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2005 Dodge DakotaProblems, recalls & complaints

NHTSA has logged 470 owner complaints about the 2005 Dodge Dakota, most often about the air bags. It is covered by 6 safety recalls, and for recall 17V-820 the manufacturer reports only 18% of affected cars repaired.

2005 Dodge Dakota
31
CarFlaw IndexUse caution2.2× the Dakota median · #6 of 25 years by complaints
Safety recalls6Lowest repair rate 18%Owner complaints47074 with a crash, fire or injuryTypical failure mileage85kAir bags, median miles

Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer recall reports, through March 20, 2026. Updated daily. Photo: Greg Gjerdingen from Willmar, USA, CC BY 2.0.

Complaints by system

Where the 2005 Dodge Dakota has problems

470 complaints grouped by the system owners reported.

Box size = number of complaints naming that system. Darker = larger share. One complaint can name more than one system.
Complaints by system
SystemComplaintsCrash, fire or injury
Air bags14312
Power train815
Service brakes, hydraulic675
Suspension513
Steering476
Seats4123
Electrical system326
Service brakes133
Engine and engine cooling121
19 other systems785

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Complaints are submitted by the public and are not verified by NHTSA.

6 recalls

2005 Dodge Dakota recalls and how many were fixed

Each ring shows the share of affected cars repaired, from the manufacturer’s latest quarterly report to NHTSA. Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.

18%repaired · 2020 Q1

Front assembly: seat heater/cooler

Recall 17V-820 · Dec 20, 2017 · 16,900 vehicles · 3,088 repaired

Risk. The hot spots and burn holes can injure the seat occupant and can increase the risk of a fire.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

34%repaired · 2018 Q3

Passenger side: inflator module

Do not drive

Recall 16V-352 · May 24, 2016 · 4,648,270 vehicles · 1,599,545 repaired

Risk. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules, and used as original equipment or…

Problem, fix and repair progress →

41%repaired · 2017 Q3

Driver side: inflator module

Do not drive

Recall 15V-313 · May 26, 2015 · 4,077,169 vehicles · 1,644,105 repaired

Risk. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the driver or other…

Problem, fix and repair progress →

23%repaired · 2016 Q2

Air bags

Recall 14V-770 · Dec 3, 2014 · 250,896 vehicles · 57,621 repaired

Risk. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger’s frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the vehicle…

Problem, fix and repair progress →

Show 2 more recalls
–no report yet

Power train: automatic transmission

Recall 05V-460 · Oct 6, 2005 · 256,409 vehicles

Risk. IF THIS OCCURS AND THE PARKING BRAKE IS NOT APPLIED, THE VEHICLE MAY ROLL AWAY AND CAUSE A CRASH WITHOUT WARNING.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

–no report yet

Air bags: side/window

Recall 05V-002 · Jan 5, 2005 · 1,142 vehicles

Risk. THIS COULD RESULT IN AN IMPROPER SIDE AIR BAG CURTAIN DEPLOYMENT IN CERTAIN SIDE CRASH CONDITIONS, WHICH CAN INCREASE THE RISK OF INJURY TO VEHICLE OCCUPANTS.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

Recalls apply to specific cars. To see whether a recall is still open on yours, enter the 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with Dodge.

Mileage at failure

When do air bags problems start?

85kmiles, median

Based on the odometer reading in 38 air bags complaints. 61% were reported before 100,000 miles.

median0k50k100k150k200k+
3under 30k miles23under 100k miles15100k miles or more
Best & worst years

2005 vs. every other Dakota year

Bars show complaints per model year. Colors show the CarFlaw verdict: complaints weighted for crashes, fires and injuries, adjusted for years on the road and compared with the Dakota median. How we score

'87'88'89'90'91'92'93'94'95'96'97'98'99'00'01'02'03'04'05'06'07'08'09'10'11
  • Avoid
  • Caution
  • Solid
  • Best
  • Not rated
NHTSA crash tests

2005 Dodge Dakota safety ratings

2005 Dodge Dakota 4-DR. in NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program. Photos are from NHTSA's crash tests.

2005 Dodge Dakota frontal crash test, NHTSA
Frontal crashNot rated
  • Rollover: 4 stars (17.9% risk)
  • Stability control: No
  • Forward collision warning: No
  • Lane departure warning: No
5 investigations

NHTSA defect investigations

Federal investigations that included the 2005 Dodge Dakota, and the recalls they led to.

  1. STEERING WHEEL AND STEERING SHAFT BOLTSEA06004 · still open
    Open
  2. Air Bag Inflator RuptureEA15001 · still open
    Led to recall 15E-041
  3. Desiccated Air Bag Inflator RuptureEA21002 · still open
    Open
  4. STEERING WHEEL AND SHAFT BOLTSPE05056 · closed Mar 9, 2006
    No recall
  5. Air Bag Inflator RupturePE14016 · closed Mar 2, 2015
    Led to recall 14V-763
In owners' words

What Dakota owners report

Recent air bags complaints filed with NHTSA, shortened. Personal details are removed.

GOT TRUCK SMOGGED 4/13/2021 AND WAS TOLD OF AN OUTSTANDING RECALL FOR AIRBAG. THIS RECALL WAS FIXED ON 11/13/2015. ATTACHED ARE COPIES OF NOTICE OF RECALL AFTER GETTING TRUCK SMOGGED AND PAGES 1 AND 2 OF INVOICE SHOWING REPAIR ON 11/13/2015. HOW DO WE GET THIS UPDATED IN THE SYSTEM SO IT WILL NOT…
Complaint 11408162 · Apr 14, 2021
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 DODGE DAKOTA. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 45 MPH, A UNKNOWN VEHICLE CRASHED INTO THE VEHICLE. THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED NECK AND SHOULDER INJURIES HOWEVER NO MEDICAL ATTENTION WAS PROVIDED. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS ABLE…
Complaint 11395913 · Feb 12, 2021 · 112,000 miles
HEATED DRIVER SEAT CAUGHT FIRE. CALLED DEALERSHIP AND WAS TOLD THERE WAS A RECALL ON THE DRIVER HEATED SEAT. THE DEALER SAID THERE WAS AIRBAG RECALL ON THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER SIDE OF THE TRUCK. THE DEALER SAID THEY WOULD NOT REPAIR AIRBAGS AND WOULD NEED TO CONTACT DODGE FOR A CASE NUMBER.…
Complaint 11311862 · Feb 27, 2020 · 112,855 miles

Own a 2005 Dakota?

Decode your VIN to see the recalls for your exact car, then confirm open recalls with NHTSA.