The 1996 Dodge Dakota has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 600 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 250 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the service brakes, hydraulic. Last updated July 5, 2026.
THE POWER BRAKE BOOSTER VACUUM HOSE COULD BE IMPROPERLY INSTALLED AND NOT CLAMPED TO THE BRAKE BOOSTER VACUUM NIPPLE.
A DISCONNECTED VACUUM HOSE CAN CAUSE AN INCREASE IN ENGINE IDLE SPEED AND LOSS OF BRAKE POWER ASSIST DURING BRAKE APPLICATION WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING.
DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE VEHICLES TO INSURE THAT THE BRAKE BOOSTER VACUUM HOSE CONNECTION IS FULLY SEATED AND CLAMPED TO THE VACUUM CHECK VALVE NIPPLE AT THE BRAKE BOOSTER.
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal information removed.
“I have a 96 dodge dakota that frame is rusting out. It has rusted out where the emergency brake cable hooks up so now no emergency brakes. Tubular frame is rusted out in about 3 places, a bumper bracket rusted out. I have tried twice to paint frame with out any success. Body is not rusting at all.…”
“The headlights go out going down the road.”
“At idle/park my 1996 dodge dakota 4x4 v8 5.2l slt will sputter and sometimes kill the engine. Now I'm not sure if that's a safety feature so the engine doesn't over flood itself, but I've replaced the iac valve, pcv valve, distributor rotor/cap, and spark plugs with no improvement. I recent had a…”
“At idle/park my 1996 dodge dakota 4x4 v8 5.2l slt will sputter and sometimes kill the engine. Now I'm not sure if that's a safety feature so the engine doesn't over flood itself, but I've replaced the iac valve, pcv valve, distributor rotor/cap, and spark plugs with no improvement. I recent had a…”
“At idle/park my 1996 dodge dakota 4x4 v8 5.2l slt will sputter and sometimes kill the engine. Now I'm not sure if that's a safety feature so the engine doesn't over flood itself, but I've replaced the iac valve, pcv valve, distributor rotor/cap, and spark plugs with no improvement. I recent had a…”
“Tl* the contact owns a 1996 dodge dakota. The contact stated that the seat belt buckle was fractured. The failure recurred numerous times. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vin was not provided. The approximate failure mileage was…”
“Tl* the contact owns a 1996 dodge dakota. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, there was a rapid increase in engine rpms. The contact shut the vehicle off but the failure continued when he restarted the engine. The vehicle was not taken to have the failure diagnosed or repaired. The…”
“Tl*-the contact stated that his 1996 dodge dakota has had 2 replacement of the driver side seat belt latch. The contact stated that the latch is made of plastic and the springs continue to fall from it. He stated that he has to replace this again and felt that this was a defective product used on…”
MR. EDWARD W. BAILEY SUBMITTED A PETITION TO THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION BY LETTER, UNDATED, REQUESTING THAT AN INVESTIGATION BE CONDUCTED INTO THE MATTER OF A FRAME CRACK IN HIS 1995 DODGE DAKOTA TRUCK.THE PETITIONER ALLEGES THAT THE FRAME ON THE PASSENGER SIDE OF THE VEHICLE IS CRACKED,…
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL, FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1996 Dodge Dakota as of July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.