Selling a junk Dodge Dakota
Any Dakota sells for scrap or parts, running or not. Below: what owners report most often for each model year, the recalls on file, and which of those change the offer. Enter your ZIP for a buyer near you.
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What owners report about the Dodge Dakota
NHTSA has 8,099 owner complaints on file for the Dodge Dakota, model years 1995 to 2011, the 60th-most of the 423 models in our data. The most-reported components are suspension (2,316, 29%), brakes (1,207, 15%), transmission and drivetrain (772, 10%). 586 complaints involved a crash, 140 a fire, and 37 say the vehicle had to be towed. The median mileage when the problem was reported is 54,000 miles. The 2000 model year has the most complaints (1,096). Data as of 2026-10-12.
When the top complaint is suspension, the question for a seller is whether a buyer will resell the car, pull the parts or scrap it. Read our guide to deciding whether to repair or junk: it explains which offers assume the part works and how to describe the car so the price holds at pickup.
Dodge Dakota by model year
| Year | Complaints | Most reported | Crash | Fire | Recalls | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 294 | Transmission and drivetrain | 42 | 6 | 1 | 90,000 |
| 1996 | 250 | Transmission and drivetrain | 24 | 6 | 2 | 94,449 |
| 1997 | 650 | Suspension | 49 | 11 | 12 | 70,458 |
| 1998 | 793 | Suspension | 58 | 1 | 12 | 70,000 |
| 1999 | 1,011 | Suspension | 67 | 6 | 10 | 59,111 |
| 2000 | 1,096 | Suspension | 77 | 16 | 12 | 51,085 |
| 2001 | 945 | Suspension | 58 | 12 | 14 | 50,000 |
| 2002 | 946 | Suspension | 71 | 23 | 12 | 40,000 |
| 2003 | 420 | Suspension | 22 | 5 | 11 | 42,450 |
| 2004 | 287 | Steering | 12 | 6 | 5 | 50,000 |
| 2005 | 598 | Air bags | 37 | 35 | 7 | 61,600 |
| 2006 | 386 | Air bags | 30 | 9 | 6 | 54,000 |
| 2007 | 168 | Air bags | 12 | 3 | 4 | 52,500 |
| 2008 | 131 | Air bags | 10 | 1 | 2 | 57,012 |
| 2009 | 23 | Transmission and drivetrain | 1 | 0 | 5 | — |
| 2010 | 48 | Air bags | 6 | 0 | 7 | 50,000 |
| 2011 | 53 | Air bags | 10 | 0 | 6 | 42,500 |
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not confirmed defects. Median miles is the odometer reading owners gave when they reported a problem, shown only where 20 or more reports include it.
Dodge Dakota recalls
NHTSA lists 43 recall campaigns across these model years, most often for air bags (8), transmission and drivetrain (7), lights (6). Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer. Before you sell, check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls; a buyer who plans to resell the car will.
- 2010 model year, air bags (campaign 19V018000, Jan 2019): Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2010 Dodge Ram 3500, Ram 4500/5500, 2010-2011 Dodge Dakota, 2010-2014 Dodge Challenger, 2010-2015 Dodge Challenger, Chrysler 300, and 2010-2016 Jeep Wrangler vehicles. Upon depl…
- 2009 model year, air bags (campaign 18V021000, Jan 2018): Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2009-2013 Jeep Wrangler, Chrysler 300, Dodge Challenger and Dodge Charger vehicles, and 2009-2011 Dodge Dakota vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, Calif…
- 2005 model year, seats (campaign 17V820000, Dec 2017): Fiat Chrysler Automobiles US LLC (Chrysler) is recalling certain 2005 Dodge Dakota pickup trucks equipped with heated seats. These driver and passenger seats may develop hot spots that can result in the seat cushion or s…
- 2005 model year, air bags (campaign 16V352000, May 2016): 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 …
- 2005 model year, air bags (campaign 15V313000, May 2015): 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 Chrys…
What a Dodge Dakota is worth as a junk car
Buyers price a junk Dakota on four things: its weight at today's scrap steel price (the floor), the parts still on it that can be resold, whether it starts and drives, and how far they have to tow it. None of those come from a complaint database, so use this page to describe the car accurately and our junk car value guide to work out a ceiling for the metal. Then get more than one offer.
Guides for selling this car
Should you junk or repair your car? 
How much is my junk car worth? 
How junkyards price cars 
Catalytic converters and junk cars 
How to prepare your car for the junkyard 
Junk car scams and how to avoid them Other Dodge models
- Dodge Durango 19,276
- Dodge Grand Caravan 17,698
- Dodge RAM 1500 15,938
- Dodge Caravan 9,276
- Dodge Charger 8,115
- Dodge RAM 2500 8,098
- Dodge Journey 8,026
- Dodge Intrepid 6,494
Questions people ask
- What is a junk Dodge Dakota worth?
- What a yard can recover: the car's weight at the current scrap steel price, plus parts it can resell (the catalytic converter, engine, transmission and wheels if they're good), minus towing and processing. The same Dakota gets different offers from different buyers, so compare at least two. Our value guide shows the public benchmark.
- Will a junkyard buy a Dodge Dakota that doesn't run?
- Yes. Junkyards and junk car buyers take cars that don't start, and most arrange the tow. Tell them honestly whether it starts, whether the engine and transmission are still in it, and whether the catalytic converter is on; those are what change the price.
- Should I fix an open recall before selling a Dodge Dakota?
- Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer for as long as the car exists. If the car is going for scrap, the repair won't change the scrap price. If a buyer might resell it or pull parts, a completed recall can help. Check your VIN at NHTSA's recall lookup first.
- Where do these Dodge Dakota numbers come from?
- From the complaint and recall data NHTSA publishes for every make and model, counted by model year on 2026-10-12. A complaint is an owner's report, not a confirmed defect, and the count rises with how many of the model were sold.