Used Dodge Dart 1st Gen (2013-2016): Buyer's Guide

In November 2025, Chrysler's parent company FCA sent a new round of recall notices to Dodge Dart owners for the exact same defect it supposedly fixed back in 2019: a shifter cable that can detach and let the car roll away even when the shifter reads Park. The fix from six years ago didn't hold, and as of this writing the replacement remedy is still listed as under development. That's the kind of thing you only find out by checking a VIN, not by reading the Dart's original road test reviews from 2013. This was Dodge's only modern compact sedan, built for four model years before Fiat Chrysler killed it, and it earned a reputation for reliability trouble that a used buyer today needs to understand engine by engine and year by year, not as a vague "it's an old Dodge" shrug. The car itself is more interesting than that shrug suggests, and the risks are specific and checkable rather than mysterious.

This Generation at a Glance

The Dart (internal code PF) was Dodge's only compact sedan generation of the modern era, sold for 2013 through 2016 before Fiat Chrysler discontinued it as sedan demand collapsed and buyers shifted to SUVs. It rode on the C-Evo platform shared with the Alfa Romeo Giulietta, stretched 12 inches longer and an inch wider per side for the US market, a genuine attempt at European-derived compact-sedan handling wearing American sheet metal. The Dart's chief engineer described softening the Alfa-derived suspension tuning for American roads, and contemporary road tests consistently praised the result: sharper, better-weighted steering than most compact-sedan competitors of the era, with a more forgiving ride than the Alfa it was based on. That chassis reputation is part of why the Dart still has an active enthusiast forum community years after Dodge stopped making it; the driving experience earned real fans even while the mechanical execution frustrated them. Three engines were offered across the run: a base 2.0L, an efficiency-focused 1.4L turbo, and a stronger 2.4L that arrived partway through the generation. There was no mid-cycle platform refresh; changes across the four years were mostly trim shuffling, added safety recalls, and running fixes to the problems below.

Current pricing and inventory: Dodge Dart market data, with per-year pages for 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016.

Trim naming shifted slightly over the run. 2013 launched with SE, SXT, Rallye, Aero, and Limited; by 2016 the lineup read SE, Aero, Turbo, SXT, GT, and Limited, with GT added as the range-topping performance trim and Turbo effectively replacing Rallye's position. If you're cross-shopping model years, don't assume a trim name means the same equipment and engine pairing across every year; confirm the specific window sticker or a build sheet for the VIN you're looking at.

Powertrain & Trim Breakdown

2.4L Tigershark MultiAir II (SXT, Limited, GT)

This is the engine to research before you buy, because it's the subject of an active class-action settlement. Wood v. FCA US, LLC alleges the 2.4L Tigershark MultiAir II engine, used in the Dart's SXT, Limited, and GT trims, has piston rings that don't seal properly against the cylinder walls, causing the engine to burn oil at an abnormal rate. Owners across the broader Tigershark-equipped FCA lineup (Dart, Jeep Cherokee, Jeep Renegade, and others) report the engine can stall mid-drive if the oil level drops too far, and that the low-oil warning light doesn't reliably catch it in time. FCA settled the underlying claims for $8 million. If you're looking at a 2.4L Dart, ask directly whether the seller has ever had to add oil between changes, and check the dipstick yourself before you drive it, not after.

Separately, and this is engine-specific: recall 15V800000 covers 2013-2014 Darts with the 2.0L or 2.4L engine, where oil from the brake vacuum pump can seep into the brake booster and damage it internally, reducing brake assist. Note what it doesn't cover: the 1.4L Turbo is excluded from this one entirely, since it uses a different vacuum arrangement.

None of this means every 2.4L Dart is a ticking time bomb. It means the failure mode is real, documented well enough to survive a class-action settlement, and cheap to screen for with a dipstick and a conversation with the seller before you ever get to a mechanic.

1.4L MultiAir Turbo (Aero, Rallye, Turbo)

The efficiency engine, and the one paired exclusively with the Dart's most talked-about mechanical weak point: the C635 dual-dry-clutch automated-manual transmission (EPA fuel economy filings code it "AM6," confirming the automated-manual architecture; it is never paired with the 2.0L or 2.4L, which use a conventional torque-converter automatic instead). Owner forums on Allpar and Dodge Dart Forum, plus contemporary reporting from Autoblog and Edmunds, describe this transmission's early build as prone to unexpectedly shifting into neutral while driving, later traced to a transmission control module that could fail under vibration. That defect is the substance of NHTSA campaign 15V542000, covering 2013-2015 Darts with an automatic transmission built through June 2015, remedied by replacing the TCM and its mounting bracket. If you're looking at a 1.4L Turbo with the DDCT, confirm this recall was completed and drive it gently at low speed watching for any hesitation or clunk on takeoff, the classic early symptom before a full neutral-shift event.

The 1.4L engine itself carries fewer complaints than either Tigershark unit; most of this drivetrain's reputation problem is the transmission, not the engine. A manual-transmission 1.4L Turbo, where you can find one, gets you the efficiency and the driving character owners praise without any DDCT exposure at all.

2.0L Tigershark (SE)

The base engine, standard on the entry SE trim only, and the one exempted from the DDCT story since it only ever paired with a conventional automatic or manual. It still shares in the 15V800000 brake-booster recall alongside the 2.4L. Reliability-wise, this is the least-discussed engine in the lineup, which in a car with this many documented issues is itself worth something. If you want the simplest, lowest-drama Dart, a manual-transmission SE with the 2.0L sidesteps both the DDCT neutral-shift story and the 2.4L oil-consumption class action entirely.

The Shifter Cable Recall: Started 2019, Reopened 2025

This one applies across the entire generation regardless of engine, as long as the car has an automatic transmission. NHTSA campaign 19V293000, opened in September 2019, addressed a shifter cable bushing that could fail and let the cable detach from the transmission, meaning the car might not shift when the driver moves the lever, and could roll away even when Park is selected. Chrysler's dealers replaced the bushing. It didn't hold. In November 2025, FCA reopened the same defect under a new campaign, 25V674000, and as of this guide's research, the corrected remedy was still listed as under development, with only interim notification letters sent to owners. If you're buying a Dart with an automatic transmission today, this is not a box you check once and move on from: confirm both 19V293000 and its 2025 follow-up 25V674000 against the specific VIN, and ask whether a second remedy has actually been completed, not just scheduled.

This is also a useful reminder of what a completed recall actually guarantees. A prior owner who did the right thing in 2019 or 2020 and got the bushing replaced under 19V293000 still owns a car with an open safety defect today, through no fault of their own. Don't treat a recall as fully resolved just because a service record shows it was addressed once; check the campaign number itself, not just whether any recall work was ever done.

Trim Levels

Every trim shares the same recall exposure for the shifter-cable and TCM campaigns if it has an automatic transmission, so trim choice mostly comes down to which engine you're comfortable with rather than which badge looks nicest. If you want the 2.4L's extra power, GT and SXT are your paths in; if you want to avoid it entirely, SE and the turbo trims keep you on the 2.0L or 1.4L.

Higher trims add Nappa leather, an 8.4-inch Uconnect touchscreen, and heated seats, and those upgrades are worth having day to day, but they don't change the underlying mechanical risk profile at all. A loaded GT with a neglected oil-change history is a worse buy than a bare SE that's been maintained on schedule. Shop the maintenance records first and the equipment list second.

Which Model Years to Target Within This Generation

2013 and 2014 carry the reputation this generation is known for, and it's earned: the brake-booster oil contamination recall (15V800000) is exclusive to these two years, and they're the years most cited across independent reliability trackers for early transmission and electrical complaints. This tracks with how the car launched; Chrysler was still working through early production issues in the Dart's first two model years, the same pattern seen in plenty of all-new platforms, except this one launched on a platform Chrysler was also adapting from a European partner for the first time. 2015 drops the brake-booster issue but picks up the neutral-shift TCM recall's tail end and a narrow TPMS campaign limited to Aero trims from a specific four-month build window. 2016 is the cleanest year on paper: no brake-booster recall, no TCM neutral-shift campaign (that recall's build-date cutoff is mid-2015), and it's the only year with the fully-equipped GT trim. Every model year, including 2016, still carries the shifter-cable campaign that was reopened in late 2025, so don't treat "2016 is the good year" as a reason to skip that specific VIN check.

Independent reliability trackers converge on the same shape: 2013 posts the highest complaint volume of the generation by a wide margin, 2014 improves but still lags, and 2015-2016 owners report meaningfully fewer issues overall, consistent with a well-sorted final two years before Dodge pulled the plug. If you're choosing between a 2015 and a 2016, the deciding factor is usually trim availability (GT only exists in 2016) rather than any meaningful reliability gap between the two.

Pre-Purchase Inspection Checklist

If you're looking at a 2.4L Tigershark car (SXT, Limited, GT):

• Pull the dipstick cold, before the engine has run that day, and check the level against the full mark. Ask the seller directly whether they've added oil between scheduled changes.
• Idle the engine for several minutes and listen for a rough, uneven idle or a faint knock, both associated with low oil level on this engine family.
• Ask for oil change receipts showing the interval used. Short intervals with fresh, correct-viscosity oil measurably reduce this engine's documented risk.

If you're looking at a 1.4L Turbo with the DDCT automatic (Aero, Rallye, Turbo):

• From a stop, accelerate gently and feel for any hesitation, clunk, or momentary loss of drive before the car engages. That's the symptom that preceded documented neutral-shift failures.
• Confirm recall 15V542000 was completed on this specific VIN, not just mailed.
• If a manual-transmission example is available, it sidesteps the DDCT question entirely.

On every automatic-transmission Dart, regardless of engine:

• Run the VIN through a recall check and confirm both 19V293000 (the original 2019 shifter-cable recall) and 25V674000 (its November 2025 reopening) show a completed remedy, not just a mailed notice. As of this guide, the corrected fix was still listed as in development.
• With the car in Park on level ground, engine off, confirm it does not roll when you release the parking brake. This is a blunt but real check for the underlying defect.

On every Dart:

• Check for a functioning Uconnect system and test the backup camera and Bluetooth pairing; owner forums document a recurring pattern of the hands-free module failing to wake from sleep, along with USB playback glitches where the display shows the wrong song entirely.
• If the car will sit for more than a couple of days between drives, ask whether the seller has needed to jump-start it recently. Forum reports describe parasitic battery drain on some examples significant enough to kill a healthy battery in 48 hours.
• Test every power accessory (windows, locks, seat heaters if equipped) while the engine is running, since electrical gremlins are one of the more consistently reported complaint categories across this generation, independent of engine or transmission.

Running Costs

Industry aggregate data puts the Dart's overall reliability rating at 4.0 out of 5.0, ranked 28th of 36 compact cars, with average annual repair costs around $597, close to the compact-car segment average. Insurance runs on the affordable side for the class, generally in the $840 to $1,800 a year range depending on driver profile, since the Dart posted solid crash-test results despite its mechanical reputation. The 1.4L Turbo's premium-fuel requirement is worth budgeting for specifically; it's the one running-cost line where the Dart's efficiency engine actually costs more per fill-up than the base 2.0L, even though it uses less of it. None of the averages above erase the specific, documented risks laid out earlier in this guide; they mean a well-maintained example with clean recall history is a genuinely ordinary car to own, and a neglected one is where this generation's reputation comes from.

FAQ

Is the Dodge Dart reliable? Mixed, and it depends heavily on engine and model year. Industry data rates it 4.0 out of 5.0 for reliability, near the compact-car average, but 2013-2014 cars and the 2.4L engine carry documented, class-action-level defects that a 2015-2016 car with the 2.0L or a well-maintained turbo largely avoids. Maintenance history matters more here than on most compact cars of this era.

What year Dodge Dart should I avoid? Treat 2013 and 2014 with the most caution. They're the only years covered by the brake-booster oil-contamination recall, and they're the years most cited for early transmission and electrical complaints before Chrysler worked through the car's launch problems.

Does the Dodge Dart's 2.4L engine have oil consumption problems? Yes, on a documented, litigated basis. A class-action settlement (Wood v. FCA US, LLC) covers 2013-2016 Darts with the 2.4L Tigershark MultiAir II engine for abnormal oil consumption that can cause stalling, tied to piston rings that don't seal properly. Check the oil level yourself before buying any 2.4L Dart.

Is the Dodge Dart's dual-clutch transmission reliable? It has a documented failure mode. The C635 automated-manual transmission, paired exclusively with the 1.4L Turbo engine, was the subject of a 2013-2015 recall (15V542000) for a control module that could let the transmission shift unexpectedly into neutral while driving. Confirm that recall's completion before buying any 1.4L Turbo automatic, or choose the manual-transmission version of the same engine to avoid the question entirely.

Why did Dodge discontinue the Dart? Weak sedan sales as the market shifted toward SUVs and trucks, combined with a reliability reputation that never fully recovered from its 2013 launch problems. Fiat Chrysler ended production after the 2016 model year and did not replace it with another compact sedan, ending Dodge's participation in the segment entirely.

Bottom Line

A 2015 or 2016 Dart with the 2.0L engine and a manual transmission is the lowest-risk combination in this generation: it skips the brake-booster recall, the DDCT neutral-shift story, and the 2.4L oil-consumption class action entirely. If you want the 2.4L's extra power, budget for careful oil-level monitoring and confirm the class-action settlement doesn't leave you needing to pursue a claim yourself. On any automatic-transmission Dart, the shifter-cable recall reopened in late 2025 makes a recall check mandatory, not optional, before you sign anything, since a completed 2019 repair does not mean the car is clear today. CarScout checks the used market daily against your exact spec and emails a digest when something matching shows up, so you're not the one refreshing listings while you wait for the right example.

Data sourced from NHTSA's recall filings, EPA fuel economy records, and real owner experiences from Dodge Dart Forum, Allpar Forums, dodgeproblems.com, and RepairPal.