Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2004 Dodge Dakota owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
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.
The driver headlight quit working. I went to the store to replace it thinking it had burnt out. When I replaced the light it did not work still and the old headlight still had both filaments proving it was still good. I took the truck to the dealership after both headlights quit working on me when I was out at night driving less than a 10th of a mile from home. I managed to not get in an accident. The dealership told me that the ctm and head light switch were bad however the ctm was a "obsolete" part and they were unable to get me one. After they released my truck back to me to drive as I please, I was able to purchase an older ctm from a 2003 4x4 automatic Dakota 4.7l. Now my lights work and I have a "guarantee" from the ebay seller that it will work for 6 months. …
The heater blower resistor keeps burning up. I have replaced the resistor various times and it keeps burning up. I replaced the blower motor and the resistor keeps burning up. I had the vehicle checked for an electrical short circuit and it has none. The wiring to the resistor also burns up. I checked the internet and there are numerous reports and complaints of the same problem with many owners of the same type of vehicle. In one of the cases the resistor cause a fire inside the vehicle and the vehicle burned down. This problem has been occurring on these vehicles for a long time and it hadn't been reported to the manufacturer. I am afraid that someday the vehicle will catch on fire because of this issue. I keep on replacing the resistor and the harness every time it burns and I've also replaced the blower motor. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 Dodge Dakota. The contact stated there was smoke coming from under the dashboard area. Upon further inspection, the contact found that the resistor that controls the heater and blower had overheated, burned and failed. The contact installed a new resistor however, it also burned and failed. He purchased a new resistor and contacted the dealer who advised him that they were having problems with the resistor and that it would continue to fail at a rapid pace. The manufacturer advised having the dealer perform diagnostic testing at his expense. The contact declined. The vehicle was not further repaired and the new resistor was not installed. The failure mileage was 69,000.
This is the second time this has happened an been replaced...now im going without a heater because the blower motor resistor started sparking an the smell of burning rubber an melted plastic filled the cab of the vehicle so I quickly pulled over to avoid a accident an I reached under to the to whare the resistor is located an it was scortching hot to the touch. It looks like it had started to catch fire. Are you guys going to wait until someone dies or gets seriously injured for there to be a recall on this...this is a serious saftey issue with atleast 298 people with the same problem and thats just one website, I have concrete information to back this message so please dont just ignore this.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 Dodge Dakota. While driving approximately 30 MPH, the contact noticed that the air conditioner and heat blower fan failed to function. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostics where the contact was advised that the resistor needed to be replaced because the wiring was melted. The vehicle was repaired. The failure recurred after repairs. The vehicle was not further repaired. The VIN was not available. The approximate failure mileage was 75,000.
Smell of burnt wire/plastic. Blower control switch would not work (blower motor would not run). Blower motor resistor and pigtail connection were melted and fused together. This was in 2010, it is now 2015 and I just had the seventh resistor put in with the fifth pigtail. The time before this last nightmare, I also had the blower motor replaced in case it was the cause of the resistor and pigtail connection issues.
I started my vehicle and could not get my headlights to turn on. All connections and bulbs were checked by a mechanic and the problem has been traced to the ctm (central timing module). These units are on nationwide back order. This is a serious safety issue and a serious replacement issue if people are losing their headlights and the part is on an unknown back order situation.
The horn stopped working, I took it to a non-dealer mechanic who found the horns themselves operational when applying an external relayed voltage to them and no fuses blown, he thought it May be a short in system. Horn would not work on many occasions, then one day it worked, the next day it did not. A couple of months later it wouldn't work, I have a tilt steering wheel so I moved it to an upright position, the horn started working, I put the tilt wheel back down and it still worked. The next day the horn wouldn't work even if moving the tilt steering up or down. It seems as if there May be an intermittent short of some kind in the wiring for the horn in the steering column. It has an air bag so it isn't an easy investigation. I haven't taken it to a dealer as Chrysler was closing outlets and I haven't found one to use yet.
Took delivery of 2004 Dodge Dakota slt on March 5, 2004 within one month, needle pegged at hot and check engine light came on upon first start up of day. Computer reset itself when truck was shut off and then restarted. No further problems remainder of day. However, problem persisted. Took truck into fresno Dodge for service-1st time, March 23: sensor was reset; 2nd time in shop, April 10: sensor replaced; 3rd time in shop, May 19: computer replaced-vehicle in shop for 17 days. 4th time, June 6: fresno Dodge placed diagnostic computer copilot in dash; we pushed button on diagnostic computer when problem presented again on June 27. Have not heard one word from fresno Dodge. Problem presented again on July 26.
Electrical complaints in other Dakota years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 2004 Dodge Dakota?
NHTSA has 21 complaints about the electrical system of the 2004 Dodge Dakota, 10% of the model year's 206 complaints. The component named most often is wiring (3 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2004 Dodge Dakota electrical problems?
No. NHTSA lists no electrical system recall for the 2004 Dodge Dakota, though it has 1 recall 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 2004 Dodge Dakota electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 49,000 miles, and 27% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 3 fires and 0 injuries to electrical system 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.