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283 owner complaints and 1 active recall campaign on file. Here's the breakdown — what's serious, what's noise, what a working mechanic would actually do about it.
Solid reliability overall. Common issues are concentrated in a few systems.
Worth owning if you verify the specific issues below before you buy.
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.
Steering spontaneously became intermittently stiff / loose in both directions with loss of return to straight after cornering. *js
Turn signal switch turns on right turn signals when selecting the left turn signals. Right side works fine. *tr
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 Dodge dakota. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 16v352000 (air bags); however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair.…
Passenger airbag was turned on but didn't deploy, did not have seatbelt on because it broke but all others in the accident had theirs on. Driver was driving normal and a truck coming opposite way hit a truck three truck length ahead spun out of control and hit our vehicle head…
Drag to your current mileage. Numbers are derived from this vehicle's complaint history.
This can impair the driver's vision and result in a crash.
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 →
Mostly yes. With a reliability score of 7.2 out of 10 based on 283 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2006 Dodge Dakota is generally a sound vehicle. The areas to watch are listed in the top problem section above — most are budget items, not deal-breakers.
The 2006 Dodge Dakota is acceptable, with specific caveats. Worth owning if you verify the specific issues below before you buy. The record behind that call: Powertrain: 26 complaints, classified severe, failures cluster 42,700–93,867 mi; Reliability score 7.2/10 — around the segment average; 1 recall campaign 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 116 complaints filed. Typical failure occurs around 90,039 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 90,039 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 283 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.