FaultScore

Worst years for a Dodge Dakota

Owners have filed 9,236 complaints about the Dodge Dakota with NHTSA across model years 1985 to 2011. More of them are about the suspension than anything else.

Avoid

2002 Dodge Dakota

946 complaints — the highest FaultScore of any year, mostly suspension.

Cleanest on record

2009 Dodge Dakota

23 complaints — the lowest FaultScore of the graded years.

Every Dodge Dakota year, graded

The grade compares each year against the rest of this model's own run — never against another car. Click any bar or row to open that year's report.

Complaints filed with NHTSA, by model year. Bar colour is the FaultScore grade: A B C D F ungraded
Year Grade Complaints Crashes Fires Median miles Most reported
2011 C 53 10 0 42,000 Airbags
2010 C 48 6 0 50,000 Airbags
2009 A 23 1 0 68,547 Transmission & Drivetrain
2008 C 131 10 1 57,012 Airbags
2007 C 167 12 3 49,562 Airbags
2006 C 385 29 9 53,000 Airbags
2005 D 598 37 35 58,000 Airbags
2004 C 287 12 6 45,500 Steering
2003 C 419 22 5 33,750 Suspension
2002 F 946 71 23 38,000 Suspension
2001 D 945 58 12 50,000 Suspension
2000 D 1,096 77 16 51,000 Suspension
1999 D 1,011 67 6 58,955 Suspension
1998 D 793 58 1 68,500 Suspension
1997 D 650 49 11 70,000 Suspension
1996 C 250 24 6 89,397 Transmission & Drivetrain
1995 C 294 42 6 90,000 Transmission & Drivetrain
1994 C 240 44 4 115,000 Brakes
1993 C 159 15 10 80,000 Brakes
1992 314 22 11 160,000 Transmission & Drivetrain
1991 161 11 5 Transmission & Drivetrain
1990 88 5 0 Steering
1989 88 3 2 124,990 Steering
1988 65 3 3 Steering
1987 21 0 3 Steering
1986 1 0 0 Engine & Cooling
1985 3 3 0 Airbags

What breaks on a Dodge Dakota

Across every model year on file. Follow a row for that part's complaints and the year it was worst.

Suspension 2,348 25.4%

Worst in 1999

Brakes 1,449 15.7%

Worst in 2000

Worst in 1992

Steering 723 7.8%

Worst in 1999

Airbags 691 7.5%

Worst in 2005

Engine & Cooling 597 6.5%

Worst in 1999

Worst in 2001

Worst in 1997

Worst in 2001

Body & Structure 222 2.4%

Worst in 1995

Tires 196 2.1%

Worst in 2001

Lights 166 1.8%

Worst in 2001

Worst in 2001

Seat Belts 149 1.6%

Worst in 1995

Exactly what failed on a Dodge Dakota

The named sub-assemblies behind those complaints, across every model year.

Upper Ball Joint 1,047 29.8%
Lower Ball Joint 631 18.0%
Automatic Transmission 430 12.3%
Rotor 360 10.3%
Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip 255 7.3%
Front 210 6.0%
Frontal 176 5.0%
Engine 147 4.2%
Gasoline 137 3.9%
TIE ROD Assembly 116 3.3%

Complaints filed over time

Every complaint about every Dodge Dakota, by the month it reached NHTSA.

Jan 1995 peak 345 Jul 2026

Dodge Dakota problems by state

Where owners filed from. Heavier states are usually just bigger markets, but a part that fails in heat or salt shows up here first.

Compare the Dodge Dakota

Side by side on complaint history. Remember that raw totals track how many were sold as much as how good they were.