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 2002 Dodge Stratus owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 Dodge Stratus coupe. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 15V338000 (air bags) and stated that the part was not available within a reasonable time frame to schedule the recall repair. The dealer did not give a specific date for when the part would become available. The manufacturer could not provide an estimated date for when the vehicle would receive the recall repair. A month ago, while driving an unknown rate of speed, the contact struck a deer and the air bags did not deploy. The contact sustained pains to the right leg, right knee, and foot. A police report was not filed and the contact did not receive medical attention. The vehicle was not inspected to determine why the air bags did not deploy. …
First complaint...on more than one occasion on wet roadways I would begin to slow down farther behind than normal for my stop or turn. Every single time my breaks locked up on me and I slid. A couple of times almost ended in a collision. I was involved in an accident dealing with a train. When I stopped the train hit the front end of my car. It pulled off my bumper, hood, radiator, coolant each landing at least 75 feet away. It also twisted my engine, transmission, bent my frame, and rear axle. All the while my battery blew up. Out of all of that my air bags did not deploy.
Dt*: the contact stated while driving 35mph on a winding road, curving right, the steering wheel jerked and the vehicle turned left. The brakes seemed stiff when applied. The vehicle hit a fence and the driver sustained severe injuries. The airbags did not deploy, although seat belts were worn. A police report was filed. The vehicle was deemed totaled by the insurance agency, but no determination was made as to why the airbags failed to deploy. However, the insurance agency did determine the accident May have been cause by a steering or brake problem.
Tl contact owns a 2002 Dodge Stratus. While driving approximately 30 MPH on a wet surface, the contact depressed the brake pedal and the vehicle hydroplaned. He rear ended the preceding vehicle and the air bags failed to deploy. The contact received a concussion. A police report was filed. The vehicle was diagnosed by the dealer. The current and failure mileages were 60,000. The body shop informed the consumer the reason why the airbag did not deploy was because the sensors were mounted so low in the front and rear of the vehicle. Updated 05/30/08
While driving at 35 MPH consumer's vehicle was involved in a head on collision with a parked vehicle. Consumer was not wearing a seat belt, and air bags did not deploy. A citation was presented to the consumer by the police. There were no injuries to the consumer.
I am concerned with a few things on my 2002 Dodge Stratus se 4 door. One, I feel that the ABS system on my car did not work properly. I had to do an emergency stop with my car in which my wheels locked up and the car proceeded to "launch forward" at least 10 feet even though my foot was still on the brake pedal.there were no skid marks. I ended up hitting a woman in front of me who had jacked up. Please keep in mind that I was only traveling at about 25 MPH having just come through a light. In addition to that, even though I was wearing my seatbelt, I still hit the dashboard with my knee and the steering wheel with my chin. Normally when I come to a stop at a stop sign my seat belt gets tighter when I step on the brakes and I have trouble leaning forward to look both ways, it seems like that is how it is supposed to work. Also, my airbags never deployed. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 Dodge Stratus. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH the air bag light illuminated and began making a beeping noise. Approximately 60 seconds later the passenger side air bag deployed in the direction of the windshield. The windshield was cracked as well as damaging the dash board. The vehicle was taken to a dealer for diagnosis and an engineer was dispatched to inspect it. Over a month later the contact received a letter from the manufacturer stating they did not feel the failure was due to a manufacturer defect and would offer no assistance. The failure and current mileage was 140,000.
I got in my car to drive home and as soon as I started the car and turned the wheel just a little, I hear a popping sound coming from the steering wheel. The light on the dashboard came on stating "air bag". I have already had problems with the ball joints I had to replace myself and other issues with this car. Now I have a faulty air bag that is making noise every time I turn the wheel. I also found out I have no horn. It does not work since the air bag is faulty. I am not protected with an air bag and can not defend myself with my car horn...I need help!
I have 2 large cracks in my dash, my car is well taken care of and does not sit in direct sunlight, one crack appeared over a year ago, I was driving and all of a sudden a loud cracking noise, now again the same thing only the newest crack is much larger and still getting bigger I also hear other cracking noise while driving so I imagine it is just matter of time before I have more cracks. I am concerned that this May cause safety issues. Dealer says nothing is covered to fix this problem.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 Dodge Stratus. The contact stated that there was an abnormal noise from the dashboard as the air bag warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the air bag needed to be replaced. In addition, the horn and the cruise control failed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 65,000 and the current mileage was 69,000. Updated 09/02/14
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.
Airbag complaints in other Stratus years
Frequently asked questions
How common are airbag problems on the 2002 Dodge Stratus?
NHTSA has 21 complaints about the air bags of the 2002 Dodge Stratus, 13% of the model year's 163 complaints. The component named most often is frontal (8 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2002 Dodge Stratus airbag problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 16V-401 (inflator module, Jun 3, 2016); NHTSA recall 15V-338 (inflator module, Jun 2, 2015). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2002 Dodge Stratus airbag problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 65,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 9 crashes, 0 fires and 8 injuries 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.