Owner-reported complaints naming the interior system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Reports naming seats, latches, locks, linkages and interior fittings. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 1997 Dodge Dakota submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 26 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.
The 25 most recent of 26, in the owner's own words
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1997 DODGE DAKOTA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE DRIVER FRONT SEAT WAS UNSTABLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE THE FAILURE COULD NOT BE DIAGNOSED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND NO REPAIRS WERE MADE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 125,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 150,000. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE.
I CANNOT REST PROPERLY AGAINST THE SEAT BACK IT WILL RECLINE ON ITS OWN. REACHING INTO POCKET AT DRIVE-THRU RESTAURANTS APPLYING MODERATE PRESSURE AGAINST SEAT BACK IT FALLS ALL THE WAY BACK. IF I ACCELERATE SWIFTLY THE SEAT BACK WILL DROP FROM BEHIND ME. IN EVENT OF ACCIDENT I'M SURE I WILL HAVE NO SUPPORT TO PREVENT WHIPLASH.*JB
THE WIRE HARNESS THAT PLUGS THE HEADLIGHTS INTO THE DASHBOARD MELTED. *AK ALSO THE PARKING LIGHT AND THE HIGH BEAMS DIDN'T WORK. *SC *JB
FOR A PERIOD OF A YEAR FRONT DRIVER AND PASSENGER SET BACK COLLAPSED. THIS HAPPENED OVER FIFTY TIMES AND WHILE DRIVING. CONSUMER TRIED CLEANING THE RECLINER HANDLE AND SURROUNDING AREA, BUT THE PROBLEM STILL OCCURS. *AK
REPLACE BOTH SIDES OF UPPER AND LOWER BALL JOINTS AT 60K AND 120K DESPITE USING THE BEST GREASE IN THEM SYNTHETIC. I'VE COMPLAINED ABOUT THE SEAT BACK BEFORE SINCE NEW IT FALLS BACK. FRONT BUCKET. *AK
I HAVE A 1997 DODGE DAKOTA EXTRA CAB. IT CONSTANLY LEAKS WATER ONTO THE FLOORBOARDS, SOAKING THE CARPET.MANY OTHER OWNERS REPORT THIS PROBLEM TOO. ALSO THE DRIVERS SEATBACK WILL NOT LOCK. WHEN I PUT ON THE BRAKE,THE BACK OF THE SEAT RECLINES. THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS DEFECT.*AK
WHILE ACCELERATING FROM A STOP BOTH FRONT SEATS RANDOMLY FALL ALMOST FLAT, CAUSING SEVERAL NEAR REAR END COLLISIONS FROM LOSING CONTROL OF STEERING WHEEL. ON OCCASIONS THE DRIVER SEAT HAS FALLEN AND STRIKING OUR 2 YEAR OLD IN THE FACE. NOT ONLY DOES IT COLLAPSE FROM STOPS, AS DOES IT HAPPEN WHEN HITTING A SMALL BUMP, SPEED BUMPS, OR OTHER SMALL ROUGH PATCHES IN THE ROAD. I HAVE FOUND NO WAY TO KEEP THEM UPRIGHT AND I FULLY BELIEVE THIS IS A MANUFACTURE DEFECT AND I SHOULD NOT HAVE TO FOOT THE $700+ BILL TO REPLACE/REPAIR THESE SEATS. *NLM
CONSUMER STATES WHEN VEHICLE WAS REAR ENDED, THE DRIVER SIDE SEAT BACK RECLINE BACKWARDS INTO THE REAR DRIVER SIDE SEAT AND THE SEAT FRAME TWISTED. WHICH COULD OF CAUSED SERIOUS INJURIES IT REAR SEAT WAS OCCUPIED AT TIME OF ACCIDENT.DEALER CONTACTED. NLM
SPEEDOMETOR AND CRUISE CONTROL QUIT WORKING REPLACED SPEED SENSOR PER DEALER AND STILL NOT WORKING. ALSO SEAT DOESN'T LOCK IN UPRIGHT POSITION ON DRIVERS SIDE. TRANSFER CASE SEAL WENT OUT AND HAD TO REPLACE TRANSFER CASE. I HATE THIS TRUCK AND I COULDN'T GIVE IT AWAY. *AK
DRIVERS SEAT BACK ADJUSTER IS STRIPPED. UPON ACCELERATION, SEATBACK WILL COLLAPSE INTO AN ALMOST FLAT POSITION. I HAVE LOST CONTROL ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS. DEALER,MANUFACTURER,AND VEHICLE EXTENDED WARRANTY COMPANY ALL REFUSE TO REPAIR. WHAT PROMPTED ME WAS A REPORT ON TV ABOUT THIS SAME PROBLEM WHERE A GUY DIED FROM A MINOR REAREND COLLISION,HE WAS ALSO DRIVING AN EXTENDED CAB PICKUP AND HIS SEATBACK FAILED, HE HIT HIS HEAD ON THE BACK WINDOW FRAME AND DIED! REPAIR PART COST IS $700 NOT INCLUDING LABOR.
A PART INSIDE THE FRONT SEAT BROKE EASILY IN REAR END CRASH, FRONT SEAT WAS OCCUPIED. DRIVER WAS GOING 12 MPH WHEN HIT IN THE REAR OF THE TRUCK BY A VEHICLE HIT BY A VEHICLE GOING 40 MPH. THE DIFFERENCE IS ONLY 28 MPH AND THE SEAT BROKE, THE DRIVER FELL STRAIGHT BACK AND WAS UNCONSCIOUS, SLIDING UNDER THE SEATBELT TOWARDS THE FLOOR. THE PART OF THE SEAT THAT BROKE WAS DEFECTIVE.*AK
SEAT BACKS RANDOMLY COLLAPSES, NEVER SURE IF IT'S LOCKED.*AK
DRIVER SEAT RECLINES BACKWARDS, BUT FAILED TO RETURN TO ORIGINAL POSITION. WOULD SOMETIMES BECOME STUCK AND THEN SLAMS DRIVER FORWARDS.*AK
NO SUMMARY
RECLINE SEAT LATCH DOES NOT POSITIVELY LATCH AFTER USE. CONCERNED THAT CHILDREN IN REAR SEAT WILL BE INJURED IN MINOR REAR END COLLISION WHEN FRONT SEAT COLLAPSING ON THEM. AFTER SEAT IS RECLINED FORWARD TO ACCESS REAR SEAT, RECLINE LATCH DOES NOT POSITIVELY LATCH. SEAT CAN BE RECLINED BY DRIVER/PASSENGER PUSHING BACK WITHOUT RELEASING LATCH.
THE SEAT BACK OF THE DRIVERS SEAT WILL NOT REMAIN IN AN UPRIGHT POSITION. IF THE DRIVER LEANS BACK TO HARD OR WHEN A SMALL BUMP IN THE ROAD IS ENCOUNTERED THE SEAT RECLINING MECHINISM WILL NOT HOLD AND THE BACK WILL BE RELEASED TO A 45 DEGREE ANGLE. *AK
DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT WILL NOT LOCK IN PLACE AFTER IT HAS BEEN RECLINED.
WHILE DRIVING THERE WAS A FIRE IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. A COUPLE OF DAYS BEFORE THE FIRE, ENGINE CHECK LIGHT CAME ON. AFTER THE IGNITION WAS TURNED OFF, ON A COUPLE OF TIMES, A CODE 12 WAS DISPLAYED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. A MECHANIC FROM THE DEALERSHIP STATED THAT THE CODE MEANT THE BATTERY WAS DISCONNECTED. VEHICLE HAS BEEN TOTALLED. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK
BRAKES WORN OUT PREMATURELY.(ATTORNEY FOR CLIENT)YH
IN A REAR END COLLISION DRIVER'S SEATBACK BROKE, CAUSING THE DRIVER TO FALL BACK, AND STRIKE THE REAR WINDOW WITH HIS HEAD, BREAKING THE WINDOW. *AK *ML
WHEN TURNING ON THE TRUCK OR DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER GOES DEAD. DODGE DEALER HAS REPLACED THE INSTUMENT CLUSTER, DASH WIRING HARNESS AND AN ENGINE CONTROLL MODULE. I HAVE ALSO HAD TO REPLACE THE BATTERY BECAUSE THE PROBLEM BURNED IT OUT TWICE. $2000.00 AND MOUNTING. ANOTHER PART ON ORDER. 5TH TIME TO DEALER.
BOTH PASSENGER & DRIVER BACK REST COLLAPSED WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION. DEALER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED. *AK *YC
WHILE DRIVING AN D WHILE STOPPING IN TRAFFIC VEHICLE WAS REAR ENDED ,AND THE FRONT DRIVER'S SEAT COLLAPSED. *AK
WHILE VEHICLE WAS STOPPED IT WAS REARENDED. HAD CHILD IN EXTENDED CAB BENCH SEAT. THE SEAT COLLAPSED BACKWARDS & CHILD'S HEAD HIT SIDE OF CAB. THE FRONT SEATS COLLAPSED BACKWARDS ONTO CHILD SEATED IN REAR. CHILD SUSTAINED SERIOUS INJURIES FROM THE SEAT. BOTH SEATS FELL BACKWARDS UPON IMPACT. VEHICLE WAS TOTALED. *AK
THE LATCH MECHANISM ON BOTH OF THE FRONT BUCKET SEATS, THAT ALLOW EITHER THE DRIVER'S OR PASSENGER'S SEAT TO RECLINE FORWARD, DOES NOT LOCK WHEN RETURNED TO THE UPRIGHT POSITION, RESULTING IN THE SEATS MOVING FORWARD WHEN STOPPING IN A EMERGENCY SITUATION. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK
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 .