Consumer Complaints


Fail datemilesoccurencesPurchase date
SERVICE BRAKES, AIR - ANTILOCK
10/26/2002
 Consumer states that when trying to apply the anti lock brakes. the brakes will lock up causing the consumer to have a vehicle accident leaving skid marks. dealer notified ts
SERVICE BRAKES, AIR - DISC - ROTOR
12/14/199712/01/1997
 Bought car and brakes felt funny and soon got worse. dealer surfaced rotors but the problem got worse. now, dealer wants to charge me for new rotors.
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
07/15/200274153
 I had nothing but major problem with my dodge stratus it's only a 1997 with 86,582. i bought it used with 23,000 in january of 1999 from a car dealer. i have spent $2,335.30 in repairs in 2002&2003 in may & june of 2003 i spent $1,678.31 & $656.99 in july 2002 starting with brakes being contamied ,water pump ,radiator replaced,and it's being driven locally never been out of this state. i feel this is a lemon car because of the major repairs and the mileage is only 74,153 when i started having repairs and keep having major repairs totally $2,400 only had it 3 1/2 yrs. i filed a report with the lemon law in washington state.
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - ANTILOCK
310/01/2096
 No summary listed for above vehicle. *ak
06/30/2002205/01/2097
 Abs brake system broke at about 13000 miles. olympic dodge says that i must replace both the left and right front spindles. that they are cracked. i brought the car into the dealer on 07/10/2002. they have ordered the parts which cost over $300.00. how can 2 spindles fail at the same time. how can they fail with only 13000 miles on the odometer.*ak
10/12/2001108/01/1999
 Going down the highway at 65 mph, i put on my cruise control, the car in front of me slowed down so i pushed on my brake, which was supposed to eliminate cruise sontrol immediately. my cruise light went off but the car continued to accelerate. applied brake harder, realized there was no stopping, pulled over to break down lane. applied emergency brake, ended up with just sqealing tires and transmission shifting horribly. let me just note that at this time i also had my 10 year old daughter in the car. thank god a state police pulled up behind me, at which time i had the car at 10mph but would not come to a complete stop. my 10 year old child had to jump from my car to let the officer know why i couldn't stop. he ended up having to pull in front of me and slow down to about nothing to finally stop my car at which point he got out , came to my window and told me to turn off the engine. in this form i could not fill out the appropriate vin, etc. because my car was towed and i am with a friend in mass. i will be contacting the dealer and dodge company on monday. very scary experience for me and especially for my child. maine state police was obviously involved. his name was roger. *ak
05/06/19991
 Consumer states abs is not working properly and rotors are warped. *slc
07/01/1997
 When i used the back button to correct an item, the original comments were wiped out. you have to fix that. we have had four brake failures on our dodge. each has been exactly the same. the first two were on successive days when the car had less than 10000 miles on it. bosco dodge inspected they brakes then and was not able to find the cause. they did replace the master cylinder with a factory replacement. this spring, they failed again in the same manner. again, the dodge dealer was not able to pinpoint the problem. he did not replace anything at that time. today the brakes failed in the same manner. how do they fail? each time the car was parked in the garage over night. this was the first time the car was moved that day. three times the brakes failed less than 100 feet from the driveway. my wife was stopping the car at the intersection. the fourth time was three blocks away. in each instance the car lost all braking power to all wheels as the brakes were applied. the bakes and car operated normally after each instance. in my mind, it sounds as if the anti-locks hung up in the open position. *ak
04/08/1998407/31/1997
 Vehicle experienced total brake failure on four occasions. brake pedal would go to the floor momentarily, and return after pumping the pedal a few times. vehicle been in dealer's shop on two occasions. dealer informed consumer that nothing could be found. *ak
02/27/20000
 Ball joints went out and brakes would not work. had to use emergency brakes to stop vehicle. *ak
02/03/2000303/01/1997
 During driving on snow the abs system caused a feedback to the system that resulted in locking up,and a pedal that rebounded out when braking on snow. *ak
11/27/1999306/01/1997
 While making a right hand turn the brake pedal went almost all the way to the floor. the pedal felt soft and spongy. this has happened at least two other occasions in the last six months. after this happens i try to duplicate the defect but it won,t happen again.
10/01/1999302/01/1999
 This is the 3rd time this has happened. when turning and brakes are applied there is a bad grinding in the front end the brakes go soft and stop working the car continues rolling as if i didn't have my foot on the brakes at all. it goes in for service on tuesday. i have had it at 2 other dealers for other brake problems.
08/11/1999203/01/1998
 Antilock brakes failed twice. the second time on 08-11-99 i rear-ended another vehicle. chrysler has been asked to investigate also, but don't know if they will decide against their own product. would appreciate your help.
06/01/19992
 When applying the brakes vehicle slid about 130 feet as if on wet ground. vehicle rear ended another vehicle. dealer has seen vehicle. consumer now waiting for dodge to investigate before repair. *ak.et.
05/11/1998
 Intermittently the braking system malfunctioned, causing the brakes to lock up which may cause an accident. dealer cannot determine problem. *ak
06/11/19978
 When applying the abs brakes at low speed the pedal travels to the floor, causing extended stopping distance, cause unknown. *ak consumer states the brake pedal has to be pumped in order for vehicle to stop. *slc
07/04/19985
 Brakes would make noises whenever applied. the brake pedal would go to floor very easily. vehicle did not stop readily. took to dealer & nothing was found to be out of place.*ak
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - FOUNDATION COMPONENTS
05/31/20006
 The brakes go to the rotors without any warning, inspection completed on the brakes and they were fine, however within 17 days the brakes were worn down to the rotors, six repairs completed on the brake system, consumer feels the dealership is not completing the work properly resulting in return visits and repairs. *mjs
07/10/1998712/20/1996
 Vehicle experienced numerous brake failures, brake pads and rotors have been replaced many times. *slc
 This vehicle ran into the rear of another vehicle while braking from the speed of 70 mph. upon impact, air bag did not deploy. the dealer has been contacted. *ak
05/01/1999
 Complained of brakes making rattling noise...dealer said that it wasn't unsafe but just annoying
02/01/1999407/01/1998
 Braking system malfuctioned,brake pedal went to the floor, causing extended stopping distance which could result in a crash. also problems with the transmission. *ak consumer states after backing up and then putting vehicle in drive, vehicle wont go forward. *slc
05/20/19985
 When braking, consumer hears a squeal coming from the front and rear brakes, manufacturer stated that this was normal and will not do anything about it. *slc
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - FOUNDATION COMPONENTS - DISC
10008/01/1997
 If i am doing more than 40 miles per hour the car doesn't stop completely without sliding. *ak
11/24/1998207/01/1998
 Head gasket - have had to replace two (2) head gaskets due to leaks in three years. first one cost a deductible of $500 and the second one will cost me $250, although i know that dodge has issued tech bulletins to address installation problems. dodge did the good will bit in both cases by supposedly splitting the cost 50/50. this is an outrage that consumers are required to pay such hefty fees for inferior/faulty designs. brakes - apparently the design of the calipers includes a cylinder made of some type of plastic. this plastic is not able to withstand the heat of normal braking operations and will not contract properly when cooled down. because of this the caliper sticks in an extended position which casuses the disc pad to stay in constant contact with the rotor, thus wearing down the pad prematurely and causing possible damage to the rotors. this cost me $559 the first time and since then i have simply been changing the pads earlier than necessary to prevent further damage to the rotor. although this has not resulted in an accident, i believe it could (or has to others?) cause an accident/fatality on an extended trip. *ak
09/07/1999111/01/1996
 About 3 weeks before the problem was realized, i heard a very loud whirring sound. i had taken it to feeney dodge in palatine to have the front brakes done. they did the brakes but i don't understand why they did not notice the left wheel bearing noise. i took it to goodyear in mt. prospect for regular maintenance and they noticed it right away. they said that the left wheel bearing needed to be replaced. i had an amoco station i know well do the repair. why did a car that is only 2 1/2 years old need a wheel bearing replaced? i have never had a car have this problem. why wasn't this under the three year warranty? i contacted feeney and another dealer in the area and got told that no, that is not under the 3 year warranty. this repair should have been paid for by chrysler not me. the part had to be defective for this to have happened. *ak
04/12/1999
 When driving at any speed the brakes were hard, and there was a grinding noise when applying the brakes. *ak
12/01/1997
 Transmission fails to engage drive properly on numerous occasions, dealer unable to duplicate (very intermitent) or fix problem. front brakes noisy/groan on application (told this was normal by dealership) front breaks also squeek (simular to wear indicator) after replacement.
07/01/19971
 Brakes are squeaking.
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - FOUNDATION COMPONENTS - DISC - CALIPER
10/29/2001108/01/1997
 Left caliper burned and froze, digging into the rotor; right caliper on the verge of doing so. the car had passed rigorous equipment inspection just 3 months before with no warning of impending equipment failure. car is under extended warranty; dealer said that only the cost of the calipers would be covered. had car repaired at a local shop that guarantees its work, both parts and labor.*ak
04/30/2000101/31/1997
 Driver's side seat is broken. part of the seat where consumer's hip goes up a metal piece sticks out. consumer feels frame may break completely, and family may be injured. *ak left front seat has been broken for almost two years. left door hinge broke too. front brake calipers and rotors failed. *yh
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - FOUNDATION COMPONENTS - DISC - PADS
03/01/19991
 Brakes make noise because of pad failure .yh
06/01/1998110/01/1996
 Brake pads and rotors failed prematurely(less than 30,000 miles). (qcaw)
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - FOUNDATION COMPONENTS - DISC - ROTOR
05/06/19991
 Consumer states abs is not working properly and rotors are warped. *slc
04/30/2000101/31/1997
 Driver's side seat is broken. part of the seat where consumer's hip goes up a metal piece sticks out. consumer feels frame may break completely, and family may be injured. *ak left front seat has been broken for almost two years. left door hinge broke too. front brake calipers and rotors failed. *yh
06/01/1998201/01/1998
 Vehicle losing over a quart of oil a week. i noticed oil loss a couple of weeks after i purchased the car , but attributed it to normal break in. now it leaks down on to the exhaust system and may pose a fire hazard. the front brake rotors have been replaced 2 times and are in need of replacement again. they warp in a very short period of time. *ak
 Brake rotors warped, causing brake pedal to pulsate and the steering wheel to wiggle. dealer said itwas owners fault because of dirt getting into the rotors. *ak
06/01/1998110/01/1996
 Brake pads and rotors failed prematurely(less than 30,000 miles). (qcaw)
 The front brake rotors were warped and replaced. while driving and pushing on the pedal, speed approx. 30mph, there appeared to be a pulsating action,. the brakes would move in and out under foot, car did not stop, tended to slide into a stop, a delayed reaction. dealer could not duplicate the problem. *ak
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - FOUNDATION COMPONENTS - DRUM
08/19/1999212/01/1997
 Chrysler says it's normal for brakes to be replaced every 15,000 miles.
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - FOUNDATION COMPONENTS - HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS
04/17/2000107/01/1997
 Right front brake line was rubbing on something. i have brake line to prove that there was something wrong cryl/dodge said because i had car towed to my repair place there was nothing thay could or would do for me.and this was not a problem. i have my 5 speed trans. rebuilt and headlights replaced because of water getting in them. *ak
08/04/199908/01/1997
 Upon being struck in the left front wheel well, near the battery, my car bursted into flames. the vehicle continued to travel another 200 feet desipite various methods of application of the brakes. i then deployed the emergency brake. the vehicle didn't stop until the power cut off and the finally died.
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - FOUNDATION COMPONENTS - MASTER CYLINDER
07/01/1997
 When i used the back button to correct an item, the original comments were wiped out. you have to fix that. we have had four brake failures on our dodge. each has been exactly the same. the first two were on successive days when the car had less than 10000 miles on it. bosco dodge inspected they brakes then and was not able to find the cause. they did replace the master cylinder with a factory replacement. this spring, they failed again in the same manner. again, the dodge dealer was not able to pinpoint the problem. he did not replace anything at that time. today the brakes failed in the same manner. how do they fail? each time the car was parked in the garage over night. this was the first time the car was moved that day. three times the brakes failed less than 100 feet from the driveway. my wife was stopping the car at the intersection. the fourth time was three blocks away. in each instance the car lost all braking power to all wheels as the brakes were applied. the bakes and car operated normally after each instance. in my mind, it sounds as if the anti-locks hung up in the open position. *ak
 Intermittently when the brakes are applied pedal becomes soft, resulting in extended stopping distance. the dealer has replaced the master cylinder. *ak