Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (front, side and curtain air bags, sensors and inflators).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2001 Dodge Stratus owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
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!!
Dt: contact stated while driving at 40 MPH vehicle hit black ice and she lost control of the vehicle. This resulted in an accident. Upon impact, the airbags did not deploy. The vehicle was repaired at that time. Then, she was driving at a later date and hit a deer. This was a frontal impact. Upon impact, the air bags did not deploy. The vehicle was repaired after the crash. The vehicle was once again in crash while pulling out of a parking lot. The vehicle was hit on the driver's side, and upon impact, the air bags did not deploy. Vehicle was no longer under warranty. The repairs were being made at the contact's expense. Police report was taken.
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 Dodge Stratus. The contact was stopped in traffic when a vehicle crashed into the rear of her, causing her to crash into the preceding vehicle. The driver of the vehicle sustained injuries to the neck and back. The air bags did not deploy. The driver was transported by ambulance to the hospital. The vehicle was towed to a body shop but was not repaired. The vehicle was destroyed. The approximate failure mileage was 130,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 Dodge Stratus. The contact stated that while driving 80 MPH, the driver lost control of the vehicle and drove into an embankment. The vehicle was air-borne and then flipped. The driver and passenger air bags failed to deploy. The driver of the vehicle was killed. The passenger sustained minor injuries. The vehicle was towed to a salvage-yard. The failure mileage was 100,000.
I have a Dodge Stratus se sedan, 2001 model.. While turning left into a parking lot the steering wheel almost locked up, then something snapped and broke inside. I regain steering but my airbag light was on and remains on. The other controls on the steering wheel such as cruise control and the horn do not work.. I feel the cruise control not working, the wheel freezing up momentarily until you break the ribbon wire inside the clockspring both are safety hazards. The part that is defective is the clockspring.. It is available from the dealer only at a cost over $129.00.. It is very cheaply made and is essentially a ribbon wire wrapped around a plastic spool. It is capable of binding up and preventing the steering wheel to turn. One should be inspected and any engineer will agree it is very poorly designed. …
Dodge Stratus 2001, 46000 miles. Car was purchased used from the us government on public sale. Air bag light on, horn does not work, cruise control also affected. This is caused by faulty clockspring part located in steering wheel. I called Dodge after discovering on your web site that there was a recall for 1,500,000 grand caravans that had a same problem caused by their faulty clockspring. Grand caravans also had air bag light on, horn was not working and cruise control was off. I express my concern to Dodge since this is a safety issue and I was hoping they will consider fixing this. I been told to take the car to dealership for diagnostics and after they receive results they will consider fixing this. Diagnostics were performed and result was that the clockspring was broken. Dodge declined my request for fixing the problem. …
I have had my car for a little over 3 years now. First it was the passenger side ball joint. Then a year later it was the ball joint on the driver side plus the control arm. Then it was the brakes and rotors. Then right after that I find out the ball joint I had just replaced on the passenger side needs replaced again! Now my oil light comes on at idle after the engine has warmed up. Had the oil changed as always between 2000 and 3000 miles as I should. Had the oil sending unit replaced and still have a oil light on with a full engine of oil. Now my steering column just today made a cracking sound as I was backing up with the wheel turning to the left. Then the airbag light came on and wont go off. Now my steering is stiff. Talked to a mechanic and it is a safety issue.
Purchased a used 2001 Dodge Stratus and about a week after purchasing it I was backing out of a parking space at the store when I heard a snap/pop sound from the steering column. Air bag light came on and now everytime I turn the wheel I can hear a popping or clicking sound. The irony is that I bought it because my 96 Dodge intrepid is having electrical issues which included the air bag light being on and affecting the electric windows and the heater/air conditioning blower so I have no heater nor defroster. I have always been a Chrysler/Dodge person and have always owned one since I was 18, but I am beginning to think I need to change my loyalty to another make and model.
I turned a corner and heard a clicking sound. My air bag light went on and my horn would not sound. I later found out that my cruise control was also not working. I did some research and discovered that it is due to a broken clock spring. Two Dodge dealerships told me they would not repair it at no cost, that in fact it would cost at least $200.00 . I now see that this has been a continual problem with Dodge vehicles of the same year. To this day, it has not yet been fixed, as I am waiting to get an agreeable dealership to repair the problem at their expense. Since this problem renders the airbag inoperable, I would consider this a major safety defect/problem.
Related recalls
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.
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.
Airbag complaints in other Stratus years
Frequently asked questions
How common are airbag problems on the 2001 Dodge Stratus?
NHTSA has 29 complaints about the air bags of the 2001 Dodge Stratus, 13% of the model year's 218 complaints. The component named most often is frontal (4 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2001 Dodge Stratus airbag problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 16V-401 (inflator module, Jun 3, 2016); NHTSA recall 15V-338 (inflator module, Jun 2, 2015); NHTSA recall 00V-306 (frontal, Oct 12, 2000). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2001 Dodge Stratus airbag problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 84,000 miles, and 18% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 6 crashes, 0 fires and 5 injuries and 1 death to air bags 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.