- Vehicles
- 4,000
- Built between
- Oct 1988 – Jun 1990
- Models
- 1
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- Manufacturer
- Owners notified
- 27 August 2001
- Repaired
- Not reported
- Unrepaired
- Not reported
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between October 1988 and June 1990. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 1989-1990 Dodge DakotaBuilt October 1988 to June 1990
What the defect is
Vehicle description: 4X2 pickup truck convertibles equipped with V6 engines (built from november 1988 - june 1990) and 4X2 pickup trucks equipped with the shelby package (built october 1988 - june 1989). The frame can crack at the steering gear attachment and/or the steering gear mounting bolts can fracture.
What could happen
The steering gear can separate from the vehicle frame resulting in a loss of vehicle control increasing the potential for a vehicle accident.
What gets fixed
DEALERS WILL ADD REINFORCEMENTS TO THE FRAME AND REPLACE THE STEERING GEAR MOUNTING BOLTS. IF THE FRAME IS ALREADY CRACKED, THE STEERING GEAR WELD NUTS WILL ALSO BE REPLACED. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN AUGUST 27, 2001.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtOctober 1988 to June 1990
- Recall reported to NHTSA6 July 2001
- Owners notified27 August 2001
Your rights
A safety recall repair is free. Under US federal law the manufacturer must fix a safety defect at no cost to you — no charge for parts, labor or diagnosis — whether or not you are the original owner. A dealer cannot charge you for recall work, and cannot require you to have bought the vehicle from them.
That entitlement is not unlimited. It applies where the vehicle was first sold less than 15 years before the recall was announced — 5 years for tires. Past that a manufacturer may still do the repair free of charge, and many do, but they are no longer obliged to. This recall was reported on 6 July 2001.
To arrange the repair, contact any franchised dealer for the brand. If a dealer refuses the work or tries to charge for it, you can report that to NHTSA at nhtsa.gov/recalls or on 1-888-327-4236.
Manufacturer contact
Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact daimlerchrysler at 1-800-853-1403.
Official source
- Manufacturer's recall number
- 988
- Recalling manufacturer
- DAIMLERCHRYSLER CORPORATION
- Recall initiated by
- MFR
Everything on this page — the models listed, the build dates and the repair figures — comes from the manufacturer's filing to NHTSA and describes the vehicle line as a whole, not any individual car. Only the manufacturer can confirm whether a specific vehicle is affected, and whether its recall work has already been carried out. Check yours by VIN and read the official notice at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Additional notes
Also contact the national highway traffic safety administration's auto safety hotline at 1-888-DASH-2-DOT (1-888-327-4236).
Check your own vehicle
This page describes the recall, not any one car. To see which recalls cover a specific vehicle, search by make, model and year.
A VIN lookup here identifies your vehicle and shows recalls issued for that make, model and year. It cannot tell you what is still open on your individual car - only the manufacturer knows that. Search by VIN instead, or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov for whether a recall is still open on your individual car.