I was going to work and the transmission started slipping when I had cruise control on, and then when I got to a stop light my truck started revving and wouldn't move. When i put it in neutral it wouldn't roll either. It just kept on revving and screeching. So i out back into drive and it jerks. Also my trucks rear end locked up and wouldn't roll in neutral while the truck is on. You have to keep the truck off and then put it into neutral to roll it.
Dodge Dakota jerking problems
64 of the 6,482 owner complaints about the Dodge Dakota describe jerking or lurching, most of them for the 2000 model year.
- owner complaints
- 64
- worst model year
- 2000
- typical mileage
- 50,000
Is there a fix? There are 8 recalls for this area of the car. See below
By model year
Often reported together
Ball joint 7Adaptive cruise 5Stalling 4Harsh shifting 4Power steering loss 3Check engine light 3Grinding brakes 3Whining noise 2
What owners say
Well my truck when I am driving down the rd at night the lights will turn off out of no where and I almost got in a couple of wrecks because of it flickering and I have changed and fixed everything and it still dose it so it like a wire issue or something but I don't feel safe at all driving at night because of it then my engine will like stop or something when I am driving and jerk my truck on the side of the road and backfire hella bad like guns are going off and it's blew my muffler up 10 times and blew my catillac converter up 5 times and blew my headers off and broke the bolts inside my heads and I only have 169 k miles on it this should not be happening because this is dangerous and a safety issue for me and others on the rd and it can cause a wreck like I came really close I was going done the free way and it like stopped then jerked me into the barrier but thank god I avoided it then driving at night and the lights flickering off and on and jerking like it dose I had 2 wheels in a 5ft ditch because of that going 55 MPH I would have died if I went fully in it then for the backfire and blowing my whole exhaust up I have seen 5 people wreck because of my exhust system they where fine but there car wasn't because of my exhust and I only get like 4 mpg I live like 10 miles from work and I have to fill it everyday because it sucks hella gas just only 20 miles round trip from full it's basically on empty like the next day I go to the gas station my gas light comes on
It is constantly overheating throwing off more codes. Passager airbag also keep turning off. Also well driving the car jerks back?
The steering completely locked up and would not turn. Intermittently over the past 3 months the power steering would suddenly stop working and the car was extremely hard to steer and control. After twice replacing the rack and pinion and steering pump the situation seemed to improve. Then suddenly, traveling 70 MPH on the freeway, the steering jerked right and when I turned it back to the left it completely locked up and I could not turn the wheels at all, they were locked straight causing us to immediately cross all lanes of the freeway as the road turned forcing us to the center divider.
Takata recall I took this truck in for the recall, left the dealer and the steering locked up as I turned onto a road, I had to jerk it very hard to release the wheel and when it did release it made a snapping sound from the steering column in the area where the airbag sits. Went back and told them what happened and five minutes later I was told my steering shaft couplers are bad. I never had this issue before, but they say I'm wrong as of now we are afraid to drive this vehicle.
Truck shifted into 4 wheel drive by itself. Event occurred without any warning lights or indication it was 4 wheel drive. I noticed truck was in 4 wheel drive when I was slowing to make a left hand turn at about 20 MPH and the steering was difficult and front tires were hopping and jerking until I stopped. I think this is an unsafe condition and that the truck should failsafe and never allow the truck to go into four wheel drive if some component in system fails. A warning light should come on and the system should block any attempt to engage 4 wheel drive. Luckily this event occurred at low speed and without a vehicle in front of me.
Felt a jerk, engine light came on, engine quit running. Had to coast off highway and stop, no power steering or power brakes.
Tl* the contact owns a 2007 dodge dakota. The contact stated that there was a noise emitting from the steering wheel. The contact noticed that when driving over a bump on the road, the steering wheel would jerk and no warning lights illuminated. The failure recurred multiple times. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to the dealer for a diagnosis. The technician diagnosed that the steering column and steering shaft needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had not been notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 60,000. Ma 07/30/15
2005 dakota club cab. Consumer writes in regards to problems with vehicle gears and rear axles. *smd the consumer stated when he applied the accelerator, from a stopped position, the vehicle lurched slightly forward and a high pitched whining sound emitted from the vehicle. The consumer then realized, he didn't have any gears. He was able to drift the truck off the road, since he was on a slight upgrade. The truck was towed to a repair shop. An inspection revealed, the pinion gear had metal fatigue and fractured on the shaft behind the spline and ahead of the gear.
On this 2006 dakota, steering is very stiff and makes me over correct the steering with each turn, causing me to jerk the wheel hard. There have been several incidents where I have almost hit parked cars in the process of turning. I have heard many with this problem and feel our 2006 should be included in this recall if there should be one(really needs to be).
Related recalls
Power train: driveline: differential unit
- What is wrong
- Chrysler is recalling certain model year 2009-2012 Ram 1500 trucks manufactured from February 27, 2008, through June 30, 2009, and from December 1, 2009, through October 20, 2011; model year 2009-2011 Dodge Dakota trucks manufactured from February 27, 2007, through June 30, 2009, and from December 1, 2009, through September 30, 2011; model year 2009 Chrysler Aspen trucks manufactured from January 3, 2008, through December 18, 2008; and model year 2009 Dodge Durango trucks manufactured from January 3, 2008, through December 18, 2008. The rear axle pinion nut may loosen due to an undersized pinion spline that can allow relative motion between the nut and companion flange.
- Risk
- If the rear axle pinion nut loosens, the axle can lock up and cause a loss of vehicle control and/or a vehicle crash with little warning.
- Remedy
- On November 7, 2013 Chrysler notified owners that dealers would install a pinion nut retainer, free of charge. In July 2015, and under a consent order with the federal safety agency, the company agreed to offer owners three options for remedying their vehicles: perform the original remedy, offer to repurchase the vehicle at the fair market value plus 10%, or offer an additional incentive offer towards the purchase of a new Dodge, Jeep, Chrysler, or Fiat vehicle. Chrysler will notify owners of the new recall options in a letter expected to be mailed on August 31, 2015. Owners may contact Chrysler at 1‑800‑247‑9753. Chrysler's recall campaign number is N08.
Recall number 13V038000 · Recall details
Power train: driveline: differential unit
- What is wrong
- Chrysler is recalling certain model year 2009-2010, Ram 1500 and Dodge Dakota trucks, manufactured from July 1, 2009, through November 30, 2009, because the rear axle pinion nut may loosen due to a lack of adhesive.
- Risk
- If the rear axle pinion nut loosens, the axle can lock up and cause a loss of vehicle control and/or a vehicle crash with little warning.
- Remedy
- Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will install a pinion nut retainer, free of charge. The recall began on June 17, 2013. Owners may contact Chrysler at 1‑800‑247‑9753.
Recall number 12V474000 · Recall details
Power train: automatic transmission: lever and linkage: column shift
- What is wrong
- On certain van and pickup trucks equipped with automatic transmissions, the ignition/park shift interlock system may become inoperative. This can allow the shifter to be moved out of the "park" position with the ignition key removed (or in the "lock" position). This can also allow the ignition key to be removed when the shifter has not been placed in the "park" position.
- Risk
- Either of these conditions could allow the vehicle to roll away causing a crash without warning.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the gearshift blocker and bracket assembly free of charge. The recall is expected to begin during january 2008. Owners may contact chrysler at 1‑800‑853‑1403.
Recall number 07V555000 · Recall details
Power train: automatic transmission
- What is wrong
- On certain passenger and sport utility vehicles and pickup trucks equipped with automatic transmissions, the software programmed into the powertrain control module can cause a momentary lock up of the drive wheels if the vehicle is traveling over 40 MPH and the operator shifts from drive to neutral and back to drive.
- Risk
- If the drive wheels locked up, loss of vehicle control could occur increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will reprogram the powertrain control module free of charge. The recall began on october 2, 2006. Owners may contact daimlerchrysler at 1‑800‑853‑1403.
Recall number 06V341000 · Recall details
Power train: automatic transmission
- What is wrong
- On certain pickup trucks, sport utility and passenger vehicles equipped with 42rle automatic transmissions, the cup plug that retains the park pawl anchor shaft may be improperly installed. If the shaft moves out of position, the vehicle may not be able to achieve 'park' position.
- Risk
- If this occurs and the parking brake is not applied, the vehicle may roll away and cause a crash without warning.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect the transmissions and install a bracket to ensure the park pawl anchor shaft is retained in the proper position. The recall began on november 28, 2005. Owners may contact daimlerchrysler at 1‑800‑853‑1403.
Recall number 05V460000 · Recall details
Power train: automatic transmission: lever and linkage: column shift
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: light duty trucks and sport utility vehicles equipped with 4-wheel drive. The electric shift transfer case may not fully engage into gear when the operator moves the transfer case selector switch.
- Risk
- This could cause the transfer case to end up in the neutral position unexpectedly and allow the vehicle to roll away if the parking brake is not applied.
- Remedy
- Dealers will reprogram the transfer case control module. Owner notification began april 9, 2001. 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 01V077000 · Recall details
Power train: automatic transmission
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: pickup trucks equipped with 4.7l engine and automatic transmissions. The automatic transmission may expel fluid from the fill tube during normal temperature operation.
- Risk
- The transmission fluid could come into contact with the hot exhaust system and ignition of the transmission fluid could result.
- Remedy
- Dealers will shorten the vent hose and assure adequate clearance.
Recall number 00V197000 · Recall details
Power train: automatic transmission: gear position indication (PRNDL)
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: light duty pickup trucks equipped with a500 automatic transmission. Inadvertent placement of the shift lever in reverse can occur when the driver believes that the transmission has been placed in park.
- Risk
- This can cause the vehicle to roll away with the engine on after the driver has left the vehicle.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the steel manual valve in the transmission with an aluminum version.
Recall number 00V106000 · Recall details
Questions about the Dodge Dakota jerking
Which Dodge Dakota years have jerking or lurching problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2000 (13 complaints), 2001 (7 complaints) and 1997 (5 complaints).
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used Dodge Dakota?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history