Dodge Dart Reliability — Best and Worst Years by the Data

Quick answer

The 2012 draws 10.39 complaints per run and the 2013 2.22, a 4.7-fold gap within the same model. Half of all complaints arrive by 4 years of age, so 79.3% land after the 3-year basic warranty ends. The system owners report most is Power Train, with 863 complaints, typically at 5.6 years.

Dodge Dart years to avoid — and the best ones

FIG.01·Dodge Dart — complaint rate by model year
Model year	Per run	Complaints	Runs	Enough history?
2016	3.9	246	63	yes
2015	7.51	488	65	yes
2014	5.81	343	59	yes
2013	2.22	100	45	yes
2012	10.39	966	93	yes

ROWS 5·SOURCE NHTSA complaints, grouped by VIN production run

Among the 5 Dodge Dart years with enough history, the three to walk away from are 2012, 2015, 2014; the three worth hunting are 2013, 2016, 2014.

When it starts to break

FIG.02·Dodge Dart — age at failure
Age at failure	Complaints	Running total	Warranty
0 years	70	3.3%	covered
1 year	162	10.9%	covered
2 years	210	20.7%	covered
3 years	375	38.3%	you pay
4 years	383	56.2%	you pay
5 years	216	66.4%	you pay
6 years	171	74.4%	you pay
7 years	213	84.3%	you pay
8 years	38	86.1%	you pay
9 years	64	89.1%	you pay
10 years	85	93.1%	you pay
11 years	64	96.1%	you pay
12 years	53	98.6%	you pay
13 years	30	100%	you pay

ROWS 14·SOURCE NHTSA complaints with incident dates

Basic warranty on this car is 3 years / 36,000 miles. Only 20.7% of reported failures happen inside it — the remaining 79.3% come out of the owner's pocket. Powertrain cover (5 years / 60,000 miles) reaches further, but it only covers the engine and transmission, which account for about 61% of the complaints here.

What actually fails — and at what age

On the Dodge Dart, the early trouble is Engine and Steering — reported at around 4 years, so a car still under warranty is the one to check for it. What waits further out is Power Train at 5.6 years — past every basic warranty, and the bill lands on whoever owns the car then.

FIG.03·Dodge Dart — what fails and when
System	Complaints	Typical age	Crash	Fire
Power Train	863	5.6 yrs	21	4
Engine	449	4 yrs	9	15
Service Brakes	409	4.1 yrs	44	5
Electrical System	393	4.6 yrs	10	12
Unknown Or Other	332	5.5 yrs	10	8
Air Bags	100	4.2 yrs	46	2
Steering	91	3.7 yrs	12	1
Vehicle Speed Control	89	3.9 yrs	4	1

ROWS 8·SOURCE NHTSA complaints

What else in this class

6 models share the Dart's vehicle class. Per production run, the Toyota Camry draws 5.65, the Honda Accord 4.02 and the Dodge Challenger 3.27, against 7.76 for the Dart. That is the most complaints of the group.

FIG.05·Dodge Dart — rivals in the same class
Same class as the Dart	Complaints on record	Recall campaigns	Years built
Toyota Camry	20,039	161	1983–2026
Honda Accord	24,369	415	1981–2026
Dodge Challenger	1,696	77	1981–2026
Toyota Prius	12,873	109	2001–2026
Hyundai Elantra	9,090	117	1992–2026
Nissan Altima	15,657	148	1993–2026

ROWS 6·SOURCE NHTSA complaints and recall campaigns

The table shows totals on record; the rates per production run are in the sentence above.

Upgrade to Pro

Good year or bad year — the VIN settles it.

Check any VIN against complaints for its exact build year and plant
Exact value for that car, adjusted for its mileage
Full research report as a PDF you can hand to a mechanic
Alerts if a recall lands on a car in your garage
No ads, on every page
No ads, no tracking — and much more

See plans → Start free →

Free plan available — no credit card needed

Everything on the Dodge Dart

Recalls16 campaigns Fuel economy32 mpg best Common problems2,331 complaints Check a VINAgainst this exact build DimensionsSize, weight, generations Cargo space13 cu ft Used prices789 listings What yours is worthValue by year & mileage Insurance costEstimated per year Window stickerOriginal Monroney label Decode a VINWhat each character means About this car2013–2016

Frequently asked questions

Is the Dodge Dart reliable?

By complaints per production run it is worse than typical: 7.76 against 3.73 for the average car, and more than each of the 3 class rivals we compared.

Which Dart years should you avoid?

By complaints per production run, 2012, 2015, 2014. The cleanest years old enough to judge are 2013, 2016, 2014. Years newer than 6 are left out: complaints keep arriving for years after a car is sold.

When do Dart problems usually start?

Half of all complaints arrive by 4 years of age. The most reported system is Power Train, typically at 5.6 years, followed by Engine.

Will the warranty cover Dart problems?

Mostly not: basic cover is 3 years / 36,000 miles, and only 20.7% of reported failures fall inside it. Powertrain cover lasts longer, but engine and transmission make up about 61% of the complaints here.

Is the Dart more reliable than the Toyota Camry?

No: 7.76 complaints per production run for the Dart against 5.65 for the Toyota Camry.

Complaint records from NHTSA, grouped by VIN production run (characters 1–11). Rates, age-at-failure and warranty coverage computed by ForCar. Model years newer than 6 years are excluded from rankings — complaints accumulate for a decade (how we measure). Last updated Nov 2026. — ForCar Reviewed by Denis Kataev, founder of ForCar.

Found this useful?

Mark ForCar as a preferred source and our data shows up first in your Google results. One click, no account.

Prefer ForCar →