2013 Dodge Dart Electrical Problems

The transmission shift cable fails to engage go into reverse or park when car is starting up. It fails to maintain connection and has resulted in near misses when backing up or attempting to get around another vehicle in a parking lot. This appears to be an issue associated with an ongoing safety recall that has NOT had a timely remedy as it has now been 10 months (as of October 2025) since the recall was first announced. No remedy has been reached. Incident appears related to the 2019 recall.

NHTSA ID

11753514

Incident

Jul 13, 2026

Vehicle has active safety recall A0C/NHTSA 25V-674 for transmission shift cable, but the manufacture states remedy is not yet available. recall notice was recived in October 2025, and no repair has been offered. Vehicle is now experiencing worsening symptoms including transmission slipping/skipping gears and shutting off while driving. Most recently vehicle begun overheating and heater started blowing hot air that can not be turned off. Vehicle has lost center screen/radio system with backup camera. It has gone blank and is no longer functioning Dealership advised there is no available fix and offered a rental per owners expense which is not financially feasible. vehicle is unsafe to drive, especially with a young child who regularly rides in vehicle. Manufacture has failed to remedy this safety recall in a timely manner.

NHTSA ID

11736509

Incident

Aug 13, 2025

On [XXX], at 5 pm, at [XXX] , the vehicle went into park, but showed as reverse, and the key was unable to be removed, or turn the electrical system off, or place the vehicle in park. I contacted The General Insurance Company Roadside assistance; a tow truck was dispatched. It took several hours, 2-3 hrs. for the driver to arrive. He stated he was familiar with Phillips CJDR, and new exactly where and how to leave the vehicle. I removed all personal effects for safety and security. I contacted Phillips CJDR the next day on [XXX] and requested service, I was told they would contact me. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11690575

Incident

Sep 24, 2025

I purchased it and within two months the cars breaks were slow to respond, or would lock up and the parking break did not work. The car suddenly shifts into neutral while driving on the high way and surface roads, loses power and has nearly caused multiple accidents. Other times when i try to shift, it does not respond. Car stalls going up hill and at stoplights. I took it for diagnostics twice and both places stated that the symptoms are mirroring the earlier recall problems. One said the spark plugs are ruined from some other issue. When I called the manufacturer they stated that it had previously been repaired on recall. I contacted the dealership where I purchased it and they told me the car was sold "as Is". The problems only got worse. The battery would go dead all of the time. I replaced it and still had the same problem. Windows wouldn't go up and down properly, sun roof would not open and close. Every time I used the blinker to turn right, the windshield wipers would turn on. Now they will not turn off at all. It also turned out that the tires had dry rot. When i went in for an oil change i was told that oil was back flowing into a part of the car that it shouldn't. Now I have to pay $300+ plus towing to have the dealership do a diagnostic so that I can ask the manufacturer to cover the cost of repairing it (again) because the first repairs done when the previous owner had it, did not work. The car is a death trap. At this point the car has been sitting until I can afford repairs because Ive been scared to death to drive it. Too many near misses, once with a semi, when the car shut down while doing almost 70mph. It should be illegal to sell this car to anyone new or used. I have an appointment at the Dodge/Chrysler dealership for repairs, but since it was supposedly "fixed" previously, i have very little faith that it can or will be properly repaired.

NHTSA ID

11672779

Incident

Jul 11, 2025

The contact owns a 2013 Dodge Dart. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, it was discovered that the key fob became inoperable. The contact stated that the vehicle was shut off and the contact was not able to remove the key fob from the ignition. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 118,000.

NHTSA ID

11635049

Incident

Jan 9, 2025

Mileage

118,000 mi

The contact owns a 2013 Dodge Dart. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle stalled on several occasions. An unknown message was displayed. The contact was unable to pull to the side of the road on one occasion. The vehicle was jumpstarted with assistance. The contact was able to continue driving. The contact replaced the battery; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the alternator had failed. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the vehicle later failed to start and was repossessed. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 165,464.

NHTSA ID

11612643

Incident

Jul 29, 2024

Mileage

165,464 mi

Loss of brakes at random times. Pedal will go all the way to the floor before stopping.

NHTSA ID

11610555

Incident

Jun 4, 2024

My car has an extremely bad rough idle. I’ve had an alignment done, new tires, new spark plugs. I’ve done so much work to this car. I have done some extremely deep research and it is a VERY common issue in the 2013 Dodge dart. One thing I also read, is it could be caused due to all of the ground point nuts being painted over, not creating a strong circuit for the ground. That should be a recall because I cannot physically replace all of those nuts. If that’s not the issue, there needs to be an investigation to figure out why this car feels like it will stall out, or I’m going to lose a tire going 65 on the interstate. Something isn’t right with this car and the dealership needs to diagnose it for free knowing it’s such a common issue! I have a very trusted, fully certified mechanic, he has looked at my car, and he is stumped too. No one can figure this out

NHTSA ID

11605972

Incident

Aug 1, 2024

The micro shift on the shifter does not push the lever up enough to register that the car is in park. You think your car is in park until you go to take the key out and it does not come out. OR I parked in a parking spot thinking I put it in park as my car displayed park and it started rolling. There is a whole forum about this issue . So I know I’m one of hundreds. This is really unsafe.

NHTSA ID

11546065

Incident

Sep 21, 2023

Transmission control module failed. Gear shifts into neutral when driving and shuts car off. Gear position sensor bad causing gear to shift while driving.

NHTSA ID

11535518

Incident

May 12, 2023

As a I was driving to pick up my friends to go out ,I was approaching a red light,I started to slow down but I was still about half a mile fro mt he light so I hit the gas a little bit.when I hit the gas the car jerked very hard and then did not accelerate at all .all the lights remained on,I did not hear any strange noises .previous to this happening ,I had put in new spark plugs as I noticed the old ones were covered in oil but unsure why as I’m not a mechanic . Anyways as the car was not accelerating,I tried pulling to the side of the road with the car not accelerating whatsoever ,it finally kept rolling until I had came to a complete stop on the side of the road .when it came to a stop I tried Turning on and off ,I checked the battery ,for any leaks and saw nothing ,I had some people try to jump the car or see if they noticed anything but couldn’t see anything unusual . When I got it home diagnosed by a mechanic company ,Al they said is the timing chain may have broke and maybe a piston got hit/bent. But it doesn’t makes sense at to why it wouldn’t accelerate compared to at least jerking if that was the case .about a year later of it sitting ,I finally decided to take it somewhere else as it could not be driven and it’s still being financed ,and got it checked out .this mechanic was able to look around and said a piece called an actuator had fell into the engine as I was driving ,which caused the piece to continue getting crushed between my whole engine and caused it to stop running .anywhere and anyone I talked to ,was no willing to fix it and didn’t understand how that happened .

NHTSA ID

11505942

Incident

Oct 30, 2021

Transmission shifts rough. Dealership replaced transmission but it has been doing the thing since day one when they replaced it. Motor bogs down when turning. Passenger seat belt flashes and dings even though the belt is clicked. Hands free system longer works. Airbags light is always on. Back up camera is flipped upside down and is a backing hazard. Odometer is flashing as well. Tire pressure sensors will show that there is no air in the tires after driving about 45 mins. It asks if there has been and crashes, I have not but it could happen. you never know when the car isn't going to respond.

NHTSA ID

11502762

Incident

Jan 20, 2023

Car stops moving as you are driving it. Took it to multiple mechanics including Dodge dealership. Dodge stated they see this often with Darts. Engine light and service transmission is on screen after it stops moving (rpm revs but no movement). Been ongoing since august 2018. Sending photos of some of the beginning incidents to not overwhelm.

NHTSA ID

11492335

Incident

Jan 11, 2022

My 2013 SXT 2.0 started to have the right front TPMS sensor stop working a few weeks back after driving the car for about 30 minutes. I assumed the issue was with the sensor itself as the car is 9 years old now and thought the sensor battery may be getting weak. Had the sensor replaced and others checked, and we were back to normal for a few weeks. Then the right front again dropped out after driving for 30-40 minutes. Checked the sensor again, and it is putting out the signal OK per the tire store, so we went on our way. So here is what is happening now. The car acts like it resets itself overnight and all the sensors behave in a normal fashion after first starting a drive. But they start to drop out beginning with right front consistently after about 30-40 minutes of driving. Then sometimes the left front goes out soon after followed by the left rear. The other thing I have noticed is the range on the fob for locking / unlocking gets really short during this same time of driving the car for a while. Fob batteries are all new. Car sits overnight for a day and things seem to be normal first thing again. Have been told this is a real common issue of late with the Darts and the RFHM (Radio Frequency Hub Module) is typically the culprit. This hub failure can also lead to other electronic issues such as dash lights / wipers / door locks / etc failing or working intermittently. Apparently to replace this module, it is expensive and can involve new keys as well.

NHTSA ID

11491374

Incident

Aug 12, 2022

My 2013 Dodge dart rallye turbo 1.4l . Started to lose power in the cold weather. It then stalls out while I was waiting at a red light. I got it started it ran fine. I got to a friend's house. visited for a while. got out to the car it wouldn't start. I jump-started it. To get home. And it was run slow and sluggish. The next day I went out there. and it just clicked. bought a brand new battery thinking it was that. it won't start check the fuses. All was working even relays starter solenoid and alternator also tested good. All cables and ground wires where in good condition tested and cleaned. Belt was like new and turned freely. Check engine light did flash when first tried to start 10 times then when off. But no error code was held. This has only happened one there time. And it was when I didn't have it in my garage at night. Last week and we got a bad winter storm. I didn't know. That I can't drive this car in Michigan. In the winter. Because it almost got me hit. When out at a green light. Because it was cold. If I would of known this I would of never got this car. And know it won't even. Start because I left outside of the garage for the second time in the hole time I own it.

NHTSA ID

11446387

Incident

Jan 2, 2022

In 2013 I bought a new Dodge Dart Limited from a Dodge dealer. I bought the car in March and by October when it got cooler outside, it was evident there were some electrical issues related to the Uconnect screen blanking out and dash lights flickering while driving or when ABS engaged, and engine and battery lights on. The whole car seemed like it was resetting as everything electrical flickered and turned off and then on again. I took the car back to the dealership while it was under warranty at least 3 times to no avail. It would sometimes come back on after turning the car off for a period of time but then it turned off and stayed off for days. The Dodge mechanics claimed they could not get the problem to come up for them at all during yearly visits from 2014-2018. I researched the internet for solutions and disconnecting and reconnecting the battery seemed to fix it so that became a temporary resolution. After a while it became much more consistent and the battery trick didn't always work anymore. So I went to a second Dodge dealership in 2019 when my car was at the end of it's warranty and they did see the issue occur and decided to replace the screen all together. That next winter the problem came back so I went back to the dealership and this time they replaced the body control module. It's the next winter and the center console is completely out so I cannot control hazard lights, the turn signals don't make noise, backup camera is out, seat controls don't work, rear defrost never turns on but the front defrost blasts hot air constantly causing fog. I feel unsafe as I cannot see out of the rear window due to consistent under 40 degrees temps. The dash lights went completely out yesterday and I could not see my speedometer, but it came back on 60 min later. The engine and battery lights are on constantly since the weather changed. The dash lights are a huge safety concern as I don't know how fast I'm driving and it happens while the car is in motion.

NHTSA ID

11444682

Incident

Dec 21, 2021

Car constantly stalls while driving and goes into neutral while driving as well. Recently, I was meeting up with my husband and I came to a red light and my car wouldn’t stop. My car finally stopped in time thank God; but when I went on to continue driving the car would not move or shift into other gears. Police came and car got towed, huge safety concern!

NHTSA ID

11433713

Incident

Apr 1, 2021

The seat belt warning light will continue to beep and flash when someone is in the seat and has the seatbelt on, also my car is unable to be parked for more than one day without starting it or it drains the battery and then has to be jump started with another car for it to run again and then the battery has to be replaced this seems like a serious defect the car should be able to sit for at least a couple days and be fine and this is during regular temperature times also so it's very strange it definitely seems like electrical issues.

NHTSA ID

11429697

Incident

Jan 5, 2021

I have a 2013 Dodge Dart that's been having issues since i got the car. First my transmission goes out, get a new one 02/21 then 7/21 service transmission. Take my car to the shop the TCM needs to be replace. My car would start and move than all of sudden i can't move Auto Stick unavailable shift to N then D then my car is stuck. I can't move only can drift. This is crazy I see that the Dodge Dart has 6 recall and i only received recall postcard for bushel cords? My car is having the same problems the recall was inplace for but my car doesn't qualify? My life don't matter huh? The car doesn't have many miles on the car, i service my car (oil changes, tires rotated and replace) I just don't understand. Someone is going to get hurt driving these Dodge Darts.

NHTSA ID

11426827

Incident

Jul 28, 2021

The contact owns a 2013 Dodge Dart. The contact stated the vehicle was shifted into park and the turned off however, the key remained stuck in the ignition. The contact stated that the failure recurred several times causing the battery to be drained. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the ignition switch was not making good contact and needed to be repaired. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 120,000.

NHTSA ID

11423285

Incident

Jun 2, 2021

Mileage

120,000 mi

Despite saying there are no open recalls on my vehicle it does seem to malfunction the same as the last recall. The vehical got stuck in drive last week and had to use the emergency brake to keep it from rolling. After having it towed (friday) to my dealership and manual override to put it in park, it acted normal. The car was looked at the following morning and they could not get it to malfunction. I picked it Monday because I have a warranty that will cover it but they can't do anything unless it is acting up. Today I went to go to tue store and it is stuck in park. I just want to make sure that if any cars were missed in the last recall it can be addressed. Or if it is one of the included vehicles, figure out if it was actually repaired.

NHTSA ID

11417790

Incident

May 14, 2021

WINDSHIELD WIPERS CAME ON ONE DAY AFTER USING THE TURN SIGNAL AND HAVE NOT SHUT OFF. MULTIFUNCTION SWITCH HAS BEEN REPLACED AND ISSUE IS NOT RESOLVED. CURRENTLY THE WIPER MOTOR IS DISCONNECTED TO PREVENT WIPERS FROM RUNNING CONTINUOUSLY. DODGE CUSTOMER SERVICE HAS TOLD ME THERE IS NO RECALL AND THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO. DEALERSHIP WANTS MONEY TO RUN DIAGNOSTIC AND THEN MORE MONEY FOR LABOR TO FIX THE ISSUE THEY FIND. THIS NEEDS TO BE INVESTIGATED AS A SAFETY ISSUE FOR DISTRACTION AND VISIBILITY FOR THE DRIVER.

NHTSA ID

11413740

Incident

Apr 11, 2021

Mileage

81,150 mi

I WAS DRIVING AND WHILE I WAS IN HEAVY TRAFFIC SO I TEND TO ALWAYS PUT IT IN THE N POSITION SO THAT I CAN REST MY LEG WHILE THE EMERGENCY BRAKE IS ON AND ONCE TRAFFIC STARTED TO MOVE I ATTEMPTED TO PUT IT IN THE D POSITION TO MOVE FORWARD AND STARTED TO NOTICE A IT TO BE DIFFICULT TO MOVE THE AUTOMATIC STICK BUT DID NOT REALLY THINK MUCH OF IT BUT I KNEW ONCE I GET BACK INTO MY STATE I WOULD TAKE IT TO GET LOOKED AT. ONCE ON THE INTERSTATE HIGH WAY OF A 3-HOUR DRIVE, I STARTED TO WORRY SINCE MY CAR SOUNDED LIKE IF I HAD A ROCK BOUNCING IN MY TRANSMISION SO APROCHING TO A TOLL PAY STAND I DECIDED TO PUT IT ON N POSITION TO KEEP IT RUNNING BUY MAKE A STOP ON THE SIDE AND WAS NOT ABLE TO SO I TRY TO PUT IT ON D AGAIN TO SEE IF IT RESPONDED AND THAT WAS WHAT MADE US KNOW WE WERE IN TROUBLE. I COULD NOT CONTROL MY DODGE DART.

NHTSA ID

11408338

Incident

Apr 11, 2021

WHEN THE VEHICLE IS EITHER IN MOTION OR WHILE IDLE, THE CLIMATE CONTROL WILL PERIODICALLY NOT FUNCTION AT ALL. OTHER TIMES WHEN THE VEHICLE IS TURNED ON, IT WILL ONLY FUNCTION AT A HIGH SETTING. THE SEAT WARMERS ON THE PASSENGER SIDE AND THE BLUETOOTH DOES NOT WORK AT ALL. OCCASIONALLY, THE CRUISE CONTROL BUTTON WILL WORK TO TURN THE FUNCTION ON, HOWEVER, SETTING OR RESETTING THE CRUISE CONTROL DOES NOT WORK AT ALL WHILE IN MOTION.

NHTSA ID

11400060

Incident

Feb 21, 2021

EVER SINCE WE PURCHASED THE VEHICLE IN 2013 WE HAVE HAD ISSUES WITH IT. I HAVE TAKEN IT IN NUMEROUS TIMES AS THE PANEL WOULD JUST GO BLANK FROM TIME TO TIME AND HEATER WOULD GO FULL BLAST NO WAY TO CONTROL RADIO OR ANYTHING THROUGH THE PANEL. I WOULD ALSO COMPLAIN THAT THE GEAR SHIFTER WOULD STICK MEANING ONLY WHEN I WOULD BE IN REVERSE IT WOULD STICK AND NOT GO INTO DRIVE UNLESS YOU FORCED IT TO THE LEFT AND BACK INTO DRIVE IT WOULD CATCH THE GEAR. THIS HAS BEEN A NON GOING THING THROUGH THE DEALERSHIP WE WENT AS FAR AS FILING A COMPLAINT WITH CHRYSLER AS THAT IS THE NUMBER DEALERSHIP REFERRED US TOO. THEY SAID IT WAS A DEFECTIVE CAR, BUT WE GOT NO WHERE WITH IT AND FINALLY WARRANTY WAS UP AND THEN THEY WANTED ALOT OF MONEY TO REPLACE THE PANEL AFTER IT HAD BEEN REPLACED BEFORE BY THEM. OUR CHART IS PROBABLY SO THICK IN REGARDS TO THE SAME WRONG MALFUNCTION. IT ONLY HAPPENS DURING THE WINTER MONTHS AS RIGHT NOW ITS DOING IT AGAIN AND I AM SURE WITH THE STICKING AND US NEEDING TO FORCE IT INTO DRIVE IS PROBABLY NOT A GOOD THING EITHER. I HAVE THROWN MY HANDS UP IN THE AIR WITH THIS CAR AND TRYING TO GET SOMEONE TO HELP ME, BUT I CAN NOT AFFORD TO BUY A NEW CAR. I WOULD JUST LIKE FOR SOMEONE TO DO RIGHT BY THIS LEMON THEY MAKE IT SO HARD TO CONSTANTLY TRY AND FOLLOWUP OR THEY KEEP GIVING US DIFFERENT NUMBERS WITH NO CALL BACK. SO IF YOU COULD PLEASE DO A REPORT ON THIS AND LOOK INTO THIS FOR ME. I WOULD TRULY APPRECIATE IT. I AM SURE MY CAR IS NOT THE ONLY ONE WITH THIS MALFUNCTION AS THE PEOPLE IN THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT HAVE MADE IT CLEAR THAT THEY WERE NO GOOD. PLEASE HELP ME WITH THIS I CAN BE CONTACTED AT [XXX]. THANK YOU IN ADVANCE. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

NHTSA ID

11397388

Incident

Mar 14, 2013