2002 Dodge DAKOTA problems and owner complaints
Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.
Key facts
678 owner complaints analyzed
5 distinct recall campaigns
39,100 mi median reported failure mileage
Scope: 2002 model year. Data snapshot: . 504 complaints include usable failure mileage.
Most common problems
Suspension:Front:Control Arm:Upper Ball Joint is the most frequently named component, appearing in 162 of 678 complaints (23.9%). A complaint can name multiple components.
| Topic | Matching reports | Share of complaints |
|---|---|---|
| Braking behavior | 236 | 34.8% |
| Transmission and shifting | 58 | 8.6% |
| Steering behavior | 54 | 8.0% |
| Engine operation | 21 | 3.1% |
| Electrical and battery issues | 13 | 1.9% |
| Fuel system concerns | 12 | 1.8% |
Topic matches use published keyword rules. They describe mentions, including negations or comparisons, and do not confirm a diagnosis. Read the matching rules.
Component breakdown
Number of unique complaints naming each component. Top eight shown.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Suspension:Front:Control Arm:Upper Ball Joint | 162 |
| Suspension:Front:Control Arm:Lower Ball Joint | 69 |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Foundation Components:Disc:Rotor | 68 |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 58 |
| Power Train:Automatic Transmission | 40 |
| Electrical System | 39 |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip | 28 |
| Suspension:Front | 28 |
Suspension:Front:Control Arm:Upper Ball Joint: 162; Suspension:Front:Control Arm:Lower Ball Joint: 69; Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Foundation Components:Disc:Rotor: 68; Service Brakes, Hydraulic: 58; Power Train:Automatic Transmission: 40; Electrical System: 39; Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip: 28; Suspension:Front: 28
Reported problems by failure mileage
Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Under 25,000 | 155 |
| 25,000 to 49,999 | 159 |
| 50,000 to 74,999 | 84 |
| 75,000 to 99,999 | 49 |
| 100,000 to 149,999 | 36 |
| 150,000 and above | 21 |
Under 25,000: 155; 25,000 to 49,999: 159; 50,000 to 74,999: 84; 75,000 to 99,999: 49; 100,000 to 149,999: 36; 150,000 and above: 21
25,000 to 49,999 miles has the most reports with usable mileage (159). 174 complaints have missing, zero or invalid mileage.
Complaints over time
Year the complaint was filed, not the vehicle model year or incident year. The snapshot year is partial.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| 2001 | 3 |
| 2002 | 45 |
| 2003 | 118 |
| 2004 | 202 |
| 2005 | 83 |
| 2006 | 33 |
| 2007 | 28 |
| 2008 | 30 |
| 2009 | 17 |
| 2010 | 22 |
| 2011 | 22 |
| 2012 | 8 |
| 2013 | 9 |
| 2014 | 21 |
| 2015 | 10 |
| 2016 | 5 |
| 2017 | 8 |
| 2018 | 6 |
| 2019 | 4 |
| 2020 | 1 |
| 2021 | 1 |
| 2022 | 1 |
| 2025 | 1 |
2001: 3; 2002: 45; 2003: 118; 2004: 202; 2005: 83; 2006: 33; 2007: 28; 2008: 30; 2009: 17; 2010: 22; 2011: 22; 2012: 8; 2013: 9; 2014: 21; 2015: 10; 2016: 5; 2017: 8; 2018: 6; 2019: 4; 2020: 1; 2021: 1; 2022: 1; 2025: 1
Pattern summary
Suspension:Front:Control Arm:Upper Ball Joint leads the component reports. Braking behavior appears in 236 complaint narratives. Transmission and shifting appears in 58 complaint narratives. Steering behavior appears in 54 complaint narratives. Use these patterns to inspect individual reports and prepare questions for a mechanic.
Calculated from recorded counts. An AI narrative has not been published for this selection.
Complaint evidence
Examples provide context, not a representative sample or a verified diagnosis.
Owner report 10000921 · 2003-01-10 (January 10, 2003)
2002 DODGE DAKOTA (18,000 MI), 4WD, V8, X-CAB. BRAKES WARPED. I HAD A 1999 DODGE DAKOTA (38,000 MI), 2WD, V6, X-CAB THAT THE BRAKES WARPED AND HAD TO BE TURNED A TOTAL OF 3 TIMES BEFORE I SOLD THE VEHICLE. THE DEALER STATES THAT THIS IS NORMAL USAGE FOR BRAKES.*JB
Owner-reported narrative. 17,500 miles reported. Look up ODI 10000921 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10005469 · 2003-02-07 (February 7, 2003)
THE SECOND WRECK I CAN ATTRIBUTE TO THE ANTI-SKID BRAKING SYSTEM. (TWO SEPARATE VEHICLES). PH
Owner-reported narrative. 30,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10005469 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10010902 · 2003-03-23 (March 23, 2003)
WARM ENGINE IDLE ON 4.7L ENGINE IN 2002 DAKOTA QUAD CAB STUMBLES WHEN IDLING AT TRAFFIC LIGHTS. RPM AT NORMAL IDLE ONLY 500 TO 550. WHEN FLUCTUATION OCCURS IDLE SPEED RANGES BETWEEN 450 RPMS TO 650 RPMS. ENGINE VIBRATES DUE TO LOW IDLE RPM AND HAS STALLED ON ONE OCCASION. TO PREVENT STALL OUT I NEED TO SHIFT AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION INTO NEUTRAL. HAVE BEEN TO DEALER TWICE AND WAS TOLD THEY CAN'T FIX AS NO TSB HAS BEEN RECEIVED ALLOWING FOR CHANGE TO COMPUTER. THIS HAS BEEN AN ONGOING PROBLEM SINCE I BOUGHT THE TRUCK NEW LAST JUNE. NOT JUST…
Owner-reported narrative. 35 miles reported. Look up ODI 10010902 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10013847 · 2003-04-02 (April 2, 2003)
FRONT END LINKAGE. TRANSMISSION WON'T SHIFT OUT. FRONT END HAS A POPPING NOISE AGAIN ( SAME AS BEFORE) TRANSMISSION WON'T SHIFT OUT AND CAUSES THE MOTOR TO REV UP CONSIDERABLY. *NLM
Owner-reported narrative. 6,527 miles reported. Look up ODI 10013847 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10005427 · 2003-02-06 (February 6, 2003)
GOODYEAR TIRES: I PURCHASED A 2002 DODGE DAKOTA IN JUNE, 2002. FROM DAY 1, I HAD TROUBLE STEERING. AFTER 3 TRIPS TO THE DEALER, I LEARNED TODAY THAT THE GOODYEAR TIRES WERE DEFECTIVE. I WAS TOLD TO IMMEDIATELY GET NEW TIRES. THE GOODYEAR DEALER WAS UNRESPONSIVE TO MY NEED. IT WAS OBVIOUS THAT HE DID NOT WANT TO DEAL WITH DEFECTIVE TIRES. I WENT IMMEDIATELY TO A MICHELIN (SP) DEALER AND PURCHASED 4 NEW TIRES. THE MICHELIN FOLKS COULD INSERT A CAR KEY FULLY INSIDE SPLITS THAT WERE IN MY TIRES. I FOUND NEWS REPORTS OF ABC INVESTIGATING GOO…
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10005427 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10020361 · 2003-05-22 (May 22, 2003)
THE CONSUMER NEARLY HAD A COLLISION DUE TO THE MALFUNCTIONING OF THE POWER STEERING SYSTEM. *AK *CB *JB
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10020361 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10010138 · 2003-03-08 (March 8, 2003)
PICKUP TRUCK DRIVE TRAIN BINDS UP DURING 2 WHEEL DRIVING. THE FRONT AXLE (4X4) DOES NOT ALLOW THE FRONT WHEELS TO DISENGAGE. TRUCK HAS BEEN TO THE DEALER 3 TIMES AND DODGE SAYS THIS IS THE WAY THEY ALL ARE. AT 4272 MILES THE FRONT TIRES SHOW SIGNIFICANT FEATHERING, AND IS STALLING OUT WHEN DRIVING AROUND CORNERS IN LOW GEAR MODE (@ INTERSECTIONS AND PARKING SPACES). DODGE SAYS THAT THE FRONT AND REAR AXLES ARE NOT LIMITED SLIP BUT POSITIVE TRACTION AND RECOMMENDS THAT I PUSH IN THE CLUTCH TO KEEP FROM STALLING. THEY WANT ME TO DOUBLE-CLUTCH …
Owner-reported narrative. 1,042 miles reported. Look up ODI 10010138 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10045963 · 2003-11-11 (November 11, 2003)
2002 DODGE DAKOTA R/T. ISSUE IN WIRING HARNESS/ELECTRICAL CAUSES THE 5AMP FUSE REGILATING THE INSTRUMENT PANEL LIGHTING TO BLOW REGULARLY, CAUSING A LOSE OF ALL INSTRUMENT PANEL LIGHTING. *AK
Owner-reported narrative. 51,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10045963 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10053202 · 2004-01-14 (January 14, 2004)
2002 DODGE DAKOTA CLUB CAB P/U HAS SERIOUS WATER LEAK TO PASS SIDE FLOOR. DEALER HAS HAD INTERIOR OUT OF TRUCK 4 TIMES W/O FIXING PROBLEM. I AM PERSONALLY AWARE OF MANY OTHER DAKOTA OWNERS WITH SAME EXACT PROBLEM. THIS APPEARS TO BE A MODEL WIDE DEFECT AND DODGE HAS NO INTEREST IN DEALING WITH DAMAGED OWNERS. COULD CAUSE ELEECTRIC SHORT/PROBLEMS AS WIRING/WIRING CONNECTIONS RUN UNDER CARPET ON THIS SIDE OF TRUCK. DEALER MUST HAVE KNOWN OF LEAK AND FAILED TO DISCLOSE TO INTERNET BUYER AND DID BEST TO MINIMIZE APPEARANCE OF DAMPNESS BY "SHAM…
Owner-reported narrative. 24,431 miles reported. Look up ODI 10053202 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10010584 · 2003-03-17 (March 17, 2003)
FUEL LEVEL IS OFF. THE VEHICLE MAY HAVE 7-8 GALLONS OUT OF 22 WHEN FUEL LIGHT COMES ON. BOOK SAYS YOU HAVE 1/8 LEFT, EQUALLS ABOUT 2 7/8 GAL. DEALER AND CHRYSLER SAY IT IS OK, HAVE TO KEEP FUEL PUMP COOL? *NLM
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10010584 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10065758 · 2004-04-08 (April 8, 2004)
FUEL PUMP FAILED AT 41,000 MILES. *AK
Owner-reported narrative. 41,500 miles reported. Look up ODI 10065758 at NHTSA ↗