2007 Dodge Dakota problems & reliability
144 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2007 Dodge Dakota, alongside 4 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
7 complaints report injuries (8 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2007 Dodge Dakota vehicles were involved in 27 fatal crashes with 14 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Air Bags → | 59 | 41% |
| Power Train → | 24 | 17% |
| Electrical System → | 13 | 9% |
| Suspension → | 13 | 9% |
| Steering → | 12 | 8% |
| Visibility | 6 | 4% |
| Exterior Lighting | 5 | 3% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 5 | 3% |
| Engine | 4 | 3% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 4 | 3% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 53,000 miles (middle 50% between 23,683 and 75,000 miles), based on 89 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“The contact owns a 2007 Dodge Dakota. The contact stated that a dealer technician came to the contact’s residence and performed an air bag recall repair. Following the repair, the vehicle became inoperable. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start and that a burning odor was coming from the area near the…”
Electrical System · filed May 4, 2026
“The manufacturer sent a third party to fix an airbag recall. Before the third-party technician touched my truck for the recall, both my horn and cigarette lighter worked. Now, after their repair, neither works. Therefore, something they did caused an electrical fault. I advised whoever sent the technician and they…”
Air Bags · filed Apr 26, 2025
“While driving eastbound at approximately 70 mph, I heard a loud bang, a whooshing sound, and felt a sudden change in the handling of the vehicle. I pulled to the shoulder, and found that the entire inside and outside sidewalls of the right rear tire had shredded.”
Tires · filed Sep 11, 2022
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture
Engineering Analysis EA21002 · opened Sep 17, 2021 · open
- Air Bag Inflator Rupture
Engineering Analysis EA15001 · opened Feb 24, 2015 · open · led to recall 22V945
- Air Bag Inflator Rupture
Preliminary Evaluation PE14016 · opened Jun 11, 2014 · closed Mar 2, 2015 · led to recall 15V226000
- Clutch Interlock Switch Malfunction
Preliminary Evaluation PE14013 · opened May 19, 2014 · closed Dec 23, 2014 · led to recall 14V795000
Technical service bulletins
54 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2007 Dodge Dakota. The 10 most recent:
Plate - Planetary
101232 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 30, 2024
Connector kit Before ordering this connector repair kit 68018957A$, check it in the Mopar Connector Repair Kit Website to confirm part number and applicability. There is an error with the wiring diagrams in Service…
9100226 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 15, 2023
Connector kit Before ordering this connector repair kit 68018957A$, check it in the Mopar Connector Repair Kit Website to confirm part number and applicability. There is an error with the wiring diagrams in Service…
9100226 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 15, 2023
Transmission Kit with Torque Converter 1. All Promaster (VF) 3.6L/62TE equipped vehicles. If the transmission bracket to the transmission case fasteners are removed during servicing, the fasteners (Part Number…
9004009 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 7, 2021
GEAR MOTOR, Transfer Case The gear motor assembly is shipped in AWD/2WD position. The transfer case needs to be positioned in AWD/2WD position to properly assemble gear motor to T-Case. Please reference Star Online…
9004350 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 10, 2021
GEAR MOTOR, Transfer Case The gear motor assembly is shipped in AWD/2WD position. The transfer case needs to be positioned in AWD/2WD position to properly assemble gear motor to T-Case. Please reference Star Online…
9004350 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 10, 2021
Transfer Case Gear Motor/Actuator Installation Guidelines.
S2121000003 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 4, 2021
Transfer Case Gear Motor/Actuator Installation Guidelines.
S2121000003 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 4, 2021
Mechanical rocker arm, intake, 1.7 ratio.
9001784 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 22, 2021
Mechanical rocker arm, intake, 1.7 ratio.
9001784 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 22, 2021
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 2007 Dodge Dakota has 4 NHTSA recall campaigns — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2007 Dodge Dakota?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 53,000 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.