general problems of the 2005 Dodge Dakota

*incomplete recall status* ***defect in transfer case*** complaint of manufacturer defect in 2005 Dodge Dakota quad cab 4x4 3. 7l v6. While driving at a speed of 30mph on a smooth paved highway and selector switch turned to 2 wheel drive mode; out of nowhere, the transfer case tried to engage 4 high which resulted in svc 4x4 warning lamp illumination and a loud grinding/stuttering sound from under carriage as well as halting me to 10 mph without any help from me. After pulling over on the roadside and putting truck in park and turning the engine off, I waited a couple of minutes and svc 4x4 indicator and 4high dash light had gone. I restarted the truck only to find that the svc 4x4 warning lamp immediately returned and now the 4lo illuminated dash light is constantly showing and truck is still showing in 2 wheel drive with selector switch but 4x4 will not engage at all now. Took to a mechanic shop 1/2 mile down the road and had it read for any dtcs and inspected. Code came back as c1404. Transfer case still tries to engage as soon as truck door is opened and dome light comes on. Svc 4x4 warning indicator stays on the dash lit up and 4lo warning light flashes non stop. Manufacturers communication letter has been sent to dealerships for the proper installation steps of the transfer case on the model of my truck due to improper positioning. I have noticed no recall but have found a campaign id listed for this issue. I've owned this truck for only days now with the intention of presenting it to daughter for her 16th birthday next month and now there's a big concern here for safety and the fact that a recall hasn't been issued is crazy! . . . . It's completely absurd and should be escalated immediately until a consumer resolution is made. This truck is not safe at all with this defect by manufacturer transfer case! I am demanding that this faulty part be investigated and taken considerable responsibility for just for the amount of time allowed to pass!!.

While driving on I-635 northbound at around 25 to 30 mph with 4x4 activated on a single line available since it was cleared and salted. Without warning I was the only vehicle that veered right hard and I lost control of the vehicle almost crashing onto the metal beam along the highway. I went past the shoulder and down to the bottom of hill, but thankfully vehicle didn't turn off. I had to switch off 4x4 and back on and was able to climb up despite the snow back to the highway with no further reoccurrence. Unfortunately when this happened my passenger seat went forward and is now stuck and I broke lever trying to bring it back from front reclining. Because of the rough terrain the rear quarter panels where the was some rust have cracked.

While truck is sitting in park no keys in it, obviousiy not running you can hear the 4wd activating, also when driving in 2wd the 4wd light starts to flash trying to engage.

Tl-the contact owns a 2005 Dodge Dakota. The contact stated that he was unable to start or park the vehicle in the park position; the vehicle would only start or park when placed in neutral. There are no warning lights that illuminate in relation to the failure. The contact spoke with chapman las vegas Dodge Chrysler Jeep ram 3175 e sahara Ave, las vegas, nv 89104 where he was informed that there no recalls associated with the failure. The manufacturer had not been notified of the failure. The vehicle had not been repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 200,000. Jo.

My 2005 Dakota has been jumping in and out of 4wd while driving down the road and yesterday the transfercase locked into neutral while the vehicle wad sitting in my mother's driveway and rolled into the road.

Truck tries to engage into 4x4 mode while knob is in 2x4 selection and key is not even in ignition. Also while driving truck engages into 4x4 mode while knob is in 2x4 mode. Dodge dealer said they no longer make tipm part to fix this issue and no other parts company make this part.

Dodge durango 2005 transmission was replaced at 100,000. Once that was replaced 4wd service light appeared and switching sounds under the truck started. The truck locked into place and could not move. I went into 4wd automatically and when I went to seach problems online I came across hundreds of the same complaints. . Read more...

The contact owns a 2005 Dodge Dakota. While driving 5 mph, the vehicle independently shifted gears without warning. The failure recurred randomly. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer stated that there were no reports for the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.

Mine is the 2005 Dodge Dakota extra cab and the exhaust manifold bolts breaking/shearing at the engine block. This can cause (and it has) a ticking sound that gets louder as you accelerate. Once you hear the ticking sound, both sides of the engine are affected. This results in poor mileage, overheating, engine will stall at low idle, ultimately allowing exhaust fumes to enter the cabin, potentiallu, poisoning the occupants with carbon monoxide fumes. I took this vehicle to the dealer to have then replaced. The 1st dealer said it wasn't repairable. 2nd one said, 1400 $ per side to extract broken bolts at the rear of the exhaust manifold on both sides of my 4. 7 . 3rd repair shop told me this very common on the 4. 7 and he does about 10 a week. His price was 350 $ per size plus gasket and doughnut gasket at the collector. Hey! if this is such a common problem why are we Dodge owners being hostage by having to make this repair ourselves and pay for it? it is an emmisions engineering underdesign that needs to be fixed and a recall needs to be issued. It is a design defect. Please investigate and get this situation corrected before some innocent child dies from carbon monoxide entering the cabin. Not to mention other potential hazards that may occur because the driver is overwhelmed by carbon monoxide and runs down 78 people because they passed out from the carbon monoixide filled cabin while driving. Please. Do. Something. Time is running out. Before somebody is killed.

The contact owns a 2005 Dodge Dakota. The contact stated that the transmission caught on fire while the vehicle was parked. The wiring harness and alarm system were burned. The contact was able to extinguish the fire. In addition, while the vehicle was in reverse, the gear shifter would shift into park or neutral. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 130,000.

Shifting on its own. My truck has 75,186 miles on it and has always been well maintained. For the past 10,000 miles or so, it has been shifting in and out of 4 wheel drive and lo 4x4 randomly by itself without any human interaction. Even sitting parked you could hear it cycling and shifting electronically in and out of 4x4. I recently parked it in a grass field near a pond and left it - was working fine when I pulled in. Came back about an hour later, got in, started it and tried to go. . . Nothing at all. It had shifted into neutral (red "n" lighted) and it would not shift into any gear forward or reverse. Rolled freely now both directions. Had to get it towed out of the field and up to the roadway and then another company to come load it and tow it to the shop. Searched online - there are many similar instances about this vehicle shifting in and out of gears randomly on its own. Why hasn't this electronic shifting mechanism been recalled before someone gets killed? my truck easily rolled regardless of the shifting position. Just lucky I was on flat land in a field at this time and not on a sloping street - horrible to think what could have happened last week when I parked in the sloping parking lot at teh school above the football crowd at the game below. Too terrible to imagine if it would have shifted into neutral by itself at that time.

4 wheel drive is trying to engage on it's own even if it is not running. I am not going to go into detail because there are several complaints for the same problem. I am kind of curious as to why, with so many complaints, something hasn't been done about this problem.

Driving down the road in motion the transmission slams and the vehicle struggles to move it comes up with 2 codes which are p2706 and p0700 and when it sets this code off check engine light comes on. It has caused us to almost accidents as vehicle wont move. I am scared to drive with kids in vehicle in fear of an accident.

Truck is going into 4wd by itself. I almost crashed going at a high speed. Truck steering wheel locked up, tires locked up, truck lost all power and turned off. The 4x4 light turns on and off. When using the keyless entry button on remote I can hear a clicking and grinding noise under truck. The 4wd engages without me even being in the truck it happens sometimes when I ise the remote to unlock truck. I jad the 4wd engage also while making a turn. The wheels ceased up and couldnt get truck to advance. This has been happening since 2 weeks ago. Started with the 4wd light turning on amd off and progressively getting worse.

The contact owns a 2005 Dodge Dakota. While driving various speeds, the vehicle switched into 4 wheel drive without warning. When attempting to make a left or right turn, the wheels locked and prevented the vehicle from making a complete turn. The contact took the vehicle to a certified mechanic who was unable to diagnose the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and informed the contact that there were no recalls that related to the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 104,093.

Shifts into 4 wheel drive by itself. Svc 4 wheel light comes on sometimes. Becomes difficult to drive.

Truck shifted into 4 wheel drive by itself. Event occurred without any warning lights or indication it was 4 wheel drive. I noticed truck was in 4 wheel drive when I was slowing to make a left hand turn at about 20 mph and the steering was difficult and front tires were hopping and jerking until I stopped. I think this is an unsafe condition and that the truck should failsafe and never allow the truck to go into four wheel drive if some component in system fails. A warning light should come on and the system should block any attempt to engage 4 wheel drive. Luckily this event occurred at low speed and without a vehicle in front of me.

Takata recall. The contact owns a 2005 Dodge Dakota. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign numbers: 15v046000 (power train), 15v313000 (air bags), and 16v352000 (air bags). The parts were not available within a reasonable time frame to schedule the recall repair. The contact called four dealers that could not provide a specific date for when the parts would become available. The contact was unable to determine when the vehicle would be repaired. The manufacturer could not provide an estimated date for when the vehicle would receive the recall repair. The contact was not experiencing a failure. Parts distribution disconnect. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

The "check 4wd" indicator light comes on at random times and the 4wd engages on it's own. Even parked with no key in the ignition you can here the electronic hubs engage and disengage. This makes driving the vehicle a real hazard, since the handling characteristics change dramatically when in 4wd on dry pavement. I have done much research and found many people that have had or do have this exact symptom, including several on you complaints page.

Vehicle switched into 4wd by itself at high speeds occasionally. When the 4wd is engaged on dry pavement handling is reduced.

Warning indicator flashed "4lo" multiple times, "4lock", then "svc 4wd". 4lock autonomously engaged with no visual indication.

Driving down the road at 55 miles an hour the 4lo light started flashing like it was trying to shift into 4lo. It also shifted into tow neutral without even being started. You can hear the servo motor trying to engage the 4wd with the truck parked. I'm worried about what would happen if the 4lo engaged on the interstate at 70 mph.

While driving, the amber service 4wd light comes on followed by a tone. The dash switch(2wd, 4lock, 4lo) is rendered inoperable. The vehicle will put itself into 4lo when you slow and try to turn. In many situations, this can be very hazardous to the driver and dangerous to the drivetrain. Sometimes the 4lock or 4lo lights will blink randomly while driving, then lead to the service 4wd light coming on. Checking online, many owners of Dakotas are having similar pro- blems, wondering why there hasn't been service bulletins, warnings on this DE- fect, safety recalls, or acknowledge by the manufacturer of this situation.

The contact owns a 2005 Dodge Dakota. The contact stated that while sitting at a stop sign, he heard a loud bang. The vehicle was towed to the dealer for inspection where they stated that the rear end had seized and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 28,000.

Tl-the contact owns a 2005 Dodge Dakota. The contact stated that while driving at an unknown speed, the gears shift into four wheel drive on it's on. The four wheel drive warning indicator was illuminated. The failure recurred several times. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacture was not made aware of the failure. The VIN was unavailable. The approximate failure mileage was 96,000. Jw.

2005 Dakota club cab. Consumer writes in regards to problems with vehicle gears and rear axles. The consumer stated when he applied the accelerator, from a stopped position, the vehicle lurched slightly forward and a high pitched whining sound emitted from the vehicle. The consumer then realized, he didn't have any gears. He was able to drift the truck off the road, since he was on a slight upgrade. The truck was towed to a repair shop. An inspection revealed, the pinion gear had metal fatigue and fractured on the shaft behind the spline and ahead of the gear.

Problem is with the rear axle on the 2005 Dodge Dakota. I have had the dealership rebuild the axle at 15,000 and 50,000 miles. It's being rebuilt for a 3rd time by a independent auto shop. I tried to take it to a Dodge dealership in santa maria CA to see if they would repair it since it was a ongoing issue but informed me that it's not and would cost $2200. Of course the independent shop is doing it for roughly half that. I went to Dodge. Com and filled out a complaint with them. I faxed the repair documentation with them and left messages but my rep (david) never calls back. I did receive a email from Dodge for a customer survey but it's funny how their links don't work and their website security certificates are out of date. I guess if they can't maintain a website it's probably asking too much to fix a truck.

On my 2005 Dodge Dakota it randomly shifts in and out of 4 wheel drive. This occurs even after the vehicle has been shut off and the key removed. I disconnected the selector switch in the cabin and the problem still occurred. My mechanic pinpointed the problem to the crank case position sensor. After contacting the dealer for a replacement part he was told they are on national backorder and they dealer has no idea when they will be released. Now I have a vehicle that I can't drive because of a safety defect.

I have a 2005 Dodge Dakota slt. I purchased it in 10/2005. I have had problems with this truck since I first bought it. Recently I had to replaced the tire rods, sway bar and linkage, brakes, calipers, and rotors. Two days after I had all of these things fixed I noticed that the truck was still shaking and making a lot of noise. When I brought the truck to Dodge I was informed that the rear axle in the truck needed to be replaced. I was told that when the truck was manufactured the wrong size axle was put in the truck. This caused all kinds of problems. I was told that other parts are damaged and need to be replaced and repaired. (rear brake shoes, front disc rotors) I was told that the axle part is covered under warranty but I have to pay the $100 deductible. I was told that everything else that is damaged (due to the axle) and requires repair and replacement is not covered because it is considered "normal wear and tear". I was given a quote of somewhere around $400. (depending on labor) my complaint is simple, I am being forced to pay for damaged parts on my truck that are directly caused by the manufactures error. A problem that can be proved to be the manufacturers fault. I was sold a vehicle that had the wrong axle installed. Which then caused additional problems. When I bought this truck I was under the impression that the manufactures made the vehicle properly. They did not. They sold me a truck with the wrong part installed. Not only is this wrong but there should be some kind of an investigation into this. If the wrong size axle is in my truck, there are other trucks that also have the wrong size axle installed. It is dangerous and suspicious. I think it is even safe to say that it is fraud too! selling trucks that have the wrong parts installed and then making profit from the repairs and replacements. Sounds like fraud to me.

Consistent driveline vibration, unable to diagnose or repair. I took my 2005 Dodge laramie quad cab in for a front end alignment on March 5, 2007 to try and repair the previously mentioned problem. Since this time I have had the truck back to the dealership a minimum of ten times and it has been in their possession at least 60 days. The dealer has virtually replaced all of the front end parts, brakes, rotors, calipers, rotated tires, replaced and tried eleven (11) michelin tires, balanced, high speed balanced, my rims have over fifty notches where they have placed weights to balance the tires without result. Similar complaints lead me to believe this is a safety issue and needs investigated since by their own admission they can not diagnose the problem.