Has anyone else had a problem with the hood rusting on a 2000 or older dodge Stratus? Both my mother and I have the same car (different colors) and they both are rusting in the same exact place....I'm wondering if it's a common problem... Please help

no its not a common problem with them i have a 98 and its not got no rust at all on it,its a southern car though but still no rust,check it for previous damage it could have been wrecked before,anything is possible ,but they don't usually rust out,i know of several more around me and they don't have any rust either,good luck.

i dont know where dodge man got his info from.... I am a retired service manager at a dodge store and these things were terrible- rust along the very front part of the hood where it curls? good luck- no warranty. 1998-?

older model years had alot of problems with rust, but like dodgeman i dont see it now. the old models the paint would peel off in sheets. it wasnt a rust issue the paint just came flying off going down the road. i agree with dodge man

All you need to do is polish it t protect ti from rust and paint chipping. The hood of a car is an exposed place on a car, which can rust very easily. Try to get the hood fixed or replaced, then start polishingit to protect it. Hope this helps!

I have a 98 stratus with no rust at all except the front of the passenger side hood. I think it is so strange that my family and I play a game where we try to find a stratus from the same year that does NOT have rust in the exact same spot. Very rarely can we. Other than that and (of course) a small oil leak, it has been great - no major repairs and over 200K miles (2.4L) - Id say thats outstanding. But the rust on the hood? Totally an issue with that run of cars - I always joke that some guy on the assembly line didn't wear his gloves, because it is just about where your hand naturally rests when you open the hood.;

I too have a 1998 Dodge Stratus. I noticed rust at the tip of my hood. I started looking at other dodge stratus and Plymouth Breeze and saw the same rust. Obviously, a manufacturing flaw that never had, and should have, a recall. To solve this problem, I had a new hood installed. Only cost $400. Heck, a brake job cost at least that much. The rest of the car is fine and I am in my 10th year of ownership. I wish somebody would start a class action suit with Chrysler.

YES I HAVE THIS SAME PROBLEM AND IT'S SOOOOO ANNOYING!! Sorry to be shouting but I've been dealing with it for 2-3 years trying to have it fixed, grinding it down and bondoing the heeeyyyll out of it but it always comes back.. and underneath inside is also rusted in the same area as well..

I am thinking of just ordering a new hood, I've found some that I googled for as low as $77. My question is can you order it in your car color or would I have to find someplace that would match the color and paint it for me?

I don't think you can order it in a color. It has to be painted and a body shop is what is needed. They know how to paint it right. As you read in my thread, I brought it to my body shop and the entire job cost me $400. It was not a dealer body shop otherwise it probably would have cost more. My suggestion is go to a body shop you trust and have them order a certified hood. The cost is not that much higher than an aftermarket body shop company. It is worth the extra money especially if you plan to either keep the car a little longer or sell it. I had this done about 3 years ago and there is no rust. Best money I ever spent. So, there definitely was a manufacturing defect from 1995 through 2000 with Stratus and Neons which Chrysler never acknowledged.

You are very luck then. Everyone I looked at has the rust. It may not be on 100% of Stratus but the odds are very high.