almost $200 for a new battery to have it start to drain not even 6-7 mos. Later! And when the battery had to be cleaned, I had to get it re-idled again! Now it won't stay started unless you're giving it gas. I love the look, but worst car I ever bought. And it's not even paid off!!!! *e.g.*
Stopped at stop sign. Started to make right hand turn, heard pop in the steering column, warning bell went off, airbag light came on and stayed on. Horn stopped working and no cruise control. Took vehicle in for replacement of clockspring today, 7/18/2015, at a cost of $167.99 for the part and $119.23 for labor. No airbags is a safety issue. Clockspring failure is known to Dodge/Chrysler and recently Jeep and any vehicle made by Dodge/Chrysler/Jeep that has this failure should have all parts and labor covered by the vehicle manufacturer. We did nothing to cause this and could have done nothing to prevent it. Recalls were done but not for all vehicles. Maybe that needs to change. Bad part for sure!!
2001 Dodge Stratus engines & fuel economy
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | MPG city / hwy / combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.4L 4-cyl | 5-speed manual | FWD | 20 / 27 / 23 |
| 2.4L 4-cyl | 4-speed automatic | FWD | 18 / 25 / 21 |
| 3.0L 6-cyl | 5-speed manual | FWD | 18 / 26 / 21 |
| 2.7L 6-cyl | 4-speed automatic | FWD | 18 / 26 / 21 |
| 3.0L 6-cyl | 4-speed automatic | FWD | 17 / 25 / 20 |
EPA ratings. Class: Compact car.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2001 Dodge Stratus a good car?
Based on 218 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2001 Stratus rates average: about as many complaints as a typical year of the Stratus at the same age. Complaint counts don't account for sales volume or individual maintenance, so have any used car inspected before buying.
What is the most common problem with the 2001 Dodge Stratus?
The engine & cooling — 65 complaints, 30% of all complaints for this model year, most often about engine. Next are the suspension (42) and air bags (29).
How many recalls does the 2001 Dodge Stratus have?
There are 10 recalls for the 2001 Dodge Stratus, the most recent from June 3, 2016 (inflator module). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer — check whether yours has been done with the VIN recall check.
What are the best and worst years of the Dodge Stratus?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2005, 2006 and 2003. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 1996, 1997 and 1995. See the full Dodge Stratus years comparison.
At what mileage do 2001 Dodge Stratus problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 67,000 miles; 29% of problems with a recorded mileage started before 50,000 miles.
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.