Owner-reported complaints naming the electrical system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 1993 Dodge Dakota submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 8 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1993 DODGE DAKOTA. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE IGNITION SWITCH WAS FAULTY. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 160,000.
I HAD BEEN RUNNING A FEW ERRANDS AND HAD JUST LEFT MY CELLULAR PHONE COMPANY WHEN I AND A PASSENGER SMELLED SOMETHING BURNING. WE PROCEEDED TO LOOK OUT THE WINDOWS FOR A BUILDING ON FIRE WHEN I NOTICED THAT MY PICKUP BEGAN TO SLOW. I TRIED SHIFTING THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION DOWN TO ANOTHER GEAR BUT THERE WAS NOTHING THERE. I WENT FROM PARK TO LOW AND IT ACTED LIKE THERE WAS NOTHING CONNECTED TO THE SHIFTER. I THEN TRIED DEPRESSING THE ACCELERATOR AND GOT NO RESPONSE. I PULLED OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND STOPPED. I THEN TRIED OPENING MY DRIVERS DOOR WHEN FLAMES SHOT UP BETWEEN THE DRIVERS DOOR AND THE CAB. I TURNED OFF THE TRUCK AS SMOKE STARTED TO FILL THE CAB AND I BAILED OUT THE PASSENGER SIDE DOOR. MY PASSENGER AND I MOVED WELL BEHIND THE PICKUP AND WATCHED AS FLAMES SHOT OUT FROM UNDER THE PICKUP AND SMOKE BILLOWED OUT OF THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. I CALLED 911 ON MY CELL PHONE. IN THE MEAN TIME A WITNESS HAD PULLED UP BEHIND US AND INFORMED ME THAT HE WAS TRYING TO FLAG US DOWN BECAUSE HE HAD SEEN FIRE UNDER THE TRUCK FOR AT LEAST 3 CITY BLOCKS. I DON'T KNOW WHAT WOULD HAVE CAUSED THIS TO HAPPEN. I HAVE OWNED THE VEHICLE SINCE IT WAS NEW. IT HAS BEEN WELL MAINTAINED AT THE DEALERSHIP WHERE I BOUGHT IT. IT IN FOR SERVICE IN DEC. OF 2000 FOR AN OIL CHANGE AND INSPECTION, NO PROBLEMS WERE NOTED. THE VEHICLE HAS NEVER BEEN OFF ROAD, FOR IT IS A TWO WHEEL DRIVE. THERE HAS BEEN NO MAJOR MECHANICAL WORK DONE, JUST SOME MINOR ITEMS SUCH AS A WATER PUMP FALL OF 2000, BRAKE WORK SUMMER OF 200, FUEL PUMP JANUARY OF 1999. NO WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON OR DID ANY GAUGES REFLECT ANY PROBLEMS. IT DISTRESSES ME GREATLY THAT I MAY NEVER KNOW EXACTLY WHAT CAUSED THIS FIRE, IT COULD HAVE BEEN CATASTROPHIC CAUSING MYSELF AND MY PASSENGER GREAT HARM OR EVEN DEATH. I REVIEWED NHTSA'S COMPLAINT SECTION AND DID FIND A FEW OTHER FIRE RELATED PROBLEMS. I HOPE ONE MORE WILL GET SOME ACTION TAKEN TO SEE WHAT CAUSE THESE THINGS TO HAPPEN. THANK YOU. *AK
IGNITION SWITCH BECAME VERY HOT AND MELTED THE STEERING COLUMN PLASTIC, SMOKE EXITED KEY HOLE ON TWO SEPARATE OCCASIONS, AIR CONDITIONING AND BLOWER MOTOR STOPPED WORKING. *AK
WIRING HARNESS FROM COMPUTER AND ENGINE TO STEERING WHEEL AT HOLO SWITCH(IGNITION SWITCH) HEATS UP AND CATHES FIRE AND MELTED PLASTIC SHROULD AT THIS TIME COMING TO A STOP ENGINE WILL DIE IT WILL CONTINUE TO RUN.
WHILE DRIVING BETWEEN 30-60 MPH IGNITION SWITCH GOT SO HOT THAT IT MELTED A HOLE IN THE STEERING COLUMN'S BOTTOM COVER. THIS ONLY HAPPENED WHEN BLOWER FAN WAS BEING USED ON HIGH SPEED. PROBLEM WAS REPORTED TO THE DEALERSHIP. OWNER REPLACED IGNITION SWITCH HIMSELF, BUT THE THE SWITCH STILL GETS HOT. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK
IT RUNS ROUGH SOMETIMES AND SOMETIMES IT RUNS FINE, AND NO ONE SEEMS TO BE ABLE TO FIND THE PROBLEM. WE HAVE RECENTLY REPLACED THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER/MUFFLERS/EGR VALVE/OXYGEN SENSOR/IGNITION COIL/FUEL FILTER/AIR FILTER AND IT STILL CONTINUES TO RUN ROUGH. ANY THOUGHTS ON WHAT THE PROBLEM MIGHT BE????
ENGINE STALLS.
ELECTRICAL HARNESS UNDER HOOD CORRODED, CAUSING LIGHTING FAILURES. TT
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
Data on this page last refreshed .