NHTSA Safety Recalls
2003 Dodge Dakota Recalls
The 2003 Dodge Dakota has 11 NHTSA safety recalls on file, the newest reported on December 21, 2004.
A recall covers a range of VINs, not every 2003 Dodge Dakota. Whether a recall on your own car is still open shows only on a VIN check; recall repairs are free.
- Recalls
- 11
- Owner complaints
- 296
- Crashes reported
- 16
- NHTSA crash test
- ★★★★☆
NHTSA campaigns
filed with NHTSA
5 fires
frontal crash, no overall star before 2011
On a 2003 Dodge Dakota, the 17-character VIN is on the driver-side dashboard, visible through the windshield, or on the door jamb sticker.
11 recalls on the 2003 Dodge Dakota
Suspension: front: control arm: upper ball joint
- Campaign
- 04V596000
- Reported
- December 21, 2004
- Vehicles affected
- up to 592,707
- Same campaign
- also 2000–2002 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 2002, 2004 Dakota, 1 other model
Electrical system: wiring
- Campaign
- 03V389000
- Reported
- October 10, 2003
- Vehicles affected
- up to 50,082
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash
- Same campaign
- also 2001–2002 Dakota
Exterior lighting: headlights: switch
- Campaign
- 02V322000
- Reported
- December 2, 2002
- Vehicles affected
- up to 3,640
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash
- Same campaign
- also 1 other model
Fuel system, gasoline: delivery: fuel pump
- Campaign
- 06E011000
- Risk NHTSA names
- fire
- Same campaign
- also 2000–2002 Dakota, 3 other models
Engine and engine cooling
- Campaign
- 06E024000
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash
- Same campaign
- also 2000–2002 Dakota, 2 other models
Exterior lighting
- Campaign
- 06E026000
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash
- Same campaign
- also 2000–2002, 2004 Dakota, 42 other models
Exterior lighting
- Campaign
- 06E065000
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash
- Same campaign
- also 2000–2002 Dakota, 9 other models
Suspension: front: hub
- Campaign
- 08E064000
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash
- Same campaign
- also 2000–2002, 2004 Dakota, 1 other model
Exterior lighting
- Campaign
- 09E012000
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash
- Same campaign
- also 2000–2002, 2004–2006 Dakota, 57 other models
Exterior lighting: headlights
- Campaign
- 09E025000
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash
- Same campaign
- also 2000–2002, 2004 Dakota, 46 other models
2003 Dodge Dakota complaints by year
NHTSA has received 296 owner complaints about the 2003 Dodge Dakota, the newest on August 31, 2026. Of these, 16 describe a crash (5%) and 5 a fire; owners reported 12 injuries.
In complaints about the 2003 Dodge Dakota, the component group named most often is the suspension (34%), followed by the service brakes, hydraulic (15%) and the power train (13%).
2 of the 2003 Dodge Dakota's 11 recalls also concern the suspension.
Where 2003 Dodge Dakota owners gave the mileage (222 complaints), the median was 34,290 miles.
Component groups named in complaints
- Suspension100
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic44
- Power Train38
- Electrical System34
- Engine And Engine Cooling34
- Exterior Lighting22
Complaints received, by year
| 2002 | 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 46 | |
| 2004 | 92 | |
| 2005 | 36 | |
| 2006 | 16 | |
| 2007 | 13 | |
| 2008 | 16 | |
| 2009 | 8 | |
| 2010 | 6 | |
| 2011 | 9 | |
| 2012 | 7 | |
| 2013 | 6 | |
| 2014 | 10 | |
| 2015 | 7 | |
| 2016 | 5 | |
| 2017 | 4 | |
| 2018 | 3 | |
| 2019 | 3 | |
| 2020 | 4 | |
| 2021 | 1 | |
| 2022 | 1 | |
| 2026 | 1 |
Complaints about the 2003 Dodge Dakota peaked in 2004, when NHTSA received 92. 65% arrived between 2002 and 2006, the model year's first years on the road.
Adjusted for how many complaints NHTSA received about all 2003 vehicles, the 2003 Dodge Dakota drew 1.7× the complaints of the median Dodge Dakota year in the same window: 4th highest of the 10 ranked years.
NHTSA crash-test stars
- Overall: none before 2011
- Frontal: 4/5
- Side: 5/5
- Rollover: 3/5
The 296 complaints about the 2003 Dodge Dakota are unverified owner reports, and a model sold in large numbers collects more of them.
Dodge Dakota by model year
Other 2003 Dodge models
Newest record on this page: August 31, 2026. Data: NHTSA recall and owner-complaint files. How these figures are counted