The vehicle has experienced recurring engine drivability and electrical problems since 2019, including persistent rough idle, intermittent loss of power under load, repeated no-start conditions, check-engine light illumination, and electrical system malfunctions. In June 2019, an authorized FCA dealership diagnosed DTC P0304 (cylinder 4 misfire), identified an ignition-coil boot electrical short, and replaced all four ignition-coil boots under the manufacturer’s 15-year/150,000-mile PZEV emissions warranty. The rough-idle condition never fully resolved. In January 2024, another authorized dealership replaced all four spark plugs and one ignition coil and performed PCM-related recall/service work. On August 13, 2026, the vehicle was presented to an authorized dealership with electrical and drivability complaints. The dealer replaced the battery, cleared all diagnostic trouble codes, and documented that repairs were verified. Three days later, the vehicle again failed to start, the check-engine light illuminated, and an independent scan returned U0401 (Invalid Data Received From ECM/PCM A). The vehicle was returned to the dealership on August 22, 2026. The dealer subsequently diagnosed P0118 and replaced the engine coolant temperature sensor under the emissions warranty. However, the persistent rough idle and other reported drivability concerns were not resolved. The dealer represented that BCM, PCM, wiring, power, ground, and communication testing had been performed, but the repair documentation provided does not contain the corresponding test results. Management ultimately declined further diagnostic work. The recurring loss of power under load creates a potential traffic safety hazard. Intermittent no-start conditions also affect vehicle reliability. The vehicle remains available for inspection. The precise underlying cause remains undetermined.
Dodge Dart engine failure problems
44 of the 2,539 owner complaints about the Dodge Dart describe engine failure, most of them for the 2012 model year.
- owner complaints
- 44
- worst model year
- 2012
- typical mileage
- 47,200
By model year
Often reported together
Stalling 10Oil consumption 5Won't start 4Transmission failure 4Steering lock-up 4Loss of power 4Check engine light 4Brake failure 3
Trouble codes mentioned
U0401 1P2096 1P0304 1P0118 1
What owners say
The contact owns a 2013 Dodge Dart. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the gear shifter independently shifted into park and seized. The contact manually unlocked the gear shifter cable. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with a failed gear shifter cable. The contact was informed that the gear shifter cable needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was informed that the parts were unavailable to repair the vehicle. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 25V674000 (Power Train); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was filed. The contact was advised to pay out of pocket for the repair and later submit a request for reimbursement. The failure mileage was approximately 86,000.
The contact owns a 2013 Dodge Dart. The contact stated that the transmission shifter cable had previously been replaced three times. While starting the vehicle, the transmission failed to shift into gear. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who replaced the transmission shifter cable, but the failure persisted while attempting to shift the transmission into park (P). The transmission had seized in reverse(R). The headlights failed to turn off, and the doors failed to unlock as designed. The contact crawled from the driver’s seat to the rear seats to remove groceries from the vehicle. AAA arrived and disconnected the battery. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, who replaced the transmission shifter cable for the second time, but the failure recurred while attempting to drive from the garage. The contact had assistance in manually shifting the transmission lever under the hood before driving to the dealer. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The dealer repaired the vehicle under the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 19V293000 (Power Train); however, an unknown warning light illuminated while driving. The contact later received notification of the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 25V674000 (Power Train); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the failure but confirmed that parts were not yet available. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 41,436.
The contact owns a 2015 Dodge Dart. The contact stated that while her husband was driving approximately 50 MPH on the way to the residence, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that the failure was due to the powertrain control module. The contact stated that the key had seized in the ignition, and the vehicle was left overnight with the mechanic. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The towing company determined that the shifter cable had detached. The contact later became aware of the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 25V674000 (Power Train). The contact had no other means of transportation and was unaware of the recall when the vehicle was purchased. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired by the local dealer. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 140,239.
The dodge dealership had me to come in to reprogram my cars pcm(under Recall) because it was burning a quart of oil in less than 300 miles and getting extremely hot but now the engine has less oil burn as much as before but has less horsepower(tested by plugin meter) and has a ton of blowby that it blows oil out of drain plug there is no error codes or anything but the extended warranty test for a new engine isnt covered because they reprogrammed the pcm and to get a new engine under their extended warranty i would have to lose the amount of oil that i was previously before they touched the PCM they waited to show me the extended warranty after they reprogrammed it a year prior withholding that i could been eligible for new engine without catastrophic damage this car also has bcm 3 that has severe parasitic drain making the car unsafe all the way around on all 2015 models
The contact owns a 2013 Dodge Dart. The contact stated that while driving 40 MPH, the temperature gauge indicated that the engine was overheating, and the contact was able to pull over to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle failed to restart. The contact pulled over and was unable to activate the parking brake. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed the vehicle with engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure reoccurred. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 13V124000 (Parking Brake); however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 130,000.
The contact owns a 2013 Dodge Dart. The contact stated while driving approximately 55-60 MPH, the transmission seized in neutral(N). The contact had experienced the failure four times. The contact stated that once the transmission had seized, the transmission overheated. The contact had to wait for the transmission to cool down. The contact stated that after the first failure, the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and was diagnosed with transmission control module failure. However, the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, and the contact was informed that the vehicle had been repaired under recall in 2019. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The failure mileage was 91,600.
The contact owns a 2013 Dodge Dart. The contact stated that after releasing the parking brake, the rear passenger’s side brake vault release failed to return to its original position. The contact had to release the brake manually by going underneath the vehicle and using a crowbar. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed that the actuator had seized, and the caliper needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigation, the contact associated the failure with the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 13V124000 (Parking Brake) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 97,000.
car has oil consumption issuwes wich will shut the entire car off.a recall fix was issued but the oil consumption still exists.a class action law suit was setteled but dodge is not extending engine replacement recall like they did once before.the care is a lemon and i feel unsafe to drive.i cant replace it or sell it due to this defect.
On December 13, 2021 my 2016 Dodge Dart shut down while driving and would not start back up. Had it towed to a repair shop, they could not duplicate the problem. I contacted Chrysler and the agent who helped me said there is no known issues with this particular vehicle. I found at that was a lie with a little google search. Picked my vehicle up and immediately took it to the Dodge dealership. They checked the oil level and it was so low that the tech said that if it would have been driven much longer it would have completely disabled the engine. No oil light, oil was changed recently, no reason for this to have happened. Found out there was a campaign to update software to the PCM module so that was completed along with an oil change. This created a COMPLETELY unsafe situation, luckily there was very little traffic on the roadway at the time. Vehicles with this issue should be recalled or the engine needs to be replaced.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the Dodge Dart engine failure
Which Dodge Dart years have engine failure problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2012 (16 complaints), 2014 (9 complaints) and 2015 (8 complaints).
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