2011 Dodge Dakota problems & reliability
44 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2011 Dodge Dakota, alongside 6 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.
1 complaint report injuries (1 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2011 Dodge Dakota vehicles were involved in 12 fatal crashes with 7 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 → | 18 | 41% |
| Power Train | 8 | 18% |
| Service Brakes | 5 | 11% |
| Unknown OR Other | 5 | 11% |
| Electrical System | 4 | 9% |
| Engine | 3 | 7% |
| Exterior Lighting | 3 | 7% |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 2 | 5% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 1 | 2% |
| Structure | 1 | 2% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
All 13 reported components →Mileage when problems occurred
Among the 25 complaints that included a usable odometer reading, the median reported incident mileage was 42,000 miles (middle 50% between 28,375 and 82,329 miles).
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Many Dodge vehicle models experience failure of illumination for instrument clusters. This creates an unsafe condition for the driver since information presented at the instrument cluster, cannot be determined during night time driving conditions. Dodge makes no provision to customers for replacement or repair parts…”
Electrical System · filed Oct 25, 2024
“The backlighting on the instrument cluster is defective. Only a portion of the gauges are illuminated. Should this occur for the speedometer then driver will not have a way to determine vehicle speed during the nighttime hours.”
Electrical System · filed Oct 4, 2022
“My truck has a white panel that's fading out, turning black. The instrument panel is getting hard to read. Pretty soon I won't be able to see how fast I'm going, how much gas I have, any important gauge's that I need to be able to see at night.”
Unknown OR Other · filed Sep 7, 2021
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
Technical service bulletins
68 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2011 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
Lubrication and Maintenance Fluids If MOPAR fluids and chemicals are not readily available, please review Service Library for specifications so a suitable alternative can be used
9100196 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 27, 2023
Approved Use of Weld Through Primers This bulletin documents the FCA US LLC position regarding the use of weld through primer when using Squeeze Type Resistance Spot Welding (STRSW) and Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW)…
3100122 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 19, 2022
Approved Use of Weld Through Primers This bulletin documents the FCA US LLC position regarding the use of weld through primer when using Squeeze Type Resistance Spot Welding (STRSW) and Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW)…
3100122 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 19, 2022
Approved Use of Weld Through Primers This bulletin documents the FCA US LLC position regarding the use of weld through primer when using Squeeze Type Resistance Spot Welding (STRSW) and Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW)…
3100122 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 19, 2022
If a Mopar oil filter is not available, use a filter that meets or exceeds USCAR36 specification and is compatible with semi and full synthetic oils.
S2209000004 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 2, 2022
Oil Filter If a Mopar Oil Filter is not available, use a filter that meets or exceeds USCAR36 specification and is compatible with semi and full synthetic oils. Recommended Brands: Wix, Purolator, and NapaGold
9004509 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 30, 2022
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
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 2011 Dodge Dakota has 6 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 2011 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.
- · Among complaints with usable mileage, the median reported incident mileage was 42,000 miles. This does not predict when a particular vehicle will develop a problem.