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.
This car has been a piece of crap since my fiancee bought it in 2013. However, in 2017 the major issues started. That was the first time that the car started bucking like a bronco horse and misfiring all of its spark plugs. We took it to the nearest Dodge dealer, which was 25 miles from our house, and they replaced the spark plugs and said that they noticed that the oil was burning through. We picked up the car, and 2 days later the spark plugs started misfiring again. The local Dodge dealer stated that they put the incorrect wiring harness onto the car and that all of the spark plugs needed to be replaced. They also stated there was 0 (zero) oil in the car. Since the car had only been in the shop 2 days before and there was no oil in our driveway, where all of the oil went is a mystery.
At this point they stated that we needed to take it back every 500 miles for the oil level to be checked. With a commute of 100 miles each way, we were basically in there every other day, and every day they had to top it off. After about 3 weeks of doing this, we brought it after the 500 miles and there was once again zero oil in the car. They determined that the engine would need to be replaced due to a crack in something, don't remember what it was exactly. This is when the saga for the most RIDICULOUS engine replacement happened. So the problem with this started in July 2017, we are now at the end of August of 2017.
Since they stated we needed a new engine, and my fiancee had the Ultra Mopar warranty (one that is no longer offered, btw) they were required to provide us with a rental car. Thinking that they would be able to get the engine in quickly they lent us a beautiful Dodge Ram 2500 Big Horn truck off of their new car lot. (Why they didn't just go to Enterprise or something is beyond my comprehension, but hey we got to drive a brand new car) We had that truck for 3 weeks and put a good 5-6k miles on it due to our commute when they told us that we needed to bring it back in and get a new vehicle. The engine was delayed at the manufacturer and they estimated it would be another 2 months before it would arrive. Estimation, December 2017.
So they gave us another rental off the lot. This time it was a basic level Jeep Patriot. No frills, I guess they didn't like the depreciation on the truck. That car was very uncomfortable, but we again, used it and they allowed us to put 10k miles on it before we had to switch it out again. We actually used my daughter's car as a more practical commuter car at this point because the gas mileage was insane on the Jeep. However, when December came, they let us know that it would be March 30th, 2018 before they would get another engine.
At the end of January the registration on the Patriot expired so we had to go back and switch rentals. This time they gave us a gorgeous Jeep Compass off of their lot because that was the only thing they had available. This was much better, but they went back down to allowing us only 5k miles on it. Since my daughter went back to college, we had to go back to using the rental full time. This time when we hit the mileage, they made the command decision to have us drive his car again and told us that the soonest we would get a new engine would be June. They also went back to the mandatory oil checks every 500 miles. This switch out was at the end of March, so we were now at the Dodge dealer every other day for over 2 months. Over 4th of July weekend we got the call that they finally had the engine in. We brought the car in and this time they went through Enterprise for the rental. 2 weeks later, mid July, our car was back.
Grand total for the repairs: $35,000. Our cost: $100. Mind you, that the car was purchased initially for around $23k. The car was finally returned to us on July 25, 2018.
Second time this has happened now, also the second time I'm under on my miles before I need an oil change. Dealer is doing an oil burning check. I'm taking it back after 1000 miles on it and they are checking the oil levels. Well, guess what, its burning oil again! 700 miles driven on this new oil change, I'm down TWO QUARTS of oil already!!!!
- hatemydart,
Pittsburgh, PA, US
Search CarComplaints.com for these popular complaint phrases...
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
This car has been a piece of crap since my fiancee bought it in 2013. However, in 2017 the major issues started. That was the first time that the car started bucking like a bronco horse and misfiring all of its spark plugs. We took it to the nearest Dodge dealer, which was 25 miles from our house, and they replaced the spark plugs and said that they noticed that the oil was burning through. We picked up the car, and 2 days later the spark plugs started misfiring again. The local Dodge dealer stated that they put the incorrect wiring harness onto the car and that all of the spark plugs needed to be replaced. They also stated there was 0 (zero) oil in the car. Since the car had only been in the shop 2 days before and there was no oil in our driveway, where all of the oil went is a mystery.
At this point they stated that we needed to take it back every 500 miles for the oil level to be checked. With a commute of 100 miles each way, we were basically in there every other day, and every day they had to top it off. After about 3 weeks of doing this, we brought it after the 500 miles and there was once again zero oil in the car. They determined that the engine would need to be replaced due to a crack in something, don't remember what it was exactly. This is when the saga for the most RIDICULOUS engine replacement happened. So the problem with this started in July 2017, we are now at the end of August of 2017.
Since they stated we needed a new engine, and my fiancee had the Ultra Mopar warranty (one that is no longer offered, btw) they were required to provide us with a rental car. Thinking that they would be able to get the engine in quickly they lent us a beautiful Dodge Ram 2500 Big Horn truck off of their new car lot. (Why they didn't just go to Enterprise or something is beyond my comprehension, but hey we got to drive a brand new car) We had that truck for 3 weeks and put a good 5-6k miles on it due to our commute when they told us that we needed to bring it back in and get a new vehicle. The engine was delayed at the manufacturer and they estimated it would be another 2 months before it would arrive. Estimation, December 2017.
So they gave us another rental off the lot. This time it was a basic level Jeep Patriot. No frills, I guess they didn't like the depreciation on the truck. That car was very uncomfortable, but we again, used it and they allowed us to put 10k miles on it before we had to switch it out again. We actually used my daughter's car as a more practical commuter car at this point because the gas mileage was insane on the Jeep. However, when December came, they let us know that it would be March 30th, 2018 before they would get another engine.
At the end of January the registration on the Patriot expired so we had to go back and switch rentals. This time they gave us a gorgeous Jeep Compass off of their lot because that was the only thing they had available. This was much better, but they went back down to allowing us only 5k miles on it. Since my daughter went back to college, we had to go back to using the rental full time. This time when we hit the mileage, they made the command decision to have us drive his car again and told us that the soonest we would get a new engine would be June. They also went back to the mandatory oil checks every 500 miles. This switch out was at the end of March, so we were now at the Dodge dealer every other day for over 2 months. Over 4th of July weekend we got the call that they finally had the engine in. We brought the car in and this time they went through Enterprise for the rental. 2 weeks later, mid July, our car was back.
Grand total for the repairs: $35,000. Our cost: $100. Mind you, that the car was purchased initially for around $23k. The car was finally returned to us on July 25, 2018.
- Madeline M., Hagerstown, MD, US