2016 Dodge Dart Problems

What owners report

Owners of the 2016 Dodge Dart most often describe a shifter that will not move out of or into park, reverse or drive, and engine stalling that many link to low oil level. Complaints are spread fairly evenly from low mileage up to well past 100,000 miles, and the shifter reports cluster in late filings where owners say the recall remedy parts were not yet available.

1. 1
   Transmission and drivetrain

   Gear shifter stuck or fails to engage park/reverse

   • 64 complaints (24%)
   • median 65,000 mi at 7.5 yrs old (33 state mileage)
   • filed 2017–2026

   Complaints describe the shift lever not moving out of park, sticking in neutral or reverse, or moving without the transmission responding, sometimes after the vehicle is parked. Some owners report the vehicle rolling after being placed in park and using the parking brake to hold it. Several state a dealer found the shifter cable detached or fractured and quoted a replacement, while others were told recall parts were backordered. Reported from roughly 42,000 to 160,000 miles, with most filings between 54,000 and 130,000 miles.

   Recall 25V674000Recall 19V293000

   What to check: Ask whether the shifter cable and bushing recall work has been completed and keep the receipt. Before buying, shift through every gear with the engine running and confirm the lever engages each position firmly.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Recall v34, has been open on my car since april 2019. Parts are not available at the dealership. Now my car is stuck in neutral, I can't turn it off. The gear shift seems to be stuck. I can't use it and it's stuck in my parking lot.”

   NHTSA complaint #11320162, filed 2020-04, 81,000 miles

   “The contact owns a 2016 Dodge Dart. The contact stated that upon arriving to his destination and attempting to shift into reverse, the shift lever failed to move to the desired position. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 60,000.”

   NHTSA complaint #11649020, filed 2025-03, 60,000 miles
2. 2
   Engine

   Engine stalls or shuts off while driving

   • 50 complaints (19%)
   • median 43,000 mi at 3.4 yrs old (38 state mileage)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2016–2026

   Owners describe the engine cutting out without warning at highway and neighborhood speeds, sometimes shortly after a cold start, with the car restarting right away or not until oil is added. Several complaints connect the stalling to low oil level, and some say a dealer found the engine had no oil and recommended engine replacement. Others report no fault code stored when the car was checked. Spread widely, from a few thousand miles to about 90,000 miles; several reports mention cold starts or short trips after the car sat.

   Recall 16V1130004 related service bulletins

   What to check: Check the oil level and look for a low-oil history before purchase, and ask whether an oil consumption test or warranty extension work was performed. Note that one recall covers powertrain control software on certain 2.0L manual-transmission vehicles.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Driving my Dodge DART on the freeway and it staled out almost caused me to get in a car accident this happed on the freeway to me more then once took it in to dealership and now they are telling me I need my engine replaced I did the best care of the DART all the oil changes and everything were always done to a t Dodge saying it will cost 8000.00 to get a new engine only had the Dodge DART 2016 for 2 years had to get it towed”

   NHTSA complaint #11350325, filed 2020-08, 80,000 miles

   “Multiple times 4 to be exact my vehicle has shut down while driving with no warning. This seems to be an issue with many of these from my research. Once I was getting on an expressway and was almost hit another time was turning on a busy street almost being hit luckily I was not. The first time this happened I had the car about 3 months after purchasing new. The last time it happened was this september. The dealership has done nothing and says they know it happens but nothing they can do for it. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11286889, filed 2019-12, 1,100 miles
3. 3
   Engine

   Excessive oil consumption (2.4L)

   • 18 complaints (7%)
   • median 45,000 mi at 3.4 yrs old (16 state mileage)
   • filed 2017–2021

   Complaints describe oil dropping a quart or two between checks with no visible leak, and owners say dealers told them a quart per 1,000 miles is normal or offered an oil consumption test. Some reports tie the loss to low oil pressure warnings and to the engine shutting off, and a few say the engine was replaced. A service bulletin describes an oil consumption verification procedure and a warranty extension for the 2.4L engine. Mostly reported between about 35,000 and 90,000 miles; several owners noticed it within a few thousand miles of buying the car.

   4 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask for oil change records and whether the 2.4L oil consumption bulletin or warranty extension was applied. Check the dipstick level and look for oil residue around the engine bay.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I have been taught to check my oil consistently. I bought my vehicle with 68,089. Checked oil and it was full. At 69,089 I checked oil and was 2 quarts low!! So I filled it and called dealership. They said they could do an oil consumption test but that it's normal for vehicles to burn oil( about 1 quart per 1000 miles. My vehicle burned double that. I did some research online to find that many other consumers with the same vehicle had the same problem ! Dodge should have a remedy for a very serious problem. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11265660, filed 2019-10, 69,089 miles

   “Was driving and the engine stalled and cut off w/o warning in traffic due to low oil pressure. 2.4l engine consuming oil due to scarring of the cylinder walls from the pistons. I was told this by the mechanic at the service center. It was not that long between oil changes when this occurred.”

   NHTSA complaint #11361535, filed 2020-09, 40,000 miles
4. 4
   Brakes

   Brake pedal hard or slow to stop

   • 25 complaints (10%)
   • median 58,263 mi at 3.8 yrs old (15 state mileage)
   • 4 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2017–2026

   Owners describe the pedal going to the floor or feeling stiff, the vehicle taking longer to stop, and a popping or clunking sound when braking. One complaint says a dealer found the brake booster contaminated with oil and recommended replacing the vacuum line and pump; others report warning messages about the braking system and ABS or traction control lights coming on. Mostly reported between about 42,000 and 83,000 miles, with failures occurring at both city and highway speeds.

   What to check: Test the pedal feel at a stop and during a low-speed stop, and ask whether the brake booster and vacuum line have been inspected or replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Put my car into reverse as I was backing out brakes felt stiff and hard took time to slow down. I had to use the hand brake to stop the car. I have not driven my car since I have been away for work. I see a few other people have had this same problem”

   NHTSA complaint #11242449, filed 2019-08, 70,000 miles

   “Braking system failure when trying to stop . Brakes would press down but not slow the vehicular down. The brakes would randomly fail when stopping on both highway and in urban areas. Along with that the computer would fail and the ABS light,the engine light , and the traction control light would come on along with the battery light. All the problems happen over time and randomly occurred. The fear for my safety and my family's safety should not happen when driving a newer car ! …”

   NHTSA complaint #11122398, filed 2018-08, 68,000 miles
5. 5
   Electrical system

   Radio and instrument cluster cutting out

   • 19 complaints (7%)
   • median 35,500 mi at 3.5 yrs old (14 state mileage)
   • filed 2015–2025

   Complaints describe the touchscreen going black or white and rebooting, the radio and clock dropping out, the odometer flashing and the gauge cluster dimming, sometimes every few minutes. Some owners report the climate controls becoming unusable while the screen is out, and others describe difficulty starting on cold mornings with gauges behaving erratically. Reported from about 40,000 to 82,000 miles, often occurring at random while driving, turning or stopped.

   Recall 16V1130002 related service bulletins

   What to check: Start the car and watch the screen and cluster for a few minutes, including with the radio and climate controls in use, and ask whether the body control module or battery sensor has been replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “My Dodge DART has done this several times now where it won't start early in the morning, typically on colder mornings. I'll try to start it and nothing happens, yet all my lights are working including radio and AC. I tried jumping thinking maybe it was the battery and still nothing. It's not turning over or clicking at all and the gauges are go crazy. I haven't been able to bring it to the shop but this seems to be an on going issue.”

   NHTSA complaint #11315511, filed 2020-03, 70,000 miles

   “The clock and radio will cut out and when they do the odometer flashes. After hitting the cd player to eject the disc the clock will turn back on but the radio takes a little to start working again. Once the radio and clock are back on the odometer stops flashing. The longest it has done this was 2 weeks.”

   NHTSA complaint #11326083, filed 2020-05, 82,000 miles

Buying note. Ask for the recall history on the shifter cable and confirm the remedy parts were actually installed, then check the oil level and brake pedal feel on a test drive. Service records showing oil consumption checks or engine work are worth reviewing before deciding.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.