Most common 2006 Dodge Dakota problems
Share of the 285 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Dodge Dakota complaints by model year
Best Dakota years: 2009, 2010, 2011. Years to avoid: 2000, 2001, 2002, 1999, 1998. Compare all years →
2006 Dodge Dakota recalls (5)
Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) expanded the affected population to include 73,712 2005-2009 RAM 2500 trucks produced at the St. Louis North Assembly Plant. With this change, Chrysler is recalling certain model year 2004-2008 RAM 1500, 2005-2009 RAM 2500, 2006-2009 RAM 3500, 2007-2010 RAM 3500 Cab Chassis, 2008-2010 RAM 4500 and 5500 Cab…
Remedy: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicle until the recall repair is complete. Chrysler will notify the Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and RAM owners. Mitsubishi owners will be notified by their company.
Air bags › Frontal › Driver side › Inflator module
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain model year 2005-2009 Dodge Ram 2500, 2004-2008 Dodge Ram 1500 and Durango, 2006-2009 Dodge Ram 3500, 2008-2010 Dodge Ram 4500 and 5500, 2007-2008 Chrysler Aspen, 2005-2010 Chrysler 300, 300C, 300S, and SRT8, 2006-2010 Dodge Charger, 2005-2008 Magnum, 2005-2011 Dodge Dakota, and…
Remedy: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicle until the recall repair is complete. Chrysler will notify the affected Chrysler and Dodge owners and Mitsubishi will notify the affected Raider owners.
Electrical system › Ignition › Switch
Chrysler Group LLC (Chrysler) is recalling certain model year 2006-2007 Dodge Ram 1500, 2500, 3500, Dakota, and 2006 Mitsubishi Raider vehicles manufactured July 1, 2005, to July 31, 2006 with manual transmissions. The return springs in the clutch ignition interlock switch may break.
Remedy: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the clutch ignition interlock switch, free of charge. The recall began on March 27, 2015. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403.
Visibility › Windshield wiper/washer › Switch/wiring
On certain pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles, a static electricity spark between the operator and the vehicle can cause the turn signal, headlamps or windshield wipers to malfunction without warning.
Remedy: Dealers will re-flash the instrument cluster. The recall began on March 6, 2006. Owners May contact daimlerchrysler at 1-800-853-1403.
Service brakes, hydraulic › Antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip › Control unit/module
On certain pickup trucks equipped with four-wheel antilock brake systems (ABS), the ABS electronic control unit (ECU) May cause a loss of front to rear brake balance, and the rear brakes could lock up prematurely during certain braking conditions.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the ABS ECU. The recall is expected to begin during the week of July 17, 2006. Owners May contact daimlerchrysler at 1-800-853-1403.
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal safety investigators have looked into 5 possible defects involving the 2006 Dodge Dakota:
Air Bag Inflator Rupture
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE14-016 in June 2014 based on six inflator rupture incidents involving consumer owned vehicles produced by five vehicle manufacturers.All six vehicles were operated in Florida or Puerto Rico at the time of the rupture and for the majority of their service life, and were equipped with inflators produced by Takata, a tier-one supplier of automotive air bag…
Clutch Interlock Switch Malfunction
On December 16, 2104, Chrysler Group LLC submitted a Safety Recall Report to NHTSA describing a defect in the clutch ignition interlock switches in approximately 66,819 model year (MY) 2006 through early-2007 Dodge Ram Trucks, Dodge Dakota, and Mitsubishi Raider vehicles equipped with manual transmissions and built between July 1, 2005 and July 31, 2006 (NHTSA Recall No. 14V-795, Chrysler Recall No.
Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture
From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant to burn too quickly when ignited.
Air Bag Inflator Rupture
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE14-016 in June 2014 based on six inflator rupture incidents involving consumer owned vehicles produced by five vehicle manufacturers.All six vehicles were operated in Florida or Puerto Rico at the time of the rupture and for the majority of their service life, and were equipped with inflators produced by Takata, a tier-one supplier of automotive air bag…
Steering wheel and steering shaft bolts
On March 9, 2006 odi upgraded preliminatry evaluation pe05-056 to engineerning analysis ea06-004 to investigate allegations of loose or missing steering shaft coupling bolts and steering column retaining bolts in model year (my) 2004 through 2006 Dodge durango sport utility vehicles and my 2005 through 2006 Dodge dakota pickup trucks.either condition could result in a loss of steering control.although odi identified…
What 2006 Dodge Dakota owners say
Air bags all 126 →
The contact owned a 2006 Dodge Dakota. The contact stated while driving at 45 MPH, the vehicle was involved in a no-fault head-on collision. The vehicle was damaged to the front of the vehicle and the driver's side of the vehicle. The air bags did not deploy. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard. The vehicle was deemed a total loss by the insurance company. The local police and paramedics were at the scene. No police reports were filed, however, the report number was unavailable. The contact was transported to the local hospital. The contact sustained injuries included a facial fracture, traumatic brain injury, broken right eye socket, crushed bladder, injury to both feet (toes), and impaired speech. The contact stated that this was the two-year anniversary of the crash. In addition, the contact was continuing to receive physical and speech therapy. …
The contact owned a 2006 Dodge Dakota. The contact stated while driving at 50 MPH, the brakes failed causing the contact to strike a curb and flatten the front passenger side tire, and damage the rim. No air bags deploy. The contact suffered injuries to the back, neck and suffered a concussion. The contact was transferred to the hospital where she received medical attention. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to an impound lot. The contact stated the vehicle was under NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 16V352000 (Air Bags) and 15V313000 (Air Bags). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 108,000.
Steering all 47 →
The steering gets hard to turn like it is going to lock up. I spray it with wd40. This happens every few days. The electrical has been screwed up forever. I turn the left turn signal on the the right one blinks and vise versa. Some times they both blink back and forth. I have talked to the local Dodge garage and all they say is that there is no recall. I wasnt notified by Dodge about the driver side airbag either. Looked up the VIN number after seeing a report on tv. That was 2 months ago and the Dodge garage just fixed the air bag on July 21 after I called them for the second time to see if the part was in. Updated 10/07/15 updated 12/08/2017
While driving my 2006 Dodge Dakota p/u truck started noticing noise while making any type of turning of the steering wheel. I took to my mechanics who put in some steering fluid. He told me this should help and if problem does return the problem is most likely the steering shaft that will have to be worked on & will be expensive to fix. It was fine for a couple of weeks but now the problem has returned & I'm making plans to take it back to my mechanic to fix the steering shaft. After reading numerous problem other owners are also facing concerning the steering there should be a recall for this.
Transmission & drivetrain all 36 →
Truck has an AWD 5 speed 545rfe automatic transmission. The "service 4wd" check light started randomly coming on and blinking while the vehicle was in motion and the transfer control case at times felt like it was attempting to and at times did shift into 4hi or 4lo. This happens without any touching of the control switch on the dash. Dealer disclaims any knowledge of the problem and there are no service bulletins or recalls. A search of the internet reveals that there are hundreds if not thousands of Dodge Dakota, durango and Jeep owners over various model years having this problem, some of whom have spent thousands of dollars replacing the transfer case and control modules without fixing the problem. …
1. 4wd transfer case changes mode by itself (uncommanded transfer case mode change). 2. At highway speeds, console / cluster will indicate one or more of the following intermittently and randomly: service 4wd, 4 lo, 4 hi. I haven't determined if there is correlation to these indicators illuminating and the actual transfer case mode. 3. Vehicle will shift into 4hi by itself when moving, making u-turns on dry pavement difficult and dangerous. There is no indicator on the dashboard of transfer case mode when this happens. 4. Vehicle's transfer case shift motor will activate with truck parked (engine off, key out of ignition, parking brake set, in park) and seems repeatable by opening or closing any of the doors. Transfer case motor sound is the same sequence (truck is normally in 2 hi) every time. 5. …
2006 Dodge Dakota engines & fuel economy
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | MPG city / hwy / combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3.7L 6-cyl | 4-speed automatic | RWD | 15 / 20 / 17 |
| 3.7L 6-cyl | 6-speed manual | RWD | 14 / 20 / 16 |
| 3.7L 6-cyl | 6-speed manual | 4WD/AWD | 15 / 19 / 16 |
| 4.7L 8-cyl | 5-speed automatic | RWD | 14 / 18 / 15 |
| 4.7L 8-cyl | 6-speed manual | RWD | 13 / 19 / 15 |
| 3.7L 6-cyl | 4-speed automatic | 4WD/AWD | 14 / 18 / 15 |
| 4.7L 8-cyl | 5-speed automatic | 4WD/AWD | 14 / 19 / 15 |
| 4.7L 8-cyl | 6-speed manual | 4WD/AWD | 13 / 18 / 15 |
EPA ratings. Class: Full-size pickup.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2006 Dodge Dakota a good car?
Based on 285 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2006 Dakota rates average: 36% fewer complaints than a typical year of the Dakota at the same age. Complaint counts don't account for sales volume or individual maintenance, so have any used car inspected before buying.
What is the most common problem with the 2006 Dodge Dakota?
The air bags — 126 complaints, 44% of all complaints for this model year, most often about frontal. Next are the steering (47) and transmission & drivetrain (36).
How many recalls does the 2006 Dodge Dakota have?
There are 5 recalls for the 2006 Dodge Dakota, the most recent from May 24, 2016 (inflator module). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer — check whether yours has been done with the VIN recall check.
What are the best and worst years of the Dodge Dakota?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2009, 2010 and 2011. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 2000, 2001, 2002, 1999 and 1998. See the full Dodge Dakota years comparison.
At what mileage do 2006 Dodge Dakota problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 55,000 miles; 44% of problems with a recorded mileage started before 50,000 miles.
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.