Reliability & cost of ownership
Dodge Dakota Reliability & Common Problems
How reliable is the Dodge Dakota? Compare every model year side by side — NHTSA recalls, owner complaints, and crash-test stars — then open the year you're shopping for a full reliability and repair-cost forecast.
Dodge Dakota problems by model year
121 recall entries and 5775 owner complaints on file across 17 model years, sourced from the federal NHTSA database.
| Year | Recalls | Complaints | NCAP stars | Full report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 Dakota | 6 | 44 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2010 Dakota | 0 | 35 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2009 Dakota | 5 | 18 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2008 Dakota | 2 | 91 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2007 Dakota | 4 | 144 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2006 Dakota | 6 | 283 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2005 Dakota | 7 | 470 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2004 Dakota | 5 | 206 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2003 Dakota | 11 | 295 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2002 Dakota | 12 | 678 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2001 Dakota | 14 | 678 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2000 Dakota | 12 | 806 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 1999 Dakota | 10 | 640 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 1998 Dakota | 12 | 544 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 1997 Dakota | 12 | 446 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 1996 Dakota | 2 | 189 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 1995 Dakota | 1 | 208 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
Most-complained-about components
Owner complaints filed with NHTSA against the Dodge Dakota, grouped by the component each complaint names — the fastest read on where this model gives trouble.
- suspension1703 complaints
- service brakes1092 complaints
- hydraulic958 complaints
- power train709 complaints
- air bags657 complaints
- steering553 complaints
- engine and engine cooling418 complaints
- electrical system369 complaints