KnownCarProblems2006 Dodge Dakota Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 285 complaints with NHTSA about the 2006 Dodge Dakota, most often about the air bags (44% of complaints, typically around 75,000 miles). It is 6th of 12 Dakota model years by number of complaints and has 5 recalls.
⚠ Safety advisory2 recalls for this car came with a do-not-drive warning. See below and check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Most common 2006 Dodge Dakota problems
Air bags
126 complaints · 44%Half of these problems showed up before 75,000 miles. Parts named most often: frontal.
Airbags did not deploy on a 2006 Dodge Dakota quad cab slt. (4x4, 4.7l magnum). Vehicle was struck on front passenger side between the fender and wheel well. The speed of the collision was approximately 60-70mph.
Tl contact owns a 2006 Dodge Dakota truck. While driving in normal weather conditions, she depressed the brake pedal and the brakes failed. She heard a fizzing noise and the vehicle began to spin out of control until the vehicle crashed and went beyond a small steel fence. The air bags did not deploy. Someone nearby…
Steering
47 complaints · 17%Half of these problems showed up before 54,000 miles. Parts named most often: column, hydraulic power assist system.
The contact owns a 2006 Dodge Dakota. The contact stated that while driving 50 MPH, he heard an abnormal noise. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection where they stated that the pinion nut on the rear differential needed to be replaced with a newly manufacturer pinion nut. The vehicle was repaired. The…
The contact owns a 2006 Dodge Dakota. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken in for an inspection and it was discovered that the front driver side tie rod was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was…
Transmission
36 complaints · 13%Half of these problems showed up before 50,000 miles. Parts named most often: automatic transmission, driveline, manual transmission, axle assembly.
The contact owns a 2006 Dodge Dakota. The contact stated that while driving 35 MPH, the vehicle made a loud noise and the drive shaft fractured and dropped without warning. The contact lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a pole. The vehicle was destroyed. A police report was filed but no injuries were…
The contact owns a 2006 Dodge Dakota. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30 MPH, the vehicle began to vibrate intermittently. The vehicle was taken to both an authorized dealer and an independent mechanic for diagnosis. The drive shaft was replaced by an independent mechanic. The manufacturer was…
Electrical
30 complaints · 11%Half of these problems showed up before 80,000 miles. Parts named most often: ignition.
I took my vehicle to my mechanic because my dash light stopped working. He said that there was a recall for the instrument panel and the recall should cover 2006 models. When we run the VIN number it does not show for my vehicle but there was a recall for all other 2006 Dodge durango because it is a fire risk. Can you…
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…
Suspension
25 complaints · 9%Half of these problems showed up before 47,000 miles. Parts named most often: front, rear.
Purchase this vehicle one year ago this month, as we were leaving the dealer ship, we noticed a small squeak, really didn't think anything of it, 6 months later the squeak is louder. When back to the dealership and was told, not to worry about it, it was nothing. On june 12th when to get it inspected, and guess what…
Whenever the contact would drive over a bump he noticed that the entire front of the vehicle would shake and rattle. The contact also noticed that whenever he turns in any direction the steering wheel will creek and bump. The vehicle was taken to the dealership where the contact was informed that the steering column…
Brakes
24 complaints · 8%Half of these problems showed up before 50,500 miles. Parts named most often: antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip, foundation components, pedals and linkages, drum.
1.drivers airbag light comes on when driver. 2.when making a u-turn I hear a loud clunking noise around the tire area. 3.the emergency release brake cable snapped off the release handle. 4.NHTSA just sent me an email regarding a recall on my 2006 Dodge Dakota quad "left tire rod assembly". ( this could be the cause of…
Loss of braking but mechanic could find no visible leaks in brake system. Sometimes have full brake pedal and sometimes no brake pedal.
Visibility and wipers
15 complaints · 5%Half of these problems showed up before 26,500 miles. Parts named most often: windshield wiper/washer.
Windshield wipers will turn on randomly. This issue happens in all weather conditions and will cycle twice before shutting off. Because this is not during any specific condition dealers would need to take the truck and drive it until the issue arose.
The windshield wipers and turn signals have been malfunctioning for a few weeks. When I attempt to signal left, the signal turns on to the right and vice versa. The windshield wipers are not reliable when using the switch. Both turn signals and windshield wipers stopped working completely.
Engine
15 complaints · 5%Half of these problems showed up before 38,500 miles. Parts named most often: engine, exhaust system.
-the contact owns a 2006 Dodge Dakota. The contact started the ignition and the steering wheel would not turn. The vehicle was towed an independent mechanic for inspection. The technician stated the spring inside of the serpentine tensioner broke causing the belt to slip out of position. The vehicle was repaired at…
Tl contact owns a 2006 Dodge Dakota. In september of 2007, the contact noticed that the vehicle was leaking oil. He took the vehicle to the dealer and they replaced the oil filter. She was then informed that there was a defect in the internal engine and the entire engine needed to be replaced. Chrysler advised her to…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2006 Dodge Dakota recalls
Air bags: inflator module
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 replacement equipment. These inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling. An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicle until the recall repair is complete. Chrysler will notify the chrysler, dodge, jeep and ram owners. Mitsubishi owners will be notified by their company. Dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began on march 27, 2017. Owners may contact chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is s43. Note: this recall supersedes recall 14v-7700.
Full defect summary
Chrysler (fca US llc) expanded the affected population to include 73,712 2005-2009 ram 2500 trucks produced at the st. Louis north assembly plant. With this change, chrysler is recalling certain model year 2004-2008 ram 1500, 2005-2009 ram 2500, 2006-2009 ram 3500, 2007-2010 ram 3500 cab chassis, 2008-2010 ram 4500 and 5500 cab chassis, 2004-2009 dodge durango, 2007-2009 chrysler aspen, 2007-2012 jeep wrangler, 2008-2012 dodge challenger, 2005-2008 dodge magnum, 2005-2012 chrysler 300, 2006-2012 dodge charger, 2005-2011 dodge dakota, and 2006-2009 mitsubishi raider vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in al, ca, fl, ga, hi, la, ms, sc, tx, puerto rico, american samoa, guam, the northern mariana islands (saipan), and the u.s. Virgin islands, or "zone a." additionally, unless included in "zone a" above, chrysler is also recalling 2004-2008 ram 1500, 2005-2009 ram 2500, 2006-2009 r
Air bags: inflator module
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 occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicle until the recall repair is complete. Chrysler will notify the affected chrysler and dodge owners and mitsubishi will notify the affected raider owners. Dealers will replace the driver's frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began for chrylser on june 8, 2015. The recall for mitsubishi started on june 24, 2015. Chrysler and dodge owners may contact chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Mitsubishi owners may call 1-888-648-7820. Chrysler's number for this recall is r25. Note: this recall supersedes recall 14v817 in its entirety.
Full defect summary
Chrysler (fca US llc) is recalling certain model year 2005-2009 dodge ram 2500, 2004-2008 dodge ram 1500 and durango, 2006-2009 dodge ram 3500, 2008-2010 dodge ram 4500 and 5500, 2007-2008 chrysler aspen, 2005-2010 chrysler 300, 300c, 300s, and srt8, 2006-2010 dodge charger, 2005-2008 magnum, 2005-2011 dodge dakota, and 2006-2009 mitsubishi raider vehicles. The affected vehicles are equipped with a dual-stage driver frontal air bag that may be susceptible to moisture intrusion which, over time, could cause the inflator to rupture.
Electrical: switch
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.
Fix: 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 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is p80.
Full defect summary
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 manual transmissions. The return springs in the clutch ignition interlock switch may break.
Visibility and wipers: switch/wiring
Risk: This can impair the driver's vision and result in a crash.
Fix: Dealers will re-flash the instrument cluster. The recall began on march 6, 2006. Owners may contact daimlerchrysler at 1-800-853-1403.
Full defect summary
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 warning.
Brakes: control unit/module
Risk: This could result in a loss of vehicle control and cause a crash without warning.
Fix: 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.
Full defect summary
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 up prematurely during certain braking conditions.
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
NHTSA defect investigations
Desiccated air bag inflator rupture
Summary
From 2000 through 2017, takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("psan") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004l. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant to burn too quickly when ignited. The rapid burning can cause the inflator to rupture during deployment, potentially causing serious or even fatal injury to vehicle occupants. See 2016 blomquist report at www.NHTSA.gov/sites/NHTSA.gov/files/documents/expert_report-hrblomquist.pdf.consequently, all frontal inflators using propellant 2004 that do not contain a "desiccant" (a substa
Air bag inflator rupture
Summary
The office of defects investigation (odi) opened pe14-016 in june 2014 based on six inflator rupture incidents involving consumer owned vehicles produced by five vehicle manufacturers.all six vehicles were operated in florida or puerto rico at the time of the rupture and for the majority of their service life, and were equipped with inflators produced by takata, a tier-one supplier of automotive air bag systems.during the course of pe14-016, odi determined that five additional vehicle manufacturers used inflators of a similar design and vintage also supplied by takata. No evidence of field failures was found in vehicles produced by these five additional manufacturers.nonetheless, at odi's in
Air bag inflator rupture
Summary
The office of defects investigation (odi) opened pe14-016 in june 2014 based on six inflator rupture incidents involving consumer owned vehicles produced by five vehicle manufacturers.all six vehicles were operated in florida or puerto rico at the time of the rupture and for the majority of their service life, and were equipped with inflators produced by takata, a tier-one supplier of automotive air bag systems.during the course of pe14-016, odi determined that five additional vehicle manufacturers used inflators of a similar design and vintage also supplied by takata. No evidence of field failures was found in vehicles produced by these five additional manufacturers.nonetheless, at odi's in
Clutch interlock switch malfunction
Summary
On december 16, 2104, chrysler group llc submitted a safety recall report to NHTSA describing a defect in the clutch ignition interlock switches in approximately 66,819 model year (my) 2006 through early-2007 dodge ram trucks, dodge dakota, and mitsubishi raider vehicles equipped with manual transmissions and built between july 1, 2005 and july 31, 2006 (NHTSA recall no. 14v-795, chrysler recall no. P80), including 38,969 my 2006 dodge ram 2500 and 3500 vehicles that are part of the subject vehicle population for pe14-013.chrysler's safety report states that:1) the clutch ignition interlock switch return springs may experience fatigue failure due to material issues; 2) if the return springs
Steering wheel and steering shaft bolts
Summary
On march 9, 2006 odi upgraded preliminatry evaluation pe05-056 to engineerning analysis ea06-004 to investigate allegations of loose or missing steering shaft coupling bolts and steering column retaining bolts in model year (my) 2004 through 2006 dodge durango sport utility vehicles and my 2005 through 2006 dodge dakota pickup trucks.either condition could result in a loss of steering control.although odi identified some quality issues in the manufacturing processes for the dakota and durango vehicles, the data do not indicate that a safety defect trend is present in either population.the failure rates are low for each condition and trend analyses indicate that problems with the subject bolt
Questions about the 2006 Dodge Dakota
- What are the most common problems with the 2006 Dodge Dakota?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: air bags (126 complaints, typically around 75,000 miles); steering (47 complaints, typically around 54,000 miles); transmission (36 complaints, typically around 50,000 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2006 Dodge Dakota have?
- 5 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from May 24, 2016 (air bags). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2006 a bad year for the Dodge Dakota?
- It is 6th of 12 Dakota model years by number of complaints, with 285 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.