1996 DODGE STRATUS — Owner-Reported Problems

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-08-22 549 complaints · 11 recalls
Most-reported system: ENGINE (290 complaints · 52.8%)
Safety signals:
  • Crashes 36
  • Fires 36
  • Injuries 26
  • Deaths 1
Compare with 1995 →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Component Problem Distribution

Share of owner complaints filed for each vehicle system (unaffected by sales volume)

Component Problem Distribution ENGINE appears in 290 of 549 owner complaints (52.8%) in this vehicle snapshot. ENGINE: 290 complaints, 52.8% of reports ENGINE 290 · 52.8% · 21 fire reports SERVICE BRAKES: 46 complaints, 8.4% of reports SERVICE BRAKES 46 · 8.4% · 10 crash reports POWER TRAIN: 43 complaints, 7.8% of reports POWER TRAIN 43 · 7.8% · 1 crash reports 1 fire reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: 27 complaints, 4.9% of reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 27 · 4.9% · 1 crash reports 10 fire reports STEERING: 24 complaints, 4.4% of reports STEERING 24 · 4.4% · 1 crash reports 1 fire reports SUSPENSION: 24 complaints, 4.4% of reports SUSPENSION 24 · 4.4% · 2 crash reports AIR BAGS: 17 complaints, 3.1% of reports AIR BAGS 17 · 3.1% · 14 crash reports FUEL SYSTEM: 11 complaints, 2.0% of reports FUEL SYSTEM 11 · 2.0% · 3 fire reports STRUCTURE: 10 complaints, 1.8% of reports STRUCTURE 10 · 1.8% UNKNOWN OR OTHER: 321 complaints, 58.5% of reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER 321 · 58.5% · 31 crash reports 25 fire reports 0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

UNKNOWN OR OTHER is an NHTSA classification artifact and is always listed last.

View component data as a table
System / Component Complaints Share of Reports Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires)
ENGINE 290 52.8% 0 crashes · 21 fires
SERVICE BRAKES 46 8.4% 10 crashes · 0 fires
POWER TRAIN 43 7.8% 1 crashes · 1 fires
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 27 4.9% 1 crashes · 10 fires
STEERING 24 4.4% 1 crashes · 1 fires
SUSPENSION 24 4.4% 2 crashes · 0 fires
AIR BAGS 17 3.1% 14 crashes · 0 fires
FUEL SYSTEM 11 2.0% 0 crashes · 3 fires
STRUCTURE 10 1.8% 0 crashes · 0 fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 321 58.5% 31 crashes · 25 fires
NHTSA Consumer Complaints, NHTSA Safety Recalls, and NHTSA Defect Investigations Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Problem & Recall Timeline

Observed complaint volume and manufacturer recall actions over time

Problem & Recall Timeline Owner reports in this snapshot begin in Jul 1995; the first recall shown was reported in Jan 1996. 1995-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 1995-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 1996-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 1996-Q2: 5 owner reports 5 1996-Q3: 6 owner reports 6 1996-Q4: 9 owner reports 9 1997-Q1: 8 owner reports 8 1997-Q2: 15 owner reports 15 1997-Q3: 8 owner reports 8 1997-Q4: 11 owner reports 11 1998-Q1: 17 owner reports 17 1998-Q2: 5 owner reports 5 1998-Q3: 18 owner reports 18 1998-Q4: 22 owner reports 22 1999-Q1: 33 owner reports 33 1999-Q2: 26 owner reports 26 1999-Q3: 27 owner reports 27 1999-Q4: 33 owner reports 33 2000-Q1: 42 owner reports 42 2000-Q2: 31 owner reports 31 2000-Q3: 19 owner reports 19 2000-Q4: 25 owner reports 25 2001-Q1: 45 owner reports 45 2001-Q2: 20 owner reports 20 2001-Q3: 10 owner reports 10 2001-Q4: 9 owner reports 9 2002-Q1: 12 owner reports 12 2002-Q2: 16 owner reports 16 2002-Q3: 8 owner reports 8 2002-Q4: 4 owner reports 4 2003-Q1: 8 owner reports 8 2003-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2003-Q3: 9 owner reports 9 2003-Q4: 6 owner reports 6 2004-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2004-Q2: 6 owner reports 6 2004-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2004-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2005-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2005-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 2005-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2006-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2007-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2007-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2008-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2008-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2009-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2011-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2012-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2013-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2015-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 Owner reports Jul 1995 Jan 2015 Recall campaign 96V006000 ◆ Recall campaign 96V006000 Recall campaign 96V074000 ◆ Recall campaign 96V074000 Recall campaign 96V075000 ◆ Recall campaign 96V075000 Recall campaign 97V095000 ◆ Recall campaign 97V095000 Recall campaign 97V201000 ◆ Recall campaign 97V201000 Recall campaign 98V183000 ◆ Recall campaign 98V183000 Recall campaign 04V021000 ◆ Recall campaign 04V021000 Recall campaign 06E088000 ◆ Recall campaign 06E088000 Recall campaign 06E091000 ◆ Recall campaign 06E091000 Recall campaign 09E056000 ◆ Recall campaign 09E056000 Recall campaign 10E059000 ◆ Recall campaign 10E059000 Investigation EA97016 ● Investigation EA97016 Investigation PE02082 ● Investigation PE02082 Investigation EA03011 ● Investigation EA03011
  • Campaign 97V095000 was reported 648 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 97V201000 was reported 266 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 98V183000 was reported 947 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 04V021000 was reported 2,933 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 06E088000 was reported 3,428 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 06E091000 was reported 3,438 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 09E056000 was reported 4,614 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 10E059000 was reported 5,058 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
1995-Q3 Owner reports 1
1995-Q4 Owner reports 1
1996-Q1 Owner reports 1
1996-Q2 Owner reports 5
1996-Q3 Owner reports 6
1996-Q4 Owner reports 9
1997-Q1 Owner reports 8
1997-Q2 Owner reports 15
1997-Q3 Owner reports 8
1997-Q4 Owner reports 11
1998-Q1 Owner reports 17
1998-Q2 Owner reports 5
1998-Q3 Owner reports 18
1998-Q4 Owner reports 22
1999-Q1 Owner reports 33
1999-Q2 Owner reports 26
1999-Q3 Owner reports 27
1999-Q4 Owner reports 33
2000-Q1 Owner reports 42
2000-Q2 Owner reports 31
2000-Q3 Owner reports 19
2000-Q4 Owner reports 25
2001-Q1 Owner reports 45
2001-Q2 Owner reports 20
2001-Q3 Owner reports 10
2001-Q4 Owner reports 9
2002-Q1 Owner reports 12
2002-Q2 Owner reports 16
2002-Q3 Owner reports 8
2002-Q4 Owner reports 4
2003-Q1 Owner reports 8
2003-Q2 Owner reports 1
2003-Q3 Owner reports 9
2003-Q4 Owner reports 6
2004-Q1 Owner reports 3
2004-Q2 Owner reports 6
2004-Q3 Owner reports 2
2004-Q4 Owner reports 3
2005-Q1 Owner reports 4
2005-Q3 Owner reports 5
2005-Q4 Owner reports 3
2006-Q4 Owner reports 2
2007-Q1 Owner reports 1
2007-Q4 Owner reports 1
2008-Q1 Owner reports 1
2008-Q4 Owner reports 1
2009-Q2 Owner reports 2
2011-Q3 Owner reports 1
2012-Q1 Owner reports 1
2013-Q1 Owner reports 1
2015-Q1 Owner reports 1
Recall campaign 1 96V006000
Recall campaign 1 96V074000
Recall campaign 1 96V075000
Recall campaign 1 97V095000
Recall campaign 1 97V201000
Recall campaign 1 98V183000
Recall campaign 1 04V021000
Recall campaign 1 06E088000
Recall campaign 1 06E091000
Recall campaign 1 09E056000
Recall campaign 1 10E059000
Defect investigation 1 EA97016
Defect investigation 1 PE02082
Defect investigation 1 EA03011
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Safety Recalls (11)

Official safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA

  1. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 04V021000

    Report date
    Component:
    POWER TRAIN
    Consequence:
    EITHER CIRCUMSTANCE MAY RESULT IN THE VEHICLE ROLLING AWAY WITHOUT WARNING.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL INSTALL A NEW LOAD-LIMITING PUSH ROD INTO THE FLOOR SHIFTER LEVER OF THE AFFECTED VEHICLES. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN ON JUNE 14, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT DAIMLERCHRYSLER AT 1-800-853-1403.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  2. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 06E088000

    Report date
    Component:
    FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
    Consequence:
    FUEL RESTRICTION COULD RESULT IN LOSS OF POWER AND/OR ENGINE STALL, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A VEHICLE CRASH.
    Remedy:
    TI AUTOMOTIVE WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE DEFECTIVE FUEL PUMP MODULES FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON OCTOBER 6, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT TI AUTOMOTIVE TOLL-FREE AT 1-877-461-1834.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  3. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 06E091000

    Report date
    Component:
    FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
    Consequence:
    FUEL RESTRICTION COULD RESULT IN LOSS OF POWER AND/OR ENGINE STALL, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A VEHICLE CRASH.
    Remedy:
    AIRTEX WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE DEFECTIVE FUEL PUMP MODULES FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON OCTOBER 18, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT AIRTEX TOLL-FREE AT 1-866-867-3759.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  4. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 09E056000

    Report date
    Component:
    SUSPENSION
    Consequence:
    SEPARATION OF THE BALL STUD FROM THE SOCKET OF THE BALL JOINT HOUSING WOULD ALLOW THE CONTROL ARM TO COLLAPSE AND THE WHEEL TO FOLD IN CAUSING LOSS OF STEERING CONTROL, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A CRASH.
    Remedy:
    QUALIS AUTOMOTIVE WILL REPLACE THE BALL JOINTS FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON NOVEMBER 9, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT QUALIS AUTOMOTIVE AT 1-800-493-4128.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  5. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 10E059000

    Report date
    Component:
    SUSPENSION
    Consequence:
    IF THERE IS A SEPARATION OF THE BALL STUD FROM THE HOUSING, THE DRIVER CAN LOOSE STEERING CONTROL, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A VEHICLE CRASH.
    Remedy:
    FEDERAL-MOGUL WILL NOTIFY OWNERS OF RECORD AND REPLACE THE AFFECTED CONTROL ARMS FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON JANUARY 28, 2011. OWNERS MAY CONTACT FEDERAL-MOGUL AT 1-877-489-6659.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  6. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 96V006000

    Report date
    Component:
    ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
    Consequence:
    INADEQUATE SEALING AND RETENTION OF THE PLUG CAN RESULT IN OIL LEAKAGE WHICH COULD CAUSE A FIRE IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL INSTALL AN EXPANSION PLUG AND RETAINING BRACKET OVER THE CYLINDER HEAD OIL GALLEY PLUG.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  7. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 96V074000

    Report date
    Component:
    SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
    Consequence:
    IF EITHER FRONT WHEEL VALVE STICKS, THE VEHICLE WOULD SWERVE FROM A STRAIGHT STOP WHEN THE BRAKES ARE APPLIED.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL INSTALL A PLATE AND SILICONE GREASE INJECTED INTO THE SOLENOID CAVITY TO ELIMINATE THE POTENTIAL FOR THIS CONDITION.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  8. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 96V075000

    Report date
    Component:
    SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
    Consequence:
    BRAKE FLUID LEAKAGE CAN RESULT IN DIMINISHED EFFECTIVENESS OF ONE HALF OF THE SPLIT BRAKE SYSTEM. THE INSTRUMENT PANEL WARNING LIGHT(S) WILL SIGNAL SYSTEM IMPAIRMENT PRIOR TO PARTIAL BRAKE SYSTEM LOSS.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE REAR BRAKE MASTER CYLINDR PISTON ASSEMBLY.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  9. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 97V095000

    Report date
    Component:
    STRUCTURE
    Consequence:
    IF THIS CONDITION OCCURS SIMULTANEOUSLY WITHOUT ENGAGING THE PRIMARY LATCH, THE HOOD WOULD NOT BE RESTRAINED INCREASING THE RISK OF A VEHICLE CRASH.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE SECONDARY HOOD LATCH SPRING WITH A LONGER END HOOK SPRING.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  10. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 97V201000

    Report date
    Component:
    SUSPENSION
    Consequence:
    SEPARATION OF THE BALL JOINT COULD CAUSE A LOSS OF STEERING CONTROL INCREASING THE RISK OF A VEHICLE CRASH.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE BALL JOINT END HOUSING COVER SEAL FOR LEAKAGE WITH A HIGH PRESSURE AIR TESTER AND THE RUBBER BOOT WILL BE VISUALLY INSPECTED FOR DAMAGE. IF THE COVER SEAL LEAKS OR THE BOOT IS DAMAGED, THE LOWER CONTROL ARM WILL BE REPLACED.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  11. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 98V183000

    Report date
    Component:
    POWER TRAIN
    Consequence:
    IF THIS HAPPENS, THE "IGNITION-PARK" INTERLOCK SYSTEM WILL BE NONFUNCTIONAL.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL INSPECT FOR PROPER OPERATION OF THE SYSTEM. ANY VEHICLES THAT ARE NOT FUNCTIONAL AFTER THE INSPECTION WILL HAVE THE SHIFT MECHANISM AND CABLE REPLACED WITH A "SELF-ADJUSTING" DESIGN.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Complaint Narrative Explorer

Verbatim owner-reported defect narratives from NHTSA public records

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot 2026-08-21
Safety incident filters
Showing 0 of 549 complaints · page 1 of 22

No complaints match the current filters.
EPA Fuel Economy Database Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Estimated Ownership Cost

EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates

Data: US EPA Fuel Economy Guide · snapshot 2026-08-21
Supported range: 1,000–60,000 miles per year
Supported range: $1.50–$10.00 per gallon
55% city45% highway
Estimate unavailable

EPA fuel-economy data is unavailable for this vehicle.

No estimate is shown when required EPA values are unavailable.

 Open Ownership Cost Calculator →

Adjacent Model Years

Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records

NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Methodology & Data Integrity

Data sourced from NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Snapshot date: 2026-08-21.

Read our complete data methodology → Sources