2002 DODGE STRATUS — Owner-Reported Problems

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-08-22 148 complaints · 6 recalls
Most-reported system: ENGINE (48 complaints · 32.4%)
Safety signals:
  • Crashes 10
  • Fires 4
  • Injuries 11
  • Deaths 0
Compare with 2001 →
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 48 of 148 owner complaints (32.4%) in this vehicle snapshot. ENGINE: 48 complaints, 32.4% of reports ENGINE 48 · 32.4% · 2 fire reports SUSPENSION: 26 complaints, 17.6% of reports SUSPENSION 26 · 17.6% AIR BAGS: 16 complaints, 10.8% of reports AIR BAGS 16 · 10.8% · 7 crash reports POWER TRAIN: 16 complaints, 10.8% of reports POWER TRAIN 16 · 10.8% · 1 fire reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: 8 complaints, 5.4% of reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 8 · 5.4% SERVICE BRAKES: 7 complaints, 4.7% of reports SERVICE BRAKES 7 · 4.7% STRUCTURE: 5 complaints, 3.4% of reports STRUCTURE 5 · 3.4% VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL: 5 complaints, 3.4% of reports VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 5 · 3.4% STEERING: 4 complaints, 2.7% of reports STEERING 4 · 2.7% · 1 fire reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER: 73 complaints, 49.3% of reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER 73 · 49.3% · 7 crash reports 1 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 48 32.4% 0 crashes · 2 fires
SUSPENSION 26 17.6% 0 crashes · 0 fires
AIR BAGS 16 10.8% 7 crashes · 0 fires
POWER TRAIN 16 10.8% 0 crashes · 1 fires
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 8 5.4% 0 crashes · 0 fires
SERVICE BRAKES 7 4.7% 0 crashes · 0 fires
STRUCTURE 5 3.4% 0 crashes · 0 fires
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 5 3.4% 0 crashes · 0 fires
STEERING 4 2.7% 0 crashes · 1 fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 73 49.3% 7 crashes · 1 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 Apr 2002; the first recall shown was reported in Mar 2007. 2002-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2002-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2003-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2003-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2003-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 2003-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2004-Q1: 10 owner reports 10 2004-Q2: 6 owner reports 6 2004-Q3: 8 owner reports 8 2004-Q4: 8 owner reports 8 2005-Q1: 5 owner reports 5 2005-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2005-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 2006-Q1: 6 owner reports 6 2006-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2006-Q3: 6 owner reports 6 2006-Q4: 5 owner reports 5 2007-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2007-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2007-Q4: 5 owner reports 5 2008-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2008-Q2: 8 owner reports 8 2008-Q3: 8 owner reports 8 2008-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2009-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2009-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2010-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2010-Q2: 4 owner reports 4 2010-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2010-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2011-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2011-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2011-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2012-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2012-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2012-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2012-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2013-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2014-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2014-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2015-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2015-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2015-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2015-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2016-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 Owner reports Apr 2002 Jun 2016 Recall campaign 07E023000 ◆ Recall campaign 07E023000 Recall campaign 09E025000 ◆ Recall campaign 09E025000 Recall campaign 09E056000 ◆ Recall campaign 09E056000 Recall campaign 10E059000 ◆ Recall campaign 10E059000 Recall campaign 15V338000 ◆ Recall campaign 15V338000 Recall campaign 16V401000 ◆ Recall campaign 16V401000 Investigation PE02082 ● Investigation PE02082
  • Campaign 07E023000 was reported 1,494 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 09E056000 was reported 2,297 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 10E059000 was reported 2,741 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 15V338000 was reported 4,299 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 16V401000 was reported 4,666 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
2002-Q2 Owner reports 1
2002-Q3 Owner reports 3
2003-Q1 Owner reports 3
2003-Q2 Owner reports 3
2003-Q3 Owner reports 5
2003-Q4 Owner reports 3
2004-Q1 Owner reports 10
2004-Q2 Owner reports 6
2004-Q3 Owner reports 8
2004-Q4 Owner reports 8
2005-Q1 Owner reports 5
2005-Q2 Owner reports 2
2005-Q3 Owner reports 5
2006-Q1 Owner reports 6
2006-Q2 Owner reports 2
2006-Q3 Owner reports 6
2006-Q4 Owner reports 5
2007-Q2 Owner reports 2
2007-Q3 Owner reports 2
2007-Q4 Owner reports 5
2008-Q1 Owner reports 4
2008-Q2 Owner reports 8
2008-Q3 Owner reports 8
2008-Q4 Owner reports 1
2009-Q1 Owner reports 1
2009-Q3 Owner reports 3
2010-Q1 Owner reports 2
2010-Q2 Owner reports 4
2010-Q3 Owner reports 2
2010-Q4 Owner reports 2
2011-Q1 Owner reports 1
2011-Q2 Owner reports 1
2011-Q4 Owner reports 1
2012-Q1 Owner reports 1
2012-Q2 Owner reports 1
2012-Q3 Owner reports 1
2012-Q4 Owner reports 1
2013-Q2 Owner reports 2
2014-Q1 Owner reports 3
2014-Q3 Owner reports 3
2015-Q1 Owner reports 1
2015-Q2 Owner reports 1
2015-Q3 Owner reports 3
2015-Q4 Owner reports 1
2016-Q1 Owner reports 2
Recall campaign 1 07E023000
Recall campaign 1 09E025000
Recall campaign 1 09E056000
Recall campaign 1 10E059000
Recall campaign 1 15V338000
Recall campaign 1 16V401000
Defect investigation 1 PE02082
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Safety Recalls (6)

Official safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA

  1. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 07E023000

    Report date
    Component:
    SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
    Consequence:
    LOSS OF BRAKE FLUID CAN RESULT IN POOR BRAKING PERFORMANCE, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A VEHICLE CRASH.
    Remedy:
    CARDONE WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER TO REPURCHASE ANY DEFECTIVE MASTER CYLINDERS. THE RECALL BEGAN DURING APRIL 2007. OWNERS CAN CONTACT CARDONE AT 1-800-777-4780.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  2. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 09E025000

    Report date
    Component:
    EXTERIOR LIGHTING
    Consequence:
    DECREASED LIGHTING VISIBILITY MAY RESULT IN A VEHICLE CRASH.
    Remedy:
    DOPE, INC. WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER A FULL REFUND FOR THE NONCOMPLIANT COMBINATION LAMPS. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 28, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT DOPE, INC. AT 1-626-272-1798.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  3. 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 →

  4. 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 →

  5. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 15V338000

    Report date
    Component:
    AIR BAGS
    Consequence:
    If the passenger side sun visor detaches and is propelled rearward, there is an increased risk of occupant injury.
    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. Owners may contact MMNA customer service at 1-888-648-7820. MMNA's number for this recall is SR-15-005. Chrysler and Dodge owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is R30.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  6. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 16V401000

    Report date
    Component:
    AIR BAGS
    Consequence:
    If the passenger side sun visor detaches and is propelled rearward, there is an increased risk of occupant injury.
    Remedy:
    Chrysler will notify the affected owners. Dealers will install the correct tether strap to retain the passenger sun visor, free of charge. The recall began July 26, 2016, owners will be sent a second email when parts are available. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403.
    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 148 complaints · page 1 of 6

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