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1996 Dodge Dakota Recalls & Complaints

2

open safety recalls on record

Serious

250 owner complaints filed · Severity Index 0.48 · updated 2026-08-07

The recalls

Serious06E049000

Exterior Lighting

WITHOUT THE AMBER REFLECTORS, THE VEHICLE WILL BE POORLY ILLUMINATED, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A VEHICLE CRASH WITHOUT WARNING.

Remedy & full details

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.

CERTAIN CK MOTORSPORTS COMBINATION HEADLIGHTS, CLEAR CORNER, BUMPER, AND SIDE MARKER LIGHTS SOLD AS REPLACEMENT LAMPS FOR USE ON THE PASSENGER VEHICLES LISTED ABOVE. SOME COMBINATION LAMPS THAT ARE NOT EQUIPPED WITH AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS FAIL TO CONFORM TO FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT.

Moderate95V199000

Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Power Assist

DISCONNECTED VACUUM HOSE CAN CAUSE AN INCREASE IN ENGINE IDLE SPEED AND LOSS OF BRAKE POWER ASSIST DURING BRAKE APPLICATION WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING.

Remedy & full details

DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE VEHICLES TO INSURE THAT THE BRAKE BOOSTER VACUUM HOSE CONNECTION IS FULLY SEATED AND CLAMPED TO THE VACUUM CHECK VALVE NIPPLE AT THE BRAKE BOOSTER.

THE POWER BRAKE BOOSTER VACUUM HOSE COULD BE IMPROPERLY INSTALLED AND NOT CLAMPED TO THE BRAKE BOOSTER VACUUM NIPPLE.

Complaint volume

250 this model-year 8 median, same year

Volume alone is not a fault rate — popular vehicles attract more reports. Read it next to the severity mix below.

What owners reported happened

24Crashes
6Fires
11Injuries
1Deaths

Across 250 complaints. Severity Index 0.48.

Severity Index weights each complaint's reported outcome (death ×10, injury ×4, fire ×3, crash ×2) and divides by total complaints. It measures how severe reports are, not how often faults occur.

What owners report most

Service Brakes, Hydraulic…15 · 6%Power Train · Automatic T…14 · 6%Air Bags · Frontal12 · 5%Engine And Engine Cooling…11 · 4%Seat Belts · Front · Buck…8 · 3%Latches/Locks/Linkages · …8 · 3%Vehicle Speed Control8 · 3%Electrical System · Wiring6
  1. Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip — 15 reports
  2. Power Train:Automatic Transmission — 14 reports
  3. Air Bags:Frontal — 12 reports
  4. Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine — 11 reports
  5. Seat Belts:Front:Buckle Assembly — 8 reports
  6. Latches/Locks/Linkages:Doors:Latch — 8 reports
  7. Vehicle Speed Control — 8 reports
  8. Electrical System:Wiring — 6 reports
  9. Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Gasoline — 6 reports
  10. Seats:Front Assembly:Recliner — 6 reports

What to do

  1. Find your 17-character VIN on the driver's door jamb or the base of the windscreen.
  2. Check it against NHTSA's official lookup at nhtsa.gov/recalls — the authoritative record for your exact car.
  3. Book the repair with any franchised dealer. Safety recall work is free, with no time limit and regardless of who owns the car now.

Other model years

1995 (1) · 1996 · 1997 (12) · 1998 (12) · 1999 (10) · 2000 (12) · 2001 (14) · 2002 (12) · 2003 (11) · 2004 (5) · 2005 (7) · 2006 (6) · 2007 (4) · 2008 (2) · 2009 (5) · 2010 (7) · 2011 (6)

Numbers in brackets are open recall campaigns for that year.

Questions

Does an open recall mean the car is unsafe to drive?

Not usually. NHTSA issues a "do not drive" or "park outside" advisory when a defect is dangerous enough to keep you out of the car — those are flagged Critical above. Everything else should be repaired promptly but is not an immediate stop-driving order.

Do I pay for recall repairs?

No. Federal law requires the manufacturer to fix a safety recall free of charge, including parts and labour, whether or not you are the original owner.

Why are there complaints but no recalls?

Complaints are unverified reports filed by owners. They can prompt an investigation, but many never become recalls — either the fault isn't safety-related or it isn't widespread.

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