2001 Dodge Dakota Sport 4.7

Summary:

Cheaply made vehicle

Faults:

The transmission failed at about 12,000 miles. The dealer had the truck for about a month before it was repaired. It was not the dealers fault that it took so long to be repaired as Chrysler sent a new transmission to the wrong dealer. If I had not made several phones calls to the Chrysler warehouse to tell them where the right dealer was it would have been longer. The problem was the wiring to the transmission that caused it to fail. To clarify, the transmission would not go into reverse was the sign that something was wrong. Under the New Jersey lemon law I had a claim to get a new vehicle, but I opted not to do that as it would have cost me more money in the long run. The bottom line is Chrysler quality control at the factory level is seriously flawed to let such a failure occur. The truck is out of warranty now because of the time period-3 years- but I will tell you the truck is poorly made which reflects the difference in price between the big 3 truck makers- GM-Ford and Dodge.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 12th July, 2004

7th Jul 2006, 21:22

I've owned trucks from all of the "big 3" (Ford, GM and Chrysler) over the past 20 years, and all of them have been extremely good trucks with virtually zero problems ever. It has been my experience however, that Chrysler is very lax in the area of customer service. Although my Dodge truck (a 2001 Dakota) never required any repairs, my brother and I both owned Dodge cars also, and the Dodge dealer flatly refused to perform repairs under the warranty within the first MONTH after the cars were purchased. My car had a warped brake rotor and my brother's had a problem with the fuel injection. The dealer we bought our cars from told me "I'm not going to fix your car and there's nothing you can do about it". My brother got a similar response. Appeals to Chrysler's arbitration board were totally ignored. I decided to pay a private garage to replace my warped rotors, which solved the problem, and I drove the car 90,000 miles without another problem. My brother opted to trade his for a Chevy. Except for my Dakota neither of us ever bought another Chrysler product, and I replaced my Dakota with a Ford Ranger. Poor customer service DOESN'T sell cars or trucks.

2001 Dodge Dakota SLT 4.7 liter

Summary:

Not worth it.

Faults:

Split fuel line.

Front lower ball joint had to be replaced.

Makes clanking noise from front driving on bumpy road conditions, dealer cannot find what is wrong after five visits.

Air conditioning was working fine, was serviced, and now doesn't work.

Transfer case seal had to be replaced.

General Comments:

Would be a great truck if the little things didn't keep breaking.

The dealership has very poor service, seems they don't listen to what I say. I would rather pay a local garage to fix what the dealership covers in a warranty.

OK performance and nice looking, but would rather buy a Toyota next time.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 29th June, 2004

29th Jun 2004, 19:50

I really don't see a reason for you to not like this truck. I would not drive anything other than a Dodge truck. You said a COUPLE of things were wrong, then said if all the little things kept brakeing. If you're a/C was working fine, why did you have it serviced?

7th Jul 2006, 21:34

First of all, the ball joint was covered in a recall. You should have received a letter about it. Secondly, I'd think twice about trading for a Toyota. Last winter I hit a Toyota Tacoma broadside with my 2001 Dakota. Although both vehicles were written off as totals, my Dakota would still start and drive, and the radiator was not even busted. The entire frame of the Toyota was warped and it would not even move under it's own power from the crash site, whereas if I had wanted to I could have actually driven mine home. I had 50,000 miles on my Dakota and to that point I had never had one single problem with it. It was the best truck I ever owned by far. In addition, the insurance settlement on my Dakota was 90% of what I bought the truck for new in 2001. I'd call that GREAT resale value.