1995 Dodge Stratus problems & reliability
318 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1995 Dodge Stratus, alongside 1 safety recall campaign. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
19 complaints report injuries (23 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 1995 Dodge Stratus vehicles were involved in 1 fatal crash with 1 occupant death. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 106 | 33% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 56 | 18% |
| Power Train | 55 | 17% |
| Electrical System | 41 | 13% |
| Suspension | 24 | 8% |
| Steering | 23 | 7% |
| Air Bags | 18 | 6% |
| Equipment | 18 | 6% |
| Visibility | 16 | 5% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 11 | 3% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 98,000 miles (middle 50% between 67,500 and 128,500 miles), based on 23 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“I have 1995 dodge stratus shifting down going down the road!!!! After rebuild on the tranny not once but twice change all the switches I figured it out. *tr”
Power Train · filed Apr 16, 2010
“Tl*the contact owns a 1995 dodge stratus. While driving 65 mph, the vehicle shifted into first gear without warning, which caused the vehicle speed to decrease. There were several repairs performed on the vehicle to correct the failure; however, the failure continued to occur. The transmission was rebuilt and the…”
Power Train · filed Mar 24, 2008
“While driving at approximately 30 mph, my car started to overheat. When I pulled over, the coolant was pouring out of the engine. I had the car towed to a garage and was told that it failed the "block test" meaning that it needed a new head gasket. I took the car to a second garage and was told the same thing. This is…”
Engine and Engine Cooling · filed Jan 31, 2008
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- AUTO TRANS IGNITION-PARK INTERLOCK
Engineering Analysis EA03011 · opened Jul 17, 2003 · closed Jan 30, 2004 · led to recall 04V021000
- STEERING COLUMN SEPARATION
Defect Petition DP03002 · opened May 7, 2003 · closed Jul 22, 2003
- SAFETY BELT CINCHING LATCH PLATE
Preliminary Evaluation PE02082 · opened Nov 6, 2002 · closed Apr 23, 2003
- LOWER CONTROL ARM BALL JOINT FAILURE
Engineering Analysis EA97016 · opened Sep 29, 1997 · closed Nov 20, 1997 · led to recall 97V201000
- LOWER CONTROL ARM BALL JOINT FAILURE
Preliminary Evaluation PE97009 · opened Mar 13, 1997 · closed Sep 29, 1997
Technical service bulletins
88 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 1995 Dodge Stratus. The 10 most recent:
Valve Body. These may cause over drive cycling.
R2118796A · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 26, 2016
Child Seat Tether Anchor Installation This bulletin describes procedures to install Child Seat Tether Anchors based on Customer Request. Retrofits are subject to part availability. Vehicles in the following list that…
23-014-15 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 23, 2015
Seat belt cinch bar service for various models including 2004 models. *tt
0801003 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 25, 2003
Flash programming failure recovery. *slc
1802002 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 24, 2002
Exhibiting rough idle, hard start and start & stall.*cls
1802001 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 17, 2001
Subject regarding generic scan tool (gst), publication no. 81-170-00008 provided with this technical service bulletin to provide reference information when using generic scan tool on obdii vehicles. *tt
1801201 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 25, 2001
Subject regarding airbag / clock spring service for various models including 2002 model year jeep liberty. *tt
0801001 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 25, 2001
Automatic transmission fluid usage atf+4. *tt *mj
2100601 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 16, 2001
This bulletin involves installation of a new component to assist cam seal retention. *jb
0900800 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 12, 2001
Subject regarding wire splice repairs. *sb
0800600REV · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 29, 2000
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 1995 Dodge Stratus has 1 NHTSA recall campaign — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 1995 Dodge Stratus?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 98,000 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.