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#BS-1997-DODSTR-1B2D

1997 Dodge Stratus

Based on reports from 451 owners and 7 recalls for this exact model.

Complaints
451
Crashes
34
Fires
44
Recalls
7
TSBs
81
🛑

Preliminary Verdict

Red Flag

Based on 451 complaints, 34 crashes, 44 fires, and 7 recalls. Complaint rate is 2.2x the class average.

See full verdict with buy/skip conditions

Top reported problems

1

stalls out when coming to a stop

2 complaints • Severity 9/10

$X,XXX
2

blown head gasket

1 complaints • Severity 8/10

$X,XXX
3

control arms lower ball joint assembly failure

1 complaints • Severity 10/10

$X,XXX

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Mechanic Inspection Checklist

!Check the Engine And Engine Cooling:engineHIGH

117 owners reported engine and engine cooling:engine issues — failures commonly reported around 81K miles.

!Inspect the Engine And Engine Cooling:engine:gasolineMED
Look for symptoms of wear and premature failure
+ 6 more items in full checklistUnlock

Failure Timeline by Mileage

3
0–30K
14
30–60K
14
60–90K
10
90–120K
9
120–150K
9
150K+

Peak failure range: 30–60K miles (14 reports) • Median: 81K miles

Full report: which components fail at each mileageUnlock

30,000-Mile Cost Projection

Best Case

$X,XXX

Most Likely

$X,XXX

Worst Case

$X,XXX

Top cost driver: Engine And Engine Cooling:engine (117 reports).

Includes fuel costs, common repairs, and recall riskUnlock

Also in your report

Owner Intelligence

AI-synthesized themes from real complaints

Buyer Lot Checklist

Questions, test drive checks, walk-away triggers

Negotiation Talking Points

Data-backed dollar deductions

Buy / Skip Verdict

Final recommendation with conditions

10 sections total in the full reportUnlock all

Where the complaints fall

Engine And Engine Cooling:engine117 (26%)
Engine And Engine Cooling:engine:gasoline32 (7%)
Power Train:automatic Transmission23 (5%)
Speed Control19 (4%)
Air Bags:frontal18 (4%)
Service Brakes, Hydraulic:antilock/traction Control/electronic Limited Slip17 (4%)
Other15 (3%)
Electrical10 (2%)

1997 Dodge Stratus: Known Issues & Problem Areas

Engine And Engine Cooling:engine Issues

Engine And Engine Cooling:engine complaints account for 26% of all reports filed for the 1997 Dodge Stratus, with 117 owners filing complaints with NHTSA. The median mileage at time of complaint is 81,000 miles, suggesting issues tend to surface around the 81K-mile mark.

Engine And Engine Cooling:engine:gasoline Issues

Engine And Engine Cooling:engine:gasoline complaints account for 7% of all reports filed for the 1997 Dodge Stratus, with 32 owners filing complaints with NHTSA. Owners should pay attention to engine and engine cooling:engine:gasoline-related symptoms during test drives and pre-purchase inspections.

Power Train:automatic Transmission Issues

Power Train:automatic Transmission complaints account for 5% of all reports filed for the 1997 Dodge Stratus, with 23 owners filing complaints with NHTSA. Owners should pay attention to power train:automatic transmission-related symptoms during test drives and pre-purchase inspections.

Speed Control Issues

Speed Control complaints account for 4% of all reports filed for the 1997 Dodge Stratus, with 19 owners filing complaints with NHTSA. Owners should pay attention to speed control-related symptoms during test drives and pre-purchase inspections.

Data sourced from NHTSA owner complaints and community reports. The full report analyzes severity, repair costs, and failure patterns for each category.

Complaint trend by year

107
00
88
01
41
02
21
03
28
04
11
05
5
06
5
07
4
08
2
09
2
10
2
11
1
13
2
18
1
20

Complaints filed with NHTSA by year for the 1997 Dodge Stratus. Recent trend: decreasing.

Don't negotiate blind — know what this car costs to own

Repair costs • Negotiation scripts • Mechanic checklist • Buy/skip verdict

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Recall History (7 recalls)

04V021000Jun 2004

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:LEVER AND LINKAGE:FLOOR SHIFT

ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, THE FLOOR SHIFTER IGNITION-PARK INTERLOCK MAY FAIL AND ALLOW THE SHIFTER TO BE MOVED OUT OF THE PARK POSITION WITH THE KEY REMOVED. AN INOPERATIVE INTERLOCK MAY ALSO ALLOW THE KEY TO BE REMOVED WHEN THE SHIFTER HAS NOT BEEN PLACED IN THE PARK POSITION.

06E088000Oct 2006

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP

CERTAIN TIGAS FUEL PUMP MODULES MANUFACTURED BETWEEN JUNE 1 AND SEPTEMBER 24, 2006, SOLD UNDER VARIOUS BRAND NAMES AND P/NOS. THESE FUEL PUMP MODULES ARE SOLD AS AFTERMARKET FOR USE IN CERTAIN DAIMLERCHRYSLER VEHICLES LISTED ABOVE. SILICONE MATERIAL USED IN MANUFACTURE OF THE FLAPPER VALVE WAS OUT-OF-SPECIFICATION, LEADING TO EXCESS SWELL OF THE FLAPPER VALVE RESTRICTING THE FLOW OF FUEL TO THE FUEL PUMP MODULE.

09E056000Nov 2009

SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM:LOWER BALL JOINT

QUALIS AUTOMOTIVE IS RECALLING CERTAIN AFTERMARKET BALL JOINTS SOLD FOR USE ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES. THE SOCKET MAY HAVE BEEN EXCESSIVELY HARDENED WHICH COULD CAUSE IT TO CRACK NEAR THE RETAINING RING GROOVE ALLOWING THE BALL STUD TO SEPARATE UNDER IMPACT LOAD. THE SUBJECT BALL JOINTS WERE SOLD AS FOUR PART NUMBERS, D10945, D10946, G10945, AND G10946. THE AFFECTED CONTROL ARMS, D10945 AND D10946, ARE STAMPED WITH THE FOLLOWING DATES ON THE BALL JOINTS: 134308, 135708, 100109, 102709, 104109, 105509, 107609, 108909, 110309, 113209, AND 116609. THE G10945 AND G10946 ARE THE SAME PART AS THE D10945 AND D10946 RESPECTIVELY. THEY ARE LABELED DIFFERENTLY DEPENDING ON THE AFTERMARKET CUSTOMER.

10E059000Jan 2011

SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM:LOWER ARM

FEDERAL-MOGUL IS RECALLING CERTAIN REPLACEMENT CONTROL ARM ASSEMBLIES, PART NUMBERS K7425, 10945, FA4510X, K7427, 10946, AND FA4611X, SOLD FOR USE ON VARIOUS PASSENGER VEHICLES LISTED ABOVE. THE BALL JOINT ON THE CONTROL ARM ASSEMBLY CAN FAIL CAUSING THE BALL STUD TO WEAR THROUGH THE CONTROL ARM HOUSING RESULTING IN NOISE AND/OR SEPARATION OF THE BALL STUD FROM THE HOUSING.

97V095000Jul 1997

STRUCTURE:BODY:HOOD:HINGE AND ATTACHMENTS

VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. THE SECONDARY HOOD LATCH SPRING CAN DISENGAGE FROM ITS RETENTION HOLE IF THE HOOD IS SLAMMED SHUT.

+ 2 more recalls in the full report

Recall severity analysis & seller scripts

The full report rates each recall's severity and gives you scripts for asking the seller about recall completion.

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The worst model year for the Dodge Stratus is the 2001 — worth knowing if you're cross-shopping years. The biggest problem area is engine.

1997 Dodge Stratus vs. Class Average (Midsize Cars)

This vehicle

451

Class avg

204

2.2x the class average — significantly more complaints than typical midsize cars vehicles.

Complaint counts correlate with sales volume — popular vehicles naturally generate more reports. The full report normalizes for this.

About this data

NHTSA Complaints

Federal database of owner-filed safety complaints. 451 records for this vehicle.

NHTSA Recalls

Manufacturer-issued safety recalls. 7 recalls found for this vehicle.

Repair Cost Data

Real-world repair costs from owner reports and independent databases.

Other Dodge Stratus Model Years

2007200620052004200320022001200019991998199719961995199419931992
View all Dodge Stratus years →

1997 Dodge Stratus: Frequently Asked Questions

What is the most common problem with the 1997 Dodge Stratus?
The most commonly reported issue with the 1997 Dodge Stratus is related to the engine and engine cooling:engine, with 117 complaints filed with NHTSA.
Is the 1997 Dodge Stratus reliable?
The 1997 Dodge Stratus has 451 complaints, 34 crash reports, and 44 fire reports filed with NHTSA. This is 2.2x the class average — higher than typical for its segment.
How much does it cost to fix 1997 Dodge Stratus problems?
Repair costs vary by issue. The full BumperScan report includes detailed repair cost estimates (low/median/high) for every major issue, plus a 30,000-mile total cost of ownership projection.
Does the 1997 Dodge Stratus have any recalls?
Yes, the 1997 Dodge Stratus has 7 recalls on record. The full report includes recall severity analysis and scripts for asking the seller about recall completion.
What mileage do Dodge Stratus problems start?
Based on 59 complaints with mileage data, the median mileage at time of complaint is 81,000 miles. The highest concentration of reported issues occurs in the 30–60K mile range. The full report breaks down exactly which components fail at each mileage bracket.
What’s in the full report?
10 sections of AI analysis: severity-ranked issues, component scores (0-100), 30K-mile cost projection, failure timeline by mileage, recall details with seller scripts, owner sentiment analysis, mechanic checklist, buyer lot checklist, negotiation ammo with dollar figures, and a buy/skip verdict.
How is this different from free NHTSA data?
NHTSA gives you raw complaint text. BumperScan cross-references 2.1M+ complaints with community repair cost data, EPA fuel data, and recall records — then uses AI to synthesize it into actionable advice with dollar figures.
How is this different from Carfax?
Carfax is VIN-specific history ($45/report). BumperScan is model-level reliability intelligence — what problems this car is known for, what they cost, and whether you should buy it. Complementary, not competing.
What if the report isn’t useful?
100% money-back guarantee. If the report doesn’t help you make a more informed decision, we’ll refund you — no questions asked.
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10 sections of AI analysis based on 451 owner reports. Know before you buy.

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