Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (struts, shocks, control arms, ball joints, springs).
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).
My car has a bad noise and popping sound in the front end. I was turning out of my moms driveway when my front passenger tire collapsed in .. My upper ball joint broke . After my car was jacked up my lower a arm and ball joint was broke .. I replaced everything . A week later the driver side ball joint had to be replaced . My car still makes a aweful sound like something is about to brake . Should I replace every part in the front . Cause it dangerous for myself and my child .
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 Dodge Stratus. While driving 35 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to restart the vehicle. Upon further inspection, the contact noticed that the rear driver side ball joint fractured from the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to a dealer who diagnosed that the ball joint needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred over time with the remaining three ball joints detaching from the vehicle. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 186,000.
My daughter pulled out of mcdonald's turning right and the left wheel collapsed under the vehicle. There was no accident and no one was injured. I had it towed to our house. I have read on line and found that it is a common problem.
I was driving about 15 miles per hour and hit a slight indentation in the road where it have been newly paved. I heard a loud "thud" in the trunk of my car from the back driver's side. I pulled over and uncovered the wheel well and saw a hole where the strut mount should have been. I decided to take the car home and call a certified mechanic to fix this problem. While taking the car to the mechanic a couple days later, the passenger side made the same loud "thud". Within a few miles my car started filling up with smoke that smelled like burning rubber. While going around a small curve my shock came out and tore open my new tire. I had to get my car towed to the mechanic to get it fixed. What we found was a corroded piece of metal, which I later found out was my "strut mounts". …
Took my Dodge Stratus 2002 in and mechanic deemed rear struts bad. Ordered replacements. When arrived they had sent rear upper strut housing mr31114 instead of #4879072ad. When local Chrysler dealer called it was stated that there was a backorder of over 8000 of these. I then called the 800 number and after 4 hrs of climbing the ladder was informed that this part was in fact backordered with currently that many cars awaiting this part and that it was being retooled and would be unavailable till late August. The issue is safety in that the rear upper strut housing if broken presents an issue for driver and vehicle safety and the number of cars needing what is not available is growing and the company has neither a recall or safety notice out nor in my conversations at least have any concerns or care about this. …
2002 Dodge Stratus rear strut mounts. The top, rear, strut mounting plates on this vehicle are made of aluminum or some type of pot metal and they have completely corroded to the point of the struts not being attached to the body of the vehicle. As my wife was driving home from work the vehicle suddenly swerved to the left and she proceeded home at a very slow speed. Upon inspection the left rear strut mounting plate had completely disintegrated and the strut was not attached at all to the vehicle. I believe this is what caused the swerve. Upon checking with dealers and people on the internet I've found that this part has failed on thousands of cars. …
I drive a 2002 Dodge Stratus 4 door r/t and noticed a sound coming from the rear of car. I pulled over could not see anything and drove again. It still made a loud thump sound from the rear of car. Inspected car at home with proper tools, I found the rear strut mount on the left of car was broke in to 6 pieces. In sight of this I took the right rear strut mount off and found it to be broke into 2 piece with a 2 inch crack going across part of it. Ordered two new rear strut mounts to find out there has been a major part change. The old parts are aluminum and not painted and the revised parts are steel and are painted black. I called Dodge's compliant line and was hung up on. Please note that 4 door r/t suspensions are not the same as all other 4 door Stratus cars. Tires wore on the inner edges and the shocks were free to jump up and down since not attached to the car.
I was driving at about 30 MPH and drove over a slight depression in the pavement when I heard a loud bang from the passenger right rear. The loud banging sound continued as long as the car was driven. I noticed a compromise in the handling of the vehicle. I took the vehicle to a registered repair shop where I have been a customer for over twenty years. I was told not to drive the vehicle since the rear strut plate top mount had disintegrated due to the fact they were made out of aluminum. The driver rear strut mount was on the verge of breaking apart also. It appears that road salt probably contributed to this situation. The replacement mounts purchased from the dealer were not made of aluminum. The following repair/parts was performed: rear shock & or strut assembly (2), upper shock mount (2).
Rear shock upper mount attacked by corrosion, vehicle only 4.5 years old and 60,500 miles. Un-painted pot metal like material broke up into multiple pieces without warning. One minute vehicle drove fine, hit a typical pavement expansion joint causing a light clunk to develop. Within two miles I pulled over to inspect because the hammering in the suspension got so bad. Found the rear shock absorber was no longer retained at the upper end. Vehicle could still be driven home gently but there was nothing retaining the coil spring to the body other than gravity. Both upper mounts were replaced with painted replacement parts from the dealer. The left rear mount had not failed yet, but corrosion was rapidly turning it into powder from the top down.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 Dodge Stratus. The contact stated that while driving and making a turn, there was an abnormal noise coming from the front driver side of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the front driver side lower control arm and ball joint needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired and two weeks later the clicking noise recurred. The vehicle was taken back to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed that the control arm was cracked. The control arm and ball joint was replaced for a second time and two weeks later the failure recurred for a third time. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 191,300.
Suspension complaints in other Stratus years
Frequently asked questions
How common are suspension problems on the 2002 Dodge Stratus?
NHTSA has 31 complaints about the suspension of the 2002 Dodge Stratus, 19% of the model year's 163 complaints. The component named most often is rear (10 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2002 Dodge Stratus suspension problems?
No. NHTSA lists no suspension recall for the 2002 Dodge Stratus, though it has 2 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2002 Dodge Stratus suspension problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 77,000 miles, and 7% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 0 fires and 0 injuries to suspension 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.