10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
5 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
6 / 1
Average Mileage:
82,516 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.

2001 Dodge Dakota seat belts / air bags problems

seat belts / air bags problem

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2001 Dodge Dakota Owner Comments (Page 1 of 2)

problem #25

Feb 132016

Dakota 6-cyl

  • 170,000 miles

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

My son was driving a 2001 Dodge Dakota, which I purchased new in 2001. He lost control on a gravel road and went off the edge of a ditch. Air bags did not deploy and he was killed in the accident. His passenger was injured, but survived. The front end of the vehicle was in horrible shape, and there is no way an airbag should not have deployed......updated 11/14/17

- Maxwell, IA, USA

problem #24

Aug 132013

Dakota

  • miles
Unit one was traveling East on greenbrier road in the inside lane. The driver of unit 1 stated it was raining heavily and he lost control of his vehicle. Due to vehicle hydroplaining unit 1 crossed the center line and entered the West bound traffic lanes unit 2 was coming West on greenbrier in the inside lane unit3 was traveling West on greenbrier in the outside lane unit1 crossed in front of unit2 collided with the passenger side of unit1 unit1 fishtailed counter clockwise and came to rest on the West bound side of greenbrier unit2 fishtailed clockwise and was struck by unit 3 the driver of unit3 stated he attempted to avoid unit 1 by swerving to the left and collided with unit 2 as it spun towards his vehicle the air bags in unit one being my vehicle did not deploy and passenger was badly injured.

- Anniston, AL, USA

problem #23

Jun 192013

Dakota 8-cyl

  • 98,762 miles
Air bag light came on and stayed on. I was not moving, just started vehicle. Light has remained on for 5 days with my normal driving. Horn and cruise control work.

- Cedar Key, FL, USA

problem #22

Mar 172010

Dakota 8-cyl

  • 105,000 miles

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

Clockspring in steering column. The air bag light stayed on, the cruise control, horn and radio stopped working. A new clockspring was installed and now everything works fine. Updated 06/10/13

- Franklin, TN, USA

problem #21

Jan 222013

Dakota 6-cyl

  • miles
A car pulled out in front of me. Most of the damage was from the front middle to passenger side.

- Nicholasville, KY, USA

problem #20

Jan 102013

Dakota 6-cyl

  • 291,000 miles
The contact owns a 2001 Dodge Dakota. The contact stated while driving 58 mph, the vehicle crashed into a deer. Upon impact, the air bags failed to deploy. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer sent a representative to inspect the vehicle and determined that there was not enough impact to cause the air bags to deploy. The contact disagreed as the front bumper was pushed into the front wheels. The failure and current mileage was 291,000..... updated 03/08/13 updated 03/13/13

- Crisfield, MD, USA

problem #19

Aug 202012

Dakota 8-cyl

  • 29,350 miles

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

While driving I turned the steering wheel my airbag light came on and now it comes on every time I turn the wheel, it doesn't matter what direction. There seems to be a recall for the 2000 model year, but not my year.

- Wailuku, HI, USA

problem #18

Oct 012010

Dakota

  • 236,000 miles
I bought my 2001 Dodge Dakota quad cab brand new and until this date, I have only had one issue. The power window motor quit and was replaced in 2008. On October 1st, 2010, my cruise control went out. Thinking it was wear and tear, I was not in a rush to fix it. Then the horn quit working. When the air bag light started flashing when I turned the steering wheel, I took it in to be serviced. My concern is that I have the same issues as a previous recall, but my VIN # is not included in that period. My mechanic says it is the clockspring assembly that needs to be replaced and the part is expensive. Looking online, it appears Dodge is not making good. My VIN # matches the other complaints. After contacting Dodge (11/10/10), I was offered a 50% refund on repair work. This says to me that they acknowledge there is something wrong with other models/year. This is unacceptable no matter how old the vehicle is. It is a safety issue with Dodge.

- Paisley, FL, USA

problem #17

Jun 152010

Dakota

  • 85,000 miles
The contact owns a 2001 Dodge Dakota. The contact stated that the air bag warning light remained illuminated. The dealer advised that the clock spring would need to be replaced in order to correct the failure yet the part needed for repairs was on a national backorder. The dealer advised that the part was being re-designed due to the common failure. The contact was concerned with the safety of the air bag failure. The failure mileage was 85,000 and the current mileage 86,000. Updated 11/16/10.

- Mcdonough, GA, USA

problem #16

Feb 012010

Dakota

  • 72,990 miles
The contact owns a 2001 Dodge Dakota. The contact stated the door locks, air bag, head lights, and windshield wiper failed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The diagnostic test located the failure at the cmt module and the clock spring module.the vehicle will be repaired. The manufacturer will be contacted. The vehicle failure mileage was 72,990 and the current mileage was 73,000.

- Lynden , WA, USA

problem #15

Jun 112007

Dakota

  • 98,000 miles

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

The horn quit the cruise controls quit working. The air bag light are on air bags are dead the clock spring is bad in all the 2000 2001 Dodge Dakota 's all have the same problem. Dealer said sounds like you got a problem. This is a safety problem.

- Kirkland, WA, USA

problem #14

Apr 262009

Dakota 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 63,000 miles
The contact owns a 2001 Dodge Dakota. While driving approximately 45 mph on normal road conditions, the air bag warning indicator illuminated on the instrument panel without warning. The failure occurred intermittently. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer and they stated that the clock spring assembly failed. The vehicle has not been repaired. The failure and current mileages were 63,000. Updated 6/18/09 updated 06/22/09

- Santa Teresa, NM, USA

problem #13

Mar 312009

Dakota

  • 68,865 miles
Need to replace the clock spring so that the air bag would work. This cost me $201.64 at a mechanical shop. This item has been a recall for model year 2000 quad cab Dakota trucks. I'm wondering if Chrysler actually changed the configuration for 2001 trucks.

- Lincoln, NE, USA

problem #12

Aug 052008

Dakota

  • 125,000 miles
My husband was driving his 2001 Dodge Dakota home at night, on a country road, around August 5, 2008 and the headlights flickered on and off. When he got home, the windshield wipers went haywire, the horn continued to honk, the door locks began locking and unlocking, and the air bag light came on. We found out the central timer module (cmt) and clock spring had failed and was told the truck was unsafe to drive. We had both repaired for $530. I was told that recalls existed on several Dodge vehicles but not one of them specified our truck. I contacted Dodge and they just said it was not my truck so I was out of luck. I then did some research on this on-line and found several forums with this same problem on this year of truck, plus several others, and they could not find any help from Dodge either. This is a really serious malfunction and could of cause a very bad accident. I just need Dodge to own up to the problem and reimburse us for the repairs we had. Also admit there is a problem on all Dodge vehicles, before someone get seriously injured or killed.

- Susanville, CA, USA

problem #11

Aug 192008

Dakota

  • 95,000 miles
Airbag warning light comes on intermittently or stays on. Horn works only sometimes. Dealer says I need a new clockspring.

- Lakewood, CO, USA

problem #10

Aug 062007

Dakota 8-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 175,725 miles
The contact owns a 2001 Dodge Dakota. While driving 15 mph, the horn and cruise control failed. The contact stated that the air bag light and O/D light remained illuminated on the instrument panel. The dealer stated that the cause of failure was the steering column and suggested that a Dodge dealer make the repair. The vehicle has not been repaired. The current mileage was 176,225 and failure mileage was 175,725.

- Kingsport, TN, USA

problem #9

Aug 172007

Dakota 8-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 78,000 miles
I have a 2001 Dodge Dakota 4.7L quadcab and my horn, cruise and airbag all stopped working at the same time. I have seen a recall for this matter on 2000 vehicles, but not 2001. I am now operating without an airbag. Updated 02-01-08 updated 02/01/08 the consumer stated he is also without a horn and has not replaced it due to cost. Updated 02/01/08

- La Fayette, IL, USA

problem #8

Mar 232007

Dakota 8-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • miles
Air bag light continually goes on and off. After extensive researching online, it looks like the clockspring is defective. Apparently the air bag won't deploy in an accident, but Dodge refuses to issue a recall. However, there are recalls on other year Dodge trucks - but not the 2001 Dakota, even though they were built at the same factories in the same year as the other models that did get issued a recall.

- San Dimas, CA, USA

problem #7

Mar 242006

Dakota 8-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • miles
2001 Dodge Dakota pick up, loss of steering, resulting in a off the road crash and rollover with injuries. (one moment later could have resulted in deaths.)

- Seattle, WA, USA

problem #6

Nov 012005

Dakota 4WD 8-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 96,000 miles
The horn and the cruise control were the first items to quit working and then the air bag light came on. I did some research and found that a recall for the very same problems were issued for 2000 Dodge Dakotas and 2001 Dodge Ram. I purchased my vehicle in December of 2000 so my vehicle was manufactured in 2000 even though it is a 2001 model. I do not believe that Dodge corrected the problem that existed that caused safety recall #982 to be issued. Due to this failure, my truck now has safety issues with the air bag and the horn not functioning. The cruise control is more of an inconvenience issue than safety. My truck failed inspection because the horn will not blow. I have scheduled to have it repaired on 1/13/06, but I feel that Dodge should be responsible for at least part of the repair since they have a history of clockspring failure in this vehicle.

- Parkersburg, WV, USA

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