- Vehicles
- 140,000
- Built between
- Jul 1987 – Jun 1990
- Models
- 1
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- NHTSA investigation
- Owners notified
- 8 November 1996
- Repaired
- Not reported
- Unrepaired
- Not reported
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between July 1987 and June 1990. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 1988-1990 Dodge DakotaBuilt July 1987 to June 1990
What the defect is
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.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtJuly 1987 to June 1990
- Recall reported to NHTSA13 June 1996
- Owners notified8 November 1996
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 13 June 1996.
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.
Official source
- Recalling manufacturer
- CHRYSLER CORPORATION
- Recall initiated by
- ODI
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
Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do no receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should call chrysler at 1-800-853-1403.
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.