1999 Dodge Dakota: Reliability Data

1011
Total Complaints
58,955mi
Median Mileage
SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM:UPPER BALL JOINT
Top Issue
67
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

40,000 25th Percentile
58,955 Median Mileage
80,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM:UPPER BALL JOINT
224
SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM:LOWER BALL JOINT
171
SUSPENSION
35
STEERING:LINKAGES:TIE ROD ASSEMBLY
32
SUSPENSION:FRONT
26
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
26
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
21
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:ROTOR
21
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
21
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
18

Severity Assessment

67
Crashes
6
Fires
30
Injuries
0
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"TRUCK WOULD NOT SHIFT INTO 3RD GEAR, THIS DID NOT OCCUR ALL TIME. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON SEVERAL TIMES. WAS TOLD TO IGNORE THE LIGHT AND SHOULD ONLY BE CONCERNED IF THE LIGHT WAS FLASHING. THEY AJUSTED THE THROTTLE PRESSURE CABLE. IT SEEMED TO TAKE CARE OF THE PROBLEM FOR APPROX 1 WEEK. ..."
"HEADLIGHTS ARE UNSTABLE, CAUSING POOR VISIBILITY, CONSUMER ALSO HAVING PROBLEM WITH ENGINE VALVES KNOCKING. CONSUMER HAS CONTACTED THE DEALER. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER DETAILS.*AK"
"HEADLIGHTS ARE UNSTABLE, CAUSING POOR VISIBILITY, CONSUMER ALSO HAVING PROBLEM WITH ENGINE VALVES KNOCKING. CONSUMER HAS CONTACTED THE DEALER. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER DETAILS.*AK"

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

When Were Complaints Filed?

Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.

When Does Each Component Fail?

Median mileage at complaint for top components.

SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM:UPPER BALL JOINT 224 complaints
25th: 38,000 mi Median: 52,000 mi 75th: 74,613 mi
SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM:LOWER BALL JOINT 171 complaints
25th: 38,660 mi Median: 53,637 mi 75th: 76,487 mi
SUSPENSION 35 complaints
25th: 64,500 mi Median: 69,000 mi 75th: 82,750 mi
STEERING:LINKAGES:TIE ROD ASSEMBLY 32 complaints
25th: 40,834 mi Median: 49,331 mi 75th: 63,571 mi
SUSPENSION:FRONT 26 complaints
25th: 31,875 mi Median: 51,750 mi 75th: 94,250 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

CA: 58 PA: 57 NY: 56 FL: 52 OH: 49 VA: 47 MA: 46 MI: 44 CT: 37 WI: 36

Who Files Complaints?

43.2%
Original Owners
56.8%
Second+ Owners

Dodge Dakota — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

YearComplaintsCrashes
1990885
199116111
199231422
199315915
199424044
199529442
199625024
199765049
199879258
2000109477
200194558
200294671
200341922
200428712
200559837
200638429
200716512
200813110
2009231
2010486
20115310

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