Dodge Dakota

1997-2004 models

FRONTAL OFFSET TEST

OVERALL EVALUATION: Poor

Structure/safety cage	Injury measures				Restraints/dummy kinematics
Structure/safety cage	Head/neck	Chest	Leg/foot, left	Leg/foot, right	Restraints/dummy kinematics

Important: Frontal crash test ratings can be compared only among vehicles of similar weight.

Test details:

The Dodge Dakota was redesigned for the 1997 model year.

Restraints/dummy kinematics — Dummy movement wasn't well controlled. There was far too much upward movement of the steering wheel and floor buckling tilted the driver seat forward and toward the door. After the dummy moved forward into the airbag, it rebounded toward the driver door, and its head hit the inside of the door above the armrest.

Injury measures — Measures taken from the chest indicate low risk of injuries in this body region in a crash of this severity. A high head acceleration and high neck forces occurred when the dummy's head hit the steering wheel through the airbag, indicating that injuries to the head and neck would be likely. Forces on both tibias indicate that injuries to the lower legs would be possible. Head acceleration from the door hit was low.

Left to right:

Action shot taken during the frontal offset crash test. Larger photo
Post-crash damage shot. Larger photo
Smeared greasepaint (inset photo at bottom right) indicates where the dummy's head dipped below the windowsill and hit the driver door during the offset test. Larger photo

Additional features:

Antilock brakes (optional); rear-wheel antilock brakes standard

Tested vehicle specifications:

1998 Dodge Dakota Sport (2wd regular cab)
Class: Small pickup
Weight: 3,589 lbs.
Side airbags: none
Wheelbase: 112 in.
Length: 196 in.
Width: 72 in.
Engine: 3.9 L V6
EPA ratings: 16 mpg city | 21 mpg highway

See all test results for Dodge Dakota

Last updated: September 2, 2005