Problems owners report
Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 2002 Dodge Dakota, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.
- Suspension226
- Service brakes, hydraulic177
- Power train89
- Electrical system52
- Steering44
- Engine and engine cooling34
- Air bags28
- Service brakes26
- Exterior lighting21
- Visibility19
NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026 · 32 injuries and 2 deaths reported
Compared with other years
NHTSA ODI complaints by model year
Fatal crashes in the US
From 2020 to 2023, 67 2002 Dakota vehicles were involved in crashes on US public roads in which someone died; 45 people died inside them, and 15 of the vehicles rolled over. This is a count, not a crash rate: it grows with the number of cars on the road.
NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), crash years 2020–2023 (public domain)
New York safety inspections
At its first New York inspection the 2002 Dodge Dakota failed the safety check 1.94% of the time — 3% less often than the average 2002 passenger car (2.00%). Median odometer at inspection: 141,101 miles.
NY DMV Vehicle Inspections (vezn-fmmk), initial inspections since Aug 2021 · how we count
Fuel consumption
Official Canadian test results for 10 variants: combined 14.1–19.0 L/100 km (about 12–17 mpg US), CO₂ 324–437 g/km.
| Variant | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dakota · Pickup truck: Standard · Regular gasoline | 14.7 | 13.4 | 14.1 |
| Dakota · Pickup truck: Standard · Regular gasoline | 17.8 | 12.0 | 15.2 |
| Dakota · Pickup truck: Standard · Regular gasoline | 17.6 | 12.6 | 15.3 |
| Dakota · Pickup truck: Standard · Regular gasoline | 17.8 | 12.9 | 15.6 |
| Dakota 4X4 · Pickup truck: Standard · Regular gasoline | 17.8 | 13.4 | 15.8 |
| Dakota 4X4 · Pickup truck: Standard · Regular gasoline | 18.2 | 13.6 | 16.1 |
| Dakota 4X4 · Pickup truck: Standard · Regular gasoline | 18.2 | 14.6 | 16.6 |
| Dakota 4X4 · Pickup truck: Standard · Regular gasoline | 19.7 | 14.4 | 17.3 |
| Dakota · Pickup truck: Standard · Regular gasoline | 20.7 | 15.3 | 18.3 |
| Dakota 4X4 · Pickup truck: Standard · Regular gasoline | 21.6 | 15.9 | 19.0 |
Litres per 100 km. Natural Resources Canada, Fuel consumption ratings (open.canada.ca) · Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls in Canada
5 Transport Canada recalls for the 2002 Dodge Dakota.
| 2007389 5 Dec 2007 | Other On certain vehicles, the ignition/park shift interlock system may become inoperable. This can allow the shifter to be moved out of the PARK position with the i… |
| 2004439 20 Dec 2004 | Suspension On certain four wheel drive vehicles, if moisture leaks into the front suspension upper ball joint, evacuation of the lubricant and corrosion of the joint may c… |
| 2004155 6 May 2004 | Other On certain vehicles, the windshield wiper motor assembly may become susceptible to water intrusion that could cause internal corrosion and result in partial or … |
| 2003341 19 Dec 2003 | Label On certain vehicles, the certification label does not meet the requirements of CMVSS 120. The Gross Axle Weight Ratings (GAWR) on the label exceeds the load ca… |
| 2003245 14 Oct 2003 | Electrical On certain vehicles equipped with a manual transmission, the headlamp and dash wiring harness may be chafed by the actuation of the clutch pedal. This could re… |
Transport Canada Vehicle Recalls Database · Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls
ON CERTAIN VAN AND PICKUP TRUCKS EQUIPPED WITH AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONS, THE IGNITION/PARK SHIFT INTERLOCK SYSTEM MAY BECOME INOPERATIVE. THIS CAN ALLOW THE SHIFTER TO BE MOVED OUT OF THE "PARK" POSITION WITH THE IGNITION KEY REMOVED (OR IN THE "LOCK" POSITION). THIS CAN ALSO ALLOW THE IGNITION KEY TO BE REMOVED WHEN THE SHIFTER HAS NOT BEEN PLACED IN THE "PARK" POSITION.
ON CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES AND PICKUP TRUCKS EQUIPPED WITH FOUR-WHEEL DRIVE (4X4), IF MOISTURE LEAKS INTO THE FRONT SUSPENSION UPPER BALL JOINT, EVACUATION OF THE LUBRICANT AND CORROSION OF THE JOINT MAY CAUSE THE JOINT TO WEAR OVER AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME. THIS COULD CAUSE A CLUNKING NOISE IN THE FRONT SUSPENSION, WHICH MAY NOT ALWAYS BE HEARD BY THE VEHICLE OCCUPANTS.
ON CERTAIN PICKUP TRUCKS AND SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, THE WINDSHIELD WIPER MODULE MOTOR MAY BE SUSCEPTIBLE TO WATER INTRUSION THAT COULD CAUSE INTERNAL CORROSION AND RESULT IN PARTIAL OR COMPLETE LOSS OF FRONT WINDSHIELD WIPING CAPABILITY.
ON CERTAIN MINIVANS AND 4X2 PICKUP TRUCKS, THE VEHICLE CERTIFICATION LABEL MAY HAVE GROSS AXLE WEIGHT RATINGS (GAWR) THAT EXCEED THE MAXIMUM TIRE LOAD CAPACITY AS DEFINED IN FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 120, "TIRE SELECTION AND RIMS FOR MOTOR VEHICLES OTHER THAN PASSENGER CARS."
ON CERTAIN PICKUP TRUCKS EQUIPPED WITH MANUAL TRANSMISSIONS, THE HEADLAMP AND DASH WIRING HARNESS MAY BE CHAFED BY THE ACTUATION OF THE CLUTCH PEDAL. THIS COULD RESULT IN ABNORMAL OPERATION OF THE WIPERS, TURN SIGNALS, HORN OR LIGHTING SYSTEMS.
Whether a recall was fixed on a particular car is known only to the manufacturer: check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
NHTSA recalls · summaries in NHTSA's own words
Service bulletins
What Dodge told its dealers about the 2002 Dodge Dakota: known faults, fixes and updates.
| Bulletin | Summary |
|---|---|
| 635721 | SUBJECT REGARDING REVISION IN DIAGNOSTIC PROCEDURES AND LABOR OPERATION TIMES FOR RE TRANSMISSIONS. *TT |
| 634272 | FLASH PROGRAMMING FAILURE RECOVERY. *SLC |
| 634090 | SUBJECT REGARDING FUEL CAP DIFFICULT TO REMOVE. *SLC |
| 634087 | SUBJECT REGARDING REMOTE KEYLESS ENTRY PROGRAMMING PROCEDURES. *SLC |
| 634082 | CHROME WHEEL CARE. *SLC |
| 634077 | SUBJECT REGARDING OUTSIDE REARVIEW MIRROR GLASS REPLACEMENT. *SLC |
| 633979 | SUBJECT REGARDING FLASH: MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LAMP ILLUMINATION FOR ERRONEOUS DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODE P0456, EVAP MONITOR SMALL LEAK DETECTED. *SLC |
| 633964 | SUBJECT REGARDING 4.7L CRANKSHAFT TO BEDPLATE INTERFERENCE. *SLC |
| 633960 | MISSING TONNEAU COVER. *SLC |
| 631623 | SUBJECT REGARDING DISCOLORED BRAKE FLUID. *TT |
| 628313 | RAPID REPONSE TRANSMITTAL REGARDING TRANSMISSION FILLER TUBE RATTLE CONDITION. *TT |
| 628207 | SOME VEHICLES MAY EXHIBIT A TRANSMISSION FILLER TUBE RATTLE CONDITION. *TT |
| 625650 | SUBJECT REGARDING OUTSIDE REARVIEW MIRROR GLASS REPLACEMENT. *TT |
| 625620 | SUBJECT REGARDING SAFETY SYSTEMS - VEHICLE MODIFICATIONS / REPAIR. *TT |
| 623312 | INFORMATION REGARDING VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH RADIOS WILL HAVE A NEW LOCKING RADIO ANTENNA CONNECTOR. *SLC |
| 623172 | INFORMATION ON NEW POWER STEERING FLUID.*SLC |
| 621898 | AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION FLUID USAGE ATF+4. *TT *MJ |
| 620066 | SUBJECT REGARDING GENERIC SCAN TOOL (GST), PUBLICATION NO. 81-170-00008 PROVIDED WITH THIS TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN TO PROVIDE REFERENCE INFORMATION WHEN USING GENERIC SCAN TOOL ON OBDII VEHICLES. *TT |
| 620059 | SUBJECT REGARDING AIRBAG / CLOCK SPRING SERVICE FOR VARIOUS MODELS INCLUDING 2002 MODEL YEAR JEEP LIBERTY. *TT |
| 11010205 | Plate - Planetary |
| 10229256 | KEY, Master If replacing the key/FOBIK on a WJ, KJ, TJ, or PT Cruiser, use the "AC" NIC level part number. The "AB" NIC level will not program to these platforms. For all other platforms, if the "AB" NIC level will not program to the vehicle, use the "AC" NIC level part and submit a part warranty. |
| 10223854 | Service - Four Piece Oil Pan Gasket All Cummins Equipped Vehicles ONLY - The replacement oil pan gasket can be a four piece gasket rather than a single piece gasket. This applies to Cummins 5.9L and 6.7L engines only. Installation: 1. Clean the oil pan T-joints.~ 2. Fill the T-joint between the pan rail/gear housing and pan rail/rear seal retainer with sealant. Use Mopar Silicone Rubber Adhesive Sealant or equivalent. 3. Apply a 2-mm [0.063-in] bead of Mopar Engine Sealant RTV Silicone Rubber Adhesive, to the oil pan flange.~ 4. The four piece gasket will need to be assembled to make |
| 10221686 | KEY, Master If replacing the key/FOBIK on a WJ, KJ, TJ, or PT Cruiser, use the "AC" NIC level part number. The "AB" NIC level will not program to these platforms. For all other platforms, if the "AB" NIC level will not program to the vehicle, use the "AC" NIC level part and submit a part warranty. |
| 10220995 | Part Description: Insulator on Lever Assy Manual Valve - Valve Body - RWD Transmission Issue Description: The manual valve insulator, attaching rivet and instruction sheet are now available as a kit. If the insulator requires replacement please order kit 68253161AA. Insulator only used on Auto-RWD transmission Note: The color of the insulator is not relevant for service. |
| 10220994 | Part Description: Insulator in Lever Assembly - Valve Body - Trans Issue Description: The manual valve insulator, attaching rivet and an instruction sheet are now available as a kit. If the insulator requires replacement please order 68253099AA. Note: Insulator color is not relevant for service |
NHTSA manufacturer communications (public domain)
NHTSA investigations
UPPER BALL JOINT SEPARATION
NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation