Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (front, side and curtain air bags, sensors and inflators).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2001 Dodge Dakota owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
My son was driving a 2001 Dodge Dakota, which I purchased new in 2001. He lost control on a gravel road and went off the edge of a ditch. Air bags did not deploy and he was killed in the accident. His passenger was injured, but survived. The front end of the vehicle was in horrible shape, and there is no way an airbag should not have deployed......updated 11/14/17
The consumer's vehicle rear ended an oil tanker while driving at 45 MPH. Upon impact, none of the frontal air bags deployed. The driver sustained knee injuries, and the passenger sustained a hair line fracture to left foot, angle, and ribs. She also suffered from back pains. This was the second collision where the air bags didn't deploy. The consumer's husband applied the brakes, but the vehicle failed to slow down. The brakes felt like they were slipping.
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 Dodge Dakota. The contact stated while driving 58 MPH, the vehicle crashed into a deer. Upon impact, the air bags failed to deploy. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer sent a representative to inspect the vehicle and determined that there was not enough impact to cause the air bags to deploy. The contact disagreed as the front bumper was pushed into the front wheels. The failure and current mileage was 291,000. .... Updated 03/08/13 updated 03/13/13
My husband was driving his 2001 Dodge Dakota home at night, on a country road, around August 5, 2008 and the headlights flickered on and off. When he got home, the windshield wipers went haywire, the horn continued to honk, the door locks began locking and unlocking, and the air bag light came on. We found out the central timer module (cmt) and clock spring had failed and was told the truck was unsafe to drive. We had both repaired for $530. I was told that recalls existed on several Dodge vehicles but not one of them specified our truck. I contacted Dodge and they just said it was not my truck so I was out of luck. I then did some research on this on-line and found several forums with this same problem on this year of truck, plus several others, and they could not find any help from Dodge either. This is a really serious malfunction and could of cause a very bad accident. …
I bought my 2001 Dodge Dakota quad cab brand new and until this date, I have only had one issue. The power window motor quit and was replaced in 2008. On October 1st, 2010, my cruise control went out. Thinking it was wear and tear, I was not in a rush to fix it. Then the horn quit working. When the air bag light started flashing when I turned the steering wheel, I took it in to be serviced. My concern is that I have the same issues as a previous recall, but my VIN # is not included in that period. My mechanic says it is the clockspring assembly that needs to be replaced and the part is expensive. Looking online, it appears Dodge is not making good. My VIN # matches the other complaints. After contacting Dodge (11/10/10), I was offered a 50% refund on repair work. This says to me that they acknowledge there is something wrong with other models/year. …
The horn and the cruise control were the first items to quit working and then the air bag light came on. I did some research and found that a recall for the very same problems were issued for 2000 Dodge dakotas and 2001 Dodge rams. I purchased my vehicle in December of 2000 so my vehicle was manufactured in 2000 even though it is a 2001 model. I do not believe that Dodge corrected the problem that existed that caused safety recall #982 to be issued. Due to this failure, my truck now has safety issues with the air bag and the horn not functioning. The cruise control is more of an inconvenience issue than safety. My truck failed inspection because the horn will not blow. I have scheduled to have it repaired on 1/13/06, but I feel that Dodge should be responsible for at least part of the repair since they have a history of clockspring failure in this vehicle.
Unit one was traveling east on greenbrier road in the inside lane. The driver of unit 1 stated it was raining heavily and he lost control of his vehicle. Due to vehicle hydroplaining unit 1 crossed the center line and entered the west bound traffic lanes unit 2 was coming west on greenbrier in the inside lane unit3 was traveling west on greenbrier in the outside lane unit1 crossed in front of unit2 collided with the passenger side of unit1 unit1 fishtailed counter clockwise and came to rest on the west bound side of greenbrier unit2 fishtailed clockwise and was struck by unit 3 the driver of unit3 stated he attempted to avoid unit 1 by swerving to the left and collided with unit 2 as it spun towards his vehicle the air bags in unit one being my vehicle did not deploy and passenger was badly injured.
We are concerned because the airbag in this vehicle failed to deploy . The circum-stances under which this collision happened are as follows: our 17 y/o was coming home from school (with friend as passenger). Passenger noticed 1st a vehicle ahead of them was slamming on their brakes to turn right (w/o using turn signal). Our daughter was unable to stop the Dodge truck in time to avoid a collision. Our vehicle incurred rt front end damage. The other vehicle incurred lt rear/ side damage. Our daughter's passenger hurt her knee when it hit the dashboard; but (luckily for us) they are friends and did not feel it was a serious enough injury to sue over. But we are concerned the airbag did not deploy-- shouldn't it have; if the decereration/ collision speed was 35 MPH??! Pls contact us.
2001 Dodge Dakota: clockspring failure leading to non functioning horn and air bags: history: normal use, very low mileage (27000) symptoms: on-steering-wheel horn and speed controls fail, then airbag system cause: failure in clockspring. Previous recalls for dodgeram, Dakota and durango cover this in other models, but not mine although my Dakota was built in one of the recall-effected plants during the mdh time range: see recall #982 repair: requires replacing clock spring $180 "street price" for part plus labor. Comment: internet searches suggest this is a common problem with Dakota trucks outside the aforementioned recall. It May be appropriate to increase the range of coverage of models, VIN's and mdh's subject to recall.
Air bag light on dashboard started blinking on and off, brought vehicle to Dodge dealer to diagnose problem. I was informed that the airbag lock spring was defective and needed replacement. This item is not covered by any type of warranty or extended warranty from Dodge. There are many complaints about airbag failing to deploy in accidents and injuries involved with it. The airbag is a safety feature in the vehicle and the dealer or the manufacturing company should be responsible for repairs and any damages caused by faulty equipment. I contacted the local dealer and Dodge corp. They said that there is nothing they can do. I do not believe that, im a very unsatisfied customer.
Airbag complaints in other Dakota years
Frequently asked questions
How common are airbag problems on the 2001 Dodge Dakota?
NHTSA has 39 complaints about the air bags of the 2001 Dodge Dakota, 6% of the model year's 678 complaints. The component named most often is frontal (11 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2001 Dodge Dakota airbag problems?
No. NHTSA lists no air bags recall for the 2001 Dodge Dakota, though it has 7 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 2001 Dodge Dakota airbag problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 85,000 miles, and 5% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 14 crashes, 0 fires and 10 injuries and 1 death to air bags 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.