DODGE DAKOTA vs FORD EXPLORER

The DODGE DAKOTA (1985–2011, 27 model years) carries 9,227 NHTSA consumer complaints and 91 safety recalls, while the FORD EXPLORER (1977–2025, 43 model years) carries 42,132 complaints and 262 recalls. Severity indicators for the pair split as follows: 691 vs 2,324 crashes, 178 vs 975 fires, and 26 vs 282 reported fatalities.

Raw complaint counts favor whichever nameplate has fewer vehicles on the road, so the cleaner lens is components: which specific part families concentrate each model's filings? For the DODGE DAKOTA, the leading complaint category is suspension:front:control arm:upper ball joint (1047 filings), followed by suspension:front:control arm:lower ball joint and air bags. For the FORD EXPLORER, it is steering (3601), ahead of unknown or other and power train. When the two vehicles cluster around the same component, the problem is likely a shared supplier or a shared federal standard under stress; when they diverge, each nameplate has its own defect signature independent of the other.

NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program gives the DODGE DAKOTA an average 0/5 crash-test rating versus 4.3/5 for the FORD EXPLORER, aggregated across all model years with published scores. Use the side-by-side table below as your scorecard, but do not treat it as a verdict. Recall counts tell you how many defects the manufacturer has already been compelled to remedy; complaint counts tell you what owners are still flagging today; and safety ratings tell you how the vehicle performs in standardized barrier tests — three different lenses on the same underlying question. The "also compare" links at the bottom of this page let you triangulate against neighboring nameplates in each model's competitive set.