Dodgy transmission still causing headaches for Dart owners
While Japanese and even Korean brands have been able to weather the crossover storm and continue seeing demand for small sedans, American automakers have not. Models like the Ford Focus and Dodge Dart have vanished from local showrooms without replacements, but one of these is getting attention again. Discontinued in 2016, the Dodge Dart is the subject of an investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) for a potentially dangerous transmission issue. Even worse, this problem was supposed to be remedied by Dodge years ago, but a fresh batch of complaints has forced the NHTSA to open a new investigation.
Parked Darts At Risk Of Rolling Away
2016 Dodge Dart Limited Stellantis
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Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (now Stellantis) previously issued a recall in 2019 for Dodge Darts produced between the 2013 and 2016 model years. Only affecting models with the six-speed automatic transmission, this recall was for shifter cable bushings that could deteriorate and detach. Not only can this prevent the car from shifting into gear at any time, but it can appear as though the car is in Park when it’s not. As a result, the driver could exit the vehicle and it could roll away or crash.
The recall remedy (number 19V-293) was meant to remedy this issue, but the NHTSA has received 44 new complaints of worn, misadjusted shifter cables since then, along with more shifter cable detachments.
It’s now over to the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) to review whether the original recall was effective and identify the root cause of these shifter cables failing. An estimated 299,000 models are potentially implicated in this investigation.
No Injuries Or Fatalities, But Owners Should Be Cautious
For now, the NHTSA lists no injuries or fatalities related to the transmission issue, but it’s easy to see how dangerous it can be if a Dodge Dart rolls away.
The latest investigation doesn’t do much to bolster the rather poor reliability reputation of the Dart. Its most recent J.D. Power rating for quality and reliability is just 67 out of 100, nowhere close to the Toyota Corolla of the period (88/100).
Over at Car Complaints, there are a host of transmission complaints, especially for the 2013 model. Based on owner feedback, the typical repair cost is $3,420 and issues are encountered at an overage mileage of under 44,000 miles.
“I have had nothing but trouble since I bought this car,” said one Dart owner from Kansas. “It’s now on its 4th transmission and I’ve only had it for a year and a half.”
The same owner had only clocked 45,000 miles at the time of submitting this complaint, so transmission failure does seem to occur quickly in automatic Darts.
For now, we’ll have to wait to see the outcome of the NHTSA’s latest investigation. At the end of the Dart’s life, FCA said it and the Chrysler 200 were terrible investments. Now, nine years since the Dart went out of production, Dodge is still dealing with issues related to the underwhelming small sedan.