"How reliable is the 1998 Dodge Stratus?"

"Based on 334 NHTSA complaints, the 1998 Dodge Stratus has a median complaint mileage of 75628 miles. The most common issue is ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE."

"What are common problems with the 1998 Dodge Stratus?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 1998 Dodge Stratus is ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE, accounting for a significant portion of the 334 total complaints filed."

1998 Dodge Stratus: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 334 complaints

334

Total Complaints

75,628mi

Median Mileage

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

53,598 25th Percentile

75,628 Median Mileage

97,526 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC

SUSPENSION

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"THE FIRST DAY THAT CONSUMER TOOK VEHICLE HOME HE EXPERIENCED BRAKE FAILURE. CONSUMER WAS BACKING UP AND THE BRAKES FAILED TO STOP VEHICLE. A SECOND TIME, CONSUMER WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH WHEN A TRUCK STOPPED IN FRONT OF VEHICLE. WHEN DRIVER APPLIED BRAKES THERE WERE NONE, SHE REAR ENDED ..."

"WAS DRIVING AT APPROXIAMTELY 15-20 MPH, HIT ANOTHER VEHICLE HEAD-ON WHICH WAS GOING ABOUT 30 MPH. DIRECT HIT AND AIRBAGS ON BOTH SIDES DID NOT DEPLOY, CAUSING THE CONSUMER TO HIT STEERING WHEEL AND WINDSHIELD. *AK"

"GEAR SHIFT IS DEFECTIVE. WHEN MOVING IT THERE IS NO NEED TO PUT FOOT ON THE BRAKES, THE VEHICLE SHIFTS GEARS ANYWAY. THE DEALER STATES THAT IS THE WAY THE GEAR SHIFT SHOULD BE BECAUSE OF FEDERAL STANDARDS. DEALER CANNOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. *AK"

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28