Last week, I wrote what seemed like a mundane news story about the Dodge Dart. For those who missed it, the feds are opening an investigation into whether a previous transmission shifter bushing recall actually fixed the problem it was designed to address. Dry stuff, really, but it passed for news in a traditionally not-so-newsy week, and to liven things up a bit, I may have taken a shot or two at the now-discontinued FCA compact, and then signed off by dressing up our normal tip solicitation just a tad:
“Of the 299,000 supposedly still out there, there might be six or seven that aren’t rotting away in somebody’s alleyway.“
“Got a Dodge Dart that actually runs? Let us know at tips@thedrive.com.“
Welp, contrary to my flippant remarks, there really are more than just a few running Darts left in the wild, and as it turns out, quite a few of their owners read The Drive. And in defiance of all conventional Internet wisdom—not only did many of you actually read all the way to the end, but you took that bit of rhetorical flourish to heart.
Over the course of the holiday weekend, Dart owner after Dart owner deposited a fresh email in our inbox, and most (though not all) of them heaped praise on their cars. Seriously, where are you all hiding? And you’re all just so darned nice—too nice to treat my playful sniping as an act of hostility. Here’s a sampling of the notes we received:
Here’s Noah to kick things off:
Hello!
I just finished reading Byron Hurd’s piece on the Dodge Dart’s faulty shifter cable. Funny enough, I don’t remember ever receiving a previous recall notice and I haven’t had any issues. I do perform all the maintenance myself and my Dart runs like a champ! I will keep this in mind and keep a lookout for any recalls!
Have a Happy Independence Day!!!
Niclas, a fellow orange-car connoisseur writes:
Boy do I have a Dodge Dart. One from 2016 and two from way back in the day(older than me). It a 2016 with about 130,000 miles on it. And thank goodness it’s not a lame automatic. It’s seen better days. But she gets me from point A to point B and sometimes to C. I actually drove 1000 miles to get it. It was the closest one. Had to be a Dodge. Had to be a manual and most of all it had to be ORANGE. Thanks
Lawrence writes:
I bought a 2013 Dodge Dart new, still driving it. It’s been in the shop 3 times. 2 for recalls (TCM and shifter bushing) 3rd time for a wheel alignment(maintenance). The car currently has 109768 Kilometers. It has the 1.4 turbo motor with the DDCT transmission. I had to adjust the wastegate, which I believe there is a bulletin for it. The vehicle is amazing on fuel on the highway, almost 1000 k to a tank. I replaced the rear brake pads this spring as the backing plates was rusty due to our winters. So far it’s been a great reliable vehicle. It also has the rare Laguna blue paint (see photo)
Robert seems to know the secret to keeping his son’s Dart on the road:
I wanted to email in about my 2013 Dodge Dart. It still runs fine and I have 170,000 miles on it now. I’ve even passed it down to my son who’s started driving this summer. Let me know if you have any questions. I did experience the shifter cable failure but fixed it on my own.
Roy‘s experience has been flawless:
Best car I’ve ever owned. In the last almost eight years I’ve owned it I have only had 1 engine code for a sensor and of course the recalls. Which never gave me any issues. I only got them done for the sake of it being a recall. Better than average gas mileage at 26 City and 30 plus highway mpg. I haven’t even had to replace the brakes yet.
Michael‘s hasn’t, but he’s getting by:
I have a 2013 Dodge dart that is experiencing those problems but it hasn’t gotten to the point where it has been rendered useless I actually like the car for the most part I got a 6-speed 2013 Dodge dart SE manual.
But Stephanie loves her 2016, and also included a pic. Blue Dart owners roll deep!
Hello,
I hope you’re doing well. I’ve had my dart for 6 years now and I still love it. I have put it in the shop a couple of times but not until the last 6 months, the fuel pump went out and my motor mounts had to be replaced. Granted I hit a curb going pretty fast and knocked out the shifting linkage on my own and had that repaired in 2021.
When i put it in the shop though, they did say I must be one of the lucky ones since mines done good overall. 2016 Dodge Dart GT.
And we have another orange Dart owner here, Howie, who took a chance on one and had it pay off:
I have a 2014 dart gt, 2.4l with a 6 speed manual. Crazy fun to drive and its General Lee orange. My wife wants to put the 01 on the doors and a flag on the roof. Only put a clutch and starter in it. Third owner, bought it with 121000 and currently at 172000. I bought as a commuter car to keep miles off of my Silverado. The first Dodge I’ve ever owned and I’m 51.
It’s all quiet on the Mopar front at Celia‘s:
I own a 2015 Dodge Dart & it’s still running. Read the article about the recall.
Chris echoes that sentiment:
I have a Dodge dart. 2014. It has over 100,000 miles on it. I have had very few problems with it.
And then there’s Mike, who couldn’t be happier:
hello, I have owned a dart since 2014 bought new. I have 135000 miles on it and had 0 issues. it is the Gt and it’s peppy, 30 mpg and still in great shape, only 1 small rust bubble on the door. I love driving it and wish they still made them. I commute to work 60 miles a day 1 way and still enjoy this car. just wanted to share.
A reader going only by auto_erotica might be the single most dedicated Dart owner on the planet:
purchased a 2013 Dodge Dart Limited with the 1.4L and six-speed manual in December 2013 – the first year of the reissue.
Still have it, still runs, is my daily driver, and I still love it.
Yeah, it’s a Dodge – has Dodge problems all day long. The 1.4L is from the Fiat 500 and is seriously overclocked in the Dart.
I got a fight with the dealer (John Elway in Greeley, CO) when it was around 30K miles because the engine felt ‘off’. It ran, but I just felt like it was having an issue.
Finally got the dealer to take it in and keep it for a few days….they kept it for about a month and replaced the engine.
They were kind enough to give me a nice loaner car in the meantime.
It’s had several recalls for stupid stuff, including needing the clutch cylinder replaced; and I really hate those heckin’ low-sidewall-profile tires.
Those damned tires – get a leak, flat in a minute. Always the sidewall, always requires a replacement. I will NEVER have a car with those *tty low-profile sides again.
Brake Calipers are tempermental.
Electronics flake out – Cruise Control will randomly crash, requires an engine-off restart
Boost gate error trips, especially in hot weather – I watched a Youtube video and opened the waste gate a bit – about half of what the video suggested.
Indeed it did help. But I need to go ahead and open it like the video suggested to see if that fixes it 100%.
Paid a garage to replace the timing belt because you have to disassemble the whole front-right-end of the car to get at it.
That’s pure bullshit.
But I purchased a (used) 2010 Mazda CX-9 for my wife, and that maintenance nightmare is far worse. Learned my lesson there….
But it’s fun to drive with the manual and the turbo. Their official MPG is a wet dream. I drove it like a dead grandma when it was new and it never got the 40+ highway they claim.
In 2013, it had the best set of safety and convenience features of any car in its price range.
Seat heaters, a heated steering wheel, giant-ass display for the backup camera, this was heckin’ sweet!
I will drive it ’til it drops dead.
Then I will revive it and drive it some more.
MOPAR = My Old Pig Ain’t Runnin’ is still true.
By far, the most surprising note came from The Drive‘s very own Adam Ismail. He no longer has a Dart (running or otherwise), but I asked him to share his story anyway. He writes:
So, I was still in college and I was coming out of a two year Focus lease…this was 2014 I wanna say. My family was a Chrysler family, unfortunately, and my dad wanted me in something new. My parents never wasted money except on bad new cars.
He was interested in the Dart because they were practically giving them away back then, which should have been a red flag. Ultimately I had a 2.4 auto—basically the GT in every way except no leather or sunroof. It honestly was a decent car for the money but it was so thirsty, and so heavy. And the suspension was easily the worst of any small car I’ve ever experienced. That guy who said he blew so many tires on his Dart, I fully believe him because the same thing happened to me. Astonishingly hard ride, and those heavy 18-inch stock wheels with zero sidewall didn’t help things at all.
After three years I sold it and got a Fiesta ST which was a great decision. Of course I’m grateful to my parents because they paid for the Dart and I was able to put that toward the first car I bought with my own money, but yeah, not the choice I would’ve made.
Given that Dodge sold 300,000-some-odd Darts, it really shouldn’t surprise me that so many of them are still on the road, nor that one of our very own staffers had a Dart story to share. Still, to say that we’ve been impressed by this response would be an understatement. Kudos to all of you, and thank you for your feedback! It was, top-to-bottom, absolutely delightful to read.
Got a controversial compact and a strong opinion about it? Let us know at tips@thedrive.com, or contact the author directly at byron@thedrive.com!
Byron is a contributing writer and auto reviewer with a keen eye for infrastructure, sales and regulatory stories.
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