Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (doors, hood, frame, rust, paint and trim).
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).
2001 Dodge Stratus was hit on passenger side by a Jeep cherokee traveling at approximately 40 MPH. The door setup in the Stratus was not at all effective. Not only did the door provide absolutely no protection to a passenger had there been one, but the entire door was forced into the inside of the vehicle. The intruding door struck and injured the driver in the car. Whether or not there was anything wrong with the structural design in the door, it should have been secured to the outside of the vehicle. Regardless, this would have been fatal to anyone on the passenger side of the car. Changes should be made to new models. This is an unacceptable flaw in the design of the car. How can daimlerchrysler sacrifice a hundred or two pounds of solid steel and hundred of precious lives to get another mile to the gallon? …
The dashboard of my 2001 Dodge Stratus r/t has become severly cracked. I first noticed a small crack last year shortly after I purchased the vehicle. A few months later I noticed that the crack had become even larger and that another crack was forming. Then during the winter months I noticed a third crack near the defroster vent! I contacted the dealership that I purchased the car from and explained the problem to them. They told that they were unfamiliar with any such problem and that since the car was out of warranty that there was nothing they could do to help me. I noticed a 4th crack a few weeks ago and did some searching online to see if anyone else was experiencing this same problem and found that alot of people have! I have read where others have had the dashboard replaced/repaired only to have the cracking problem recur. …
Trunk door design has a defect that will cause the trunk door to slam down with excessive and unimpeded force without warning and will do so on its own, even in calm winds. Multiple incident have occurred where the trunk door has slammed down while the driver or the passenger was reaching into the trunk to retrieve articles from the trunk. Currently the only way to safely use the trunk is to have a second person hold the trunk door while the first person places or retrieves articles from the trunk. Injuries that have occurred were momentary back pain and on one occasion a concussion (when the trunk door hit the vehicle owner in the head). None of the injuries required medical treatment. Problem gets worse when vehicle is parked on an incline (particularly if the rear of the vehicle is facing downhill), even if the incline is slight.
I like to bring your attention to windows in the cars. I was in close call accident and I, witness another incident in miner damages to car. I was crossing intersection at sharp angle and did not see car crossing it at hi speed, near miss. I witness intersection where car merging in to traffic, force vehicle of the road to side, damaging rims on the car over the curb side walk. Simply egg design cars are not safe to drive!!!! It is worst then distractive driving is blind driving all the time. I recommend 80's. As a comparison and inspiration.
I have had this car for 2 years now with little problems. Had a few oil changes and some brake work done to it. But in the last year I have changed all the calipers in this car 2 to 3 times the break pads many times the ball joints the roaders the swing arm and the cluster dash. This was a great car till it stopped going over 30 without a terrible shake.
Dashboard cracked and split in the 2001 Dodge Stratus coupe. Also my wife' s 2002 Dodge, Stratus had the same problem. Pieces fell into the vents and rattled. So far there have been no major failures,but we have heard of people with the same cars having the same problems, and some had electrical failures when the dash board collapsed.
Purchased this 2001 Dodge Stratus r/t coupe in July of 2009. August 2nd there are huge cracks in the dash and the defrost vents have disintegrated. Once the dash completely cracks it exposes wiring to the elements, which could cause arcing or a fire.....
Clear coat on black paint has turned white and flaking off. Started on the roof of the car in the fall of 2006. Dealer and letter to manufacturer both offered no help. The clear coat problem has spread to the hood, sides, and trunk also.
Dodge Stratus engine die out due to crankshaft position sensor that came in contact w/ a protective shield, which consequently caused a grouted circuit. Thereby causing my engine to die out. My vehicle is a lease, and the warranty is up, and I never received any recall information. Recall info on this call, and the prior year are numerous deadly one. Those which can possibly cause injury, or death. I was almost a statistic today when my vehicle died out completely in an exit ramp off the highway. Please help me find out how responsible the dealership is because I never received any!!!! Recall letters. I received their bill, but yet no recall info. This vehicle is only three years old. I have prior to this vehicle purchased three other vehicles from yonkers avenue Dodge, and have traded them in for new ones, but they too had problems, and the dealer never gave me any breaks in price. …
Drove the vehicle the night before there were no signs, warnings of anything wrong. Went to drive the vehicle the next afternoon and upon start up vehicle was making a rattling, clicking noise, turned it off immediately. Had car towed, was told oil was sludgy , engine needed to be replace, at a cost of minimum end of $5700. Mechanic stated he had two more vehicles of exact year, make, model and 2.7l engine on his lot with the same problems. He stated further, he was sorry, but would have to decline his service to repair/replace the engine as he was already fed up with dealing with manufacturer with the other two vehicles. He went on to state that the manufacturer is claiming owner fault, of not maintaining 3000 mile oil changes, even though one of the owners had every receipt proving otherwise. …
Related recalls
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.
Body complaints in other Stratus years
Frequently asked questions
How common are body problems on the 2001 Dodge Stratus?
NHTSA has 21 complaints about the body & structure of the 2001 Dodge Stratus, 10% of the model year's 218 complaints. The component named most often is body (4 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2001 Dodge Stratus body problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 00V-278 (underbody shields, Sep 18, 2000). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2001 Dodge Stratus body problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 60,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 0 fires and 3 injuries to body & structure 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.