2012 Dodge Dart

I TOOK THE CAR IN TO THE DEALER TO CHECK FOR SLUGGISH ACCELERATION. IT SEEMS THE TURBO ISN'T WORKING AND I HAVE TO DOWN-SHIFT SEVERAL TIMES TO GET UP A HILL I TRAVEL EVERY DAY. THEY SAID IT JUST NEEDED A COMPUTER UPDATE. NOTHING CHANGED AFTER THEIR "UPDATE". CAR BACKFIRES EVERY MORNING IT'S COLD OUTSIDE AND DOES NOT HAVE ANY POWER UNTIL THE ENGINE WARMS UP CONSIDERABLY. CAR STILL BACKFIRES EVEN DURING THE SUMMER MONTHS. CRUISE TURNS OFF BY ITSELF AND WON'T COME BACK ON UNLESS I STOP THE CAR, TURN IT OFF, THEN RESTART IT. ALL OF THESE ISSUES HAVE BEEN GOING ON SINCE BEFORE DECEMBER. IT IS NOW JULY 2014 AND A CERTIFIED MECHANIC HAS CHECKED OUT MY ENGINE--MY TURBO IS TRASHED AND THERE IS OIL IN IT!! THERE IS A ROD THAT OPENS THE VACUUM/AIR THAT IS STUCK. IF THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WAS UNDER A RECALL, I WAS NEVER NOTIFIED ABOUT IT. THE DEALER I BOUGHT IT FROM SHOULD HAVE MADE THE RECALLS KNOWN BEFORE I PURCHASED IT IN MAY 2013. OR THEY SHOULD HAVE AT LEAST CHECKED FOR RECALLS AND HAD THEM FIXED BEFORE SELLING IT. I PURCHASED IT USED WITH 4000 MILES ON IT; NOW I KNOW WHY THE PREVIOUS OWNER WANTED TO BUY ANOTHER CAR! *TR

THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM CUTS OUT SEVERAL TIMES WHEN DRIVING. AT NIGHT IT IS BAD BECAUSE ALL THE INSIDE LIGHT GO OUT AND YOU CAN TELL YOUR SPEED OR ANYTHING UNTIL IT TURNS BACK ON. THE ENGINE AND FUEL ARE ONE ISSUE; AFTER STARTING IT THE EXHAUST HAS A BAD ODOR AND STAYS DURING THE ENTIRE TRAVEL UNTIL IT IS TURNED OFF. THE ENGINE ALSO HESITATES AFTER COMING TO A COMPLETE STOP. *JS

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM INSIDE CAR SHUTS OFF AND TURNS BACK ON REPEATEDLY, EVEN IF I AM ONLY GOING 2 MILES DOWN THE ROAD. THE FUEL AND ENGINE TIE TOGETHER AS ONE; IMMEDIATELY AFTER STARTING THE VEHICLE THE EXHAUST LETS OUT A VERY STRONG ODOR THAT CONTINUE'S FOR THE ENTIRE DURATION OF ANY TRIP. THEN WHEN ACCELERATING USING AUTOMATIC DRIVE OR EVEN THE DRY CLUTCH THE EXHAUST MAKES A LOUD RATTLING NOISE AS IT SWITCHES FROM GEAR TO GEAR. ALSO, DURING DRIVING THE ENGINE OR TRANSMISSION FEELS LIKE IT IS SLIPPING AND HAS HESITATION WHEN YOU ACCELERATE AFTER STOPPING COMPLETELY. *JS

AS WE WERE CROSSING A LARGE BRIDGE IN NEW YORK CITY, THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. WITHIN A MINUTE AFTER THE LIGHT CAME ON, THE ENGINE LIGHT STARTED BLINKING, AND THE CAR BEGAN TO RUN VERY ROUGHLY. SMOKE BEGAN TO COME FROM THE VENTS, THE CAR BEGAN TO SHAKE AND OVERHEAT. AFTER ANOTHER MINUTE, THE CAR LOST ALL POWER AND BECAME MORE DIFFICULT TO CONTROL. WE STOPPED AT THE CLOSEST AREA TO PULL OFF. CHRYSLER ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE HAD US WAIT FOR TWO HOURS BEFORE NOTIFYING US THAT OUR CAR WAS LOCATED 100FT SHY OF BEING ABLE TO BE TOWED. WE MANAGED TO FUDGE THE CAR ANOTHER 100FT, AND REACHED A SIDE STREET WHERE WE NEEDED TO WAIT ANOTHER TWO HOURS TO BE TOWED. THIS WAS MAY 11TH. THE VERDICT FROM THE LOCAL DEALER IS THAT THE ENTIRE BOTTOM END FELL OFF AFTER JUST OVER ONE YEAR OF TYPICAL USE (LESS THAN 17000 MILES), AND THE ENGINE MUST BE REBUILT (CRANKSHAFT, ENGINE BLOCK, EVERYTHING). WE STILL HAVE NOT RECEIVED AN ESTIMATED TIME OF COMPLETION, AND ONLY ESTIMATES OF WHEN THE ENGINE WILL BE IN (OVER A MONTH LATER) DETACHMENT OR PARTIAL DETACHMENT OF THESE COMPONENTS IS EXTRAORDINARILY DANGEROUS, PARTICULARLY AT THE SPEED THAT WE WERE MOVING, AND WE WERE VERY FORTUNATE NOT TO BE INJURED, OR BE IN AN ACCIDENT. WE WERE EVEN LUCKY TO GET OFF OF THE BRIDGE. *TR

AFTER SEVERAL HOURS OF STAYING PARKED WITH TRANSMISSION IN GEAR (1ST), VEHICLE WOULD NOT DISENGAGE GEARBOX ON STARTUP. CLUTCH LOST ALL PRESSURE AND THE VEHICLE REQUIRED EXCESSIVE USE OF FORCE TO DISLODGE GEAR SHIFTER. VEHICLE WAS STARTED (CLUTCH DISENGAGED AND IN NEUTRAL) AND VEHICLE BEGAN TO DRIVE FORWARD. CLUTCH/TRANSMISSION REMAINED IN CONTACT WITH ENGINE CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO CONTINUE MOVING FORWARD EVEN WHILE IN NEUTRAL. TRANSMISSION/CLUTCH WOULDN'T REENGAGE WITHOUT EXCESSIVE FORCE. *TR

WHILE ACCELERATING THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO RANDOMLY SPUTTER/HESITATE. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED WITH FAULT CODE (P0352) AND CONTINUED TO SPUTTER/HESITATE DURING ACCELERATION PROCESS. AFTER DIAGNOSIS IT APPEARS THE ENGINE'S IGNITION CONTROL SYSTEM IS FAILING AND HAS BEEN FOR SOME TIME. ACCORDING TO DEALERSHIP, THIS IS NOT COVERED OUTSIDE BASIC WARRANTY OR ANY KNOWN RECALL. *TR

I WASH STOPPED AT A RED LIGHT WHEN VEHICLE MOTOR STARTED REVVING UP ALL THE WAY TO WHERE THE TACHOMETER WAS FULLY IN THE RED. MY FOOT WAS NOT ON THE ACCELERATOR AND NOTHING WAS PRESSING THE ACCELERATOR DOWN. THERE WERE SEVERAL CARS IN FRONT OF ME AND AS WELL BEHIND ME. I COULD NOT GET THE CAR OUT OF DRIVE AS IT CREPT FORWARD. I HAD TO TURN IGNITION OFF TO STOP THE CAR! WHEN LIGHT TURNED TO GREEN AND THE OTHER CARS HAD MOVED FORWARD I THEN STARTED THE CAR AND PULLED IT TO THE ROADSIDE. TURNED THE CAR OFF AGAIN AND RESTARTED THE CAR. EVERYTHING SEEMED NORMAL AND CONTINUED TO DRIVE TO MY DESTINATION. LATER DRIVING THE CAR HOME WAS DEFINITELY AN ADVENTURE OF PURE NERVES DUE TO THE SCARE THIS INCIDENT. I HAVE NOW CONTACTED THE DODGE DEALERSHIP WHERE THE CAR WAS PURCHASED AND WAITING NOW FOR AN HOUR FOR SOMEONE TO CONTACT ME BACK FOR AN APPOINTMENT. THIS WAS A VERY SCARY SITUATION TO HAVE HAPPENED BUT THANKFUL NO ONE WAS HURT. *TR

SITTING IDLE IN DRIVE-THRU CAR STARTED SMOKING HEAVILY UNDER THE HOOD AND THRU THE INTERIOR VENTS. FINALLY STALLED. GOT IT RESTARTED BUT IT WOULD NOT GO INTO GEAR. AFTER ABOUT 30 MINUTES, IT FINALLY WENT INTO DRIVE AND I DROVE IT IMMEDIATELY TO THE NEAREST DODGE DEALER. AFTER A WEEK, THEY FOUND THE DUAL CLUTCHES BOTH NEEDED REPLACED. WAS TOLD THAT I WOULD HAVE TO PUT THE CAR IN N WHENEVER SITTING AT AN IDLE LONGER THAN A FEW SECONDS. (THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE TO ME). WAS ALSO TOLD THAT I WAS NOT TO 'RIDE' THE BRAKE. EITHER "BE ON IN OR OFF OF IT". (THIS IS ALSO UNACCEPTABLE TO ME.) ALSO, CAR REVS UP TO ~5,000RPMS BEFORE SHIFTING FROM 1ST TO 2ND BUT (OF COURSE) NEVER DOES IT WHEN I LEAVE IT FOR THE DEALER. AM NOT HAPPY WITH MY PURCHASE. MY DEALER HAS BEEN GOOD BUT I WILL NOT BE BUYING ANOTHER DODGE. I BUY NEW FOR SAFETY, SECURITY AND RELIABILITY AND WITH THIS VEHICLE, I FEEL I HAVE NONE OF THE 3. THE LEASE CANNOT BE OVER SOON ENOUGH. *TR

OWNED THIS VEHICLE FOR 10 MONTHS AND ISSUES WITH ENGINE STALLING/HESITATION HAVE GOTTEN PROGRESSIVELY WORSE SINCE MY FIRST ENCOUNTER AT THE DEALERSHIP AT 13,300 MILES. I FIRST REPORTED THIS ISSUE WITH ENGINE STALLING/HESITATION AND THEY STATED IT WAS A SPARK PLUG/PLUG WIRE ISSUE, (IRIDIUM SPARK PLUGS RATED FOR 100,000 MILES). AFTER REPLACING THE SPARK PLUG THEY THEN DETERMINED IT NEEDED A CONTROL MODULE REPLACED AND AN ENGINE RESET FOR MY COMPUTER SYSTEM. AFTER THAT IT HAS BEEN IN A FEW MORE TIMES OVER THE LAST 3 MONTHS FOR THE SAME ENGINE STALLING AND HESITATION ISSUES. MY ENGINE HAS BEEN "RESET AND THE COMPUTER UPDATED" AND SINCE MY GAS MILEAGE HAS GOTTEN WORSE AS WELL AS THE STALLING/HESITATION ISSUES ARE STILL THERE AND BECOMING MORE FREQUENT. THEN MY TRANSMISSION STARTED SLIPPING AS I WAS IN D AS IF I HAD PUT MY VEHICLE INTO N AND PRESSED THE GAS PEDAL JUST REVVING THE ENGINE, IT HAS DONE THE SAME WHEN I SWITCH TO PUT MY VEHICLE IN R. I TOOK IT BACK TO THE DEALER AND THEY COULDN'T DUPLICATE THE ISSUE THEREFORE GIVING THEM NOTHING TO GO BY OTHER THAN MY WORD OF MOUTH EXPERIENCE. DAYS AFTER TAKING MY VEHICLE HOME FROM THE DEALER IT WENT OUT ON MY AS I WAS DRIVING ON A MAJOR THOROUGHWAY AT 50MPH. I PRESSED THE GAS APPROACHING AN INTERSECTION AND IT JUST REVVED THE ENGINE, LIGHTS FLASHED ON SHIFTER AND DASH. I HAD TO MANUALLY SWITCH THROUGH MY GEARS TO TRY AND GET THE CAR TO GO. AFTER MY HUSBAND PULLED MY VEHICLE TO THE NEAREST PARKING AREA SAFELY I TRIED TO START THE VEHICLE AGAIN AND GO FORWARD, IT WOULDN'T START RIGHT AWAY IT TRIED TO CRANK BUT WOULDN'T TURN OVER WHEN IT STARTED JUST THE SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT WAS ON MY DASH NO MORE ERRORS WERE DISPLAYED. I DID MANAGE TO TAKE PICTURES WITH MY CELLPHONE BEFORE. I WANT DODGE TO OWN UP AND FIX THIS INSTEAD OD PUTTING A BANDAID AND SENDING ME ALONG. CUSTOMER CARE HAS NOT BEEN HELPFUL AT ALL AND THIS VEHICLE IS NOT SAFE. *TR