"How reliable is the 1994 Dodge Dakota?"

"Based on 240 NHTSA complaints, the 1994 Dodge Dakota has a median complaint mileage of 115000 miles. The most common issue is STEERING: STEERING WHEEL/HANDLE BAR."

"What are common problems with the 1994 Dodge Dakota?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 1994 Dodge Dakota is STEERING: STEERING WHEEL/HANDLE BAR, accounting for a significant portion of the 240 total complaints filed."

1994 Dodge Dakota: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 240 complaints

240

Total Complaints

115,000mi

Median Mileage

STEERING: STEERING WHEEL/HANDLE BAR

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

55,775 25th Percentile

115,000 Median Mileage

169,975 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

STEERING: STEERING WHEEL/HANDLE BAR

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP

SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:RECLINER

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP

AIR BAGS

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:ROTOR

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"DRIVER AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY DURING ACCIDENT. TT"

"THE FRONT BRAKES LOCKED UP, CAUSING FRONT BRAKES TO FAIL, RESULTING IN AN ACCIDENT. *AK"

"CRUISE CONTROL STUCK AND VEHICLE ACCELERATED. TT"

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

When Were Complaints Filed?

Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

AZ: 21 GA: 18 00: 16 CA: 14 NY: 13 IL: 13 AL: 12 FL: 12 MO: 9 PA: 8

Who Files Complaints?

27.9%

Original Owners

72.1%

Second+ Owners

Dodge Dakota — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

Year	Complaints	Median Mileage	Top Issue	Crashes
1990	88	-	STEERING:RACK AND PINION	5
1991	161	-	POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION	11
1992	314	160,000	POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION	22
1993	159	80,000	POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION	15
1995	294	90,000	AIR BAGS:FRONTAL	42
1996	250	89,397	SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP	24
1997	650	70,000	SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM:UPPER BALL JOINT	49
1998	792	68,000	SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM:UPPER BALL JOINT	58
1999	1011	58,955	SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM:UPPER BALL JOINT	67
2000	1094	50,501	SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM:UPPER BALL JOINT	77
2001	945	50,000	SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM:UPPER BALL JOINT	58
2002	946	38,000	SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM:UPPER BALL JOINT	71
2003	419	33,750	SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM:UPPER BALL JOINT	22
2004	287	45,500	STEERING	12
2005	598	58,000	AIR BAGS	37
2006	384	53,000	AIR BAGS	29
2007	165	49,562	AIR BAGS	12
2008	131	57,000	AIR BAGS	10
2009	23	68,547	POWER TRAIN	1
2010	48	50,000	AIR BAGS	6
2011	53	42,000	AIR BAGS	10

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28