YearToAvoid

2011 Dodge Dakota Problems, Recalls & Reliability

Verdict

No verdict

Complaint Index

100/100

#1 most-complained of 2 Dakota years

The 2011 Dodge Dakota ranks worst of the 2 model years with data, with a complaint index of 100, 44 complaints, and 6 recalls including 4 do-not-drive airbag recalls. Airbags are the top problem area at 41% of complaints.

Complaints
44
Recalls
6
incl. Do Not Drive
Crashes / fires
8 / 0
Injuries / deaths
1 / 0
NHTSA overall rating
Not rated
EPA combined MPG
15.5
14 city / 19 hwy

Top 2011 Dodge Dakota problems

NHTSA owner complaints by component group. Groups with 15+ complaints have their own page.

  1. Airbags18 (41%)
  2. Transmission & Powertrain8 (18%)
  3. Brakes6 (14%)
  4. Electrical System5 (11%)
  5. Other5 (11%)
  6. Engine4 (9%)
  7. Fuel System2 (5%)
  8. Suspension, Wheels & Tires2 (5%)
  9. Structure & Body1 (2%)

What owners report

  • Frontal airbags failed to deploy in crashes, including one where the truck was T-boned and rolled onto its side.
  • Rear brake drums warped after dealer replacement, causing the rear of the truck to hop and lose traction when braking.
  • A rear axle pinion nut worked loose, producing a loud grinding noise near the rear axle at low speed.
  • The fuel canister failed, preventing the tank from being filled to its maximum capacity.
  • The engine stalled while driving on a highway at 55 mph with the fuel gauge reading low.
  • A front wheel overheated and smoked while driving at low speed, with material dripping onto the disk.
2011 Dodge Dakota complaints: complaints filed per month6Apr 2012Sep 2013Oct 2014Nov 2015Apr 2016Oct 2016Oct 2018Sep 2021
51 complaints filed with NHTSA from Apr 2012 to Oct 2024; peak Dec 2015 (6).

2011 Dodge Dakota recalls

6 NHTSA recall campaigns list this model year.

  1. NHTSA 19V018000Jan 15, 2019Airbags1,413,222 vehiclesDo Not Drive

    Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module

    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 deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to explode.

    Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger's frontal air bag, the inflator could explode with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.

    Remedy: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicle until the recall repair is complete. Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began February 4, 2019. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is V01.

  2. NHTSA 18V021000Jan 9, 2018Airbags328,177 vehiclesDo Not Drive

    Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module

    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, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands or "Zone A." Additionally, Chrysler is recalling certain 2009-2010 RAM 4500 Cab Chassis, RAM 5500 Cab Chassis, RAM 3500 Cab Chassis, Jeep Wrangler, Chrysler 300, Dodge Dakota, Dodge Challenger, and Dodge Charger vehicles ever registered in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia or "Zone B." Chrysler is also recalling certain 2009 RAM 3500, RAM 2500, RAM 4500 Cab Chassis, RAM 5500 Cab Chassis, Dodge Durango, Chrysler Aspen, RAM 3500 Cab Chassis, Jeep Wrangler, Chrysler 300, Dodge Dakota, Dodge Challenger, and Dodge Charger vehicles ever registered in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, these passenger air bag inflator may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.

    Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

    Remedy: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicle until the recall repair is complete. Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began February 28, 2018. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is U03.

  3. NHTSA 16V352000May 24, 2016Airbags4,648,270 vehiclesDo Not Drive

    Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module

    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 1500, 2005-2009 RAM 2500, 2006-2009 RAM 3500, 2007-2010 RAM 3500 Cab Chassis, 2008-2010 RAM 4500 and 5500 Cab Chassis, 2004-2009 Dodge Durango, 2007-2009 Chrysler Aspen, 2007-2012 Jeep Wrangler, 2008-2012 Dodge Challenger, 2005-2008 Dodge Magnum, 2005-2012 Chrysler 300, 2006-2012 Dodge Charger, 2005-2011 Dodge Dakota, and 2006-2009 Mitsubishi Raider vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in AL, CA, FL, GA, HI, LA, MS, SC, TX, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands, or "Zone A." Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" above, Chrysler is also recalling 2004-2008 RAM 1500, 2005-2009 RAM 2500, 2006-2009 RAM 3500, 2007-2009 RAM 3500 Cab Chassis, 2008-2009 RAM 4500 and 5500 Cab Chassis, 2004-2009 Dodge Durango, 2007-2009 Chrysler Aspen, 2007-2009 Jeep Wrangler, 2008-2009 Dodge Challenger, 2005-2008 Dodge Magnum, 2005-2009 Chrysler 300, 2006-2009 Dodge Charger, 2005-2009 Dodge Dakota and 2006-2009 Mitsubishi Raider vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in AZ, AR, DE, Washington D.C., IL, IN, KS, KY, MD, MO, NE, NV, NJ, NM, NC, OH, OK, PA, TN, VA, and WV, or "Zone B." Lastly, unless included in "Zone A" or "Zone B" above, Chrysler is recalling certain 2005-2008 RAM 2500, 2006-2008 RAM 3500, 2007-2008 RAM 3500 Cab Chassis, 2008 RAM 4500 and 5500 Cab Chassis, 2004-2008 Dodge Durango, 2007-2008 Chrysler Aspen, 2007-2008 Jeep Wrangler, 2008 Dodge Challenger, 2005-2008 Dodge Magnum, 2005-2008 Chrysler 300, 2006-2008 Dodge Charger, 2005-2008 Dodge Dakota, and 2006-2008 Mitsubishi Raider vehicles originally sold, or registered, in AK, CO, CT, ID, IA, ME, MA, MI, MN, MT, NH, NY, ND, OR, RI, SD, UT, VT, WA, WI, and WY.

    Risk: These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules, and used as original equipment or replacement equipment. These inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling. An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

    Remedy: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicle until the recall repair is complete. Chrysler will notify the Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and RAM owners. Mitsubishi owners will be notified by their company. Dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began on March 27, 2017. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is S43. Note: This recall supersedes recall 14V-7700.

See all 6 recalls for the 2011 Dodge Dakota →

2011 Dodge Dakota fuel economy and fuel cost

City
14 MPG
Highway
19 MPG
Combined
15.5 MPG
Annual fuel cost (EPA)
$4,175
15,000 mi/yr
Fuel
Regular
Current regular gas
$4.32/gal
national avg.

EPA figures; median across configurations of this model year. Estimate your own cost with the fuel cost calculator.

2011 compared with other Dakota years

Complaint Index by model year (0 = fewest issues, 100 = most)025507510020102011
Complaint Index: 0 = fewest issues, 100 = most, relative to other years of this model. Avoid Caution Good Best
YearVerdictIndexComplaintsRecallsMPG
2010No verdict0357 !15
2011No verdict100446 !15.5

All Dodge Dakota years: best and worst →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2011 Dodge Dakota reliable?
Based on NHTSA complaints and recalls, the 2011 Dakota has a complaint index of 100 and ranks 1st worst of the 2 model years with data, driven mainly by airbag issues.
Does the 2011 Dodge Dakota have an airbag recall?
Yes. NHTSA lists three do-not-drive airbag recalls affecting the 2011 Dakota (campaigns 19V018000, 18V021000, and 16V352000) plus another affecting 2005-2009 models, and airbags account for 41% of complaints (18 of 44), including 2 crashes.
What is the top problem area for the 2011 Dodge Dakota?
Airbags, with 18 complaints (41% of total) and a median failure mileage of 82,329 miles, followed by Transmission & Powertrain with 8 complaints.
How many recalls does the 2011 Dodge Dakota have?
NHTSA lists 6 recalls for the 2011 Dodge Dakota, 4 of which are do-not-drive recalls.
What is the fuel economy of the 2011 Dodge Dakota?
EPA rates the 2011 Dakota at 15.5 mpg combined (14 city / 19 highway), with an estimated annual fuel cost of $4,175.

Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation complaint and recall databases; U.S. EPA fuel economy data; NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.

Data updated Sep 24, 2026. Read the methodology and data sources. The Complaint Index is based on NHTSA owner complaints and recalls; it is not a reliability rating.