2004 Dodge Dakota Steering Problems
Owners have filed 74 complaints with NHTSA about steering problems on the 2004 Dodge Dakota, 36% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 59,000 miles. The words owners use most often: “intermediate shaft” (18% of reports).
- 74steering complaints
- 59,000median miles at failure
- 0mention a crash
- 0mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- 22%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Intermediate shaft: mentioned in 13 of 74 complaints (18%)
- Steering pump: mentioned in 12 of 74 complaints (16%)
- Hard turn: mentioned in 8 of 74 complaints (11%)
- Stiff loose: mentioned in 6 of 74 complaints (8%)
At what mileage do steering problems happen?
Based on 68 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
None of the 74 complaints report a crash, fire or injury.
Dodge Dakota steering complaints by model year
| Model year | Steering complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 Dakota | 5 | 14% | 23,400 |
| 2008 Dakota | 17 | 19% | 51,243 |
| 2007 Dakota | 12 | 8% | 60,000 |
| 2006 Dakota | 47 | 16% | 54,000 |
| 2005 Dakota | 47 | 10% | 57,500 |
| 2004 Dakota | 74 | 36% | 59,000 |
| 2003 Dakota | 14 | 5% | 15,500 |
| 2002 Dakota | 44 | 6% | 36,200 |
| 2001 Dakota | 48 | 7% | 44,035 |
| 2000 Dakota | 68 | 8% | 60,000 |
| 1999 Dakota | 72 | 11% | 54,824 |
| 1998 Dakota | 47 | 9% | 66,000 |
| 1997 Dakota | 34 | 8% | 70,000 |
| 1996 Dakota | 7 | 4% | — |
| 1995 Dakota | 19 | 9% | 135,000 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (0)
No safety recall lists steering for the 2004 Dodge Dakota. A pattern of complaints does not always lead to a recall.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
The steering is very hard to turn either left or right at most times. Feels as if the power steering has failed, but had it inspected by mechanic and says power steering pump and belts are fine. This difficulty in steering is also accompanied by a grinding type of noise in the steering column…
Issue with the steering, appeared to be a problem with the pump. Occurred at about 50k miles, 6 yrs. While driving the steering would get hard like the pump had failed, and then without warning, would return to the power assist and over steer due to the pressure i was already exerting. This took…
Intermittent steering. Sometimes when turning left or right, steering will not return to center . Now this does not happen all the time. Sometimes it will happen then after driving awhile it will clear up. But this has been an ongoing problem. Checked power steering fluid,air pressure. Looked at…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2004 Dodge Dakotas have steering problems?
No. NHTSA has 74 owner complaints about steering for the 2004 Dodge Dakota (36% of the 206 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 2004 Dodge Dakota steering?
No recall currently lists steering for this vehicle.
At what mileage do steering problems start?
The median reported mileage is 59,000 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
What do owners say about steering problems on the 2004 Dodge Dakota?
The most frequent phrase is “intermediate shaft”, in 13 of 74 complaints, followed by “steering pump” (12).
See all 2004 Dodge Dakota problems or steering problems across all Dakota years.