Where each one leads
Dodge Dakota
Ahead on none of the like-for-like measures.
Ram 1500
- Against cars of the same year, the Ram 1500 comes out better in New York safety inspections (fails 31% less often than average) than the Dodge Dakota (fails 13% more often than average).
- On Canada's official test the most frugal 2026 Ram 1500 uses 10.8 l/100 km, the 2011 Dodge Dakota 14.0.
Only measures that do not depend on how many cars were sold: pass and failure rates against cars of the same age, ratings, fuel use and CO₂. How we compare
At a glance
| Dodge Dakota | Ram 1500 | |
|---|---|---|
| Model years in the US safety record | 1985–2011 | 1997–2026 |
EEA new-car registrations (CC BY 4.0) · DVLA licensed vehicles (OGL v3.0) · RDW (CC0) · Traficom (CC BY 4.0) · generations: Wikidata (CC0).
Reliability and problems
| Dodge Dakota | Ram 1500 | |
|---|---|---|
| New York safety inspections failed | 2.4% | 0.4% |
| … against cars of the same year | +13% | −31% |
| US owner complaints | 6,629 | 11,848 |
| Most complaints about | Suspension | Steering |
| Model year with most complaints | 2000 (806) | 2014 (1,776) |
| US recall campaigns | 49 | 97 |
| Manufacturer service bulletins | 1,298 | 7,602 |
| NHTSA defect investigations | 44 | 29 |
Complaint, recall and bulletin counts grow with the number of cars sold and are not adjusted for it. UK MOT: DVSA anonymised MOT results (OGL v3.0); New York: DMV inspections; complaints, recalls, bulletins and investigations: NHTSA (public domain); odometer: RDW (CC0).
Safety
| Dodge Dakota | Ram 1500 | |
|---|---|---|
| NHTSA overall rating | — | 5★ (2021) |
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program, most recent rated model year (public domain).
Fuel, emissions and price
| Dodge Dakota | Ram 1500 | |
|---|---|---|
| Official combined fuel use, Canada | 14.0 l/100 km (2011) | 10.8 l/100 km (2026) |
Canada: NRCan Fuel Consumption Ratings, most frugal version of the latest year (OGL Canada). Europe: EEA monitoring of new-car CO₂ and on-board fuel meters (OBFCM), CC BY 4.0. Price: RDW catalogue price (CC0). Finland: Traficom (CC BY 4.0).