2008 Dodge Dakota Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Dakota years
- Far fewer complaints than other years 14th of 17 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 2 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 91 complaints with NHTSA about the 2008 Dodge Dakota. That ranks 14th out of 17 Dakota model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is air bags (29 complaints, 32%), typically at around 40,000 miles. Complaints mention 5 crashes, 1 fire, 7 injuries. There are 2 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 1 defect investigation involving it.
- 91owner complaints
- 2safety recalls
- 1NHTSA investigations
- 5complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2008 Dodge Dakota problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air Bags | 29 | 32% | 40,000 | — | — |
| Steering | 17 | 19% | 51,243 | — | — |
| Electrical System | 11 | 12% | 61,078 | — | — |
| Power Train | 10 | 11% | 57,000 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 8 | 9% | 75,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes | 7 | 8% | 65,000 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 7 | 8% | 62,500 | — | — |
| Suspension | 5 | 5% | 67,171 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 4 | 4% | 96,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 4 | 4% | 30,656 | — | — |
| Structure | 4 | 4% | 40,000 | — | — |
| Wheels | 4 | 4% | 62,692 | — | — |
| Engine | 3 | 3% | 59,464 | — | — |
| Tires | 3 | 3% | 62,692 | — | — |
| Visibility | 3 | 3% | 37,500 | — | — |
| Equipment | 2 | 2% | 7 | — | — |
| Visibility/wiper | 2 | 2% | 112,500 | — | — |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 1 | 1% | 51,243 | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 1 | 1% | 4,108 | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 1 | 1% | 29,000 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 1 | 1% | 4,100 | — | — |
| Seats | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 1 | 1% | 62,000 | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2008 Dodge Dakota recalls (2)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator moduleDo not drive
Problem: Chrysler (FCA US LLC) expanded the affected population to include 73,712 2005-2009 RAM 2500 trucks produced at the St. Louis North Assembly Plant. With this change, Chrysler is recalling certain model year 2004-2008 RAM 1500, 2005-2009 RAM 2500, 2006-2009 RAM 3500, 2007-2010 RAM 3500 Cab Chassis, 2008-2010 RAM 4500 and 5500 Cab Chassis, 2004-2009 Dodge Durango, 2007-2009 Chrysler Aspen, 2007-2012 Jeep Wrangler, 2008-2012 Dodge Challenger, 2005-2008 Dodge Magnum, 2005-2012 Chrysler 300, 2006-2012 Dodge Charger, 2005-2011 Dodge Dakota, and 2006-2009 Mitsubishi Raider vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in AL, CA, FL, GA, HI, LA, MS, SC, TX, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands, or "Zone A." Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" above, Chrysler is also recalling 2004-2008 RAM 1500, 2005-2009 RAM 2500, 2006-2009 RAM 3500, 2007-2009 RAM 3500 Cab Chassis, 2008-2009 RAM 4500 and 5500 Cab Chassis, 2004-2009 Dodge Durango, 2007-2009 Chrysler Aspen, 2007-2009 Jeep Wrangler, 2008-2009 Dodge Challenger, 2005-2008 Dodge Magnum, 2005-2009 Chrysler 300, 2006-2009 Dodge Charger, 2005-2009 Dodge Dakota and 2006-2009 Mitsubishi Raider vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in AZ, AR, DE, Washington D.C., IL, IN, KS, KY, MD, MO, NE, NV, NJ, NM, NC, OH, OK, PA, TN, VA, and WV, or "Zone B." Lastly, unless included in "Zone A" or "Zone B" above, Chrysler is recalling certain 2005-2008 RAM 2500, 2006-2008 RAM 3500, 2007-2008 RAM 3500 Cab Chassis, 2008 RAM 4500 and 5500 Cab Chassis, 2004-2008 Dodge Durango, 2007-2008 Chrysler Aspen, 2007-2008 Jeep Wrangler, 2008 Dodge Challenger, 2005-2008 Dodge Magnum, 2005-2008 Chrysler 300, 2006-2008 Dodge Charger, 2005-2008 Dodge Dakota, and 2006-2008 Mitsubishi Raider vehicles originally sold, or registered, in AK, CO, CT, ID, IA, ME, MA, MI, MN, MT, NH, NY, ND, OR, RI, SD, UT, VT, WA, WI, and WY.
Risk: These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules, and used as original equipment or replacement equipment. These inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling. An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicle until the recall repair is complete. Chrysler will notify the Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and RAM owners. Mitsubishi owners will be notified by their company. Dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began on March 27, 2017. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is S43. Note: This recall supersedes recall 14V-7700.
Air bags:frontal:driver side:inflator moduleDo not drive
Problem: Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain model year 2005-2009 Dodge Ram 2500, 2004-2008 Dodge Ram 1500 and Durango, 2006-2009 Dodge Ram 3500, 2008-2010 Dodge Ram 4500 and 5500, 2007-2008 Chrysler Aspen, 2005-2010 Chrysler 300, 300C, 300S, and SRT8, 2006-2010 Dodge Charger, 2005-2008 Magnum, 2005-2011 Dodge Dakota, and 2006-2009 Mitsubishi Raider vehicles. The affected vehicles are equipped with a dual-stage driver frontal air bag that may be susceptible to moisture intrusion which, over time, could cause the inflator to rupture.
Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicle until the recall repair is complete. Chrysler will notify the affected Chrysler and Dodge owners and Mitsubishi will notify the affected Raider owners. Dealers will replace the driver's frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began for Chrylser on June 8, 2015. The recall for Mitsubishi started on June 24, 2015. Chrysler and Dodge owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Mitsubishi owners may call 1-888-648-7820. Chrysler's number for this recall is R25. Note: This recall supersedes recall 14V817 in its entirety. Vehicles that have had their driver side frontal air bag replaced previously need to have their air bag replaced under this recall as well.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
NHTSA defect investigations
- Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture (EA21002) — opened Sep 17, 2021, still open.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
Extended cab doors will not open which makes it impossible to access tire changing tools. Looking on the internet, i've discovered this happens to many dodge dakota extended cab trucks. Vehicle was stationary.
Driving in our lane on a city street going 40 mph as a vehicle tried to turn into a gas station, crossing our lane right front of us and they did not have enough time to make the turn. To avoid a full blown head on collision, i swerved and we hit front driver side vs front driver side. Going 40…
Risk of fire by wrong sized fused in power outlet. I almost burn the truck charging a drone (57w charger) parking and left alone for about 20 minutes, when i back the cabin was filled with smoke. First i think in the lithium batteries catching fire, but no, the smoke comes from behind the dash…
My engine turns off while driving. I cannot restart the engine until i have stopped, shifted to park, and cycled the ignition to off. The engine stalling started as a low/slow idle condition, and now has escalated to cutting off at full acceleration while merging into expressway traffic. This has…
4.7l engine blew hole the size of a golf ball in block while passing a slower moving car on a country paved highway maxed at about 60mph. Engine has 72250 miles, running 5w30 synthetic oil. Regular home maintenance - oil changes every 3000 miles, other maintenance as in user manual at home. Had no…
Other Dodge Dakota years
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 Dakota | 44 | 6 |
| 2010 Dakota | 35 | 7 |
| 2009 Dakota | 18 | 5 |
| 2008 | 91 | 2 |
| 2007 Dakota | 145 | 4 |
| 2006 Dakota | 285 | 5 |
| 2005 Dakota | 470 | 6 |
| 2004 Dakota | 206 | 1 |
| 2003 Dakota | 296 | 4 |
| 2002 Dakota | 678 | 5 |
| 2001 Dakota | 678 | 7 |
| 2000 Dakota | 806 | 5 |
| 1999 Dakota | 641 | 4 |
| 1998 Dakota | 545 | 5 |
| 1997 Dakota | 446 | 5 |
| 1996 Dakota | 189 | 1 |
| 1995 Dakota | 208 | 0 |
See all Dodge Dakota problems by year, every Dodge model, or the Dodge VIN decoder.
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2008 Dodge Dakota?
Owners most often report air bags, steering, electrical system problems. The top one, air bags, accounts for 29 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2008 Dodge Dakota?
Yes, 2 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2008 Dodge Dakota a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Dakota model years, the 2008 has far fewer complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.