NHTSA Intensifies Investigation of Dodge Dakota Safety

06/24/96

The National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration has announced that they are stepping up their investigation into the safety of 1991-1992 Dodge Dakota pickup trucks after receiving reports that three have been killed and 14 injured when the vehicles unexpectedly shift into reverse. The federal agency has received 71 complaints about the problem, including 59 accident reports. The investigation covers 154,393 Dakotas equipped with automatic transmissions. The agency is also upgrading a an investigation that covers 400,000 1993-1996 of Ford's Mercury Villager minivans, although recent news reports have not explained what about the vehicles sparked the investigation.

Paul Dever -- The Auto Channel