2003 Dodge Dakota: recalls and complaints

NHTSA lists 4 recall campaigns for the 2003 Dodge Dakota. The newest campaign is 04V596000. NHTSA received the report on 21 Dec 2004. The NHTSA record gives the component Suspension / Front / Control Arm / Upper Ball Joint. NHTSA has 234 complaints on file for this model year. 1 NHTSA investigation names this model year.

The NHTSA recall file shows no do-not-drive advisory and no park-outside advisory on these campaigns.

This page cannot show if a recall applies to one vehicle. The NHTSA VIN lookup shows the unrepaired recalls of one vehicle.

Remedy of the newest campaign, 04V596000, in the NHTSA record

Dealers will replace the front suspension upper ball joints. This safety improvement campaign began on december 21, 2004. Owners can contact daimlerchrysler at 1-800-853-1403.

NHTSA VIN lookup

Complaint information entered into NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation vehicle owner's complaint database is used with other data sources to identify safety issues that warrant investigation and to determine if a safety-related defect trend exists.
NHTSA publishes these words. Source: NHTSA Datasets and APIs, section Complaints, read on 1 Oct 2026. Complaint file through 29 Mar 2018. Recall file through 29 Sep 2026.

Since the last update

No tracked figure of this page changed in a data update. What the log tracks

All updates to the register

Recall campaigns

4 campaigns, newest first. 966,617 units in total.

04V59600021 Dec 2004Suspension / Front / Control Arm / Upper Ball Joint
04V2160005 May 2004Visibility / Windshield Wiper/Washer
03V38900010 Oct 2003Electrical System / Wiring
02V3220002 Dec 2002Exterior Lighting / Headlights / Switch

04V596000Received 21 Dec 2004. 592,707 units.
Suspension / Front / Control Arm / Upper Ball Joint
Defect, in the NHTSA record
On certain sport utility vehicles and pickup trucks equipped with four-wheel drive (4x4), if moisture leaks into the front suspension upper ball joint, evacuation of the lubricant and corrosion of the joint may cause the joint to wear over an extended period of time. This could cause a clunking noise in the front suspension, which may not always be heard by the vehicle occupants.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
Excessive wear in the upper ball joint may allow it to separate, which could result in loss of control of the vehicle.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will replace the front suspension upper ball joints. This safety improvement campaign began on december 21, 2004. Owners can contact daimlerchrysler at 1-800-853-1403.
Report filed by DAIMLERCHRYSLER CORPORATION. Manufacturer campaign number D47. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 21 Dec 2004.
04V216000Received 5 May 2004. 320,188 units.
Visibility / Windshield Wiper/Washer
Defect, in the NHTSA record
On certain pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles, the windshield wiper module motor may be susceptible to water intrusion that could cause internal corrosion and result in partial or complete loss of front windshield wiping capability.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
Driver visibility could be reduced, which could result in a crash.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will replace the front windshield wiper module. Owner notification began on july 12, 2004. Owners should contact daimlerchrysler at 1-800-853-1403.
Report filed by DAIMLERCHRYSLER CORPORATION. Manufacturer campaign number D22. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 12 Jul 2004.
03V389000Received 10 Oct 2003. 50,082 units.
Electrical System / Wiring
Defect, in the NHTSA record
On certain pickup trucks equipped with manual transmissions, the headlamp and dash wiring harness may be chafed by the actuation of the clutch pedal. This could result in abnormal operation of the wipers, turn signals, horn or lighting systems.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
This could affect driver visibility, could prevent a driver from sounding a warning by using the horn, and, when the turn signals are inoperative, the driver cannot use them to signal intent to turn, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will reroute the wire harness and repair the harness if necessary. Owner notification began november 3, 2003. Owners should contact daimlerchrysler at 1-800-992-1997.
Report filed by DAIMLERCHRYSLER CORPORATION. Manufacturer campaign number C35. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 3 Nov 2003.
02V322000Received 2 Dec 2002. 3,640 units.
Exterior Lighting / Headlights / Switch
Defect, in the NHTSA record
On certain pickup trucks, the central timer module (ctm) has an improperly sized circuit board trace that could potentially cause the right headlamp low beam to become inoperative.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
If the lights fail, a visibility problem could occur, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will replace the ctm. Owner notification began december 23, 2002. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact daimlerchrysler at 1-800-853-1403.
Report filed by DAIMLERCHRYSLER CORPORATION. Manufacturer campaign number B32. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 23 Dec 2002.

The campaign number opens the NHTSA record. Each quotation is the text of the NHTSA recall file.

Recall campaign: One recall in the NHTSA recall file, with one campaign number. A campaign can name many makes, models and model years.

Units: The number of vehicles or products that a recall can include. The manufacturer or the firm reports the number to the agency.

Complaints by component

234 complaints, 335 component mentions.

A complaint can name more than one component. Each component that a complaint names is one component mention. The figure per 1,000 component mentions shows how many of each 1,000 mentions name the component.

2003 Dodge Dakota
All 2003 vehicles

2003 Dodge Dakota: complaints by component, per 1,000 component mentions
Component	2003 Dakota	All 2003 vehicles	Dakota, all years	Mentions
Suspension	316.4	62.1	294.2	106
Service Brakes, Hydraulic	131.3	83.2	161	44
Power Train	104.5	136.5	116.4	35
Engine and Engine Cooling	92.5	108.8	68.2	31
Visibility	56.7	56.8	24.6	19
Electrical System	53.7	122.3	39.1	18
Exterior Lighting	32.8	33.7	12.2	11
Steering	29.9	42.7	75.5	10
Vehicle Speed Control	26.9	45.3	18.2	9
Air Bags	26.9	45.8	37.1	9

The table shows the 10 components with the most mentions, of 24.

Complaints that report a crash: 13
Complaints that report a fire: 3
Injuries in the complaints: 10
Deaths in the complaints: 0
Date of the newest complaint: 25 May 2010

These figures are the entries of the persons who sent the complaints.

Complaint: A report about a possible safety problem that a person sends to NHTSA. This site shows the number of complaints and not their text.

Complaints about the 2003 Dodge Dakota, by the year NHTSA received them. The largest year is 2004, with 92 complaints.

Investigations

NHTSA investigations that name the 2003 Dodge Dakota
Number	Type	Subject	Component	Opened	Closed	Campaign
EA03023	Engineering analysis	UPPER BALL JOINT SEPARATION	Suspension	19 Nov 2003	11 Feb 2005	04V596000

Investigation: A study of a possible safety defect by the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. An investigation with no closing date in the NHTSA file is open.

Other model years

The number under each year is the number of recall campaigns.

A year without a link has fewer than 2 campaigns and fewer than 25 complaints. It has no page.

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Official channels

NHTSA VIN lookupNHTSA shows the unrepaired recalls of one vehicle from its VIN or its license plate.
NHTSA: report a safety problemThe NHTSA form for a complaint about a vehicle, a tire, a child seat or equipment.
NHTSA page of the 2003 Dodge DakotaThe recalls, the complaints and the investigations that NHTSA shows for this model year.

Cite this page

Recall Register. 2003 Dodge Dakota: recalls and complaints. https://recallregister.com/vehicle/dodge/dakota/2003/. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, recall, complaint and investigation files. Data through 29 Sep 2026.

Sources

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Licence: US government work, public domain
Recall file through: 29 Sep 2026
Complaint file through: 29 Mar 2018
First complaint in the file: 1 Jan 1995
Manufacturer in the recall file: DAIMLERCHRYSLER CORPORATION

The NHTSA record is the authority. A complaint count is the number of different complaint numbers for the make, the model and the model year. How the register is made. Report an error.

Questions

How many units are in the recall campaigns for the 2003 Dodge Dakota?: 966,617 units in 4 campaigns. A campaign can name other models and model years, and its units include them.
How many recall campaigns does the Dodge Dakota have for all model years?: NHTSA lists 49 recall campaigns for the Dodge Dakota, model years 1985 to 2011. 4 of them name the 2003 model year.
Which component do the complaints about the 2003 Dodge Dakota name most often?: Suspension: 106 of 335 component mentions, or 316.4 per 1,000. For all 2003 vehicles the figure is 62.1 per 1,000.
Is an NHTSA investigation of the 2003 Dodge Dakota open?: No. The 1 investigation that names this model year has a closing date in the NHTSA file.