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2013 Dodge Dart SXT Rallye Long-Term Road Test

Edmunds.comEdmunds.com Member, Administrator, Moderator Posts: 10,316
edited September 2014 in Dodge

image2013 Dodge Dart SXT Rallye Long-Term Road Test

Nearly left stranded in Edmunds.com's long-term 2013 Dodge Dart SXT Rallye.

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  • jeepsrtjeepsrt Member Posts: 88
    Nothing worse than a break down on a road trip, back in '93 my Brother bought a brand new Eclipse GSX and was on his way to California from Colorado and 60 miles in all the wheels locked up. He left it on the side of the road for roadside assistance and took our Parent's car instead, he was not happy about it.
  • jeepsrtjeepsrt Member Posts: 88
    Nothing worse than a break down on a road trip, back in '93 my Brother bought a brand new Eclipse GSX and was on his way to California from Colorado and 60 miles in all the wheels locked up. He left it on the side of the road for roadside assistance and took our Parent's car instead, he was not happy about it.
  • hybrishybris Member Posts: 365
    Hmmm Fuel filter clogged, clutch is shot or at least slipping badly, or going out on a limb part of the air intake leading to the turbo started breaking and thus allowing unmetered air into the engine thus causing a knock condition in which the computer cuts fuel.------ Take your pick for this is the best I could come up with.
  • hybrishybris Member Posts: 365
    Hmmm Fuel filter clogged, clutch is shot or at least slipping badly, or going out on a limb part of the air intake leading to the turbo started breaking and thus allowing unmetered air into the engine thus causing a knock condition in which the computer cuts fuel.------ Take your pick for this is the best I could come up with.
  • jasond52jasond52 Member Posts: 37
    Dirty MAF?
  • jasond52jasond52 Member Posts: 37
    Dirty MAF?
  • gslippygslippy Member Posts: 514
    Turbo failure - that's my guess. I can't imagine why it took so long to begin posting again on this car, but I'm very interested to hear how it bit the dust. I has supposed it was wrecked, but now it looks like the car quit in some spectacular way, which is even more reason not to buy one of these things.
  • gslippygslippy Member Posts: 514
    Turbo failure - that's my guess. I can't imagine why it took so long to begin posting again on this car, but I'm very interested to hear how it bit the dust. I has supposed it was wrecked, but now it looks like the car quit in some spectacular way, which is even more reason not to buy one of these things.
  • zimtheinvaderzimtheinvader Member Posts: 580
    So are they pushing too far into the technological advancements with cars in the name of fuel economy or is it just a fluke that the Dart and the Mazda3 both melted down? After years of driving 20+ year old cars on trips like the one listed it was great to finally take a 'reliable' new car on them, however these posts are making me hesitant to 'upgrade' to an even newer car now.
  • zimtheinvaderzimtheinvader Member Posts: 580
    So are they pushing too far into the technological advancements with cars in the name of fuel economy or is it just a fluke that the Dart and the Mazda3 both melted down? After years of driving 20+ year old cars on trips like the one listed it was great to finally take a 'reliable' new car on them, however these posts are making me hesitant to 'upgrade' to an even newer car now.
  • evodadevodad Member Posts: 135
    yeah this just isn't supposed to happen on a new car.

    @jeepsrt, the 1st gen DSM's were known to have transfer case problems - although it's been so long since I've been active on DSM forums, I don't recall the actual reasoning behind it). Same thing happened to a friend of mine (granted the car was 12yo at the time). But it's a common known issue/potential issue on DSM forums.
  • evodadevodad Member Posts: 135
    yeah this just isn't supposed to happen on a new car.

    @jeepsrt, the 1st gen DSM's were known to have transfer case problems - although it's been so long since I've been active on DSM forums, I don't recall the actual reasoning behind it). Same thing happened to a friend of mine (granted the car was 12yo at the time). But it's a common known issue/potential issue on DSM forums.
  • noburgersnoburgers Member Posts: 500
    Aw, man, you hinted at the demise of the Dart 4 weeks ago, and it took this long to say anything, and still, no real report about the outcome, just this teaser. You meanie.
  • noburgersnoburgers Member Posts: 500
    Aw, man, you hinted at the demise of the Dart 4 weeks ago, and it took this long to say anything, and still, no real report about the outcome, just this teaser. You meanie.
  • smrtypants44smrtypants44 Member Posts: 25
    I would guess a missfire.
  • smrtypants44smrtypants44 Member Posts: 25
    I would guess a missfire.
  • nukedetroit2nukedetroit2 Member Posts: 27
    I LOVE IT!!!!! So... who here still wants to defend this sh!tpile of an automobile?
  • nukedetroit2nukedetroit2 Member Posts: 27
    I LOVE IT!!!!! So... who here still wants to defend this sh!tpile of an automobile?
  • ajac03ajac03 Member Posts: 37
    It still boggles my mind how new vehicles can have problems like these.. this and the mazda 3. If I was in the market for a new car, I would definitely not opt for the Dart, seeing all the electrical gremlins this thing has. This is based off of other long term reviews as well, aka Car and Driver.
  • ajac03ajac03 Member Posts: 37
    It still boggles my mind how new vehicles can have problems like these.. this and the mazda 3. If I was in the market for a new car, I would definitely not opt for the Dart, seeing all the electrical gremlins this thing has. This is based off of other long term reviews as well, aka Car and Driver.
  • nukedetroit2nukedetroit2 Member Posts: 27
    Last month's fuel economy report indicates whatever the problem is, it was serious enough to remove the Dart from the fleet and/or kill it outright. Should be fun to see...

    Meanwhile, I'm still waiting for all the Dart apologists (and - HA! - owners) to weigh in on how wonderful this POS really is...
  • nukedetroit2nukedetroit2 Member Posts: 27
    Last month's fuel economy report indicates whatever the problem is, it was serious enough to remove the Dart from the fleet and/or kill it outright. Should be fun to see...

    Meanwhile, I'm still waiting for all the Dart apologists (and - HA! - owners) to weigh in on how wonderful this POS really is...
  • nukedetroit2nukedetroit2 Member Posts: 27
    Still waiting, kiddies! C'mon, you're brave enough to downvote my comments... let me hear you! Defend the indefensible!
  • noburgersnoburgers Member Posts: 500
    all posts deleted from the blogs, now all seem to double post. Get with it Edmunds, reporting the issues doesn't seem to have any effect.
    all posts deleted from the blogs, now all seem to double post. Get with it Edmunds, reporting the issues doesn't seem to have any effect.
    all posts deleted from the blogs, now all seem to double post. Get with it Edmunds, reporting the issues doesn't seem to have any effect.
  • jasond52jasond52 Member Posts: 37
    This site continues not to give a crap about the users experience.
  • noburgersnoburgers Member Posts: 500
    all the dang comments have been restored as of 5 minutes ago
  • hybrishybris Member Posts: 365
    @nukedetroit2 So kiddo you've come back even after the community pretty much stopped caring all that much about your posts besides hitting the downvote button on the way to the newest comment. ----------------------------------------------------------- As
  • noburgersnoburgers Member Posts: 500
    @nukedetroit, too many things went wrong with this car so I won't defend it. but you seem to take great joy in it's misfortune, my main objection to your often repeated derogatory posts.
    If it turns out to be the failure of a vendor supplied part, do yo
  • misterfusionmisterfusion Member Posts: 471
    Having followed the various Dart forums on & off since I was shopping this car last year, the culprit here has to be the transmission (DDCT).

    Actual hardware breakdown reports in the forums were rare. The poor ownership experience was mainly due to how it performed. My summary of ownership issues reported would be: 70% throttle programming, 20% shift programming, 10% hardware issues.

    There was a TSB for flashing the ECU to revise the tranny programming. But some owners reported that the reflash caused check-engine lights & other gremlins under certain circumstances.
    On the other hand, everyone who bought an aftermarket throttle boosters said the car drove 100% better.

    Regardless, I would be hard-pressed to buy a car with this transmission.

    (Source: http://www.dodge-dart.org/forum/dodge-dart-transmission/)
  • nukedetroit2nukedetroit2 Member Posts: 27
    noburgers - Thank you for your considered and well-reasoned reply. I do indeed take "great joy" in this latest - and rather indisputable - evidence that the Dart is the single worst new automobile currently for sale in the United States, simply because I've been saying that right from the start. Despite the bleatings of unfortunate owners (who have no one to blame for their decisions to buy Darts but themselves) and even the rather lame attempts by Edmunds staff to cast a fine polish upon this piece of [non-permissible content removed], it has been made repeatedly and abundantly clear that no one with an IQ above 80 should ever see a Dart - a product cobbled together by two of history's least competent automakers - and say, "that's a car I should spend my money on." And now, as I predicted, we've reached a moment where not even Edmunds will be able to spin this one - the car is dead, or at least out of the fleet, because the Dart is garbage. That needs to be shouted in the faces of the masses too stupid to make a reasoned decision themselves. Even a Daewoo Cruze is a better choice in this segment; that's how pitiful this purported "car" is.
  • hybrishybris Member Posts: 365
    @nukedetroit I have to say is one of your best posts overall mostly because it doesn't sound like a angry 12 year old. ---------------------- Now a question for you assuming that the Dart is indeed dead and out of the LT fleet where will you go next? Will
  • misterfusionmisterfusion Member Posts: 471
    I think what hybris and others are saying, with great politeness and care, is that you can comment on the flaws of an automobile without being a raging [non-permissible content removed] about it. But every troll already knows this, so there's no point in explaining it further.
  • nukedetroit2nukedetroit2 Member Posts: 27
    There isn't, and yet you wasted valuable seconds (likely hours, for hybris - he doesn't seem too bright) hunting-and-pecking in vain. It ain't my job to protect your delicate sensibilities. I've shouted from the beginning that this car is [non-permissible content removed]. I have been proven undeniably correct. I will gleefully continue shouting that FACT whether you like it or not. Suck it up, buttercup.
  • hybrishybris Member Posts: 365
    @misterfusion +1 @nukedetroit I chuckled.
  • gslippygslippy Member Posts: 514
    It's been FIVE weeks, and still no story about how the Dart ended up.
  • misterfusionmisterfusion Member Posts: 471
    Roger that, gslippy. One could chalk it up to Edmunds being understaffed (almost certainly true), but even if that is the case, the impression is that they simply don't give a [non-permissible content removed] about the readers.
  • nukedetroit2nukedetroit2 Member Posts: 27
    Or pressure from Fiasler not to report how their prized pig of a compact car blew its engine in the middle of BFE, California?
  • hybrishybris Member Posts: 365
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbN1NaQ7yQI --------------------- I still blame the Vogons running Edmund's.
  • nukedetroit2nukedetroit2 Member Posts: 27
    If Fiasler's smart - pause for laughter - the company is lobbying Edmunds hard to take another Dart for a second year-long evaluation. That car will be HEAVILY vetted by the QC team, and fitted with the 2.4L/6M combo. "See? We finally got it right... or at least as close to "right" as our mongrel company can attain."
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