2006 Dodge Dakota Problems, Recalls & Reliability
385 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2006 Dodge Dakota, alongside 6 recall campaigns and 5 defect investigations. It scores 37/100 on the trouble index — a below-average year for this model. Airbags leads the reports, typically around 75,162 miles.
Below average
Where 2006 sits among all Dakota years
What owners report
“Takata recall replacement parts still not available. I cannot use my truck with anyone in the passenger seat.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2006 Dakota
“Has developed loose steering. Problem exist whether moving or not. Though an accident has not happened yet, believe there is great potential for it to happen.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2006 Dakota
“My 2006 dodge dakota, 4.7 transfercase is shifting on its own. Even with no key in the ignition. Also when driving shifts in and out of 4x4.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2006 Dakota
“I noticed that the windshiled wipers would come on by it self, as time went on the dashboard lights and stereo would go off for about 4 seconds; later the horn would blow and the wipe fluid would squirt, then i would get a aweful shock when i touch the gear shifter. All these occur whenever i start…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2006 Dakota
“I was going to work and the transmission started slipping when I had cruise control on, and then when I got to a stop light my truck started revving and wouldn't move. When i put it in neutral it wouldn't roll either. It just kept on revving and screeching. So i out back into drive and it jerks.…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2006 Dakota
“This truck is a bad problem since i have been done along with the the years i'm tired of drivetrain wheel hubs and front suspension replaces every month.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2006 Dakota
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 224 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 53,656 miles. Half of those reports fall between 35,500 and 88,300 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (6)
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) expanded the affected population to include 73,712 2005-2009 RAM 2500 trucks produced at the St. Louis North Assembly Plant. With this change, Chrysler is recalling certain model year 2004-2008 RAM 1500, 2005-2009 RAM 2500, 2006-2009…
Fix: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicle until the recall repair is complete. Chrysler will notify the Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and RAM owners. Mitsubishi owners will be notified by their…
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain model year 2005-2009 Dodge Ram 2500, 2004-2008 Dodge Ram 1500 and Durango, 2006-2009 Dodge Ram 3500, 2008-2010 Dodge Ram 4500 and 5500, 2007-2008 Chrysler Aspen, 2005-2010 Chrysler 300, 300C, 300S, and SRT8,…
Fix: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicle until the recall repair is complete. Chrysler will notify the affected Chrysler and Dodge owners and Mitsubishi will notify the affected Raider owners.…
Chrysler Group LLC (Chrysler) is recalling certain model year 2006-2007 Dodge Ram 1500, 2500, 3500, Dakota, and 2006 Mitsubishi Raider vehicles manufactured July 1, 2005, to July 31, 2006 with manual transmissions. The return springs in the clutch ignition…
Fix: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the clutch ignition interlock switch, free of charge. The recall began on March 27, 2015. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at…
SABERSPORT IS RECALLING 16,270 COMBINATION CORNER AND BUMPER LAMP ASSEMBLIES OF VARIOUS PART NUMBERS SOLD FOR USE AS AFTERMARKET EQUIPMENT FOR VARIOUS PASSENGER VEHICLES. THESE HEADLAMPS FAIL TO CONFORM TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY…
Fix: SABERSPORT WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER A FULL REFUND FOR THE NONCOMPLIANT COMBINATION LAMPS. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON MAY 11, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT SABERSPORT AT 1-909-598-7589.
ON CERTAIN PICKUP TRUCKS AND SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, A STATIC ELECTRICITY SPARK BETWEEN THE OPERATOR AND THE VEHICLE CAN CAUSE THE TURN SIGNAL, HEADLAMPS OR WINDSHIELD WIPERS TO MALFUNCTION WITHOUT WARNING.
Fix: DEALERS WILL RE-FLASH THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER. THE RECALL BEGAN ON MARCH 6, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT DAIMLERCHRYSLER AT 1-800-853-1403.
ON CERTAIN PICKUP TRUCKS EQUIPPED WITH FOUR-WHEEL ANTILOCK BRAKE SYSTEMS (ABS), THE ABS ELECTRONIC CONTROL UNIT (ECU) MAY CAUSE A LOSS OF FRONT TO REAR BRAKE BALANCE, AND THE REAR BRAKES COULD LOCK UP PREMATURELY DURING CERTAIN BRAKING CONDITIONS.
Fix: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE ABS ECU. THE RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING THE WEEK OF JULY 17, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT DAIMLERCHRYSLER AT 1-800-853-1403.
Federal defect investigations
Still open as of the last data refresh. An investigation is not a recall; it may close with no action. All open investigations →
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,…
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…
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…
Led to recall campaign 13V172000.
Led to recall campaign 14V795000.
Technical service bulletins
54 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on transmission & drivetrain and engine — are on file for the 2006 Dodge Dakota. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
See the 2006 Dakota TSB list →
Complaint history for this model year
When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.
Questions buyers ask
Is the 2006 Dodge Dakota reliable?
The 2006 Dodge Dakota drew 385 complaints in federal safety records — a below-average year for this model. Its trouble index is 37/100, scored against the model's worst year (2000).
What are the most common 2006 Dodge Dakota problems?
The top reported problems for the 2006 Dodge Dakota are airbags (125 complaints), steering (47), and transmission & drivetrain (40).
At what mileage do 2006 Dodge Dakota problems show up?
Owners most often report 2006 Dodge Dakota problems around 53,656 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 35,500 and 88,300 miles.
Does the 2006 Dodge Dakota have recalls?
6 recall campaigns apply to the 2006 Dodge Dakota. At least one carries a do-not-drive or park-outside warning — check your VIN before driving.
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. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.