Dodge Dart

1,779 complaints across 4 scored model years and 11 recall campaigns.

Which years to avoid

Ownership label · Dodge Dart Full report

Grade 2012–2016

2012 vs model median 1.7×

Model median3× median

Brakes 220

Drivetrain 205

Engine 97

Avoid

2012 · 2015

Best

2014 · 2016

Year by year

Severity-weighted complaints filed in each model year’s first 60 months on the road, so every year is measured over an identical window.

Severity-weighted complaint volume and grade by model year for the Dodge Dart
Year	vs median	Reports	Grade
2012	1.70×	825	D
2014	0.78×	274	B
2015	1.22×	464	D
2016	0.52×	216	B

What it costs to run

EPA figures for the most recent model year on record.

EPA fuel economy and drivetrain
Combined MPG	28
City / Highway	24.5 / 34.5
Engine	2L, 4 cyl
Drive	Front-Wheel Drive
Annual fuel cost	$2,300

Recalls

11 campaigns on record.

Recall campaigns, largest first
Campaign	Component	Model years	Units affected
19V293000	POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION	2012–2016	298,439
25V674000	POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:LEVER AND LINKAGE:FLOOR SHIFT	2014–2016	298,439
15V800000	SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:POWER ASSIST:VACUUM	2012, 2014	105,425
17V824000	EQUIPMENT	2015, 2016	61,791
16V813000	VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER	2016	53,155
15V542000	POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:CONTROL MODULE (TCM/PCM/TECM)	2012–2015	23,564
13V238000	POWER TRAIN	2012	12,872
16V113000	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:SOFTWARE	2015, 2016	1,122

+ 3 further campaigns

Others in Compact Cars

Same body and size class. Each grade describes that model against its own history — these are not ranked against each other.

Other models in the same segment
Model	Years to avoid	Grade
Acura ILX	20142016	C
Audi A3	20152017	C
BMW 1 Series	none flagged	C
BMW I3	none flagged	C
Buick Verano	none flagged	C
Chevrolet Bolt EV	2017	C
Chevrolet Cobalt	none flagged	C
Chevrolet Cruze	20112012	C

How this was calculated

Every model year is scored over an identical window: complaints filed with NHTSA during the first 60 months after that model year went on sale. Without this, older cars look worse purely because they have had longer to accumulate reports.

Limitations. Complaints are unverified reports submitted voluntarily by owners; they are allegations, not findings, and reporting rates vary between models. Model years with fewer than 60 months on the road are marked provisional and excluded from verdicts. Cross-model comparison is withheld pending production-volume data.

Full methodology · Sources · Data vintage August 9, 2026

Working 2012 Dart

Complaints in window: 825
Severity-weighted: 1,206.5
Model median (weighted): 712
vs model median: 1.70×
Recall campaigns (weighted): 6
Open investigations: 0

Score 42.6 D