10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
53,840 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

1997 Dodge Dakota body / paint problems

body / paint problem

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1997 Dodge Dakota Owner Comments

problem #5

Jun 282013

Dakota 4WD 8-cyl

  • 190,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Locked vehicle in four wheel drive high, started going through flat pasture, either brakes locked up or front pumkin turned up and locked front wheels up, lost control and rolled onto driver side.

- Sheridan, AR, USA

problem #4

Jun 012004

Dakota 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • miles
I noticed another complaint dated 3/1/2004 as the fail date and an internal use date of 7/6/2005 of this same problem. The paint on the roof of the cab stared peeling off and paint on various other areas of the truck. The bumper was the first to go. I would say this started about after the truck was 4-5 years old. I once had this happen on a two year old Nissan truck and Nissan repainted the entire truck an said it was defectively painted.

- Novato, CA, USA

problem #3

Mar 012004

Dakota 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 79,200 miles
Paint began bubbling about a year ago on the roof of the cab. Since then every single panel on the vehicle(hood, roof, front 1/4 panels, doors, cab body, and rear fenders) all have at least one spot where paint has bubbled and peeled. Some spots as big as a foot in diameter and growing. This is not random. I mean every body part has paint just "letting go". this is an obvious case of poor painting procedures and is seen in many other makes and models from Dodge in this same time frame.

- Springdale, AR, USA

problem #2

Jan 012005

Dakota 8-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • miles
Alldata has provided me with informayion on my 1997 Dodge Dakota C/ cab, it shows a general recall with a tba # 727 for paint chipping. I also have information that the same year and factory VIN # has a recall on the same condition of the paint but only for red trucks, mine happens to be green. But the paint on my truck is peeling like a 30 year old house. The primer is fine, which from talking to other professionals in the auto painting business have informed me that if the primer is not cleaned or dried properly before the paint is laid down, it would cause the paint to later chip and peel, like mine does. I have been unsuccessful in having Dodge look at the problem.

- Red Oak, TX, USA

problem #1

Nov 171997

Dakota

  • miles
On November 17,1997 gas gauge malfunctioned, new brake makes noise and the console lid strap broke.(attorney for client)yh

- San Francisco, CA, USA

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