1995 Dodge Dakota Problems and Recalls (204 Complaints)

The most-reported problem on the 1995 Dodge Dakota is Seat belts (12% of 204 owner reports). There are 1 safety recalls. Check the VIN and inspect Seat belts — this is the NHTSA file, not a score.

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-09-07 204 complaints · 1 recalls

What problems show up on the 1995 Dodge Dakota?

24 of 204 filings named Seat belts (12% of the file). That is what owners wrote, not a shop diagnosis of the vehicle in the driveway.

Second is Airbags (23 reports).

This snapshot lists no safety recalls for this year. That is not a clean bill of health. Still check the VIN at nhtsa.gov.

The 1994 has 163 reports on file; this year has 204. Older years collect more reports just by being on the road longer. If you need a fairer comparison, use the equal-time view.

What to check before you buy a 1995 Dodge Dakota

A useful visit to this page takes five minutes. YearTell does not score years and cannot see the vehicle in front of you.

  1. Look up the VIN for open recalls at nhtsa.gov. This year has 1 campaigns on file below.
  2. Seat belts. Check that every belt latches, retracts and that related recalls are closed.
  3. Airbags. Confirm the airbag light behaves normally and that open airbag recalls are closed.
  4. Transmission / driveline. Have a shop drive it and check the transmission: hard or delayed shifts, burnt-smelling fluid, and 4WD engagement if equipped.
  5. Skim a few owner reports below for Seat belts. Look for the same symptom repeating.
  6. Take that list to a mechanic. Do not turn the complaint total into a score.

What owners reported

System named most often: Seat belts 24 complaints · 11.8% of the file
Crashes, fires, injuries and deaths in those filings:
  • Crashes 37
  • Fires 6
  • Injuries 22
  • Deaths 1
All Dodge Dakota years →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-09-07 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Which systems owners named

Share of owner complaints filed against each vehicle system. These shares are not adjusted for how many vehicles were sold.

Which systems owners named Seat belts (SEAT BELTS) appears in 24 of 204 owner complaints (11.8%) in this vehicle snapshot. Seat belts (SEAT BELTS): 24 complaints, 11.8% of reports Seat belts (SEAT BELTS) 1 crash reports 24 · 11.8% Airbags (AIR BAGS): 23 complaints, 11.3% of reports Airbags (AIR BAGS) 23 crash reports 3 fire reports 23 · 11.3% Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN): 23 complaints, 11.3% of reports Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN) 1 crash reports 1 fire reports 23 · 11.3% Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES): 21 complaints, 10.3% of reports Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES) 6 crash reports 21 · 10.3% Body / frame (STRUCTURE): 18 complaints, 8.8% of reports Body / frame (STRUCTURE) 18 · 8.8% Engine (ENGINE): 12 complaints, 5.9% of reports Engine (ENGINE) 12 · 5.9% Steering (STEERING): 12 complaints, 5.9% of reports Steering (STEERING) 12 · 5.9% Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM): 10 complaints, 4.9% of reports Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) 1 fire reports 10 · 4.9% Fuel system (FUEL SYSTEM): 10 complaints, 4.9% of reports Fuel system (FUEL SYSTEM) 10 · 4.9% Unclassified NHTSA leftover: 166 complaints, 81.4% of reports Unclassified NHTSA leftover 33 crash reports 5 fire reports 166 · 81.4% 0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

“Unclassified NHTSA leftover” is not a car part. It is a filing bucket and always sits last.

View component data as a table
System / Component Complaints Share of Reports Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires)
Seat belts (SEAT BELTS) 24 11.8% 1 crashes · 0 fires
Airbags (AIR BAGS) 23 11.3% 23 crashes · 3 fires
Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN) 23 11.3% 1 crashes · 1 fires
Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES) 21 10.3% 6 crashes · 0 fires
Body / frame (STRUCTURE) 18 8.8% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Engine (ENGINE) 12 5.9% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Steering (STEERING) 12 5.9% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) 10 4.9% 0 crashes · 1 fires
Fuel system (FUEL SYSTEM) 10 4.9% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Unclassified NHTSA leftover 166 81.4% 33 crashes · 5 fires
NHTSA Consumer Complaints, NHTSA Safety Recalls, and NHTSA Defect Investigations Snapshot 2026-09-07 Open source record

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

When reports and recalls showed up

When owners filed reports, and when recall campaigns showed up.

When reports and recalls showed up Owner reports in this snapshot begin in Jan 1995; the first recall shown was reported in May 2006. 1995-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 1995-Q2: 9 owner reports 9 1995-Q3: 9 owner reports 9 1995-Q4: 7 owner reports 7 1996-Q1: 12 owner reports 12 1996-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 1996-Q3: 10 owner reports 10 1996-Q4: 7 owner reports 7 1997-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 1997-Q2: 6 owner reports 6 1997-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 1997-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 1998-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 1998-Q2: 12 owner reports 12 1998-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 1998-Q4: 4 owner reports 4 1999-Q1: 5 owner reports 5 1999-Q2: 6 owner reports 6 1999-Q3: 13 owner reports 13 1999-Q4: 5 owner reports 5 2000-Q1: 7 owner reports 7 2000-Q2: 5 owner reports 5 2000-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 2000-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2001-Q1: 7 owner reports 7 2001-Q2: 5 owner reports 5 2001-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2002-Q2: 5 owner reports 5 2002-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2002-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2003-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2003-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2003-Q3: 4 owner reports 4 2003-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2004-Q1: 5 owner reports 5 2004-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 2004-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2005-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2006-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2007-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2008-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2010-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2011-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2011-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2014-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2014-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2016-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2016-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2018-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2022-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 Owner reports Jan 1995 Oct 2022 Recall campaign 06E049000 ◆ Recall campaign 06E049000 Investigation DP02009 ● Investigation DP02009 Investigation DP03002 ● Investigation DP03002
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
1995-Q1 Owner reports 1
1995-Q2 Owner reports 9
1995-Q3 Owner reports 9
1995-Q4 Owner reports 7
1996-Q1 Owner reports 12
1996-Q2 Owner reports 3
1996-Q3 Owner reports 10
1996-Q4 Owner reports 7
1997-Q1 Owner reports 2
1997-Q2 Owner reports 6
1997-Q3 Owner reports 5
1997-Q4 Owner reports 3
1998-Q1 Owner reports 4
1998-Q2 Owner reports 12
1998-Q3 Owner reports 3
1998-Q4 Owner reports 4
1999-Q1 Owner reports 5
1999-Q2 Owner reports 6
1999-Q3 Owner reports 13
1999-Q4 Owner reports 5
2000-Q1 Owner reports 7
2000-Q2 Owner reports 5
2000-Q3 Owner reports 5
2000-Q4 Owner reports 2
2001-Q1 Owner reports 7
2001-Q2 Owner reports 5
2001-Q4 Owner reports 1
2002-Q2 Owner reports 5
2002-Q3 Owner reports 3
2002-Q4 Owner reports 3
2003-Q1 Owner reports 2
2003-Q2 Owner reports 1
2003-Q3 Owner reports 4
2003-Q4 Owner reports 1
2004-Q1 Owner reports 5
2004-Q3 Owner reports 5
2004-Q4 Owner reports 2
2005-Q3 Owner reports 1
2006-Q1 Owner reports 1
2007-Q1 Owner reports 1
2008-Q3 Owner reports 1
2010-Q1 Owner reports 1
2011-Q1 Owner reports 1
2011-Q4 Owner reports 1
2014-Q3 Owner reports 1
2014-Q4 Owner reports 1
2016-Q2 Owner reports 1
2016-Q4 Owner reports 2
2018-Q2 Owner reports 2
2022-Q4 Owner reports 1
Recall campaign 1 06E049000
Defect investigation 1 DP02009
Defect investigation 1 DP03002
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-09-06 Open source record

Safety Recalls (1)

Official campaigns. Each one says what could go wrong and what the dealer was told to fix.

  1. Recall campaign 06E049000

    Safety recall 06E049000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    WITHOUT THE AMBER REFLECTORS, THE VEHICLE WILL BE POORLY ILLUMINATED, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A VEHICLE CRASH WITHOUT WARNING.
    Remedy:
    CK MOTORSPORT WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE NONCOMPLIANT LAMPS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 1, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT CK MOTORSPORT AT 1-909-610-7211.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-09-07 Open source record

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

What owners actually wrote

Short excerpts from the public NHTSA file. Look for the same symptom repeating.

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot 2026-09-07
Safety incident filters
Showing 10 of 204 complaints · page 1 of 9
2022-11-14Seat belts (SEAT BELTS)
NHTSA ODI 11493482
CrashFireInjuryDeath
I bought this 1995 Dodge Dakota brand new in 1995 and it only has original 92,110 miles on it. The problem with this Dakota I have replaced the Drivers front seat belt and the replacement again is falling apart again where it will not release for a person to get out of. I don't know if the air bags will not deploy if the seat belt is not working properly. Again the seat belt needs to be replaced again as it physically is falling apart again.
2018-06-08TIRESUnclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 11100577
CrashFireInjuryDeath
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1995 DODGE DAKOTA EQUIPPED WITH GOODYEAR ASSURANCE TIRES, SIZE: 215/75R/15 (NA). WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH, THE VEHICLE SHOOK VIOLENTLY. UPON INSPECTION OF THE VEHICLE, THE CONTACT NOTICED MODERATE TIRE SEPARATION ON THE SIDEWALLS OF THE FRONT AND REAR PASSENGER SIDE TIRES. THE DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CALLED, BUT THERE WAS NO RESPONSE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE TIRE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 4,263. THE VIN AND VEHICLE FAILURE MILEAGE WERE UNKNOWN.
2018-04-18WHEELS
NHTSA ODI 11088813
CrashFireInjuryDeath
I WAS DRIVING THE CAR AT 35 MILES AN HOUR UP TO 45 AND THE TIRE CAME OFF. IT CAUSED A 3 CAR ACCIDENT. LUCKILY INO ONE WAS HURT BUT I GOT A CARELESS DRIVING TICKET. I FEEL THE TIRE SNAPPED OFF THE DRIVE TRAIN. IT HAPPENED IN 2006. IT WAS LIGHTLY RAINING BUT THIS SHOULD NOT AFFECT A TIRE COMING OFF COMPLETELY.. I CAN SEND IN POLICE REPORT LATER I PUT IN A REQUEST FOR A COPY BUT I HAVE NOT RECIEVED IT YET.
2016-12-31Seat belts (SEAT BELTS)
NHTSA ODI 10938909
CrashFireInjuryDeath
MY DAUGHTER'S SEAT BELT WOULD NOT UNLATCH. SHE COULD NOT GET OUT OF THE CAR. SHE HAD TO LEAVE AND DRIVE BACK HOME, WHERE HER DAD WAS ABLE TO GET HER OUT WITH A SCREW DRIVE. OUR MECHANIC SAID DODGE NO LONGER CARRIES THESE SEAT BELTS.
2016-11-16Seat belts (SEAT BELTS)
NHTSA ODI 10926537
CrashFireInjuryDeath
DRIVERS SIDE SEAT BELT RETRACTOR NON FUNCTIONAL FAILS TO RETRACT
2016-04-15Seat belts (SEAT BELTS)
NHTSA ODI 10859826
CrashFireInjuryDeath
MY DAUGHTER, WHO WAS THE DRIVER, WAS UNABLE TO UNLATCH HER SEAT BELT. HER BOYFRIEND HAD TO FORCE IT APART IN ORDER FOR HER TO BE ABLE TO EXIT THE CAR. NOW IT IS BROKEN...SHE WAS AT A STANDSTILL AT HER BOYFRIEND'S HOUSE.
2014-12-27VISIBILITY
NHTSA ODI 10668462
CrashFireInjuryDeath
NOT SURE WHAT HAPPENED...JUST A GRADUAL DOWNFALL OF THE GASKET ON THE WINDSHIELD THAT IS NOW COMPLETELY OUT OF THE WINDOW ON THE PASSENGER SIDE IN THE UPPER CORNER..CAN SEE THE CURVE OF THE GASKET OUT OF THE WINDOW...ITS AS IF IT SHRUNK FROM ONE WEEK TO THE NEXT. *TR
2014-09-17Body / frame (STRUCTURE)Unclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 10637013
CrashFireInjuryDeath
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1995 DODGE DAKOTA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS UNABLE TO PASS THE STATE VEHICLE INSPECTION DUE TO THE FRAME BEING CORRODED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. THE TECHNICIAN VERIFIED THE FAILURE AND STATED THAT THE DAMAGE WAS BEYOND REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 152,000.
2011-12-19Seat belts (SEAT BELTS)
NHTSA ODI 10440392
CrashFireInjuryDeath
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1995 DODGE DAKOTA SPORT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT ON TWO SEPARATE OCCASIONS, THE FRONT DRIVER AND PASSENGER SIDE SEAT BELTS FAILED TO RELEASE AFTER THE RELEASE BUTTON WAS DEPRESSED. THE RELEASE BUTTON ALSO DETACHED FROM ITS HOUSING. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. UPDATED 02/15/12*LJ UPDATED 03/05/12
2011-02-19Steering (STEERING)
NHTSA ODI 10383339
CrashFireInjuryDeath
THERE SEEMED TO BE AN INCREASING AMOUNT OF "PLAY" IN THE STEERING. IT HAS NOW GOTTEN TO THE POINT I DON'T FEEL COMFORTABLE DRIVING THIS TRUCK LONG DISTANCES. I LOOKED UNDERNEATH THE FRONT END, AND THE STEERING RACK MOVES FROM SIDE TO SIDE APPROXIMATELY 1/2 -1". *TR

Frequently asked questions

What are the most common problems on the 1995 Dodge Dakota?

Owners named Seat belts most often — 24 of 204 reports (12%). That is the NHTSA file, not a diagnosis of every vehicle.

Are there recalls for the 1995 Dodge Dakota?

NHTSA lists 1 safety recall campaigns. This snapshot lists none, which is not a clean bill of health. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov; a campaign on this page can still be open on a specific vehicle.

What should I inspect before buying a 1995 Dodge Dakota?

Look up the VIN for open recalls. Check that every belt latches, retracts and that related recalls are closed. Then skim owner filings for the same symptom and take that list to a mechanic.

Does a high complaint count mean I should skip this year?

No. Counts are reports people chose to file and they are not adjusted for sales volume. YearTell does not publish scores or a list of years to skip. Inspect the vehicle.

EPA Fuel Economy Database Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record

Estimated Ownership Cost

EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates

Data: US EPA Fuel Economy Guide · snapshot 2026-08-21
Supported range: 1,000–60,000 miles per year
Supported range: $1.50–$10.00 per gallon
55% city45% highway
Estimate unavailable

EPA fuel-economy data is unavailable for this vehicle.

No estimate is shown when required EPA values are unavailable.

 Open Ownership Cost Calculator →

Adjacent Model Years

Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records

NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-09-07 Open source record

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Methodology & Data Integrity

Source: NHTSA ODI / recalls, snapshot 2026-09-07. YearTell is not a government agency.

Read our complete data methodology → Sources