Dodge Stratus reliability by year
6 recall campaigns and 136 owner complaints across 2 model years. Best year to buy: 2006. Year to avoid: 2005.
Worst model years to avoid → — the single year to avoid for every model line we track, ranked side by side.
At-a-glance: every year color-coded
Each cell shows the last two digits of the model year and its 0–10 reliability score from NHTSA data. Click any year to see the full record. ★ best year · ✕ year to avoid.
Year-by-year reliability 2 model years · newest first
Per-year recall counts add up to 9, more than the 6 campaigns above, because a single NHTSA campaign often covers several model years and is counted once in each.
Common trouble spots across the Stratus aggregated across 2 model years
Common questions
What's the best year to buy a Dodge Stratus?
Based on NHTSA complaint volume and severity weighting, the 2006 Dodge Stratus scores 7.4/10 — the strongest in the 2005–2006 range. 74 complaints on file, 3 active recalls. Reliability scores reflect the federal complaint record, not subjective owner reviews.
Which Dodge Stratus year should I avoid?
The 2005 Dodge Stratus scores 6.8/10 — the weakest in the lineup. 62 owner complaints with NHTSA, 6 active recalls. That doesn't mean every 2005 is a problem — it means failure rates run higher than peer model years on the same platform.
Which years of the Dodge Stratus should I avoid?
No Dodge Stratus model year currently rises to an "avoid" or "high-risk" verdict on the NHTSA data — either the record is clean or sample sizes are still too thin for a confident call. The year-by-year breakdown below shows what's on file regardless.
How many years of the Dodge Stratus are tracked?
2 model years (2005 through 2006) with NHTSA records on file. Total across the lineup: 6 distinct recall campaigns and 136 owner complaints. Those campaigns land on 9 model-year entries in total, because one campaign often covers several years at once — which is why per-year recall counts add up to more than the campaign count.
What's the most-reported problem on the Dodge Stratus?
engine is the most-reported category — 34 complaints across 2 model years. Average shop repair runs about $3,100.