Air bag light and Engine light comes on and off. Headlights, break lights, and blinkers keep going on and off while light switch is on. Rust on body due to clear coat peeling. Steering is sometimes hard to do even with full steering fluid. Shifts hard. Brake fluid has leaked. Coolant has leaked, along with heater core that dealership had me pay a lot of money for replacement in 2022. Vehicle hesitates to accelerate to higher speeds. Windshield wipers do not fully touch windshield towards top. Air compressor makes rattle on/off sounds.
Dodge Dakota headlights problems
135 of the 6,482 owner complaints about the Dodge Dakota describe headlights failing or too dim, most of them for the 2001 model year.
- owner complaints
- 135
- worst model year
- 2001
- typical repair cost reported
- $500
- typical mileage
- 75,000
Is there a fix? There is 1 recall for this area of the car. See below
By model year
Often reported together
Wipers 32Door locks 11Warning lights 8Ball joint 5Key fob 3Knocking 3ABS 3Water leak 2
What owners say
While driving my 2004 dodge Dakota all the gauges, including the speedometer and the tachometer stopped working. Everything went off although the truck was still running. I had headlights turn signals an emergency flashers nothing else. I don’t know how fast I was going how much fuel I had or if my engine was running hot nothing. This is something that could spook a driver to a point where he/she would be distracted of their surroundings. Possibly causing a serious crash and hurting or killing someone.
This one simple part effects so much and it is unsafe that this part affects so much. You guys offer it but its close to 1400$. Why is it so much? This would be vehicle number 2 within a year of each other having something bad go wrong it makes it unsafe to drive. It effects my fuel mileage, brakes, spedo and tach go crazy, headlights flash, problems with communicating with transmission, and it keads to the front controle module. My cruise stopped working and it worked before. My key fob has issues unlocking and locking takes like 10 button presses to work. I like your trucks but this makes it unsafe I cant even let my kid ride in my truck with me
Front cv axle(hub and bearing) failure while driving. The intermediate axle also needs replacing due to severe rust from cv axle. The upper upper ball joint has been replaced twice. The front headlights do not provide adequete visability at night.
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 dodge dakota. The contact stated that the headlights and the key fob were inoperable. In addition, the vehicle would not start. The contact mentioned that the battery was replaced, but the failure was still persistent. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer for diagnostic testing or repairs. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the contact was informed that the central timer module needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact to get a used part because they no longer made that part. The failure mileage was 99,000.
Takata air bag. I purchased a 2005 dodge dakota in august 2018. I took it to the dealership in october when I found out about the recall. Dealership replaced drivers side but not passenger side.I was told and shown photos of an empty space.there was no airbag or wiring.I still have no psa. Also when I test drove this vehicle it had no headlights.when I purchased it I was told they were fixed.I do not have high beams still. There are also problems with the emissions on this truck.I replaced the evap pump but still is not correct. Can someone please tell me what I can do about these safety issues? Thank you.
Lost exterior lights (parking lights, license plate light, tail lights, and instrument panel lights) while driving. Headlights, turn lights, and brake lights functioning. Ctm was diagnosed and replaced to correct the issue, however safety concerns caused the vehicle to be unused in low light conditions until problem diagnosed. Repetitive postings about this models ctm failures all over the internet and adjoining safety consideration with only a limited recall, which did not include my vehicle. No after market parts were found and replaced with a item for a local junk yard which may simply fail again.
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 dodge dakota. The contact stated that the headlights, turn signals, and speedometer failed to operate. The failure occurred intermittently. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer for diagnostic testing. The manufacturer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 160,000.
"takata recall" high beams come on on both sides low beam does not come on passenger side but on the driver side
Tl* the contact owns a 1998 dodge dakota. The contact stated that the headlamps failed to illuminate. An independent mechanic diagnosed that the wiring in the headlamp assembly was defective and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 214,674.
Related recalls
Exterior lighting: headlights: switch
- What is wrong
- On certain pickup trucks, the central timer module (ctm) has an improperly sized circuit board trace that could potentially cause the right headlamp low beam to become inoperative.
- Risk
- If the lights fail, a visibility problem could occur, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the ctm. Owner notification began december 23, 2002. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact daimlerchrysler at 1‑800‑853‑1403.
Recall number 02V322000 · Recall details
Questions about the Dodge Dakota headlights
Which Dodge Dakota years have headlights failing or too dim problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2001 (26 complaints), 2002 (23 complaints) and 2003 (17 complaints).
How much does it cost to fix headlights failing or too dim on the Dodge Dakota?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $500 (median of 9 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
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