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470 owner complaints and 2 active recall campaigns on file. Here's the breakdown — what's serious, what's noise, what a working mechanic would actually do about it.
Average for the segment. Some recurring trouble spots worth knowing about.
Repair exposure runs above average — only with money set aside and eyes open.
Our read of the federal NHTSA complaint and recall record for this exact year and model — not a substitute for a pre-purchase inspection. How we score.
I received a safety recall notice (14v-354) in the mail in december of 2014. This notice pertained to my 2005 Dodge dakota and the possibility that it contained faulty airbag inflators. On this same date I contacted cutter Dodge in honolulu, hi to schedule a service appointment…
2005 and early 2006 Dodge dakota's equipped with the 8.25 inch rear axle have a defective brake design. They utilize a single spring between the rear brake shoes which creates varying degrees of brake shuddering upon application. In addition many of these trucks are equipped…
I took my 2005 dakota to repair shop because of clunking noise on front drivers side. Noise was heard when driving or rocking the truck when it was parked. Repair shop said lower ball joint completely failed and was riding on lower control arm instead of supported by ball joint.…
Tl* takata recall. The contact owns a 2005 Dodge dakota. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 16v352000 (air bags); however, the parts to do the repair were unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the…
Drag to your current mileage. Numbers are derived from this vehicle's complaint history.
The hot spots and burn holes can injure the seat occupant and can increase the risk of a fire.
This could result in an improper side air bag curtain deployment in certain side crash conditions, which can increase the risk of injury to vehicle occupants.
NHTSA has an open defect investigation covering this vehicle — the step that can precede a recall, not a finding of fault. EA21002 on NHTSA →
NHTSA has an open defect investigation covering this vehicle — the step that can precede a recall, not a finding of fault. EA15001 on NHTSA →
NHTSA has an open defect investigation covering this vehicle — the step that can precede a recall, not a finding of fault. EA06004 on NHTSA →
How NHTSA investigations work, and what's open now →
It's got known weak points. With a reliability score of 6.6 out of 10 based on 470 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2005 Dodge Dakota has a higher-than-average rate of reported issues. The areas to watch are listed above. Whether it's worth owning depends on price, condition, and how much repair exposure you can absorb.
The 2005 Dodge Dakota is a higher-risk ownership prospect. Repair exposure runs above average — only with money set aside and eyes open. The record behind that call: Brakes: 72 complaints, classified severe, failures cluster 7,506–36,000 mi; Powertrain: 69 complaints, classified severe, failures cluster 70,000–130,000 mi; Reliability score 6.6/10 — around the segment average; 2 recall campaigns on file. This is our read of the federal complaint and recall data — not a substitute for a pre-purchase inspection.
Based on NHTSA records, the most-reported issue is airbags, with 137 complaints filed. Typical failure occurs around 85,714 miles. Average repair cost runs about $1,100 at an independent shop.
The airbags is one of the costlier repair items. Average repair cost runs about $1,100 at an independent shop. Typical failure occurs around 85,714 miles. Catching early warning signs can sometimes extend life by 20–30,000 miles.
Paste your VIN into the decoder at the top of this page. We pull live from NHTSA, so you'll see exactly which campaigns apply to your vehicle and whether the dealer has logged the fix. Recall repairs are always free regardless of mileage or warranty status.
Math is straightforward: a quality service contract runs $1,800–3,500 over 3 years. With 470 complaints on file and the costliest repair averaging $1,100, one major failure more than pays for it. The catch is reading the contract — many providers exclude wear items and require pre-authorization, so cheaper plans are not always better value.