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Dodge Dakota fire or smoke problems

114 of the 6,482 owner complaints about the Dodge Dakota describe fire, smoke or burning smell, most of them for the 2005 model year.

owner complaints
114
worst model year
2005
typical repair cost reported
$2,000
typical mileage
75,000
Is there a fix? There are 2 recalls for this area of the car. See below

By model year

What owners say

Filed Apr 30, 2025 · Airbags, Electrical · 221,000 miles · AL · fire

The contact owns a 2006 Dodge Dakota. The contact stated that while her son was at a complete stop at the red traffic light, the driver's side air bag deployed unexpectedly, and the driver noticed that there was white smoke and dark smoke coming from the air bag. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the air bag caught on fire. The contact stated that the driver attempted to exit the vehicle, but the doors remained locked and the vehicle failed to shift to park(P) for two minutes. The driver was able to shift to neutral(N). The driver broke the front passenger's side window glass and exited the vehicle. A sheriff deputy parked his vehicle behind the driver's vehicle to prevent the vehicle from moving. The contact stated that the air bag fire burned the entire steering wheel and the steering column, the windshield and the front driver's side seat. The fire was extinguished with four extinguishers and with the assistance of the fire department. A fire department report was filed. A police report was filed but the contact did not have the police report information available. The contact's son sustained intrusion of metal shards in his right leg and bruises on the stomach, arm, and chest. The contact's son also sustained migraine, insomnia, panic attacks, and PTSD. The contact's son did not receive medical assistance. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The dealer then towed the vehicle to their location and took pictures of the failure. The dealer then towed the vehicle back to the contact's residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and denied assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 221,000.

Filed Feb 27, 2020 · Airbags, Seats · 112,855 miles · IL

Heated driver seat caught fire. Called dealership and was told there was a recall on the driver heated seat. The dealer said there was airbag recall on the driver and passenger side of the truck. The dealer said they would not repair airbags and would need to contact dodge for a case number. Contacted dodge and was told just drive carefully.

Filed Jun 9, 2019 · Electrical, Suspension · 65,000 miles · NC

Dodge dokata 2010. Heater resistor overheats repeatedly. Electrical smoke and burning smell repeatedly. Very hot to touch. So overheated wires and resistor melts. Resistor and wires replaced numerous times. Same results. Front ball joints keep going bad causing dangerous driving conditions. Many resistor and ball joint complanta all over the internet. I fear someone will die if the 2 issues are not resolved.

Filed Jun 3, 2019 · Electrical, Seats · CO · fire

I received a recall notice for the t80 heated seats in my 2005 dodge dakota I called the chrysler representative schedule a repair service with perkins dodge colorado springs he ordered the seats I told the representative that the passenger side had a burn hole in it and had caught fire when the new seats arrived at perkins dodge I took my truck in to be repaired they told me they will not do the passenger seat because of the burn hole has cut out pieces. I told them I had to remove some of the burnt material to put a seat cover on and still utilize the seat. Seats are still under recall they ordered them knowing that there was a burn hole I don't understand why they will not proceed with the repair the information for the case number and representative I talked to is here.... My name is [xxx] from the fca case management division, I have been assigned as your case manager. Here is some information that will be helpful for you to have: your case number is [xxx] the chrysler case management telephone number is: [xxx] my direct extension: [xxx] my work hours are: 8:00 am - 4:30 pm eastern standard time (monday-friday). I will contact you within one business day of your appointment by telephone to review your case with you. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr - (recall related incident) ts

Filed Mar 11, 2019 · Seats · 110,000 miles · VA · fire

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 dodge dakota. The contact stated that the passenger seat overheated and caught fire. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency campaign number: 17v820000 (seats); however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. Haley chrysler dodge jeep ram airport (5400 s laburnum ave, richmond, va 23231, (804) 663-5337) was contacted and confirmed that the parts were not available for the recall remedy. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000. Parts distribution disconnect.

Filed Dec 31, 2018 · Tires · 261,122 miles · VA · fire

Tl* the contact owns a 1999 dodge dakota equipped with four brand new cooper cornell 1000 all season tires, size: p235/75r15. While driving 65 MPH, the contact smelled burning rubber. As the contact was pulling off the main road, the vehicle began to shake and the rear passenger side tire blew out. The tires were purchased at pep boys on december 28, 2018. The contact took the vehicle to pep boys and returned the damaged tire. The manufacturer was closed and could not be reached until after the holidays. The vehicle failure mileage was 261,122. The tire failure mileage was 228.

Filed Dec 24, 2018 · Electrical · 198,000 miles · AL

Seats almost caught fire. Melted a hole in seats

Filed Oct 10, 2018 · Seats · DC

2005 dodge dakota. Consumer writes in regard to a settle claim for faulty heated seats that caught on fire. *as

Filed Aug 24, 2018 · Seats · NC · fire

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 dodge dakota. The contact received a recall notification for the federal safety agency campaign number: 17v820000 (seats). The contact stated that the manufacturer failed to repair the vehicle within a reasonable amount of time. The dealer (john greene chrysler/jeep/dodge, 910 jamestown road, morganton, nc 28655) confirmed that parts were not available to perform the recall repair. The manufacturer was notified. The contact also stated that the front passenger seat caught fire in february of 2017. The fire was extinguished by the driver. A police report was not filed and there were no injuries. The failure mileage was unknown. Vin tool confirms parts not available.

Filed Dec 15, 2017 · Electrical, Seats · 158,580 miles · WI

I was picking up my boys from school when I smelled something burning. Then I saw smoke coming from my drivers side seat. I turned off the heat to the seat. When I got out of the truck, there was a burn mark in the seat and on my jacket.

Related recalls

Electrical system: ignition: switchReported December 16, 2014 · 54,164 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Chrysler Group LLC (Chrysler) is recalling certain model year 2006-2007 Dodge Ram 1500, 2500, 3500, Dakota, and 2006 Mitsubishi Raider vehicles manufactured July 1, 2005, to July 31, 2006 with manual transmissions. The return springs in the clutch ignition interlock switch may break.
Risk
Broken springs can result in a no-start condition, or cause unintended movement when the ignition is cranked, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
Remedy
Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the clutch ignition interlock switch, free of charge. The recall began on March 27, 2015. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1‑800‑853‑1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is P80.

Recall number 14V795000 · Recall details

Electrical system: wiringReported October 10, 2003 · 50,082 vehicles affected
What is wrong
On certain pickup trucks equipped with manual transmissions, the headlamp and dash wiring harness may be chafed by the actuation of the clutch pedal. This could result in abnormal operation of the wipers, turn signals, horn or lighting systems.
Risk
This could affect driver visibility, could prevent a driver from sounding a warning by using the horn, and, when the turn signals are inoperative, the driver cannot use them to signal intent to turn, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Dealers will reroute the wire harness and repair the harness if necessary. Owner notification began november 3, 2003. Owners should contact daimlerchrysler at 1‑800‑992‑1997.

Recall number 03V389000 · Recall details

Questions about the Dodge Dakota fire or smoke

Which Dodge Dakota years have fire, smoke or burning smell problems?

The model years with the most reports are 2005 (20 complaints), 2002 (18 complaints) and 2000 (11 complaints).

How much does it cost to fix fire, smoke or burning smell on the Dodge Dakota?

Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $2,000 (median of 5 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.

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