Your vehicle report
1992 Dodge Dakota
The problems owners report. The recalls to check. The evidence behind each.
Your vehicle at a glance
Complaint patterns and official recall records, kept distinct.
- Owner complaints
- 216
- Received Mar 1995 to Mar 2021
Owner reports
Most reported problems
- 1Automatic transmission shifts unexpectedly or slips37 complaints · 17% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 2Vehicle rolls backward out of park19 complaints · 8.8% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 3Anti-lock brakes fail or lock up17 complaints · 7.9% of this vehicle’s complaints
Official NHTSA records
Recalls to check
- Recall #00V106000Vehicle description: light duty pickup trucks equipped with A500 automatic transmission. Inadvertent placement of the shift lever in reverse can occur when the driver believes that the transmission has been placed in park.
BrakeNews signals
Flagged complaint patterns
Unusual complaint patterns with no matched recall yet. A flag does not mean a recall will happen.
No problems currently meet BrakeNews’s flagging criteria. This is not a safety rating.
How flags are identifiedComplaint counts reflect reports submitted to NHTSA, not failure rates or a reliability ranking. Reported in these complaints: 21 crashes, 8 fires, 15 people injured, 0 deaths.
Explore by system
Where do owners report problems?
Choose an area on the car or a system below to explore the reported problems.
Illustrative only; not this vehicle’s exact design. Areas represent complaint categories, not confirmed defective parts.
Showing all 20 listed problems by system.
Engine & powertrain
Brakes
Electrical & lights
Airbags, belts & seats
Steering, suspension & tires
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Body, doors & glass
Driver assistance
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Other
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Complaint history
When NHTSA received these reports. Changes in reporting alone do not establish a change in failure rates.
Show as a table
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 1995 | 32 |
| 1996 | 77 |
| 1997 | 16 |
| 1998 | 10 |
| 1999 | 15 |
| 2000 | 35 |
| 2001 | 9 |
| 2002 | 6 |
| 2003 | 7 |
| 2004 | 3 |
| 2005 | 0 |
| 2006 | 0 |
| 2007 | 1 |
| 2008 | 1 |
| 2009 | 0 |
| 2010 | 2 |
| 2011 | 0 |
| 2012 | 1 |
| 2013 | 0 |
| 2014 | 0 |
| 2015 | 0 |
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 1 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 (to Oct 2026) | 0 |
| Total | 216 |
Problems owners report
Listed groups have at least 3 complaints. The page includes the 20 largest groups plus any additional flagged groups; some complaints are not assigned to a group.
| Problem | Complaints | Share | Share ratio | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Automatic transmission shifts unexpectedly or slips | 37 | 17% | – | |
| Vehicle rolls backward out of park | 19 | 8.8% | – | NHTSA recall #00V106000 |
| Anti-lock brakes fail or lock up | 17 | 7.9% | – | |
| Engine suddenly shuts off while driving | 13 | 6.0% | – | |
| Transmission fails or loses power while driving | 12 | 5.6% | – | |
| Paint peels off roof and hood | 9 | 4.2% | – | |
| Vehicle catches fire from wiring | 9 | 4.2% | – | |
| Transmission will not engage reverse gear | 8 | 3.7% | – | |
| Fuel tank or line leaks gasoline | 6 | 2.8% | – | |
| Brake pedal sinks due to leaking lines | 6 | 2.8% | – | |
| Brakes fail intermittently or repeatedly | 6 | 2.8% | – | |
| Front brake rotors warp and wear early | 6 | 2.8% | – | |
| Gear shifter fails to register Park | 6 | 2.8% | – | |
| Cruise control fails to disengage | 5 | 2.3% | – | |
| Seat belt fails to latch or retract | 4 | 1.8% | – | |
| Instrument cluster or speedometer fails | 4 | 1.8% | – | |
| Engine knocking from rod or main bearings | 4 | 1.8% | – | |
| Brake lights fail or stay on | 4 | 1.8% | – | |
| Rear door latch fails to open or close | 3 | 1.4% | – | |
| Fuel pump fails and engine stalls | 3 | 1.4% | – |
AI groups complaints by meaning; the groups are approximate. Share ratio compares the problem’s share of this vehicle’s complaints with its share on other vehicles over the last 24 months (shown from 3 recent complaints). A 2× ratio means twice the complaint share, not twice the failure risk. Flags mark unusual shares or recent surges after an AI review of the complaint content. “First signal” does not mean the pattern has persisted continuously.How recall estimates are calculated.
Recalls
NHTSA recall #00V106000April 11, 2000123,000 vehicles affected
power train: automatic transmission: gear position indication (prndl)
Vehicle description: light duty pickup trucks equipped with A500 automatic transmission. Inadvertent placement of the shift lever in reverse Can occur when the driver believes that the transmission has been placed in park.
This Can cause the vehicle to roll away with the engine on after the driver has left the vehicle.
Remedy
Dealers will replace the steel manual valve in the transmission with an aluminum version.
Other model years
About this data
NHTSA complaints and recalls through October 2026. Complaints are counted once each, however many components they name. Original complaints are on NHTSA's page for the 1992 Dodge Dakota.
Problem groups are formed by AI and may be approximate. BrakeNews flags unusual complaint patterns; they are not official defect findings. Investigation reports are written and checked by AI, with no human review. Owner reports do not establish that a defect exists.
Read the methodology and track record · Check current recalls by VIN