Dodge Dakota Reliability by Year
Based on 2M+ real complaints filed with the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
9,233 NHTSA complaints (1985–2011).Complaint rate: 2660.0 per 1,000 vehicles.
Should I buy a Dodge Dakota?
Quick answer from 9,233 NHTSA complaints · 1985–2011
Dodge Dakota reliability depends heavily on the model year. Several years show complaint spikes well above the model's own average, while others are meaningfully cleaner. The most commonly reported issue across all years is suspension:front:control arm:upper ball joint. Pick the right year and this Dakota can be a reasonable used buy; pick the wrong one and you're inheriting known problems.
- 2010 Dodge Dakota· 48 complaints
- 2011 Dodge Dakota· 53 complaints
- 2000 Dodge Dakota· 1,096 complaints
- 2002 Dodge Dakota· 946 complaints
- 2001 Dodge Dakota· 945 complaints
Keep scrolling for year-by-year complaint trends, recall campaigns, and component breakdowns — or click any year above for a full report.
Why these years are worse
The most common issues driving the complaint spikes:
- suspension:front:control arm:upper ball joint — 1,047 complaints (1.8% involved a crash)
- suspension:front:control arm:lower ball joint — 631 complaints (2.4% involved a crash)
- airbags — 490 complaints (17.1% involved a crash)
- automatic transmission — 430 complaints (10.0% involved a crash)
- service brakes, hydraulic:foundation components:disc:rotor — 360 complaints (0.8% involved a crash)
What Happened to 3,471 Dodge Dakotas On the Road
Complaints record what owners reported. These are the outcomes actually recorded against 3,471 Dodge Dakota VINs built 1987–2011 — accidents, title brands and odometer flags from our vehicle-history database, not from the NHTSA complaint file.
Do the complaint spikes show up in real accident history?
The Dodge Dakota averages 32.4% accident history across all model years. Here is how the years flagged above compare on real records:
- 2000 — 22.9% of 205 VINs on record show accident history, in line with the 32.4% model average. Owners complained more, but these cars are not crashing more.
- 2002 — 27.8% of 245 VINs on record show accident history, in line with the 32.4% model average. Owners complained more, but these cars are not crashing more.
- 2001 — 22.7% of 207 VINs on record show accident history, in line with the 32.4% model average. Owners complained more, but these cars are not crashing more.
Typical Dodge Dakota on record: 3.2 owners on average, 123,889 average miles.
Which Years to Buy & Avoid
Years auto-clustered by complaint volume relative to this model's median.
Rankings based on raw NHTSA complaint counts. Sales volume data not yet available for this model.
Bottom line: Avoid the 1997–2003 Dodge Dakota (402 crash-related complaints). The 2008–2011 models had significantly fewer reported issues. Most common issue across all years: Suspension:front:control Arm:upper Ball Joint.
Avoid These Years
Average
Better Years
A model's reputation is just the start.
Even within the “good” years, individual cars can have hidden accidents, title issues, or odometer rollbacks. Check the actual VIN before you buy — full history report for $8.99 (vs. Carfax $44.99).
Complaints by Model Year
NHTSA complaint count per model year
Common Dodge Dakota Problems
Most reported component complaints to NHTSA. Bar length = volume; color = crash-involvement rate.
Show full table
| Component | Complaints | Crash % |
|---|---|---|
| Suspension:Front:Control Arm:Upper Ball Joint | 1,047 | 1.8% |
| Suspension:Front:Control Arm:Lower Ball Joint | 631 | 2.4% |
| Airbags | 490 | 17.1% |
| Automatic Transmission | 430 | 10.0% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Foundation Components:Disc:Rotor | 360 | 0.8% |
| Steering Defects | 270 | 4.4% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip | 255 | 20.4% |
| Electrical Faults | 245 | 0.4% |
| Transmission / Drivetrain | 218 | 5.0% |
| Suspension Failures | 215 | 2.3% |
When Each Problem Spiked
Year × component heatmap. Darker cells = more complaints that year. Reveals which model years a specific defect concentrated in — useful for spotting redesign-cycle quality dips.
Year-by-Year Breakdown
NHTSA complaint count per model year — click any year for full problems & recalls breakdown.
| Year | Generation | Complaints | Crashes | Fires | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985NO DATA | — | 3 | 3 | — | View → |
| 1987NO DATA | — | 21 | 0 | 3 | View → |
| 1988NO DATA | — | 65 | 3 | 3 | View → |
| 1989NO DATA | — | 88 | 3 | 2 | View → |
| 1990NO DATA | — | 88 | 5 | — | View → |
| 1991NO DATA | — | 161 | 11 | 5 | View → |
| 1992NO DATA | — | 314 | 22 | 11 | View → |
| 1993NO DATA | — | 159 | 15 | 10 | View → |
| 1994NO DATA | — | 240 | 44 | 4 | View → |
| 1995 | — | 294 | 42 | 6 | View → |
| 1996 | — | 250 | 24 | 6 | View → |
| 1997AVOID | — | 650 | 49 | 11 | View → |
| 1998AVOID | — | 793 | 58 | 1 | View → |
| 1999AVOID | — | 1,011 | 67 | 6 | View → |
| 2000AVOID | — | 1,096 | 77 | 16 | View → |
| 2001AVOID | — | 945 | 58 | 12 | View → |
| 2002AVOID | — | 946 | 71 | 23 | View → |
| 2003AVOID | — | 419 | 22 | 5 | View → |
| 2004 | — | 287 | 12 | 6 | View → |
| 2005AVOID | — | 598 | 37 | 35 | View → |
| 2006AVOID | — | 384 | 29 | 9 | View → |
| 2007 | — | 165 | 12 | 3 | View → |
| 2008GOOD | — | 131 | 10 | 1 | View → |
| 2009GOOD | — | 23 | 1 | — | View → |
| 2010GOOD | — | 48 | 6 | — | View → |
| 2011GOOD | — | 53 | 10 | — | View → |
Year-by-Year Breakdown
Tap any year for full problems & recalls breakdown.
Data Sources & Methodology
Complaints: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation consumer complaint database (9,233 records for this model). Public domain data, updated monthly.
Sales data: Not yet available for this model. Complaint counts are shown as raw numbers.
On-road outcomes: Accident, title-brand, theft and odometer records for 3,471 Dodge Dakota VINs in our vehicle-history database. Independent of the NHTSA complaint file — a complaint is what an owner reported, these are what was recorded against the vehicle. Year-level figures are shown only for model years with at least 200 VINs on record.
Rate calculation: Complaints per 10,000 vehicles sold = (complaint count / US annual sales) x 10,000. This normalizes for sales volume so high-volume models like Civic or Camry aren't unfairly penalized.
Year classifications: AVOID = 1.5x+ the model's median complaint count. GOOD = 0.6x or below. Years less than 3 years old are marked TOO NEW (insufficient data).
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