What breaks most · 1990 to 2011 model years
Dodge Dakota problems by year
Owners have filed 6,385 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Dodge Dakota across model years 1990 to 2011. Three years stand out: 2000 for suspension complaints, 2002 for suspension complaints and 2001 for suspension complaints. The quietest years are 2009, 1990 and 2008.
- Years to check closely: 2000, 2002, 2001
- Fewest complaints: 2009, 1990, 2008
- Complaints on file
- 63851990 to 2011, all trims
- Worst year
- 2000800 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 533134 fires · 342 injuries · 19 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 54kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 144Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 63 | 5 | 3 | Steering (27) | |
| 128 | 11 | 5 | Powertrain and transmission (60) | |
| 215 | 21 | 2 | Powertrain and transmission (110) | |
| 134 | 15 | 2 | Brakes (hydraulic) (21) | |
| 166 | 33 | 4 | Powertrain and transmission (25) | |
| 207 | 38 | 1 | Powertrain and transmission (27) | |
| 189 | 20 | 2 | Powertrain and transmission (28) | |
| 446 | 42 | 12 | Suspension (142) | |
| 541 | 42 | 12 | Suspension (217) | |
| 639 | 49 | 10 | Suspension (342) | |
| 800 | 60 | 12 | Suspension (281) | |
| 668 | 44 | 14 | Suspension (235) | |
| 673 | 54 | 12 | Suspension (226) | |
| 286 | 15 | 11 | Suspension (99) | |
| 202 | 11 | 5 | Steering (74) | |
| 451 | 28 | 7 | Air bags (137) | |
| 267 | 19 | 6 | Air bags (117) | |
| 136 | 11 | 4 | Air bags (57) | |
| 88 | 4 | 2 | Air bags (29) | |
| 17 | 1 | 5 | Powertrain and transmission (6) | |
| 30 | 2 | 7 | Air bags (15) | |
| 39 | 8 | 6 | Air bags (18) |
What fails on the 2000 Dodge Dakota
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SuspensionStruts, springs and control arms | 35% |
281 | 12 | Shop suspension parts for the 2000 Dodge Dakota |
| Brakes (hydraulic)Brake pads, rotors and calipers | 31% |
247 | 15 | Shop brakes (hydraulic) parts for the 2000 Dodge Dakota |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 9% |
73 | 4 | Shop powertrain and transmission parts for the 2000 Dodge Dakota |
| SteeringPower steering pumps, racks and hoses | 9% |
68 | 4 | Shop steering parts for the 2000 Dodge Dakota |
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 6% |
50 | 1 | Shop engine and cooling parts for the 2000 Dodge Dakota |
| Air bags | 4% |
29 | 24 | Check recalls for air bags on NHTSA.gov |
| VisibilityMirrors and glass | 3% |
25 | 2 | Shop visibility parts for the 2000 Dodge Dakota |
| Tires | 3% |
24 | 2 | — |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
-
Premature front wheel bearing failure: replaced left front wheel bearing at 72,026 miles; needs replacement again at 79,505 miles; 15 months later. (2000 dodge dakota: p/n: 52009528ae.
-
Pulling out of driveway and the bottom of the control arm broke free letting the wheel come free from the vehicle.....
-
Ball joint problem on 4x2 dodge dakota. Popping grating sound and lack of control in the upper ball joint assemblies. These use the same upper ball joint assy. As the 4x4 units that have been recalled. These cause the same problems and dangerous safety issues.
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 30, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Dodge Dakota years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2000, 2002, 2001 carry the most filings on the Dodge Dakota. The 2000 alone has 800 complaints, led by suspension.
What is the most common Dodge Dakota problem?
On the 2000 model year, the most-reported component is suspension with 281 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Dodge Dakota problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Dodge Dakota complaints that include mileage is about 54,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.