What breaks most · 2012 to 2016 model years
Dodge Dart problems by year
Owners have filed 1,436 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Dodge Dart across model years 2012 to 2016. Three years stand out: 2012 for powertrain and transmission complaints, 2015 for engine complaints and 2014 for engine complaints.
- Years to check closely: 2012, 2015, 2014
- Complaints on file
- 14362012 to 2016, all trims
- Worst year
- 2012926 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 10324 fires · 66 injuries · 2 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 38kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 21Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 926 | 58 | 6 | Powertrain and transmission (363) | |
| 203 | 15 | 4 | Engine (66) | |
| 228 | 22 | 6 | Engine (82) | |
| 79 | 8 | 5 | Engine (29) |
What fails on the 2012 Dodge Dart
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 39% |
363 | 10 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| BrakesBrake pads, rotors and calipers | 26% |
244 | 26 | Shop all brakes parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 17% |
157 | 3 | Shop all electrical system parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| EngineEngine gaskets and seals | 16% |
144 | 4 | Shop all engine parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Unknown or other | 8% |
73 | 3 | — |
| Air bags | 6% |
58 | 24 | Check recalls for air bags on NHTSA.gov |
| Speed control and throttleThrottle and pedal sensors | 4% |
34 | 2 | Shop all speed control and throttle parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| SteeringPower steering pumps, racks and hoses | 4% |
33 | 4 | Shop all steering parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
-
Recall on a transmission related safety issue , this a a bad problem but still dodge don;t have the parts to fix this problem , how could that be ?? I am still waiting to have my vehicle repaired but in the meantime i am still driving an unsafe vehicle .
-
While at idle speed car revs up then down and revs up .. While accelerating car stalls like it's in neutral. .i was on street
-
The entire car is shaking. The car is rough idling. I had my foot all the way on the gas and it wouldn't go above10 miles per hour. This happened before and the dealership fixed it and said the cylinders were misfiring
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 30, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Dodge Dart years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2012, 2015, 2014 carry the most filings on the Dodge Dart. The 2012 alone has 926 complaints, led by powertrain and transmission.
What is the most common Dodge Dart problem?
On the 2012 model year, the most-reported component is powertrain and transmission with 363 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Dodge Dart problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Dodge Dart complaints that include mileage is about 38,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.