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:
2 / 6
Injuries / Deaths:
3 / 0
Average Mileage:
42,563 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 electrical problems

electrical problem

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2013 Dodge Dart Owner Comments (Page 6 of 11)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #117

Dec 252017

Dart

  • miles

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

2013 Dodge Dart with 2 liter motor auto transmission. The car won't start. On the shifter all letters on gear indicator shows red (P, R, N, D) engine light on. Car will. It start in any gear. This is the third shifter assembly I had to purchase to fix the problem. Vehical was stationary when it wouldn't start, when it was running the gear indicator light went red car shifted hard. Also wouldn't indicat what gear it was in on the dash. Now car won't start at all.

- Lowellville, OH, USA

problem #116

Nov 162017

Dart

  • miles
Manufacture recall number R36 NHTSA recall number 15V-800 recall incomplete

- Muskogee, OK, USA

problem #115

Sep 282017

Dart

  • 69,000 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Dodge Dart. While attempting to park the vehicle, it failed to shift into reverse. In addition, the vehicle was turned off and failed to restart. The contact was unable to remove the key from the ignition. The contact called an unknown dealer and was informed that there was no recall on the vehicle. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 69,000.

- Shreveport, LA, USA

problem #114

Aug 242017

Dart

  • 57,940 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 gear failed to shift from the drive to the park without warning. In addition, the key from the ignition failed to be removed. The vehicle was taken to the flowery branch auto care dealer located at 3507 atlanta hwy, flowery branch, ga 30542; where it was diagnosed that the shifter cable needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated on another occasion, while driving at 55 mph, the gear automatically shifted to neutral without warning. The contact could not change the gear, the contact tried to pull over to the side of the road but the vehicle failed to move. The contact waited 25 minutes and the vehicle was able to shift out of neutral. The vehicle was driven to the contact's residence. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The approximate failure mileage was 57,940.

- Gainesville, GA, USA

problem #113

Sep 052013

Dart

  • miles
The battery has to be replaced every year. The brakes are hard and has a vacuum leak noise. The radio, cd, bluetooth does not work. The cruise control does not work all the time and when it does it will stick on. The buttons on the steering wheel does not work all the time. The front 12V DC does not work. Dodge will not fix it because the warranty is gone, but these problems have been going on since I bought it in 2012. Is there some way I can get Dodge to fix these problems without having to pay. There is a lot of Dodge Dart owners with the same problems and Dodge won't recall or fix the problems.

- Royal, AR, USA

problem #112

Aug 162017

Dart

  • 58,005 miles
This car has gone through cylinders, spark plugs, 3 batteries including the factory one, throttle control computer all in less than 50K miles. Never gets more than 10K miles before there is another issue, quite possible the worst vehicle I have ever purchased and there's no doubt in my mind after reading forum after forum of the exact same issues experienced by hundreds if not thousands of other owners and dealer responses that there was good reason to discontinue the production of this model and the model years thereafter. Unfortunately, we are all stuck with payments on cars that put us at significant safety risk because of frequent and random stall outs, including one that happened to myself at highway speed, and another on a dark desolate country road, and fca won't do anything about it other than offer a 5% discount on a brand new vehicle, for which comparable size and price no longer exists within the brand. This car is the definition of a lemon, we bought it certified used from Dodge after the car had a single owner and with neither the dealership nor the brand offering any sort of significant assistance in remedying this product defect other than repairs within warranty that keep us on the road for another month before the next breakdown, we are forced to pay for and drive a vehicle that puts our family at risk even more than in general. Unbelievable.

- Edgemoor, SC, USA

problem #111

Aug 142017

Dart

  • 83,000 miles

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

Have had to replace battery twice in four years and now none of the electronics are working in the interior of my car. It was bought brand with no other owner! this is very costly and unfair to be a new vehicle.

- Columbiana, AL, USA

problem #110

Aug 112017

Dart

  • 44,000 miles
The car is turned off a ticking sound continues go off with the back lights flashing no keys in car fire department called to very a safe tow and my car sits there until the next day won't start windows down and it's a hazard to tow

- Chandler, AZ, USA

problem #109

Aug 022017

Dart

  • 27,266 miles
Takata recall: There has been multiple issues with this car including loss of power, rapid shifting, transmission failure, stalling, and overheating. The check engine light and transmission light have come on multiple times, the tcs and passenger airbag lights have come on and off at the same time. This car has had 2 PCM's replaced, 4 tcm's replaced, 2 transmissions (the last one replaced less than one week ago), 2 sets of spark plugs and coils replaced, timing belt, serpentine, and water pump replaced. The transmission, serpentine, timing belt, and water pump were all replaced on 7/21/17 and now the car is presenting with the same issues. These problems started with the first owner (and were not reported to me) on 8/6/13 and started with me on 4/16/15. As of 8/2/17 I have the same whining noise in the car (which has been diagnosed as the transmission multiple times now), the transmission is unable to shift or lags or shifts too quickly, I can floor the gas peddle and the car will not accelerate, when I let off the brake the car surges forward, the check engine light is back on, and the cruise control is not functional. This car has been in the shop more than I have driven it and Dodge keeps repairing it and those repairs last less that one month and the same problem happens again and again. This car is unsafe to drive and Dodge has yet to remedy the situation. The car is set to be back in the shop this week and it is currently not drivable and a hazard to myself and others on the road. I would not be able to accelerate to move out of the way of anyone or anything due to the transmission and issues with this vehicle.

- Kingman, AZ, USA

problem #108

Jul 312017

Dart

  • 42,000 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Dodge Dart. While driving 35 mph, the battery warning and service ABS warning indicators illuminated, and the steering seized. The contact stated that the vehicle started sputtering and several electrical functions became inoperable, including the steering, instrument cluster, and radio. The contact turned off the vehicle and was able to restart it after several attempts. Once restarted, the vehicle vibrated abnormally. The vehicle was not taken to be diagnosed or repaired. The failure occurred twice. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer were contacted. The approximate failure mileage was 42,000.

- San Antonio, TX, USA

problem #107

Jun 082016

Dart

  • 33,680 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 battery warning indicator intermittently illuminated while driving 45 mph. The vehicle was taken to hall Chrysler located on Virginia beach blvd in Virginia beach, va where it was diagnosed, but the cause of the failure could not be determined. The vehicle was not repaired and the failure recurred. While driving approximately 55 mph, the battery warning indicator illuminated, the air conditioner stopped functioning, and the ABS and power steering warning indicators illuminated. The contact coasted the vehicle into a shopping center where it stalled. The contact attempted to restart the vehicle, but it failed to start. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and stated that the VIN was not included in a recall. No further assistance was provided. The approximate failure mileage was 33,680.

- Virginia Beach, VA, USA

problem #106

Jul 302017

Dart

  • 33,650 miles
Intermittent battery light coming on and off. I am on battery number three and my second alternator and nobody can tell me what is wrong with it. As I was driving, the battery light came on, then the service ABS, then the ac went off, and then the service power steering came on. This caused me to lose my power steering while traveling on the highway. I have had multiple diagnostics, all stating that the battery was testing fine, along with the alternator and starter. After installing a new battery and alternator, battery light still intermittently comes on. When the light is on, the alternator is reading around 6V and when it is off, it is reading between 13-14V. Whenever the light comes on, there is the sound of a relay or something happening. Not sure what else to do. The vehicle is 4 years old and I am scared to drive it anywhere or have my children in it. I have looked online and numerous people are complaining about the intermittent battery light and issues associated, so I do not think that there is wiring damage to every single one of these vehicles.

- Virginia Beach, VA, USA

problem #105

Jul 202017

Dart

  • 30,000 miles
"engage parking brake to prevent rolling" alert comes on after about 10-15 minutes of driving and coming to a complete stop. The alert subsequently comes on every time the car stops after this initial phase. On occasional, when the car comes to a complete stop and is put into "park" and the alert comes on, it will not shift into any other gear. To correct this issue the car must be turned off and allowed to sit for at least 10-15 seconds, restarted, and will then allow you to shift to another gear. The alert will then again come on whenever the car is brought to a complete stop.

- Fort Rucker, AL, USA

problem #104

Jun 272017

Dart

  • 35,500 miles
While driving, experiencing intermittent issues with low power during acceleration, back firing, misfiring, check engine light & traction control comes on, stays on. Cruise control will not work when this happens. After a few days, corrects itself and is ok for a day or so but continues again. Very concerning in traffic. Clutch went all the way to floor, took to dealership and so far not reoccurring (recall). Electrical issue, possible something staying open, draining battery. After sitting all day, car would not unlock, had to enter car with actual manual unlock. Upon opening, the dash lights were all flashing, the display screen was flashing unreadable images. All instrument panel lights came on, stayed on. When door shut, panel lights went off and the fuel and speedometer gauges starting jumping, opened the door, gauges stopped and lights came on. Wiper blades activated on their own, very slowly. Could not unlock any door or open trunk during this time. Jumped the car, started very quickly. Will need to replace the battery as it is not charging fully. Rear brakes are not wearing properly.. car mileage 35,500.. very unhappy with this car's performance.

- Lynchburg, OH, USA

problem #103

Jun 272017

Dart

  • miles
There was already a recall on my vehicle. Then I have had two brand new starters put into my car at the Chrysler dealership and both times the starters were burned to a crisp in less than 48 hours. Now I'm having transmission issues and no one knows what's going

- Greensboro, NC, USA

problem #102

May 252017

Dart

  • miles
A few things has been occurring regarding my car. The first thing is my check engine light has come on several times and when I got it checked, the car wouldn't start right at the dealership. The dealership was finally able to get the car started, however, they reported nothing was wrong with the car. The second thing and most scariest is my brakes. My brakes are totally messed up as they constantly lock and it's hard to press on the breaks. Therefore I do not drive long distances because I am afraid I won't be able to stop in time. I've taken my car to get diagnosed and they told me the my brakes and rotars are severely damaged and infact it won't pass the safety check in the state of NY.

- New York, NY, USA

problem #101

May 232017

Dart

  • 37,500 miles
The contact owned a 2013 Dodge Dart. While driving approximately 20 mph, the vehicle stalled and the contact pulled the vehicle off the road. The transmission failure warning indicator illuminated. After manually restarting the vehicle, the contact heard an abnormal sound and noticed flames. The fire department was called and extinguished the flames. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a salvage yard and deemed destroyed. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and provided case number: P017056449. The manufacturer stated that an investigator would inspect the vehicle. The failure mileage was approximately 37,500.

- Anderson, IN, USA

problem #100

May 012017

Dart

  • 26,000 miles
Car shuts down while driving - battery light flashes and I am unable to accel. No power what-so-ever. This has happened 4 times twice at 45 mph and twice at 70 mph. Battery has been replaced twice. * car stereo/screen powers down while driving and resets * all lights in car go out for a short time and come back on * rushing water sound while accel. * car gets up to 4,000rpm's to go from zero to 30mph * issue with break delays * knocking sound from front right side of car

- Piscatway, NJ, USA

problem #99

Jul 122016

Dart

  • 35,000 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Dodge Dart. While attempting to drive the vehicle, it failed to start and the transmission service and engine warning indicators illuminated. The failure recurred twice. In addition, while driving approximately 45 mph, the vehicle made an engine start noise and then accelerated without warning. The contact depressed the brake pedal to slow down the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the battery and the transmission cable failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that once the dealer diagnosed the failure, they would determine if the vehicle was covered by the warranty. The approximate failure mileage was 35,000.

- Villalba, PR, USA

problem #98

Mar 072017

Dart

  • 53,000 miles
There are two issues that I have returned my vehicle to the dealership for repairs multiple times and paid significantly for the non-repair. The first is the centerstack display. The display will intermittently go blank typically following a left hand turn. The vehicle has been in twice for this condition and still displays the failure. The second is the transmission. Based on a fca recall, the vehicle was taken to the dealership for a transmission reflash! at that point there had never been an issue with the transmission while driving. Since that event however, the vehicle has never performed as expected. The vehicle was returned to the dealership only to learn there was a problem with the transmission module so that was replaced. Unfortunately, the problem is now worse. The vehicle shifts so rough, that it feels like the vehicle could stop at anytime. This is very concerning because I am not comfortable that I can accelerate into traffic which could cause an accident.

- Clio, MI, USA

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