4.9

definitely annoying
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
20,604 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.

Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2008 Dodge Dakota:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

problem #3

Oct 032011

Dakota

  • 42,737 miles
Brakes locked and smoked when going over 50 miles per hour on the highway on my Dakota. I had to pull over to the side of the road to stop. The brakes smelled like they were burning. I waited for about 10 minutes and proceeded to try to get to the next exit. However, the shaking continued. I pulled over once again and waited for another 30 minutes. At this point, I got back in the car and it didn't do it anymore. When I went to the dealer to have this checked, I was told I needed to replace the calipers, pads and rotors. Upon further investigation on the web, I'm finding this is happening to several other people with this name brand: www.carcomplaints.com/Dodge/Dakota/2002/brakes/brakes_lock_up.shtml. based on the complaint and even if the brakes gets fixed, it could happen again. I'm concerned about using the car to go anywhere far since I feel it is very dangerous. I feel there should be some sort of recall on this issue. I have not gotten it fixed yet as I'm not sure it's even worth it. This happened to another 2005 Dodge Dakota truck I had but since I was still under the warranty, it was fixed although they gave me a hard time accusing me of taking the car elsewhere for maintenance. I thought the issue with Dakotas was a one-time incident. I would appreciate your investigating this issue further.

- Harrington, DE, USA

Add Complaint
problem #2

Apr 252011

Dakota

  • 18,575 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Dodge Dakota. While driving approximately 55 mph the brake system locked. The contact drove onto the emergency lane and the vehicle was towed to the contacts home. The vehicle was inspected by an independent mechanic who stated the front passenger side rotor, caliper, and brake shoe needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 18,575.

- Wetmore , MI, USA

Add Complaint
problem #1

Jul 162008

Dakota

  • 500 miles
Front brakes get grabby, than lock-up, when driven at random speeds. This causes the wheels to smoke and rotor grinding. This failure has occurred at least 7 times from 500 miles to 10,000 miles. I have had it to the 2 different Dodge dealers for a total 3 times. The only way I can get the brakes to unlock is to turn off the engine and wait a few minutes and restart the engine.

- Hatboro, PA, USA

Add Complaint