Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (power steering, steering column, rack and pinion).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2000 Dodge Dakota owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
On my 2000 Dodge Dakota my steering knuckle snapped past the tie rod on the wheel part of the right passenger side if the vehicle (front) this part is approximately a 1 inch by one inch of solid steel. This resulted in a crash with a parked manatee county patrol car. I believe this part should not have snapped under any circumstances. The investigating police offier agreed. I was not issued any traffic violation after the officer saw what had happened. I also believe this is a manufacturer defect that should be investigated . I plan to be following up on this with a phone call to your ageny. I wonder how many ticking time bombs are out there? I am aware of the recall of upper ball joints falling off and I am wondering if maybe defective steel is the cause.
It has been confirmed. I have received a second opinion and have been told intermediate drive shaft needs to replaced. I have researched this problem and am totally confused as to why chrystal has not yet issued a recall on this faulty part, it has been an ongoing issue for many Dodge owners. All NHTSA needs to do is search it online. So many complaints and yet no action has been taken. I have written/ emailed to Dodge corp. And was told that recalls need to be processed through NHTSA. Please anyone else having this problem file a complaint so Dodge will finally do something about it!
While driving at highway speed steering rack and pinion failed, causing the vehicle to pull to the left, and resulting in a collision. Consumer had the vehicle towed. Dealership will be notified.
Power steering fails. Lose control of steering at highway speeds after about 1.25 hours. First occurance in August 2002, then October, 2002. Did not drive on highway for extended period until August 2003 - failed again and again on mountain roads, exits, straightaways while passing, gentle curves. November 2002 dealer replaces rack and pinion and bushings at 23,997 miles. August 18, 2003, 31424 miles, dealer replaces column, intermediate shaft and bolt per starline. Sep 3, 2003, 31904 miles, dealer replaces all four control arms - cannot replicate problem as they will not drive the required miles, I'm their test dummy. The knobs for air conditioning also broke at this time - charged to fix this. Manufacturer says to contact dealer, dealer won't drive necessary miles - I still have to check the sep 3 repair to see if it really fixed the problem. …
At approx. 8K miles, pulsing and shimmy started in front end. Had to resurface rotors. Had to do again later at about 35K. Not normal. At 15K reported front end creaks/groans dealer found no problem. At 35K more of the same, dealer replaced front stabilizer/sway bushing. At 38K miles, replaced lower steering column. Helped some but still creaking when steering at low speed. At 53K asked again about steering groan. Dealer says he could fix for about $1000 (of course out of warranty now! And I've been asking about this since 15K miles). Also at 53K, replaced lower ball joints left side and fuel pump. At 59K back in the shop today to replace right ball joints which cause vehicle steering to "wander" and have badly worn inside right tire. Quality of vehicle is lousy and they won't admit it or stand behind it. …
The power steering pump failed (with no warning), causing me to lose control of my truck as it went around a corner. I lost control of the vehicle momentarily, due to the unexpected heavyness of the streeing and the low speed (about 10 MPH). I did regain regained control and avoided hitting the cars in the oncoming lanes. I made it home, parked the truck until I could bring it in for service. The truck was not drivable around town with the power steering broken. I took it to the dealer and they replaced the power steering pump unit (part #52106253af). I believe I disposed of the unit. My truck is a 2000 Dodge Dakota quad cab 4x4 with the 4.7 and automatic. The mileage on the truck was only 32,501, but the dealer told me the in service date of 23 June 2000 put the truck out of the warrantee period. Cost of the repair was $501.23. …
Driving down the road made a complete stop started to make right turn but the tires did not turn luckiely I stopped just in time to prevent an accident the steering shaft that connects to the steering colum completly broke off therfore leaving me with no control of my truck. I replaced the steering shaft. The replacemen part has been replaced with a upgraded part. That lead me to believe the manufactuer knows about this problem. This could have been much worse if I was on the highway traveling at a much higher speed. I was out of 286.00 dollars but I much rather be out of 286. Dollars than out of my loved ones.please help before some body gets seriously hurt or loses thier lives. Dodge also have a recall on this truck problems with the conrol arms that could break and have no control of the steering this also leads me to believe why the the steering shaft on my truck broke off.
Tie rod broke on a 2000 Dodge Dakota. When returning home, the consumer turned the corner and the vehicle seemed to slide. Immediately it began to shake side to side like a washing machine with an uneven load. The consumer managed to get off the road onto a parking lot. Consumer first thought it was a flat tire, but it wasn't. A man and woman who saw the vehicle shaking, stopped to see if the consumer needed help. The man went to look at the vehicle and noticed the tie rod was broken on the right side after looking under the vehicle. Consumer reported the failure to the manager on August 4,2003 and he stated there wasn't a recall and he wasn't sure if other Dodge Dakota's experienced the same failure. Consumer was informed that the vehicle wouldn't be covered under warranty and there was nothing they could do.
On the evening of November 4, 2004, the right front tire assembly of my 2000 Dodge Dakota pickup truck fell off. My 17 year old son was making a right turn into the driveway of a friend's home when he heard a loud bang. When he got out of the truck he found the right front-end of the truck resting on the wheel assembly. The following morning, the truck was towed to a local repair shop that I use for car maintenance and repair. Upon arrival at the repair shop, the shop owner told me that the upper ball joint had failed. As a result of the failure, the lower ball joint and outer tie rod were also damaged and had to be replaced. Based upon the mileage on the truck, the shop owner told me that the ball joint should not have failed. Total cost to repair the upper and lower ball joint and the outer tie rod was $595.67.
I own a 2000 Dodge Dakota quad cab VIN [redacted]. This vehicle currently has 58000 miles. During an inspection of my brakes, I discovered several front end parts with unacceptable wear. At my own expense, I am replacing upper and lower ball joints on both sides as well as both outer tie-rod ends. I was lucky enough to have discovered these problems before any actual failure occurred. The truck is not new but these parts should have no where near this amount of wear at only 58000 miles. I have since discovered that I am only one of many that has experienced these problems with this type of vehicle. I plan to save all the old parts as well as my receipts in hopes that eventually I might be reimbursed. Updated 07/24/2012
Steering complaints in other Dakota years
Frequently asked questions
How common are steering problems on the 2000 Dodge Dakota?
NHTSA has 68 complaints about the steering of the 2000 Dodge Dakota, 8% of the model year's 806 complaints. The component named most often is linkages › tie rod assembly (28 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2000 Dodge Dakota steering problems?
No. NHTSA lists no steering recall for the 2000 Dodge Dakota, though it has 5 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2000 Dodge Dakota steering problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 60,000 miles, and 9% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 4 crashes, 0 fires and 0 injuries to steering problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.