NHTSA Safety Recalls
2002 Dodge Dakota Recalls
The 2002 Dodge Dakota has 12 NHTSA safety recalls on file, the newest reported on December 4, 2007.
A recall covers a range of VINs, not every 2002 Dodge Dakota. Whether a recall on your own car is still open shows only on a VIN check; recall repairs are free.
- Recalls
- 12
- Owner complaints
- 678
- Crashes reported
- 55
- NHTSA crash test
- ★★★★☆
NHTSA campaigns
filed with NHTSA
18 fires
frontal crash, no overall star before 2011
On a 2002 Dodge Dakota, the 17-character VIN is on the driver-side dashboard, visible through the windshield, or on the door jamb sticker.
12 recalls on the 2002 Dodge Dakota
Power train: automatic transmission: lever and linkage: column shift
- Campaign
- 07V555000
- Reported
- December 4, 2007
- Vehicles affected
- up to 576,418
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash
- Same campaign
- also 2001 Dakota, 3 other models
Suspension: front: control arm: upper ball joint
- Campaign
- 04V596000
- Reported
- December 21, 2004
- Vehicles affected
- up to 592,707
- Same campaign
- also 2000–2001, 2003 Dakota, 1 other model
Visibility: windshield wiper/washer
- Campaign
- 04V216000
- Reported
- May 5, 2004
- Vehicles affected
- up to 320,188
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash
- Same campaign
- also 2003–2004 Dakota, 1 other model
Equipment: other: labels
- Campaign
- 03V505000
- Reported
- December 10, 2003
- Vehicles affected
- up to 35,692
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash
- Federal standard
- FMVSS 120, tire and rim selection for vehicles other than cars
- Same campaign
- also 2001 Dakota, 2 other models
Electrical system: wiring
- Campaign
- 03V389000
- Reported
- October 10, 2003
- Vehicles affected
- up to 50,082
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash
- Same campaign
- also 2001, 2003 Dakota
Fuel system, gasoline: delivery: fuel pump
- Campaign
- 06E011000
- Risk NHTSA names
- fire
- Same campaign
- also 2000–2001, 2003 Dakota, 3 other models
Engine and engine cooling
- Campaign
- 06E024000
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash
- Same campaign
- also 2000–2001, 2003 Dakota, 2 other models
Exterior lighting
- Campaign
- 06E026000
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash
- Same campaign
- also 2000–2001, 2003–2004 Dakota, 42 other models
Exterior lighting
- Campaign
- 06E065000
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash
- Same campaign
- also 2000–2001, 2003 Dakota, 9 other models
Suspension: front: hub
- Campaign
- 08E064000
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash
- Same campaign
- also 2000–2001, 2003–2004 Dakota, 1 other model
Exterior lighting
- Campaign
- 09E012000
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash
- Same campaign
- also 2000–2001, 2003–2006 Dakota, 57 other models
Exterior lighting: headlights
- Campaign
- 09E025000
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash
- Same campaign
- also 2000–2001, 2003–2004 Dakota, 46 other models
2002 Dodge Dakota complaints by year
NHTSA has received 678 owner complaints about the 2002 Dodge Dakota, the newest on October 23, 2025. Of these, 55 describe a crash (8%) and 18 a fire; owners reported 32 injuries and 2 deaths.
In complaints about the 2002 Dodge Dakota, the component group named most often is the suspension (33%), followed by the service brakes, hydraulic (26%) and the power train (13%).
2 of the 2002 Dodge Dakota's 12 recalls also concern the suspension.
Where 2002 Dodge Dakota owners gave the mileage (504 complaints), the median was 39,000 miles.
Component groups named in complaints
- Suspension226
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic177
- Power Train89
- Electrical System52
- Steering44
- Engine And Engine Cooling34
Complaints received, by year
| 2001 | 3 | |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 45 | |
| 2003 | 118 | |
| 2004 | 202 | |
| 2005 | 83 | |
| 2006 | 33 | |
| 2007 | 28 | |
| 2008 | 30 | |
| 2009 | 17 | |
| 2010 | 22 | |
| 2011 | 22 | |
| 2012 | 8 | |
| 2013 | 9 | |
| 2014 | 21 | |
| 2015 | 10 | |
| 2016 | 5 | |
| 2017 | 8 | |
| 2018 | 6 | |
| 2019 | 4 | |
| 2020 | 1 | |
| 2021 | 1 | |
| 2022 | 1 | |
| 2025 | 1 |
Complaints about the 2002 Dodge Dakota peaked in 2004, when NHTSA received 202. 67% arrived between 2001 and 2005, the model year's first years on the road.
Adjusted for how many complaints NHTSA received about all 2002 vehicles, the 2002 Dodge Dakota drew 3.2× the complaints of the median Dodge Dakota year in the same window: 1st highest of the 10 ranked years.
That makes 2002 one of the Dodge Dakota years to avoid by our method.
NHTSA crash-test stars
- Overall: none before 2011
- Frontal: 4/5
- Side: 5/5
- Rollover: 3/5
The 678 complaints about the 2002 Dodge Dakota are unverified owner reports, and a model sold in large numbers collects more of them.
Dodge Dakota by model year
Other 2002 Dodge models
Newest record on this page: October 23, 2025. Data: NHTSA recall and owner-complaint files. How these figures are counted