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:
3 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
2 / 0
Average Mileage:
47,689 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 drivetrain problems

drivetrain problem

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2013 Dodge Dart Owner Comments (Page 3 of 5)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #51

Dec 222020

Dart

  • miles

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

The car only has 65,374 miles on it and it needs a new transmission.

- Salina, KS, USA

problem #50

Jan 022019

Dart

  • miles
Back in the beginning of 2019 I started having issues with the transmission. It was causing a jerking motion when I accelerated and I brought it into the dealership not once but twice. I initially had a code come up stating that I needed to service the transmission. It would come on and clear itself before I could get it looked at. That was the first time I brought it in and they said they couldn't find anything wrong with it. It continued to happen over the next six months or more and when I brought it back to them and discussed the recall on the transmission they dismissed me as that wasn't the issue but, at that point I had to have it towed into the shop because of this issue since I was unable to drive it. They still have not fixed the transmission recall and I have had to have my car sitting for the last year and 2 months due to my inability to drive it because of whatever issues that were going on that they never fixed. I am unsure of the damage that this has caused and I am hoping that you guys will be able to help me figure out what I can do to have them now fix my car. Since there is possibly additional damage done to my vehicle due to them dismissing me I feel that it is their responsibility to fix that damage as well. The date I gave was an approximate date since it has been so long I am unsure of the exact date but can get a copy of the documents from the dealership if needed.

- Berkshire, NY, USA

problem #49

Sep 092020

Dart

  • 100,000 miles
The engine is stalling when ever the car is driven and also the PCM is unable to keep up the charging.

- Terre Haute, IN, USA

problem #48

Oct 012020

Dart

  • 105,000 miles

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

When taking off from a dead stop it hesitates and jerks if you give it too much gas every time you turn the steering wheel or slow to a stop something popping in the front end if you take off too fast it'll backfire little pops the check engine lights always coming on saying that we have multiple misfires when we don't when the check engine lights on the automatic start doesn't work and when the check engine light comes on and traction control light is blinking

- Oakdale, CA, USA

problem #47

Oct 282020

Dart

  • 116,000 miles
Car randomly revs and goes into a stealth mode where you must depress the brake pedal several times to regain control of the engine. Also the car randomly states that the car is not in park when it is and you must continuously pull the car out of park and back into park for the car to recognize its actually in park.

- Virginia Beach, VA, USA

problem #46

Sep 172020

Dart

  • miles
My clutch has went out for the 3rd time since I purchased the car. It appears that every 2 years after the first year I have to replace the clutch. It isn't covered because they say it is wear and tear. When I went online I found that many many other people are having the same issues along with many others. This car was poorly designed and the company refuses to take responsibility for it. The clutch was apparently designed to stay engaged which wears it out without the user doing anything. 2 times it has went out on me while driving on the city street once while trying to turn in the middle of an intersection which is dangerous. This is crazy and I should probably be filed under a class action law suite against Chrysler

- Seattle, WA, USA

problem #45

Sep 262020

Dart

  • 76,000 miles

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

Clutch going to the floor

- Smithfield, NC, USA

problem #44

Sep 222020

Dart

  • 80,000 miles
Bushing on the shift cable of the manual transmission comes loose. Car cannot be shifted. This occurred in a parking lot but could have occurred while the car was in motion. Basically, the car remains stuck in one gear. Note that there is a recall for this problem for the automatic transmission but not the manual. It is the same problem.

- Mason, OH, USA

problem #43

Aug 132020

Dart

  • 63,600 miles
The car stalls while driving at below highway speeds, eg crossing an intersection in Suburban New Jersey. The engine cuts out, random messages on the information center appear, and the drive must coast to a stop and restart the car. It's unpredictable and intermittent, with no obd code to help dealer diagnose or replicate. The cause is presently unknown despite dealer effort.

- Burlingame, CA, USA

problem #42

May 062020

Dart

  • 100,000 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Dodge Dart. The contact stated that the while the vehicle was parked and shifting into drive, the vehicle accelerated without warning and vehicle control was lost. The vehicle crashed into a neighbor house. The contact mentioned the motor was still running when the vehicle crashed into the house but did not do any damage to the house. The contact stated that the transmission failed and dropped causing it to not be positioned accurately. There were no injuries. No police report was failed. The dealer nor manufacturer were made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000. The VIN was not available.

- Millbrook, AL, USA

problem #41

Jul 242020

Dart

  • 43,036 miles

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

The transmission shifts into neutral on it's own, for us it only happens when we stop at a traffic light. Then it's displayed to shift to neutral and then to drive or reverse, this may have to be performed two or three times before the car move, then we only have the even or the odd gears depending on witch clutch activates. This happened on a four lane Suburban road with a speed limit of 50 mph and will happen when the transmission gets to full temperature. This vehicle had the recall 15V-542 performed 08/25/15. After several tcm failures abusing the transmission prior to the recall, the transmission now needs to be replaced. The shifting to neutral issue first happened July of 2014.

- New Castle, DE, USA

problem #40

Nov 152018

Dart

  • 71,079 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Dodge Dart. The contact stated that while driving 30 mph and going around a roundabout, the vehicle stalled. A warning light illuminated indicating automatic gear shift not available put the vehicle in neutral. The contact coasted into a driveway. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle. The contact attempted to reverse and a warning light indicated reverse was not available. The contact stated that the vehicle sat for 10 minutes before driving the vehicle to her residence. The contact stated that the transmission was not engaging. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing. The contact mentioned the failure occurred two year prior and the vehicle was taken to southern motors springfield (1500 ga-21, springfield, ga 31329), where the transmission control module was replaced however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was not taken back to the dealer but was taken later to an independent mechanic where the hydraulic control module was replaced. The failure recurred. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 71,079.

- Springfield, GA, USA

problem #39

Aug 312020

Dart

  • 151,079 miles
The bushing on the shift cable keep breaking. There was a recall on automatics but not standards.

- Irving, TX, USA

problem #38

Aug 222020

Dart

  • 159,619 miles
The contact's nephew owns a 2013 Dodge Dart. The contact stated while her nephew was driving 45 mph, the vehicle was unable to shift into fourth gear. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The driver was able to stop the vehicle with the parking brakes and park on the side of the road. While inspecting under the hood, the driver noticed the shiftier cable was detached from the transmission. The vehicle was not drivable. The vehicle was towed to the contacts residence and then to the local dealer ourisman Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram of bowie located at 2406 crain hwy, bowie, md 20716, (855) 822-3228, where it was diagnosed with needing shifter cable to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired as of yet. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure to NHTSA campaign number: 19V293000 (power train), however the VIN was not included. The manufacturer had been informed of failure. The failure mileage was 159,619.

- Bowie, MD, USA

problem #37

Aug 162020

Dart

  • 95,000 miles
Shift connector cable gave out in middle of traffic while in motion. Had to rev a bit higher in order to get it to gain any momentum able to get out of the way of traffic. Was lucky to be able to get out of the way of other vehicles. The automatic version of 2013 Dodge Darts were recalled for the same problem but for whatever unexplained reason they did not include standards(stick shifts) in the recall as far as I can find anywhere. My car is in shop now while I'm working far from home etc. Definitely something that needs to be addressed.

- Fort Myers, FL, USA

problem #36

Jul 242020

Dart

  • miles
My car is having issues with the shifter. It won't go into park or drive properly it also locks my key fob up when it doesn't read park. It doesn't do it all the time but 90% of the time it does. I took it to the Dodge dealership and paid to have them diagnose what was wrong. They claimed they couldn't find the issue so they kept it overnight to tear it apart. The next day they called and said the shifter assembly wasn't functioning properly. I had the shifter assembly replaced on my own because Dodge wanted a outrageous amount and go figure it wasn't the issue because my car is still doing the same thing. It's unacceptable that there is not a recall on this issue I've read hundreds and hundreds of complaints of people having the same issue. It's dangerous when you can't get your car to go into park and someone is going to end up seriously hurt. On a side note they did have a recall on the shifter bushing which I did have replaced and it didn't help the issue either. In order to get my car to go into drive I have to hit the shift lock release pin under the shifter anytime it jams up on me. Something needs done about this because from what I've read it's a very common issue in Dodge Darts and by no means is this ok for people to have to make car payments to have cars that they don't feel safe in.

- Greensboro, PA, USA

problem #35

Jun 022020

Dart

  • 130,000 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Dodge Dart. The contact stated while her daughter was driving 50 mph and shifting into fourth gear approaching a stop at a traffic light, the vehicle failed to shift gear. The driver stated no warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not drivable. The contact stated a friend of her daughter was able to assist her in towing the vehicle to her residence. The contact also stated that the windshield wiper motor was also defective and the radiator was punctured. The vehicle was towed to local dealer patterson Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram located at Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram store (1611 us-259 bus, kilgore, tx 75662, (903) 871-7578), where it was diagnosed with needing master seal for the clutch to be replaced. The vehicle had been repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 130,000.

- Longview, TX, USA

problem #34

Aug 252015

Dart

  • 20,000 miles
My vehicle has had two recalls done on it. Tcm repair and transmission cable bushing. I took it to get a diagnostic. My tcm needs to be replaced again & my transmission won't shift sometimes after my transmission bushing repair.

- Sparks, NV, USA

problem #33

May 122020

Dart

  • 63,500 miles
The car automatically moves to neutral and the gears do not work. I took the car for a recall on cable bushing on the transmission and I can drive the car for a bit but will fall in neutral by itself have not been able for the dealer to repair the car.

- El Paso, TX, USA

problem #32

Jul 112020

Dart 4-cyl

  • 75,659 miles
Recall R42 was completed on May 7 2018, as of today the vehicle is at the dealer with the same problem as the original safety recall both the dealer and fca said that the 2 year warranty on the tcm has expired by 2 months. Apparently the safety recall has not been fixed and the issue continues. They want me to pay for a new tcm. I feel that the fix they did originally was not sufficient to repair the problem and Dodge should address this issue by taking care of the same problem.

- Hudson, FL, USA

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