2008 Dodge Dakota Problems

What owners report

Owners of this model year most often describe front-end and steering problems — tie rod ends and rack-and-pinion work — and the large airbag inflator recalls, which dominate the complaint count but mostly involve parts not being available rather than a failure in use. Brake dragging and binding calipers, erratic turn signals and wipers, and occasional electrical and driveline faults also come up, typically from a few tens of thousands of miles into the vehicle's life.

1. 1
   Steering

   Tie rod ends and front-end play

   • 14 complaints (15%)
   • median 55,623 mi at 5.5 yrs old (13 state mileage)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2010–2016

   Complaints describe outer tie rod ends breaking or coming loose, sometimes at low speed and sometimes while driving, leaving the front wheels with little or no steering control; several owners had both sides replaced within months of each other. Others report shops finding a loose tie rod end during routine service, and mechanics telling them the front end was badly worn. Dealers are described as declining warranty coverage once the truck was past its basic term. Mostly reported between roughly 30,000 and 100,000 miles, with a few complaints at much lower mileage.

   What to check: Have a shop lift the front end and check tie rod ends, ball joints and sway bar mounts for play or torn boots before buying, and ask for any steering repair receipts.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “My husband was driving his 08 Dodge Dakota less than 2 miles from our home. We live in a very rural area. He was not going more than 35-40 MPH. He lost control of the vehicle due to an incredible amount of shaking in the front end of the truck. Luckily, he was close to a rarely used road and pulled over. It was unusable and had to be towed to the mechanic's shop. Both tie rods had broken along with other parts that were severely worn. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10663433, filed 2014-12, 100,000 miles

   “I was driving east on a two lane road, as I heard a slight pop come from my driver side tire. Suddenly after that pop, their was a slip in the steering and I had noticed that my driver side tire started to lose massive control, thus jerking and locking up the truck in matters of seconds. Luckily drivers behind me were paying attention and swerved out of the way nearly missing the truck. I gained some control and pulled into a near by business. Parked I assessing the situation. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10348054, filed 2010-08, 51,243 miles
2. 2
   Air bags

   Airbag inflator recalls with no parts available

   Mentioned in 9 of 60 sampled complaints

   Complaints describe receiving recall notices for driver and passenger front airbag inflators and then being told the replacement parts were not available, with no firm date given by the dealer or manufacturer. Some owners say they avoided carrying passengers in the front seat or delayed trading the vehicle while waiting. A few separate complaints describe airbags not deploying in front-end collisions; those are distinct from the inflator campaigns. Reported across a wide mileage range, mostly in 2016 and 2017 filings soon after the recall notices went out.

   Recall 16V352000 · DO NOT DRIVERecall 15V313000 · DO NOT DRIVE1 related service bulletin

   What to check: Ask whether both inflator recalls (15V313000 and 15V313000's passenger-side counterpart 16V352000) have been completed and get the paperwork; a franchised dealer can run the VIN and confirm open campaigns.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I was going down fort sill blvd and I rear ended another truck. I was going roughly 40 to 45 miles per hour. My entire front end was completely smashed in, yet my air bags still didn't deploy?? This is he second accident that they didn't deploy. I have several photos of my trucks front end and the inside showing that the air bags didn't deploy.”

   NHTSA complaint #10616167, filed 2014-07, 38,000 miles

   “Driving in our lane on a city street going 40 MPH as a vehicle tried to turn into a gas station, crossing our lane right front of us and they did not have enough time to make the turn. To avoid a full blown head on collision, I swerved and we hit front driver side vs front driver side. Going 40 MPH, and the speed of the other vehicle and my air bags did not deploy, that being my main concern why they did not deploy with the speed being considered and hitting front on.”

   NHTSA complaint #11374709, filed 2020-11, 138,000 miles
3. 3
   Brakes

   Brakes dragging or binding, shudder when stopping

   • 10 complaints (11%)
   • median 30,000 mi at 4.0 yrs old (9 state mileage, few)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2008–2017

   Owners describe brakes that lock or drag on their own, sometimes with smoke and a burning smell, and that free up after the vehicle sits and is restarted. Others report shaking through the pedal and steering wheel when braking, with shops recommending calipers, pads and rotors. A few complaints mention a leaking rear wheel cylinder or a seized caliper that wore the shoes down quickly, and some say the problem returned after repairs. Spread from very low mileage (under 1,000 miles) up to about 80,000 miles, with several reports in the 18,000 to 50,000 mile range.

   What to check: Feel for pedal or steering-wheel shudder during a test drive, check for uneven or premature pad wear, and ask whether calipers or wheel cylinders have been replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I had purchase this vehicle in feb 2011, and ever since I have reported to my dealer that I been feeling vibration when I apply my brakes and all of a sudden, steering wheel starts to shake and brakes shake when applied. They had test drove it an they came back an told me it was just the road, they informed to change the breaks and rotors, and I should b fine, so I did. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10482783, filed 2012-10, 30,000 miles

   “Front brakes get grabby, than lock-up, when driven at random speeds. This causes the wheels to smoke and rotor grinding. This failure has occurred at least 7 times from 500 miles to 10,000 miles. I have had it to the 2 different Dodge dealers for a total 3 times. The only way I can get the brakes to unlock is to turn off the engine and wait a few minutes and restart the engine.”

   NHTSA complaint #10234632, filed 2008-07, 500 miles
4. 4
   Exterior lighting

   Turn signals flash the wrong side; wipers act up

   • 8 complaints (9%)
   • median 75,000 mi at 6.7 yrs old (8 state mileage, few)
   • filed 2011–2017

   Complaints describe the turn signal showing the opposite direction from the lever position, signals that hang up or fail to cancel, and hazard flashers that stop working; some owners say the wipers run on their own or change speed settings by themselves, and that moving the high-beam lever triggers the washers. Owners commonly attribute it to the switch in the steering column, and dealers are described as recommending switch replacement without warranty help. Mostly reported between about 30,000 and 125,000 miles, often described as intermittent and getting worse over time.

   What to check: With the engine off, try each turn signal, the hazards, the high beams and every wiper setting, and look for the opposite indicator lighting up or the wipers starting on their own.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Turning right last year signaled left and the blinker blinked right my wife was behind me and later asked why I didn't signal the right way I said I did im not a dumm yi checked things they were fine. About a week later ...I put the high beams on and the wipers came on ran through the turn signals sure enough signal left blink right signal right blink left. Put high beam on washer fluid and wipers come on.”

   NHTSA complaint #10744183, filed 2015-07, 100,000 miles

   “The left turn signal works when it wants and when I turn it on the right turn signal comes on. The wipers and the headlights are currently going out or coming on by themselves. I have an error on the airbags (which have had the drivers replaced and currently awaiting the passengers, plus the new recall on the hose to the air bags). This issue started at around 120k miles. The fuses have been checked and passed. The bulbs-replaced. The situation is getting worse as the dash and interior lights do not work. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10939113, filed 2017-01, 125,000 miles
5. 5
   Electrical system

   Stalling, no-start and electrical glitches

   • 9 complaints (10%)
   • median 57,000 mi at 5.8 yrs old (9 state mileage, few)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2008–2019

   Complaints describe the engine cutting out while driving, sometimes with the instrument panel and fuel gauge dropping out, and restarting only after several attempts. Others report repeated no-start conditions that a dealer traced to the power distribution module, and one owner describes melted wiring at a power outlet. A separate group describes a crank position sensor failure that took out engine power and power steering at speed. Reported from a few thousand miles up to around 150,000 miles, with the no-start complaints concentrated in the 57,000 to 60,000 mile range.

   4 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask whether the truck has ever failed to start or stalled, and whether the power distribution module, crank sensor or battery has been replaced; a scan for stored codes and a look at the fuse box for heat damage are worth doing.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “My engine turns off while driving. I cannot restart the engine until I have stopped, shifted to park, and cycled the ignition to off. The engine stalling started as a low/slow idle condition, and now has escalated to cutting off at full acceleration while merging into expressway traffic. This has happened on several dates. I am selecting the date of my last remembered occasion.”

   NHTSA complaint #11197318, filed 2019-04, 57,000 miles

   “This truck has had to be towed in to the dealership several times in the 15 months since I've owned it. The service department tells me it is due to the tipm. The failure of this part makes the vehicle impossible to start. Apparently chrysler has a huge problem with this part.”

   NHTSA complaint #10637452, filed 2014-09, 59,464 miles

Buying note. Check the steering and front-end components carefully and confirm which of the airbag inflator recalls have actually been completed, since parts availability was a recurring problem. Also test the turn signals, wipers and brake feel on the drive, and ask for service records covering electrical and brake work.

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.