I have a 2004 dodge stratus and yesterday it started losing power as I was driving. I stopped at the nearest garage and he stated that I need new spark plugs and wires. How is this possible ? I had new plugs and wires installed in October 2022. Do they really go bad that fast? I am getting poor gas mileage. The manual says I should get 22/30 mpg. I am getting about 200 miles per tank. My tachometer is also going very high. It is above 1 almost 2 idling. Plz help!!
You did not state mileage but it quite possible your engine is just plain worn out after 20 years. Transmission could be going out as well, especially if it has not been properly maintained.
How much diagnosis have you done? Are the plugs oil or carbon fouled? Have you scanned for codes and live data?
https://www.carcomplaints.com/Dodge/Stratus/2004/
Spark plugs and spark plug wires shouldn't be failing anywhere near that quickly.
Echoing what Chuck Tobias mentioned, my first thought is to see if there's oil or other fouling on the plugs themselves. If there is, the type of fouling will be a big help in determining the underlying issue causing the spark plug failure. Definitely also get the error codes (if any) from an engine scan.
