2006 Dodge Dakota Problems

What owners report

Owners of this model year most often describe stiff, sticking or wandering steering that comes and goes, and a large share of filings relate to air bag recalls and to air bags that did not deploy in a crash. Refuelling difficulty (the pump clicking off and fuel spitting back) and intermittent electrical/4WD-control oddities also appear repeatedly in the sample, usually from about 40,000 miles upward.

1. 1
   Steering

   Stiff or sticking steering, wandering and front-end noise

   Mentioned in 15 of 60 sampled complaints

   Complaints describe the steering wheel becoming hard to turn, sometimes intermittently, sometimes worse in cold weather, and in some cases not returning to centre after a turn so the driver over-corrects. Some owners were told the rack and pinion, tie rods, or steering column intermediate shaft needed replacement; others reported the dealer added fluid or replaced only part of the system and the symptom came back. A related set of complaints describes rattles, clunks and shaking from the front end traced to sway bar links, tie rod ends, ball joints and, in a few cases, the subframe. Mostly reported between roughly 30,000 and 90,000 miles, with a number of complaints in cold weather.

   2 related service bulletins

   What to check: Turn the wheel lock-to-lock on a cold start and listen for pops or clicks, and check for play or torn boots at the tie rods, ball joints and sway bar links. A service bulletin on this model describes a pop/click/clunk from the steering column intermediate shaft.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “At about 62 k mi. Steering became stiff, especially in cold weather. Check power steering fluid and topped off. Problem seemed to disappear over time. However more recently at about 70k mi. Problem has returned with stiffer steering and then with looseness. Seemingly that I am overcompensating my turns. My power steering fluid is normal.”

   NHTSA complaint #11142225, filed 2018-10, 70,000 miles

   “On this 2006 Dakota, steering is very stiff and makes me over correct the steering with each turn, causing me to jerk the wheel hard. There have been several incidents where I have almost hit parked cars in the process of turning. I have heard many with this problem and feel our 2006 should be included in this recall if there should be one(really needs to be).”

   NHTSA complaint #10479225, filed 2012-10, 64,500 miles
2. 2
   Air bags

   Air bag recall and air bags that did not deploy

   • 121 complaints (42%)
   • median 84,500 mi at 8.9 yrs old (30 state mileage)
   • 21 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2006–2026

   Many filings are about the frontal inflator recalls: owners describe waiting for parts, being told their vehicle identification number was not covered even after a repair, or a passenger air bag warning light coming on after the recall work. Others describe crashes in which the air bags did not deploy, and one describes a driver's air bag deploying spontaneously while the vehicle was stopped, with smoke and a small fire. Reports span very low to very high mileage; several involve vehicles past 100,000 miles, and some concern recall work done years after the vehicle was built.

   Recall 16V352000 · DO NOT DRIVERecall 15V313000 · DO NOT DRIVE

   What to check: Confirm with a dealer, using the vehicle identification number, whether both frontal inflator recalls have been completed, and check that the air bag warning light goes out after the bulb-check on start-up.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The steering gets hard to turn like it is going to lock up. I spray it with wd40. This happens every few days. The electrical has been screwed up forever. I turn the left turn signal on the the right one blinks and vise versa. Some times they both blink back and forth. I have talked to the local Dodge garage and all they say is that there is no recall. I wasnt notified by Dodge about the driver side airbag either. Looked up the VIN number after seeing a report on tv. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10743754, filed 2015-07, 44,000 miles

   “Back on 1/14/2015 I brought my 2006 Dodge Dakota to a dealership for replacement of rusted brake lines. About two months later, at 45k mi., my driver side seat belt indicator light started to flicker on start-up. Shortly thereafter it would remain lit after start-up. I waited to request re-servicing my vehicle, only to find out the air bags were on recall. Therefore, I waited until I was given the call to bring my vehicle in for air bag replacement. The date for servicing was 10/30/2015. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10787996, filed 2015-11, 45,000 miles
3. 3
   Brakes

   Soft or sinking brake pedal and rusty brake lines

   • 20 complaints (7%)
   • median 63,700 mi at 4.2 yrs old (18 state mileage)
   • 5 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2006–2018

   Owners describe the brake pedal travelling to the floor, sometimes only occasionally, with one dealer calling it a design characteristic. Others report brake lines rusted through and leaking near the master cylinder or along the frame, and uneven braking in which one front wheel locks while the others do not. An ABS control unit recall exists for some of these trucks, but owners report being told their vehicle identification number is not included even when the symptoms match. Reported from under 10,000 miles for the low pedal up to about 87,000 miles for rusted lines, with most cases between 30,000 and 90,000 miles.

   Recall 06V038000

   What to check: Press and hold the pedal to see whether it sinks, inspect the steel lines above the rear axle and along the frame for rust, and ask whether the ABS control unit recall has been applied.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I was involved in a crash where I was traveling at 45 MPH and pushed my brake pedal to stop as I was approaching an intersection. The driver's side front brake locked up and there was approximately a 50-60 ft skid mark only from that wheel reducing the speed from 45 MPH to approximately 35 MPH during the skid while the other 3 wheels failed to brake. The failure of the anti lock braking system, which was an uneven distribution of braking pressure, caused my truck to fail to stop in time. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10482466, filed 2012-10, 206,500 miles

   “Abs light wont even flash or give warning and truck slid a bit. No accidents to report, yet. This has happened multiple times after braking when the needle dips below 20 miles per hour. Thats why I give plenty of space between cars when approaching a light just in case the truck slides. I have complained but Dodge keeps telling me my VIN number has no recall for my ABS ecu. There is a recall for ABS ecu but not on my VIN number but I am having the same issue for the ABS recall. So they will not replace it. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11073033, filed 2018-02, 95,000 miles
4. 4
   Electrical system

   4WD transfer case shifting on its own, warning lights

   Mentioned in 6 of 60 sampled complaints

   Complaints describe the transfer case changing mode without a command: the truck dropping into four-low while parked or at low speed, shifting into four-high on dry pavement, and a service four-wheel-drive or four-low indicator appearing at random. Several owners also report turn signals operating on the opposite side from the lever, and warning chimes or cluster gauges behaving erratically. Dealers in these reports could not duplicate or diagnose the cause. Mostly reported between about 90,000 and 155,000 miles.

   2 related service bulletins

   What to check: Cycle the four-wheel-drive selector through all modes and confirm the cluster matches the actual mode, and check that turn signals and warning lights behave correctly. Several service bulletins cover transfer case gear motor installation and initialization.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “). I am writing to inform you of safety concerns I have with my 2006 Dodge Dakota laramie (4x4 quad cab). My issues are with the transfer case / transmission of my truck. 1.my truck has shifted into four low on its own at low speeds in both reverse and at low speeds moving forward. 2.when I am not in the vehicle my Dodge Dakota will try and shift into four wheel drive on its own (like I said, no one is in the vehicle). 3.when I hit my unlock button, my truck will try and go into four wheel drive. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10511825, filed 2013-05, 155,284 miles

   “1. 4wd transfer case changes mode by itself (uncommanded transfer case mode change). 2. At highway speeds, console / cluster will indicate one or more of the following intermittently and randomly: service 4wd, 4 lo, 4 hi. I haven't determined if there is correlation to these indicators illuminating and the actual transfer case mode. 3. Vehicle will shift into 4hi by itself when moving, making u-turns on dry pavement difficult and dangerous. There is no indicator on the dashboard of transfer case mode when this happens. 4. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10669865, filed 2015-01, 93,867 miles
5. 5
   Air bags

   Difficulty refuelling, fuel spitting back from the filler

   Mentioned in 4 of 60 sampled complaints

   Owners describe the pump clicking off repeatedly and fuel backing up or spitting out of the filler neck, so filling the tank takes many minutes at the lowest flow rate. One report says a section of the vent hose was found melted; another describes the fuel gauge dropping to empty with the check engine light on, traced at the dealer to the fuel sending unit. Reported from about 5,000 to 65,000 miles, in some cases within the first year of ownership.

   What to check: Try a fill-up during the test drive and note whether the nozzle clicks off repeatedly or fuel spits back; also watch whether the fuel gauge reads steadily after filling.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “My 2006 Dakota filler tube spits the gas back out onto the pavement when trying to refuel. It takes a very long time to refuel and I understand many chrsyler products are having the same issue. There is a recall on 2005 durango c or the same problem. Why is there no recall for the dakotas?”

   NHTSA complaint #11354426, filed 2020-09, 64,000 miles

   “2006 Dodge Dakota, very difficult to refuel regardless of amount of fuel in the tank. Filler nozzle continuously cuts off, shooting fuel up the filler tube every time the cut off occurs. It appears that there is a build up of pressure within the tank as the fuel is pumped into it. Takes approximately 10 minutes to baby twenty dollars worth of gas into the tank at the lowest dispense level with recurring shut offs. Problem is not isolated to a particular vendor, but has occurred with several different brands of gas. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10432524, filed 2011-10, 45,000 miles

Buying note. Have a shop inspect the steering and front-end joints, the brake lines for rust, and the transfer case operation before purchase, and verify recall completion by vehicle identification number rather than by asking the seller. The refuelling complaint is easy to test at the pump during a test drive.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.