Dodge Dakota
Owners filed 6,487 complaints across 22 model years of the Dodge Dakota. The 2000 drew the most (806); the 2009 the fewest (18).
Model years22
Complaints6,487
Recalls144
Fires139
Deaths19
Every Dodge Dakota model year compared
Complaints per year| Year | Complaints | Relative volume | Recalls | Fires | Crashes | Most reported | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 44 | 6 | — | 8 | Air Bags | Do not drive | |
| 2010 | 35 | 7 | — | 3 | Air Bags | Do not drive | |
| 2009 | 18 | 5 | — | 1 | Power Train | Do not drive | |
| 2008 | 91 | 2 | 1 | 5 | Air Bags | Do not drive | |
| 2007 | 144 | 4 | 2 | 11 | Air Bags | Do not drive | |
| 2006 | 285 | 6 | 7 | 23 | Air Bags | Do not drive | |
| 2005 | 470 | 7 | 27 | 30 | Air Bags | Do not drive | |
| 2004 | 206 | 5 | 6 | 11 | Steering | Fatalities reported | |
| 2003 | 296 | 11 | 5 | 16 | Suspension › Front › Control Arm › Upper Ball Joint | Above average | |
| 2002 | 678 | 12 | 18 | 55 | Suspension › Front › Control Arm › Upper Ball Joint | Fatalities reported | |
| 2001 | 678 | 14 | 11 | 44 | Suspension › Front › Control Arm › Upper Ball Joint | Fatalities reported | |
| 2000 | 806 | 12 | 14 | 60 | Suspension › Front › Control Arm › Upper Ball Joint | Fatalities reported | |
| 1999 | 641 | 10 | 6 | 49 | Suspension › Front › Control Arm › Upper Ball Joint | Above average | |
| 1998 | 545 | 12 | 1 | 43 | Suspension › Front › Control Arm › Upper Ball Joint | Fatalities reported | |
| 1997 | 446 | 12 | 6 | 42 | Suspension › Front › Control Arm › Upper Ball Joint | Fatalities reported | |
| 1996 | 189 | 2 | 6 | 20 | Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip | Fatalities reported | |
| 1995 | 208 | 1 | 6 | 38 | Air Bags › Frontal | Fatalities reported | |
| 1994 | 166 | 4 | 4 | 33 | Steering › Steering Wheel/Handle Bar | Fatalities reported | |
| 1993 | 134 | 2 | 6 | 15 | Power Train › Automatic Transmission | Routine | |
| 1992 | 216 | 2 | 8 | 20 | Power Train › Automatic Transmission | Above average | |
| 1991 | 128 | 5 | 5 | 11 | Power Train › Automatic Transmission | Routine | |
| 1990 | 63 | 3 | — | 5 | Steering › Rack and Pinion | Routine |
Which Dodge Dakota years should you avoid?
On raw complaint volume the 2000 is the weakest year on record, with 806 complaints concentrated in the suspension › front › control arm › upper ball joint. It carries 12 recalls.
Read these numbers with sales volume in mind. A model year that sold in huge numbers naturally accumulates more reports than a rare one, and older cars have had more years to fail. The stronger signal is the severity columns and whether the same component keeps coming up year after year.
Data: NHTSA complaint and recall files, September 2026. Complaints are unverified owner reports.