From the sound of it, I think it is a very strong possibility that when they went to put your Stratus up on the bed, they may have placed the cable on the wrong spot. When they did that they yanked the gearshift cable out of either its carrier or out of the transmission altogether. Either way, you have a problem, as you can tell.
This is only one of two other possiblities that might have also occurred. You see, by 2002 most Chrysler products were nearly all computerized. Indeed, about the only difference between the transmissions used today by Fiat Chrysler Autos and the automaker back then is the number of control modules. Back then, it was likely there were eight or 10 control modules interacting with the transmission, while today it may be up to 16 or more, depending on the complexity of the vehicle and the number of added options installed. The control modules, by the way, are computers that are in charge of specific sections of a vehicle. They also report to the Engine Control Module.
That’s not all of the electronic goodies, either. Back in 2002, there were on the order of 12 or more sensors or control circuits involved in the transmission. Suffice it to say, the words used today “drive-by-wire” and “shift-by-wire” were a reality 14 years ago, but, the industry didn’t use them.
It is entirely possible that if the ramp truck operator tried to do a restart on your car to see if he could drive it onto the ramp and onto the truck, it is possible that he reverse polarized the circuitry. And the result of that is catastrophic failure of some circuits. In all likelihood, the primary control circuit that he fried was the transmission.
To fix it, you are looking at some major work. Like as not, you will be charged between $800 and $1,200 to diagnose the problem and you will have to pay another $1,800 to have the problem remedied. The good news here is that since some of the circuits may be part of the emissions control section of the Stratus, you may be able to have it repaired under the emissions warranty which is pretty much life-of-the-vehicle.
One other possibility is this and it is the bad guys who had your car may have done some burnouts and other silly things which can damage the internals of the transmission pretty severely. If they also dumped the transmission into and out of gear then with their feet on the brake it is possible they have not only ripped up most of the major mechanical systems, but also many of the electrical systems. Worse, if they tried to jump-start the vehicle and cross-polarized or reversed it (as I described above) then, unfortunately, you will have to rely on the generosity of your insurer to recover the cost of rebuilding things.
In any case, there are some major parts of your vehicle that are pretty well fried, even beyond the suggestion I made a bit earlier. It may seem contradictory, but it isn’t because I was discussing a specific set of coincidences, not these. In any case — and I think this is most likely what is going on — you are looking at some major expenses, far beyond the $3,000 that I quoted.
Frankly, I believe that several major circuits have been burned out which will cost multi-thousands to fix — on the order of $5,000 or more. That’s not to mention the $3,400 to $4,000 you will end up putting into the transmission. And, I haven’t even gotten to the possible engine, cooling and oiling system problems that might be there. In any case, you are looking at costs that far exceed any value left in the Stratus.
Unless you are determined to keep it on the road, I would suggest using whatever value is left and using it to find a newer vehicle that you can keep without troubles for another dozen or more years. Ultimately, though you will have to lay out money, you will be saving money in the long-run.
