AI Damage2004 Dodge Dakota: common problems
Owners of the 2004 Dodge Dakota filed 206 complaints with NHTSA, most often about steering and suspension. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 206
- involving a crash
- 11
What fails most often
- 1 Steering 36% of all complaints
- 2 Suspension 22% of all complaints
- 3 Service brakes 11% of all complaints
- 4 Electrical system 10% of all complaints
- 5 Powertrain 9% of all complaints
- 6 Air bags 7% of all complaints
- 7 Visibility 7% of all complaints
- 8 Engine and cooling 6% of all complaints
- Steering: 74 complaints (36% of all).
- Suspension: 45 complaints (22% of all), 2 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Service brakes: 23 complaints (11% of all).
- Electrical system: 21 complaints (10% of all).
- Powertrain: 19 complaints (9% of all).
Engines and transmissions
US-market versions per EPA. On the right: how many NHTSA complaints name this engine or transmission type.
- 3.7 L · petrol · 6 cylnamed in 1 complaints
- 4.7 L · petrol · 8 cylnamed in 2 complaints
- automatic, 4-speed
- automatic, 5-speed
- manual, 5-speednamed in 1 complaints
Drive: RWD, AWD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 206 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steering | 74 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension | 45 | 2 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 23 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 21 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 19 | 0 | 0 |
| Air bags | 15 | 8 | 0 |
| Visibility | 14 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 12 | 1 | 0 |
| Structure | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| Exterior lighting | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Seats | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Tires | 4 | 0 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
The air bags did not deploy. The center and the right side of his vehicle were destroyed. The front end and the frame was replaced. The driver and the passenger were injured. The vin was not available. The current and failure mileages were 78,000.
My air bags never deployed. If it wasn't for the seat belt my injuries could have been worse then whip lash. My truck is in the process now of being fixed. No one is giving me answers to why the bags didn't deploy. I called the dodge manufacturer and filed a complaint. Never heard a thing.
The airbags did not deploy. There was damage to the bumper, grill, and driver side turn signal. There was prior braking. The contact was wearing a seatbelt, but sustained minor injuries when hitting the steering wheel. A police report taken at the scene. The vehicle was towed to an independent repair shop.
Vehicle stalled while driving at any speed. Sometimes it took 10 minutes, sometimes 2 hours before vehicle will restart. Vehicle was serviced by the dealership six times. Diagnostic test was done, but no engine failure code was found. No parts were replaced.
I had headlights turn signals an emergency flashers nothing else. I donât know how fast I was going how much fuel I had or if my engine was running hot nothing. This is something that could spook a driver to a point where he/she would be distracted of their surroundings.
While the vehicle was parked, the rear passenger side window became dislodged from the vehicle, fell to the ground, and shattered. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and it was diagnosed that the window regulator failed. The regulator was replaced and the failure was remedied.
Feels as if the power steering has failed, but had it inspected by mechanic and says power steering pump and belts are fine. This difficulty in steering is also accompanied by a grinding type of noise in the steering column behind the steeing wheel.
When the heater was activated, there was no air flow distributed into the vehicle. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the issue and advised the contact to take the vehicle to the local dealer at his own expense. The failure mileage was 97,448.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
Comparison
By complaint count this model year ranks 1,979 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 5% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Dakota has 237 complaints (28 years in the data). This year has 206, about average.
What to check before buying
- Steering. Steering play, power assist, rack and tie rods after a wheel impact.
- Suspension. Wheel alignment, control arms, subframe, even tire wear.
- Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
Other years of this model
- Dakota 198720 sources
- Dakota 198855 sources
- Dakota 198963 sources
- Dakota 199063 sources
- Dakota 1991128 sources
- Dakota 1992216 sources
- Dakota 1993134 sources
- Dakota 1994166 sources
- Dakota 1995208 sources
- Dakota 1996189 sources
- Dakota 1997446 sources
- Dakota 1998545 sources
- Dakota 1999641 sources
- Dakota 2000806 sources
- Dakota 2001678 sources
- Dakota 2002678 sources
- Dakota 2003296 sources
- Dakota 2005470 sources
- Dakota 2006285 sources
- Dakota 2007145 sources
- Dakota 200891 sources
- Dakota 200918 sources
- Dakota 201035 sources
- Dakota 201144 sources
- Dakota 999910 sources
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 2004 Dodge Dakota?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: steering, suspension, service brakes. Total complaints: 206. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: steering or power steering problems (18%), knocking, grinding or other noise (11%), A/C or heater (6%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2004 Dodge Dakota?
NHTSA lists 0 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.
Should I buy a 2004 Dodge Dakota from a US auction?
Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.
Other 2004 models
Read also
Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-05.