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2004 Dodge Dakota

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2004 Dodge Dakota do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 166.

About this comparison →
206Owner complaints

Model-year median: 166

1Recall campaigns

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0Investigations

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How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

Other model years Selected year
678
2001678
2002296
2003206
2004470
2005285
2006144
2007
Compare all Dakota years →

Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.

What owners reported most

Steering
74Suspension
45Electrical System
21Service Brakes, Hydraulic
21Power Train
19
All reported categories
Air Bags
15Engine And Engine Cooling
12Visibility
12Structure
7Exterior Lighting
6Vehicle Speed Control
6Fuel System, Gasoline
4Seats
4Tires
4Unknown Or Other
4Wheels
3Equipment
2Visibility/wiper
2Fuel/propulsion System
1Parking Brake
1Seat Belts
1Service Brakes
1Service Brakes, Air
1

Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

168 reports with mileage · 38 unknown

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Steering. Review the 74 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Suspension. Review the 45 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 21 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

11 crash reports6 fire reports6 injury reports

Parking Brake complaints

1 reports
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71,000 miles · Sep 21, 2009
Parking BrakeService Brakes, HydraulicSteering

I OWN A 2004 DAKOTA QUAD 4X4 WITH 78K MILES ON IT. I BOUGHT THE TRUCK NEW AND HAVE TAKEN CARE OF IT. MOST OF THE MILES ARE HIGHWAY AND IT HAS NOT BEEN DRIVEN OFF ROAD. SINCE ITS NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY I GOT ONLINE TO RESEARCH A DIY SOLUTION. I FOUND THAT MANY OF THE PROBLEMS I HAVE HAD AND ARE HAVING ARE NOT JUST BEING EXPERIE…

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I OWN A 2004 DAKOTA QUAD 4X4 WITH 78K MILES ON IT. I BOUGHT THE TRUCK NEW AND HAVE TAKEN CARE OF IT. MOST OF THE MILES ARE HIGHWAY AND IT HAS NOT BEEN DRIVEN OFF ROAD. SINCE ITS NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY I GOT ONLINE TO RESEARCH A DIY SOLUTION. I FOUND THAT MANY OF THE PROBLEMS I HAVE HAD AND ARE HAVING ARE NOT JUST BEING EXPERIENCED BY MYSELF BUT OTHER DAKOTA OWNERS. 1) STEERING ISSUES THE STEERING WHEEL BECOMES EXTREMELY HARD TO TURN AT TIMES BOTH GOING INTO AND COMING OUT OF A TURN. THIS STARTED HAPPENING IN FEB 2009 WITH 71K ON IT. IT IS MUCH MORE PREVALENT IN COLD WEATHER. I WAS UNABLE TO DRIVE THE TRUCK UNTIL THE WEATHER WARMED UP. (I HAVE NOT HAD THIS FIXED YET.) 2) BRAKE ISSUES 27K I HAD TO HAVE THE FRONT ROTORS AND THE REAR DRUMS TURNED AND NEW PADS AND SHOES INSTALLED AND HAD THE BRAKE FLUID CHANGED. 46K I HAD TO HAVE NEW FRONT ROTORS AND PADS ALONG WITH THE BRAKE FLUID CHANGED 77K REAR BRAKES BEGAN MAKING NOISE. THE PARKING BRAKE PAD HAD FALLEN OFF. I NOW NEED NEW REAR DRUMS AND SHOES AND PARKING BRAKE SHOE. ( I HAVE NOT HAD THIS FIXED YET) 3)SUSPENSION 77K I NEED A FRONT UPPER BALL JOINT PROBABLY DUE TO EXCESS STRAIN FROM THE DEFECTIVE STEERING. ( I HAVE NOT HAD THIS FIXED YET). *TR

NHTSA ODI #10284825

Official recalls

1

04V216000 · Visibility:windshield Wiper/washer

May 5, 2004

ON CERTAIN PICKUP TRUCKS AND SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, THE WINDSHIELD WIPER MODULE MOTOR MAY BE SUSCEPTIBLE TO WATER INTRUSION THAT COULD CAUSE INTERNAL CORROSION AND RESULT IN PARTIAL OR COMPLETE LOSS OF FRONT WINDSHIELD WIPING CAPABILITY.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: DRIVER VISIBILITY COULD BE REDUCED, WHICH COULD RESULT IN A CRASH.

Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE FRONT WINDSHIELD WIPER MODULE. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN ON JULY 12, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT DAIMLERCHRYSLER AT 1-800-853-1403.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.