CarComplaints.com Notes: The first year of the new Dodge Dart had a rough start, with owners reporting a disproportionate number of engine and transmission problems.

For transmission, the main complaints are transmission failure & rough shifting. So far, average mileage for transmission failure is 25,000 miles. Not good.

For engine problems, it usually starts with the engine light coming on for any number of reasons: bad sensors, ignition coil replacement, bad wiring, faulty gas cap ... dealers are replacing various components with varying degrees of success, or telling owners they can't duplicate the issue.

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
26 / 3
Injuries / Deaths:
9 / 0
Average Mileage:
29,310 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2013 Dodge Dart brakes problems

brakes problem

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2013 Dodge Dart Owner Comments (Page 2 of 14)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #250

Sep 012019

Dart 4-cyl

  • 23,090 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Emergency brake fail...calipers no good...very dangerous.

- Amityville, NY, USA

problem #249

Aug 192019

Dart

  • 115,536 miles
While driving and shifting through an intersection I was no longer able to shift into gear. I was stuck in gear. 2 weeks prior my parking break would not engage, as the break caliper was stuck open

- Marion, IL, USA

problem #248

Jan 012018

Dart

  • 60,000 miles
When applying brakes down hill, right front wheel shakes. Also can hear a rattle in right front wheel while driving on rough areas.

- Redding, CA, USA

problem #247

Aug 172019

Dart

  • 93,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2013 Dodge Dart. While driving 4 mph, the brake pedal was extremely hard and would not depress. The contact had to apply the emergency brake to stop the vehicle. The contact stated that the brake indicator illuminated after the vehicle stopped. The vehicle was towed to hertrich Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep (1147 E pulaski hwy, elkton, md 21921, (443) 406-2001). The dealer stated that there were no failures with the brakes. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and did not assist. The failure mileage was 93,000. The VIN was unknown.

- Perryville, MD, USA

problem #246

Jul 272019

Dart

  • 90,100 miles
I received a letter for a safety recall maybe last month but it said on the letter that there was no remedy for the problem and that I would receive another letter with instructions soon. Never got this letter then my brakes started making horrible noises Saturday July 27th. Took my car to the mechanic and he said the caliper for my brakes broke. And there was a safety recall on them and asked me why I didnt get them fixed. But there was no way to fix them according to the letter. Now I can't drive my car without paying $600 and doge has no way to prove this was part of the safety recall issue cause I dont have the letter anymore

- Groton, CT, USA

problem #245

Jun 122019

Dart 4-cyl

  • 86,000 miles
The contact owned a 2013 Dodge Dart. The contact stated that the brake rotors and brake pads were faulty. As a result, the brake pedal traveled to the floorboard when depressed and the stopping distance increased. Also, while driving more than 50-60 mph, the vehicle shook when the brake pedal was depressed and the check engine indicator illuminated. The dealer and manufacturer were not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact's insurance company deemed the vehicle unable to be driven and discontinued the insurance because the VIN kept being associated with recalls. The failure mileage was 86,000. The consumer stated he is still waiting for parts to become available and unable to drive the vehicle due to the defect.

- Bronx, NY, USA

problem #244

Apr 032019

Dart

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The 2013 Dodge Dart has issues with the rear brake calipers. When I disengage the parking brake the rear calipers do not release pressure causing the rear brakes to drag. This is not only my vehicle, I have read online people having similar issues. For me to fix this problem I would have to get new rear calipers. I personally believe this is a manufacturer problem. On the back side of the caliper is a spring which the parking brake connects to I had to disengage this myself. Causing me to not be able to use my parking brake.

- Lavale, MD, USA

problem #243

Apr 022019

Dart

  • 153,213 miles
My 2013 Dart has started having breaking issues recently, year 2013-2016 Darts has a recall on the brake assist in the past, and my issues are very similar. When stoped at a redlight, my car continues to roll forward slowly, enough that I have to push brake pedal completely down. And it takes a lot longer and more distance to slow down fast and safely, it's almost caused me several accidents, and has caused me to run a few red lights to avoid stopping late in the middle of the intersection, which I feel is unsafe, especially when I have my 3 kids with me.

- Grapeland, TX, USA

problem #242

Apr 092019

Dart

  • 56,000 miles
The parking brake has failed on two occasions, once while stationary when it was at the dealership. It crashed into a car in their parking lot in 2016. The vehicle has been in and out of the dealership over the last four years. It was in the dealership in 2015-2016 thirteen times for oil leaks and the engine either dying or almost seizing while in motion. This resulted in my vehicle starting on fire in late 2016 early 2017. The repair for the fire damage was covered by my insurance company and it was subsequently fixed by a different dealership after that. More recently, it was in my driveway and rolled into my truck and damaged the front of the vehicle's bumper while stationary with the parking brake was engaged. The symptoms with the engine have also started to reappear while in motion in 3rd or 4th gear... it starts to act like it's going to completely die. Needless to say, I have it back in the dealership for diagnostics. Some of the recalls listed on this website sound like things I have experienced, please let me know if there is anything I can do. My time is the main thing I care about at this point and don't want to spend another 2 years endlessly in and out of the dealership. I just want a car that operates normally.

- Yorkville, IL, USA

problem #241

Apr 062019

Dart

  • 62,000 miles
I have a 2013 Dodge Dart aero 6 speed manual, dual dry clutch, multi air turbo. I purchased vehicle in February 2017. 4 months later I had brought my vehicle into carsense for an oil change. Meanwhile I asked them to check the brakes also due to braking issues and my ebrake was not working properly and had a mind of it's own. It worked when it wanted to, but yet everything is in "great condition" says carsence.mind you that I had just purchased this vehicle in February and it was recently inspected in January 2017. Service dept. Inspected my brakes and gave me the current measurements of existing brake pads left. About June 2018 I was coming up to a stop sign in a 25 mph side street with light traffic. I had trouble slowing down to a complete stop. When I managed to come to a complete stop I heard a loud bang. Here my driver's side rear rotor was severely smoking and I noticed my rotor was redhot. My rotor snapped completely in half. My shifter would randomly pop out of gear or the clutch would lightly stick, smelling exhaust odor I'm now pushing 62, 000 miles and what do you know. I am coming home into my development. I'm in second gear turning onto my lane and doing maybe 10 mph well it decides to pop out of gear and accelerates, redlining second gear(I'm assuming it thinks it's in second) and all dashboard lights are flashing steering wheel it locked. Car is now doing 80 mph in a 15 mph zone. My brakes are not working at all brake pedal is harder than hard. I have no control of this vehicle!! engine finally cuts out after I removed the key from the ignition. Comes to a screeching halt. Thank god. It wont start still to this day..oil in turbo and up the hose. Battery plays dead along with my instrument panel and my transmission needs a computer upgrade that's not even available for the 1.4L turbo engine...it needs a tcm, new master cylinder.

- Quakertown, PA, USA

problem #240

Nov 162017

Dart

  • 84,898 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2013 Dodge Dart. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to a dealer (Jeep Chrysler Dodge Ram located at 600 auto center cir, salinas, ca 93907) where it was serviced under NHTSA campaign number: 15V800000 (service brakes, hydraulic). After the recall remedy was performed, there was a loss of brake assist. The vehicle was taken back to the same dealer where the vehicle was serviced a second time under the recall remedy as a courtesy however, the failure recurred where there was a loss of brake assist. The contact called the same dealer where it was informed that the vehicle would have to be diagnosed and that there could be a cost for the repairs. The contact was concerned that the recall remedy failed to rectify the failure. The vehicle was not taken back to the same dealer for the most recent failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 84,898.

- Salinas, CA, USA

problem #239

Mar 122016

Dart

  • 60,000 miles
The car was parked in my driveway for hours, which has an incline, with the emergency brake engaged, when it suddenly rolled downed the driveway across the street into a ditch, the emergency lever still up, as if it were engaged, had to have a tow truck pull it out. A year later the emergency brake would randomly not work and now does not work at all

- Sussex, NJ, USA

problem #238

Mar 012019

Dart

  • 101,000 miles
I had took my car to Chrysler in biddeford in May 2017 C/O that my E-brake was not holding my car. Once I got the car back I could hardly lift the brake. I went back in and asked why it was that way, they stated that it would loosen up as I use it. I used the brake a couple of months later and it went up about an inch. The next time I used it was in February and when I pulled up on the brake level it went straight up. I called and left numerous vm. No one called me back. I went back in on a Saturday for my oil change. I talked to a rep there and they stated that they would leave a note for someone to call me back on Monday. I never received a call back. I finally got someone to make an appt for me to bring my car in. Once they found out I no longer had the B to B warranty they stated that I would have to pay almost $500. I called and left a msg for the GM and I got a call back from the sales manager wanting me to traded my car in. I stated to him I thought he was calling about the brake. He stated to bring it in and they will put it on the lift while I talk to sales. The rep came back and stated do you know that your brake does not work. Made an appt for a diagnostic which I had to pay for and they ordered a part for my car. I had to take my car back to be looked at bill Dodge and they stated that my brake was not working and that my calipers where sticking. I brought the car back in and they stated I needed one of my calipers changed. I stated I just changed one this summer make sure you get the right one. I picked up my car and took my car to my friend in nh. His mechanic again stated that my brake was not fixed and that the E-brake is causing the calipers to stick. I got my car back and a week later (03/01/2019) I was in an accident where a car hit my driver's door doing about 35+. my air bags never went off. I have 4 airbags and not one went off. Other cars did.

- Durham, ME, USA

problem #237

Mar 022019

Dart

  • miles
Car flashes check engine light, turns on and off multiple times on its own, unexpectedly shifts into neutral, occasionally goes forward when in reverse (R), steering wheel locks while driving, takes a lot of pressure on the acceleration pedal to move forward

- Miami, FL, USA

problem #236

Feb 052019

Dart

  • 55,000 miles
The parking brake will not engage. Does not hold car in position when applying the emergency brake. Car rolls when parking brake is applied.

- Lake Hiawatha, NJ, USA

problem #235

Dec 132017

Dart

  • 50,000 miles
The emergency brake function on the rear brake calipers on the manual version of the 2013 Dodge Dart 1.4L multiair turbo seize over time. It happened first with my back right rear caliper. I was driving after having parked using the emergency brake. The car was pulling hard to the right and was resisting acceleration. I pulled over to find my back right wheel smoking and the rotor red hot. The event was dangerous. I had the car towed to my local autoshop and they informed me that there was galvanic corrosion on a spring that was intended to release the emergency brake when disengaged. They informed me that this wasnt the first time that they had seen this on this model of car, and that I should expect for it to happen on the opposite assembly as well. I did not have the money to replace both at the time, so I only replaced the damaged caliper, rotor, and pads. Slightly over one year later, the exact same thing happened to the other assembly. I attempted to fix it myself. To my surprise, upon getting underneath the car and comparing the two brake assemblies, the assembly that had been replaced was visibly different. There appears to be a coating on the release spring. To me, this signifies that Dodge is aware of the issue and has made a revision, however there is not a recall in place. Considering the importance of brakes and the significance of the emergency brakes to manual vehicles, I consider this unacceptable. I have searched for recalls and not found any, and I have reached out to my local Dodge dealer where I purchased the car only to be told that without a recall, there is nothing they can do.

- Raleigh, NC, USA

problem #234

Oct 252018

Dart

  • 10 miles
Brake-booster vacuum-tube is letting oil hit my brakes and when I stop the car it smokes and a really bad smell is sucked in by the A/C into the cabin area. This problem is also not letting my car stop in a short distance especially at highway speeds. This is word for word on the fca wedsite about the problem "brake-booster vacuum-tube routing may inadvertently allow oil to reach the brake-booster diaphragm in the event that the vacuum-pump check valve fails; oil may degrade the diaphragm and lead to a loss of brake assist, lengthening stopping distances and increasing the risk of a crash." I have gone to every dealership in my area and because my car is not on the recall list I can't have the problem fixed. My fear is one day I may brake and the car goes up in flames..

- Carrollton, GA, USA

problem #233

Nov 012018

Dart

  • 89,000 miles
Brake booster vaccum pump is leaking oil, causing car to smoke and have a burning smell. It was recalled on other models of the Dodge Dart but not this one, and it's having the same problem. When turning, parking, or braking.

- Morning View, KY, USA

problem #232

Oct 292018

Dart

  • 0 miles
The clutch stays stuck to the floor, then pressures up at times.I see many complaints about this online.

- Erath, LA, USA

problem #231

Sep 132018

Dart

  • miles
Takata recall this car is garbage ! Dodge shouldn't make this model anymore. I've been having problems two years in of having this car. I had to start changing tires so many time. Air always goes down, tires keep getting those air balls. (no I don't park close to the sidewalk or hit the sidewalk) my steering wheel always cracks everytime I turn it. My whole car shakes ! I press the brakes and it goes crazy. My engine messed up too (it had water inside) I had to fix some heating hose ! my window button stuggles to go up ?I had to change my battery three time ! keep in mind I got this car new. Zero everything ! for 6 years ! I've put so much money on a car I haven't even finished paying ! a car needs thing to get fixed but not like this! just isn't normal. Garage of a car! Dodge Dart SXT 2013 ! don't waste your money or time on this car. Save yourself.

- Sun Valley, CA, USA

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