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2006 Dodge Dakota

The Verdict

45 Proceed with Caution

The 2006 Dodge Dakota has 277 owner complaints filed with NHTSA. The most reported issues are electrical (130 complaints) and body (67 complaints). With a Klunk Score of 45/100, it earns a "Proceed with Caution" rating. If you're shopping for a Dodge Dakota, consider the 2009 model year which has 93% fewer complaints.

Safe Bet

The 2009 has 93% fewer complaints

View the 2009 Dodge Dakota dashboard →

45

Klunk Score: Proceed with Caution

About average for complaint volume. Research the specific issues before buying.

How is this calculated?

The Klunk Score ranks this vehicle year against all others in our database based on total owner complaints filed with NHTSA. 100 = fewest complaints (top tier), 0 = most complained-about. Scores above 60 are better than average; below 40 means more problems than most.

Recalls 3

Active safety recalls from NHTSA for this vehicle year.

14V795000 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH

Chrysler Group LLC (Chrysler) is recalling certain model year 2006-2007 Dodge Ram 1500, 2500, 3500, Dakota, and 2006 Mitsubishi Raider vehicles manufactured July 1, 2005, to July 31, 2006 with manu...

Risk

Broken springs can result in a no-start condition, or cause unintended movement when the ignition is cranked, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.

Remedy

Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the clutch ignition interlock switch, free of charge. The recall began on March 27, 2015. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-8...

Reported Apr 10, 2026

06V039000 VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER:SWITCH/WIRING

ON CERTAIN PICKUP TRUCKS AND SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, A STATIC ELECTRICITY SPARK BETWEEN THE OPERATOR AND THE VEHICLE CAN CAUSE THE TURN SIGNAL, HEADLAMPS OR WINDSHIELD WIPERS TO MALFUNCTION WITHOUT...

Risk

THIS CAN IMPAIR THE DRIVER'S VISION AND RESULT IN A CRASH.

Remedy

DEALERS WILL RE-FLASH THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER. THE RECALL BEGAN ON MARCH 6, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT DAIMLERCHRYSLER AT 1-800-853-1403.

Reported Sep 2, 2006

06V038000 SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP:CONTROL UNIT/MODULE

ON CERTAIN PICKUP TRUCKS EQUIPPED WITH FOUR-WHEEL ANTILOCK BRAKE SYSTEMS (ABS), THE ABS ELECTRONIC CONTROL UNIT (ECU) MAY CAUSE A LOSS OF FRONT TO REAR BRAKE BALANCE, AND THE REAR BRAKES COULD LOCK...

Risk

THIS COULD RESULT IN A LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL AND CAUSE A CRASH WITHOUT WARNING.

Remedy

DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE ABS ECU. THE RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING THE WEEK OF JULY 17, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT DAIMLERCHRYSLER AT 1-800-853-1403.

Reported Sep 2, 2006

Get notified if a recall hits this car.

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Under the Hood

Each number is a complaint. Darker = bigger problem.

YearBodyBrakesElectricalEngineTransmission
2000395251457765
2001332118866582
2002280205705584
200313040504727
200411920341716
2005119751633278
200667221302434
200734771923
2008261137610
200931725
2011542158

By Category

Electrical
130
Body
67
Transmission
34
Engine
24
Brakes
22

By Severity

1
125
2
125
3
1
4
25
5
1

Worst Problems

Complaints

Transmission 3

See attached document for complaint.

5mo ago
Electrical 4

The contact owns a 2006 Dodge Dakota. The contact stated that while her son was at a complete stop at the red traffic light, the driver's side air bag deployed unexpectedly, and the driver noticed that there was white smoke and dark smoke coming from the air bag. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the air bag caught on fire. The contact stated that the driver attempted to exit the vehicle, but the doors remained locked and the vehicle failed to shift to park(P) for two minutes. The driver was able to shift to neutral(N). The driver broke the front passenger's side window glass and exited the vehicle. A sheriff deputy parked his vehicle behind the driver's vehicle to prevent the vehicle from moving. The contact stated that the air bag fire burned the entire steering wheel and the steering column, the windshield and the front driver's side seat. The fire was extinguished with four extinguishers and with the assistance of the fire department. A fire department report was filed. A police report was filed but the contact did not have the police report information available. The contact's son sustained intrusion of metal shards in his right leg and bruises on the stomach, arm, and chest. The contact's son also sustained migraine, insomnia, panic attacks, and PTSD. The contact's son did not receive medical assistance. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The dealer then towed the vehicle to their location and took pictures of the failure. The dealer then towed the vehicle back to the contact's residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and denied assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 221,000.

14mo ago
Brakes 2

I was going to work and the transmission started slipping when I had cruise control on, and then when I got to a stop light my truck started revving and wouldn't move. When i put it in neutral it wouldn't roll either. It just kept on revving and screeching. So i out back into drive and it jerks. Also my trucks rear end locked up and wouldn't roll in neutral while the truck is on. You have to keep the truck off and then put it into neutral to roll it.

17mo ago
Electrical 4

The contact owned a 2006 Dodge Dakota. The contact stated while driving at 45 MPH, the vehicle was involved in a no-fault head-on collision. The vehicle was damaged to the front of the vehicle and the driver's side of the vehicle. The air bags did not deploy. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard. The vehicle was deemed a total loss by the insurance company. The local police and paramedics were at the scene. No police reports were filed, however, the report number was unavailable. The contact was transported to the local hospital. The contact sustained injuries included a facial fracture, traumatic brain injury, broken right eye socket, crushed bladder, injury to both feet (toes), and impaired speech. The contact stated that this was the two-year anniversary of the crash. In addition, the contact was continuing to receive physical and speech therapy. In addition, the contact referenced an unknown recall in which the air bags were replaced in the vehicle four months prior to the crash. The contact was concerned that the air bag repair was not performed correctly, since the air bags did not deploy. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 117,858.

20mo ago
Electrical 2

After driving on the interstate highway for a couple hours from Phoenix, Arizona I noticed that the left turn signal started malfunctioning, and the right signal flashed instead. After several hours of driving, noticed that sometimes the right signal only flashed 3 or 4 times when turning on the right indicator. I also noticed that the emergency flashers would usually blink once or twice left, then switch to right only. While stopped, I verified that the right front and rear turn signals were actually blinking as indicated on the dash. The next day however the problem was gone. I drove the car on the interstate again for several hours, without any issues.

28mo ago
Electrical 4

The contact owned a 2006 Dodge Dakota. The contact stated while driving at 50 MPH, the brakes failed causing the contact to strike a curb and flatten the front passenger side tire, and damage the rim. No air bags deploy. The contact suffered injuries to the back, neck and suffered a concussion. The contact was transferred to the hospital where she received medical attention. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to an impound lot. The contact stated the vehicle was under NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 16V352000 (Air Bags) and 15V313000 (Air Bags). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 108,000.

36mo ago
Electrical 2

The contact owns a 2006 Dodge Dakota. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V352000 (Air Bags) and the vehicle was taken to the dealer for the recall repair; however, two weeks after the repair, the passenger’s side air bag warning light intermittently illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the contact was informed that the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 177,000.

39mo ago
Engine 1

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 DODGE DAKOTA. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH, THE VEHICLE STARTED VIBRATING ABNORMALLY. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE LOCAL DEALER. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED NOR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS INFORMED OF THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE VIN WAS NOT UNDER RECALL. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 169,000.

64mo ago
Electrical 2

MY AIRBAG LIGHT CAME ON WHEN I WAS ONLY DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD

65mo ago
Engine 2

IT IS CONSTANTLY OVERHEATING THROWING OFF MORE CODES. PASSAGER AIRBAG ALSO KEEP TURNING OFF. ALSO WELL DRIVING THE CAR JERKS BACK?

67mo ago
Engine 2

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?

71mo ago
Electrical 4

PASSENGER AIRBAG WAS TURNED ON BUT DIDN'T DEPLOY, DID NOT HAVE SEATBELT ON BECAUSE IT BROKE BUT ALL OTHERS IN THE ACCIDENT HAD THEIRS ON. DRIVER WAS DRIVING NORMAL AND A TRUCK COMING OPPOSITE WAY HIT A TRUCK THREE TRUCK LENGTH AHEAD SPUN OUT OF CONTROL AND HIT OUR VEHICLE HEAD ON.*DT CONSUMER HAS STATED SHE HAS HEAD TRAUMA.*JB*JB *DT*DT*JB *DT*JB*DT*JB*DT*JB*DT*JB*DT*DT*DT*DT*JB*AS*DT *TR

79mo ago
Body 2

THIS ONE SIMPLE PART EFFECTS SO MUCH AND IT IS UNSAFE THAT THIS PART AFFECTS SO MUCH. YOU GUYS OFFER IT BUT ITS CLOSE TO 1400$. WHY IS IT SO MUCH? THIS WOULD BE VEHICLE NUMBER 2 WITHIN A YEAR OF EACH OTHER HAVING SOMETHING BAD GO WRONG IT MAKES IT UNSAFE TO DRIVE. IT EFFECTS MY FUEL MILEAGE, BRAKES, SPEDO AND TACH GO CRAZY, HEADLIGHTS FLASH, PROBLEMS WITH COMMUNICATING WITH TRANSMISSION, AND IT KEADS TO THE FRONT CONTROLE MODULE. MY CRUISE STOPPED WORKING AND IT WORKED BEFORE. MY KEY FOB HAS ISSUES UNLOCKING AND LOCKING TAKES LIKE 10 BUTTON PRESSES TO WORK. I LIKE YOUR TRUCKS BUT THIS MAKES IT UNSAFE I CANT EVEN LET MY KID RIDE IN MY TRUCK WITH ME

80mo ago
Transmission 1

THE TRUCK HAS VERY LITTLE POWER PROVIDED DUE TO THE TRANSMISSION AFTER COMING TO A STOP. THIS ONLY HAPPENS DURING WARM WEATHER. DURING THE COLDER MONTHS OF WINTER THE TRANSMISSION OPERATES NORMALLY. WITHOUT PROPER ACCELERATION IT POSES A SAFETY PROBLEM GETTING INTO TRAFFIC FROM A STOP SIGN OR STOP LIGHT. THIS HAS BEEN HAPPENING FOR THE PAST YEAR DURING THE LATE SPRING, SUMMER AND FALL MONTHS.

82mo ago
Transmission 1

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 DODGE DAKOTA. THE CONTACT RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE FOR NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 14V795000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM). WHILE DRIVING 2 MPH, THE CONTACT HEARD AN ABNORMAL RATTLING NOISE WHEN THE CLUTCH WAS ENGAGED. ADDITIONALLY, THE CLUTCH FAILED TO ENGAGE INTO NEUTRAL. THE CONTACT REMOVED THE KEY FROM THE IGNITION. THE VEHILE WAS TAKEN TO DOLAN DODGE RAM (700 KIETZKE LN, RENO, NV 89502, (775) 786-1211) WHERE IT WAS REPAIRED PER THE RECALL; HOWEVER, THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 127,643.

84mo ago
Electrical 1

TOOK TRUCK IN FOR PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG RECALL, WHEN CHANGE OUT , TOLD ME I NEED A NEW ORC MODULE. THE PROBLEM IS MY AIRBAG LIGHT NEVER CAME ON UNTIL THEY CHANGE MY AIRBAG. I WAS TOLD THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO, IT WOULD BE MY COST.

86mo ago
Electrical 4

MY DAUGHTER WAS DRIVING TO SCHOOL ON THE MORNING OF MAY 8, 2019. MY VEHICLE (WHICH SHE DRIVES ON A DAILY BASIS), 2006 DODGE DAKOTA, WAS STRUCK FORWARD OF THE FRONT WHEELS ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE BY A CHEVY TAHOE WHILE MAKING A RIGHT TURN FROM A SIDE STREET ONTO A BUSY, 4 LANE DIVIDED HIGHWAY. THE COLLISION TORE THE FRONT BUMPER OFF OF MY/HER DAKOTA AND CAUSED MAJOR FRONT END DAMAGE. HER AND A FRIEND WERE BOTH WEARING SEATBELTS AND WERE NOT SERIOUSLY INJURED. THE AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. THE DRIVER'S SIDE AIRBAG WAS REPLACED UNDER FEDERAL RECALL ON APRIL 25, 2016 AT A DODGE DEALERSHIP IN DENTON, TX. THE PASSENGER AIRBAG WAS REPLACED UNDER SIMILAR RECALL ON MARCH 14, 2019 AT A DODGE DEALERSHIP IN MCKINNEY, TX.

87mo ago
Body 1

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 DODGE DAKOTA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE REAR PASSENGER AND REAR DRIVER'S DOORS COULD NOT BE OPENED. THE VEHICLE WAS EXAMINED BY AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE LATCH AND CABLE ASSEMBLIES FOR EACH DOOR WERE FAULTY AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. ON 5/7/19. THE MANUFACTURER AND LOCAL DEALER WERE NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 53,000. *BF 'PARTS OF THIS DOCUMENT HAVE BEEN REDACTED TO PROTECT PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).'*JB

87mo ago
Body 2

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 DODGE DAKOTA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE REAR PASSENGER DOOR WOULD NOT OPEN. THE VEHICLE WAS EXAMINED BY AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE LATCH ASSEMBLY AND CABLE WERE FAULTY AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER AND LOCAL DEALER WERE NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 55,000. *BF CONSUMER STATED BOTH DOORS FAILED. RIGHT REAR DOOR FAILED ON VIN XXXX TRUCK AND VIN XXXX. REFERENCE NUMBER XXXX AND XXXX. 'PARTS OF THIS DOCUMENT HAVE BEEN REDACTED TO PROTECT PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).'*JB

87mo ago
Electrical 2

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 DODGE DAKOTA. WHEN THE CONTACT PLACED THE KEY IN THE IGNITION AND STARTED THE ENGINE, THE KEY WOULD COME OUT AND THE STEERING WHEEL SEIZED. THE CONTACT HAD TO USE EXCESSIVE STRENGTH TO TURN THE VEHICLE AND THE CHECK ENGINE INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO RICK HENDRICKS DODGE (1468 SAVANNAH HWY, CHARLESTON, SC 29407, (843) 352-6931) AND THE MECHANICS WERE UNSURE IF A NEW STEERING COLUMN AND/OR NEW IGNITION SWITCH WAS NEEDED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 103,000.

87mo ago

277 total

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