MODELYEARINDEX

Which Dodge Dart years to avoid

Across 4 scored model years, the 2012 and 2015 model years carry the highest severity-weighted complaint rates.

Ownership label · Dodge Dart Full report
D
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.

Year Complaint volume 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 owners report

The component groups most often named, with one representative report. These are unverified — allegations, not findings.

2012 D 825 reports · median 26,000 mi

  1. Brakes 220

    The contact owns a 2013 dodge dart. The contact stated that the emergency brake handle failed causing the emergency brake release rod to malfunction and not engage. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  2. Drivetrain 205

    One month old dodge dart rallye was parked on a steep driveway the morning of 01/20/13. The emergency brake was engaged and the dashboard light for the 'parking brake engaged' was lit. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  3. Engine 97

    My assessment, which is based on engineering expertise not empirical evidence, suggests that, rather than responding to driver controlled by-wire" instructions to brake preparatory to a hard right turn into our… owner complaint filed with NHTSA

70 crash · 7 fire · 29 injuries

2015 D 464 reports · median 43,800 mi

  1. Engine 90

    My knee hit the ignition key while driving to dallas and the engine shut down. I was able to pull the car over, figure out what happened and resumed my trip. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  2. Drivetrain 90

    While driving on the freeway for about 10 minutes, I noticed the tach was approaching redline and discovered the car had gone into neutral but shift lever was in drive. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  3. Electrical 55

    While driving in the morning in a neighborhood speed limit of 30, I decrease speed to come to a full stop and suddenly the vehicle shuts off engine power and power steering at approximately 10mph. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

38 crash · 5 fire · 25 injuries

The best year for the Dart

Ranked by overall score among years with a full 60 months on the road.

2016 is the best-scoring Dart model year with a full 60 months on the road, at 74.6 out of 100 — a score that combines complaint rate, recall campaigns and open investigations.

Yearvs medianReportsGrade
2016 0.52× 216 B
2014 0.78× 274 B
2015 1.22× 464 D

Recalls

11 campaigns on record.

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
14V800000 TIRES:PRESSURE MONITORING AND REGULATING SYSTEMS 2015 944
13V555000 AIR BAGS:SIDE/WINDOW 2012 374
13V124000 PARKING BRAKE 2012 46

How long do they last?

Complaint records show when problems get reported, not how long a car survives. Where owners gave an odometer reading, faults on the 2012 were reported at a median of 26,000 miles. Treat that as the point problems start being noticed, not a lifespan.

Common questions

Answered directly from this model’s record.

Which Dodge Dart years should you avoid?
2012, 2015 carry the highest severity-weighted complaint rates of any Dodge Dart model year measured over an identical 60-month window.
What is the best year for the Dodge Dart?
2016 is the best-scoring Dodge Dart model year with a full 60 months on the road, at 74.6 out of 100. The score combines complaint rate, recall campaigns and open investigations.
How many recalls does the Dodge Dart have?
11 distinct recall campaigns are on record across all scored Dodge Dart model years. A recall is a matter of record: the manufacturer filed a defect report with NHTSA.

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