2012 Dodge Dart

THIS IS A FOLLOW-UP REPORT TO: DATE OF INCIDENT: 11/18/2014, NHTSA ID NUMBER: 10659435. 2013 DODGE DART SXT BRAKES HAD FAILED ONCE BEFORE, ABOUT SIX MONTHS AGO. BRAKE BOOSTER WAS TO BLAME AND REPLACED BY DEALER. DEALER STATED THAT THIS WAS THE FIRST THEY HAD HEARD OF THE PROBLEM AND I TOOK IT AS A FLUKE. YESTERDAY I EXPERIENCED THE SAME THING - POP FROM THE BRAKE PEDAL THEN NO BRAKES. TOWED TO DEALER FOR REPAIR - AGAIN! I BOUGHT THIS CAR TO BE SAFE AND RELIABLE. I LOVE THE CAR, BUT IT'S NEITHER OF THOSE THINGS. THANKFULLY I'VE BEEN LUCKY BOTH TIMES AND I HAVE NOT KILLED MYSELF OR OTHERS WITH THIS DEFECT. THE UNDERLYING PROBLEM NEEDS FOUND AND ADDRESSED ASAP.

MY SON WAS DRIVING AND HE PARALLEL PARKED SO HE COULD RUN INTO A STORE. I STAYED IN THE CAR. WHEN HE RETURNED HE PUT IT IN GEAR AND SIGNALLED TO PULL OUT. SUDDENLY, THERE WAS A LOUD POPPING SOUND AND WHAT SOUNDED LIKE AIR WHOOSHING OUT OF THE BRAKE PEDAL. HE ATTEMPTED TO APPLY THE BRAKE AND HE SAID IT FELT LIKE SOMETHING WAS STOPPING IT FROM GOING DOWN. IN FACT, HE IMMEDIATELY STOPPED AND GOT OUT OF THE CAR TO CHECK. EVERY TIME HE ATTEMPTED TO DEPRESS THE PEDAL, IT MADE THE AIR SOUND AGAIN. FORTUNATELY, WE WERE ONLY A COUPLE OF BLOCKS FROM HOME. WE DROVE SLOWLY, RUNNING STOP SIGNS AND USING THE E-BRAKE AND DOWNSHIFTING WHEN NECESSARY. CALLED THE DEALER. THEY SENT A FLAT DECK TO PICK IT UP. THEY TELL US THAT FLUID LEAKED INTO THE BRAKE BOOSTER. OUR NEW CAR IS NOW IN THE SHOP FOR WHO KNOWS HOW LONG. WE BOUGHT A NEW CAR SO THESE KINDS OF THINGS WOULDN'T HAPPEN. NOW WE ARE CARLESS, WITH A BUSY, FULL WORK WEEK FOR US BOTH COMING UP. MY HUSBAND REQUIRES A RELIABLE CAR FOR HIS WORK. WHAT IS DODGE GOING TO DO TO REIMBURSE US FOR THE INCONVENIENCE AND POTENTIAL DANGER THEY PUT US IN WITH THIS DEFECT?....UPDATED 06/15/16 *BF

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 DODGE DART. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH, THE BRAKES SOUNDED AS IF AIR WERE PRESENT. THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT STOP WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO STATED THAT THE BRAKE BOOSTER FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 39,000.

THE BRAKE SYSTEM SHUT DOWN AT 50 MPH, I FEARED FOR MY LIFE IT IS ONE OF THE SCARIEST THINGS I HAVE EVER DEALT WITH, I AM LUCKY I AM ABLE TO WRITE THIS LETTER TO YOU. THE PROBLEM ACCORDING TO DAYTON ANDREWS IS THAT THE MASTER CYLINDER FLUID LEAKED INTO THE BRAKE BOOSTER, WHICH EVENTUALLY NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. I WAS TOLD MY DODGE WARRANTY EXPIRED AT 36,000 YET THERE WAS 36,920 ON THE CAR. THIS WAS MOST DEFINITELY A RECALL OR AN ISSUE THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN COVERED UNDER THE DODGE WARRANTY. NO NORMAL CAR AT 36,920 HAS THAT HAPPEN UNTIL THERE WAS INITIAL PROBLEMS WITH THE CAR. ....UPDATED 06/15/16 *BF *TR UPDATED 10/11/2017*CN

WHEN WE ARE DRIVING THE CAR, IT WILL START TO SHUDDER WHEN THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON AND WITHIN A MINUTE THE ABS SYSTEM WILL TURN ON. WHEN THE ABS SYSTEM TURNS ON, YOU CAN ACTUALLY FEEL THE BRAKING TRYING TO STOP THE CAR. THIS HAS HAPPENED AT ALL DIFFERENT SPEEDS, FROM 20 TO 30 MPH UP TO HIGHWAY SPEEDS AT 70 MPH. YOU CANNOT SHUT OF THE ABS SYSTEM WITH THE SAFETY SWITCH WHEN IT TURNS ITSELF ON. WE HAVE PULLED OVER, TURNED THE ENGINE OFF AND RESTARTED THE CAR. THIS DOES NOT ALWAYS SEEM TO WORK. WE HAVE TURNED OFF THE ABS SYSTEM WHEN WE HAVE STARTED THE CAR, BUT THE COMPUTER IN THE ENGINE WILL OVERRIDE THIS AND HAS TURNED IT BACK ON. WHEN THAT HAPPENS, IT STARTS TO TRY BRAKING AGAIN WHILE WE ARE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD. WE HAVE HAD THE CAR BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP SEVERAL TIMES TRYING TO GET THIS RESOLVED, BUT THEY HAVE NOT BEEN SUCCESSFUL IN SOLVING THIS PROBLEM. THE DEALERSHIP HAS CALLED CHRYSLER TO FIND OUT WHAT TO DO ABOUT THIS PROBLEM. THEY WERE TOLD TO CHANGE THE IGNITION COIL POWER PACK, WHICH THEY DID. WHEN THE CAR WAS RETURNED TO US, IT STARTED THIS SAME PROBLEM AGAIN. THE LAST TIME WE TOOK IT IN (APRIL 2015) THE DEALERSHIP KEPT IT FOR TWO WEEKS AND WAS UNABLE TO RECREATE THE PROBLEM. SINCE THAT TIME IT HAS DONE THIS TO US TWICE, BUT BEFORE WE COULD GET IT TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR REPAIR, IT CORRECTED ITSELF. HAS ANYONE ELSE HAD THIS PROBLEM? *TR

I WAS AT A DRIVE-THRU AND WHEN I WENT TO PULL UP IN LINE MY BRAKES FAILED AND I HAD TO PULL THE EMERGENCY BRAKE TO STOP. THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS VERY HARD AND WOULD NOT GO DOWN. I PARKED THE CAR AND HAD IT TOWED TO A DEALER. IT WAS THE BRAKE BOOSTER. I HAD AN EXTENDED WARRANTY AND HAD IT FIXED. I HAD BEEN ON THE INTERSTATE EARLIER. IF IT HAD FAILED THEN, I DO NOT KNOW WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED. THIS WAS A VERY SCARY INCIDENT AND I AM CONCERNED THAT THE NEW PART COULD FAIL OR THAT OTHERS COULD HAVE THIS PROBLEM AND NOT BE AS FORTUNATE AS I WAS. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 DODGE DART. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED AND FAILED TO RESPOND. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS STIFF AND REQUIRED EXCESSIVE FORCE IN ORDER TO STOP THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 38,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 DODGE DART. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED BUT FAILED TO ENGAGE AND STOP THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER. THE TECHNICIAN DIAGNOSED THAT THE BRAKE BOOSTER SYSTEM WAS FAULTY. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 42,000.

I HEARD A POPPING SOUND WHEN I APPLIED MY BRAKES - PEDAL WAS HARD AND BRAKING DID NOT WORK. I WAS ABLE TO STOP BY DOWNSHIFTING TO SLOW MY SPEED AND USING THE EMERGENCY BRAKE. TO BE CLEAR - MY BRAND NEW CAR, WITH FEWER THAN 11K MILES, THAT I HAVE OWNED FOR LESS THAN A YEAR, DID NOT HAVE ANY FUNCTIONING BRAKES. FORTUNATELY THIS HAPPENED WHILE I WAS DRIVING TO THE FREEWAY, NOT WHEN I WAS LEAVING THE FREEWAY AT 70MPH. MY CAR WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER WHERE THEY DIAGNOSED IT AS A FAILED BRAKE BOOSTER AND SAID THAT THE CAUSE WAS A "FACTORY DEFECT" - THIS IS A TERRIFYING FACTORY DEFECT THAT COULD HAVE VERY EASILY LED TO A TOTALED CAR AND SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH TO ME, MY PASSENGERS, PEDESTRIANS, OTHER DRIVERS. I BOUGHT A BRAND NEW CAR TO ENSURE THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF SAFETY AND RELIABILITY. THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE AND I SINCERELY HOPE THAT IT WILL BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY, REVIEWED AND CORRECTED. *TR....UPDATED 06/15/16 *BF UPDATED 9/7/2017*CN

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 DODGE DART. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 20 MPH, THE ENGINE RPMS DECREASED AND THE VEHICLE STARTED TO JERK VIOLENTLY. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT THE FAILURE RECURRED WHENEVER ANY ELECTRICAL COMPONENT WAS ACTIVATED. ALSO, THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED INTERMITTENTLY AND THE ENGINE OVERHEATED WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE TECHNICIAN WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 16,500.