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:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
46,051 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 engine problems

engine problem

Find something helpful? Spread the word.
Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2013 Dodge Dart:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

2013 Dodge Dart Owner Comments (Page 1 of 3)

problem #54

Oct 192021

Dart

  • miles

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

First is the cruise control - it sometimes work, sometimes does not. But when it does, it will at times kick on and off while in use. Scary at times. The next is the loss of power on the freeway. there are times when it will just bog down and not accelerate. other times it will catch and shift hard, other times will jerk. when these times occur, the check engine light comes on. But then will go off after a period of minutes.

- Albuquerque, NM, USA

problem #53

Jun 172021

Dart

  • miles
The failure was when i was shifting gear.so i shifted 5 to 4,3,2 and thats when it stayed in 2 gear.i exit the freeway and drove the street to my home.the vechicle at that point only travel 21 mph.2 years prior i had a similar issue on the freeway and my kids where with me at the time of the failure. So i had to pull to the shoulder and try to encounter the issue at a peaceful way.like i said i had my kids with me and 9:45 p.m..so i tooked me 2 hours to move the vehicle to a safer place and had my friend give me a ride home.next day i have the tow truck picked up the vehicle and take it to dodge dealer.they fixed it with no charge towards me.but now this second time they are not trying to help out.either Toyota who sold the car.or dodge the dealer.or Chrysler the manufacturer wont help.and dodge is saying the vehicle requires a new motor at the cost of $13,000 dollars.

- San Diego, CA, USA

problem #52

Jun 162021

Dart

  • miles
On June 16, 2021 I exited a parking lot and joined a line of traffic that was stopped for a stoplight. Traffic began to move and as I stepped on the accelerator the engine started ROARING and the car accelerated uncontrollably across the opposite lane and into a utility pole. It was totaled and I was left badly bruised by the airbag explosion; I have also found I have strange noises in my ears and am seeing an otolaryngologist for that. The car has ben disposed of and I don't know where it is. I am fortunate that there was no oncoming traffic, no one was on the sidewalk and I was the sole occupant of the vehicle. The only one who may have inspected the car was the insurance adjuster. There was no warning of any kind and I had never experienced this before.

- Vestal, NY, USA

problem #51

Apr 112021

Dart

  • miles

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

I was driving and while I was in heavy traffic so I tend to always put it in the N position so that I can rest my leg while the emergency brake is on and once traffic started to move I attempted to put it in the D position to move forward and started to notice a it to be difficult to move the automatic stick but did not really think much of it but I knew once I get back into my state I would take it to get looked at. Once on the interstate high way of a 3-hour drive, I started to worry since my car sounded like if I had a rock bouncing in my transmision so aproching to a toll pay stand I decided to put it on N position to keep it running buy make a stop on the side and was not able to so I try to put it on D again to see if it responded and that was what made us know we were in trouble. I could not control my Dodge Dart.

- Monclova, TX, USA

problem #50

Mar 212021

Dart 4-cyl

  • 85,500 miles
I was driving home when I turned the corner to proceed on the highway my car would not speed up. I tried several times and it was only reving up the engine like it was stuck. I was able to slowly gain speed but no more then 45 mph. When I would try to gain speed it would reach high rpms but not go anywhere but then it would jerk hard and the transmission was making loud clanking noises like gears shifting more then they should. The engine light came on which it goes off and on all the time. I have also been putting more oil in the car then I've ever had to do. It is using oil and the gas fumes are still horrible from my last complaint and I am not getting good gas mileage like usual the consumer stated the dealer was notified, but the failure reccurred. The codes provided were for the PCM/tcm.

- New Cordell, OK, USA

problem #49

Jan 102021

Dart

  • miles
The transmission has been replaced the recalls all have been taken care of multiple times and yet the same problem I need a replacement vehicle I've spent way more than the vehicles worth

- Corpus Christi, TX, USA

problem #48

Apr 042017

Dart 4-cyl

  • 86,000 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 while driving and was coming off the ramp, the vehicle stalled for ten seconds. The contact kept her foot on the accelerator pedal and noticed on the instrument panel, that the gauge fluctuated and the vehicle accelerated 6 to 7 seconds later. The contact also stated that the accelerator pedal was getting stuck. The contact stated that the driver's seat went off track while driving. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and provided a case number. The contact stated that the failure persisted since the vehicle was first purchased. The failure mileage was approximately 86,000.

- Lexington, KY, USA

problem #47

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 #46

Aug 032020

Dart

  • 61,260 miles
6 speed Dodge Dart went into neutral and stopped accelerating while being driven on the freeway, car turns on but won't move forward or backwards when accelerated and in gear. I was able to get it over to the side of the road but then it had to be towed to my residence. I had a mechanic take a look at it and they believe it is a transmission motor control problem that other 2013 Dodge Darts have also encountered.

- Bakersfield, CA, USA

problem #45

Mar 042020

Dart

  • 64,836 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Dodge Dart. The contact stated that stated that after driving the vehicle for approximately 20 minutes, the vehicle independently shifted to neutral without warning. Additionally, while stopped, the vehicle vibrated abnormally and stalled without warning. The contact stated that the vehicle was previously repaired under NHTSA campaign number: 15V542000 (power train) by an unknown dealer. The contact stated that the vehicle was also taken to yakima Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram located at (2300 goodman rd, union gap, wa 98903) where the transmission control module was replaced. The technician also diagnosed that the shifter cable needed to be replaced. The contact replaced the cable shifter however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 64,836.

- Union Gap, WA, USA

problem #44

Dec 052019

Dart

  • 87,000 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 while driving at an unknown speed, the cruise control was inoperable due to the traction control operating independently continuously. In addition, the air bag and seat belt warning lights were illuminated continuously. Binghamton Chrysler Jeep Dodge located at (1279 upper, front St, binghamton, NY 13901) was contacted and informed of the failures. The contact was provided the cost for the vehicle to be diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 87,000.

- Deposit, NY, USA

problem #43

Jan 032020

Dart

  • miles
I was was at a stop light. The light turned green, I gently pressed on the gas pedal to accelerate. The car made a loud revving noise. The car would not accelerate and felt like it was in neutral. I took my foot off the gas pedal and pressed the brake. The revving noise stopped and I put my foot on the gas pedal to try again. It then moved forward at a normal speed.

- Nyack, NY, USA

problem #42

Sep 272019

Dart

  • 63,000 miles
The transmission has gone out after the gasket was replaced at the Dodge dealer as a recall. It will not change gears and tries to start out in 4th gear. When you do get it to pull itself the RPM's are 3.5. the dealer ships say's that they could not have caused the issue but it ran fine before the transmission had the recall replacement of the transmission cable. The cruise control works only if you set it as soon S you start the car, if you don't it will not engage or come on. There is a check engine light that comes on and even when it is on the dealership cannot find any trouble codes. This is GT and I love the car but it does not run 80% of the time.

- Jasper, TX, USA

problem #41

Mar 022019

Dart

  • 46,000 miles
Check engine light always on reads under boost for the turbo, does not pick up speed at all for having a turbo

- Layton, UT, USA

problem #40

Oct 192019

Dart

  • 60,000 miles
I was driving on a busy highway. Have a manual transmission. Rpms started going up and down, like I was revving the engine, but was not pushing in gas pedal. Put clutch in to get off an exit, and the clutch stuck to the floor and the car would not go into gear. Left on very busy highway with a child!

- Chambersburg, PA, USA

problem #39

Sep 292019

Dart

  • 101,618 miles
Feels funny when you shift gears

- Bronx, NY, USA

problem #38

Aug 282019

Dart

  • 47,000 miles
The hydraulic shift actuator will fail - oftentimes/seemingly in the heat & sun after prolonged exposure. This causes the vehicle to a. if it is not driving, you will get the "service transmission error" and the vehicle will not turn on; B. if you are driving, shifting becomes dangerous and erratic. Note: This isn't covered under your warranty because it has likely expired. If you have a third party warranty, you will need to "prove the failure". with that being said, this appears to happen towards the afternoon/evening in my case (when it's the hottest and has sat in the sun all day). It has shifted erratically on me multiple over the last few weeks - I am highly suspect that this part may become a future recall part. My vehicle is under 47,000 miles, so this should not be an issue. Considering other transmission problems, I would be aware. It has almost caused multiple accidents for me (I have a clean mvr). The erratic shifting will happen at all speeds.

- Grand Junction, CO, USA

problem #37

Aug 012019

Dart

  • 50,000 miles
Dodge has issued a clutch master cylinder extended warranty, 2016, we had it replaced spring 2017 it did affect additional replacement of clutch assembly, slave cylinder and bearings which had also been replaced also in spring in 2017. The problem has happened again 10K miles after repairs, 50K on vehicle now. I did notice the leakage of fluid from a boot covering the mater cylinder. The vehicle has caused it not to release clutch, usually when starting, twice while driving and having to avoid an accident. I feel like I could cause an accident, id feel worse if I sold to a private party and something happened to them, its unsafe.

- Des Moines, WA, USA

problem #36

Aug 102019

Dart

  • miles
The cruise control will work when it wants to. You can set it the cruise on way to work and go to set it on way home but cruise control not working. Might not work for couple days or a week then it will start working again and work for awhile and then quit working again. This has been an ongoing issue for almost a year. Has there been a recall on this issue

- Saint Pauls, NC, USA

problem #35

Aug 042019

Dart

  • 75,678 miles
There's an active recall on my 2013 Dodge Dart aero for the shifting cable bushing. I was driving home from work and my traction control light came on, I lost the ability to accelerate, my car wasn't registering it was in park so I couldn't turn it off. I had it towed to a dealership on main street in norristown, pa. Mopar said the part won't be shipped to dealers for the recall until the end of August so they want to put another faulty part in. They are telling me I have to pay for it and mopar says they are not doing at repayments. They have also refused to give me a loaner car in the mean time. I don't feel as a consumer that I should have to pay for this or a rental because this is a recall issue. It is not safe to drive this car. I was very lucky no one else was on the road when mine failed, and that I was able to pull over safely without harming myself or anyone else.

- North Wales, PA, USA

Read the next 20 complaints »

Not what you are looking for?