Dodge Dakota Years to Avoid — and the Years to Buy

Every Dodge Dakota model year from 1990 to 2011, benchmarked against each other with 9,058 federal complaints, 54 recall campaigns, and the odometer readings owners put in their reports.

Avoid: 1997–2002, 2005. These years top the Dakota's complaint rankings by volume and severity.
Safer bets: 1990–1991, 1993, 2007–2008, 2010–2011 — the quietest years with at least four years on the road.

The method in one line: every NHTSA complaint for this model is counted, weighted for crashes, fires, injuries, and deaths, and each year is measured against the Dakota's own worst year — full methodology.

Under investigation. Federal regulators currently have 4 open defect investigations on the Dodge Dakota.

Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture EA21002 opened September 17, 2021 · still open

Component: AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade,…

Model years named: 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011

Air Bag Inflator Rupture EA15001 opened February 24, 2015 · still open

Component: AIR BAGS

The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE14-016 in June 2014 based on six inflator rupture incidents involving consumer owned vehicles produced by five vehicle manufacturers.All six vehicles were operated in Florida or Puerto Rico at the time of the rupture and for the majority of their…

Model years named: 2005, 2006, 2007

STEERING WHEEL AND STEERING SHAFT BOLTS EA06004 opened March 9, 2006 · still open

Component: STEERING

ON MARCH 9, 2006 ODI UPGRADED PRELIMINATRY EVALUATION PE05-056 TO ENGINEERNING ANALYSIS EA06-004 TO INVESTIGATE ALLEGATIONS OF LOOSE OR MISSING STEERING SHAFT COUPLING BOLTS AND STEERING COLUMN RETAINING BOLTS IN MODEL YEAR (MY) 2004 THROUGH 2006 DODGE DURANGO SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES AND MY 2005…

Model years named: 2005, 2006

STEERING WHEEL AND COLUMN RQ97012 opened September 25, 1997 · still open

Component: STEERING: STEERING WHEEL/HANDLE BAR

There is no summary currently available

Model years named: 1994

An investigation is not a recall; it may close with no action. All open investigations →

9,058Complaints on file
54Recall campaigns
22Model years

The trouble strip

One cell per model year. The whole answer in one glance — click any year for the full report.

1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
Darker = quieter yearsBrighter amber = more trouble

The defining problem

Suspension tops the Dodge Dakota file with 2,302 complaints, concentrated in the 1998–2002 model years, most often reported around 47,889 miles. The year pages break down what fails and when.

Every year, ranked

YearVerdictComplaintsRecallsTop problemTrouble index
2011 Better year 53 6 Airbags 5
2010 Better year 48 7 Airbags 5
2009 Few reports 23 5 — 2
2008 Better year 131 2 Airbags 13
2007 Better year 167 4 Airbags 15
2006 Below average 385 6 Airbags 37
2005 Avoid 598 7 Airbags 58
2004 Typical 287 5 Steering 25
2003 Below average 419 11 Suspension 36
2002 Avoid 946 12 Suspension 86
2001 Avoid 945 14 Suspension 82
2000 Avoid 1,096 12 Suspension 100
1999 Avoid 1,011 10 Suspension 83
1998 Avoid 793 12 Suspension 69
1997 Avoid 650 12 Suspension 61
1996 Typical 250 2 Transmission & drivetrain 25
1995 Typical 294 1 Transmission & drivetrain 34
1994 Typical 240 4 Brakes & stability 31
1993 Better year 159 2 Brakes & stability 18
1992 Typical 314 2 Transmission & drivetrain 30
1991 Better year 161 5 Transmission & drivetrain 15
1990 Better year 88 3 Steering 7

Technical service bulletins

Beyond complaints and recalls, 1,280 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, service campaigns, warranty extensions — are on file for the Dodge Dakota. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.

Browse the Dodge Dakota TSB list by year →

Questions buyers ask

What Dodge Dakota years should I avoid?

Federal complaint records point to 1997–2002, 2005 as the Dodge Dakota years to avoid — they drew the highest volume of serious complaints relative to the model's other years.

What is the most common Dodge Dakota problem?

Suspension tops the Dodge Dakota file with 2,302 complaints, concentrated in the 1998–2002 model years, most often reported around 47,889 miles.

What are the best Dodge Dakota years to buy used?

The quietest Dodge Dakota years in federal records are 1990–1991, 1993, 2007–2008, 2010–2011 — each with at least four years on the road and well-below-average complaint volume for this model.

Data updated 2026-08-20 from NHTSA's public records

Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Counts cover the Dodge Dakota only, scored against this model's own worst year — not against other models. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.