2002 Dodge Dakota

Faults:

I have had nothing, but trouble with this truck, but it is nice to look at. It will not stay running for the life of me. I have taken it back to the dealer I purchased it from and they never found anything wrong with it. They claim they don't find anything wrong with it. Maybe, it is a faulty idle motor like I read in another persons comment. Any help, I would appreciate it.

General Comments:

The truck rides wonderful.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 3rd March, 2006

17th Oct 2007, 16:57

Take it to an independent mechanic, and see what he says. Also, for a third opinion, take to ANOTHER dodge dealership. Some have better service departments than others, while some have better sales departments than others, as with any major purchase, shop around for different opinions.

31st Oct 2007, 10:47

I have had my 2002 Dodge Dakota crew cab for over a year and simply love it. The ride is comfortable with plenty of leg room both front and back with comfortable seats.

The one item that I would like to see improved upon is the fan or blower that puts out the heat or air-conditioning could be better. On low or medium it doesn't seem that it does much. It generally has to be on the highest setting.

I would buy another Dodge Dakota in the future.

2002 Dodge Dakota SXT 3.9 Litre V6

Summary:

Best looking and best value truck on the market by far!

Faults:

Before I got the truck, the dealer said they just replaced the master cylinder for the brakes.

I had to replace the driver door locking mechanism.

Stereo stopped tuning correctly, but that did not matter because I put an after market stereo in.

General Comments:

Other than the above, the truck has not given me any problems or reasons to be upset with its reliability or performance.

The V6 engine provides this truck with adequate power for passing and towing small to medium trailers. I would recommend if buying new, to get the automatic transmission if you plan on towing.

The interior is well designed with very few obstructions for fitting 3 people in the cab. The manual shifter is about the only thing to get in the way. The seats are a little uncomfortable for long trips.

This truck inside and out is exceptional. This truck is the most stylish truck on the market in my opinion. I will buy another Dakota as long as they are out there!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 7th December, 2005

2002 Dodge Dakota SLT Plus 4.7 V8

Summary:

The Dodge Dakota is truly a diamond in the rough

Faults:

Upper ball joints were replaced at 18,000 miles.

Heating and cooling system requires constant draining and flushing every 15,000 miles.

Heating and cooling controls broke, but was fixed in under 30 minutes by dealership.

The brake rotors began to warp at 40,000 miles and needed replacing.

Poor electrical design causes my passenger side headlamp to burn out every 10,000 miles.

The truck becomes uncontrollable on uneven pavement while traveling at freeway speeds.

Driver side power window has failed numerous times.

General Comments:

The truck is very powerful when equipped with the 4.7 liter V8 engine.

The fuel economy is poorer than I expected, and has continued to decline over the years.

The Dakota has a very large cabin area, with plenty of room for both passengers.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 17th February, 2005

2002 Dodge Dakota small V8

Summary:

I like it

Faults:

Severe leakage into the front floor of the passenger side was corrected by showing the dealer similar on line problems. The cause was a faulty drain arrangement on the air conditioning system. Fortunately this was still in warranty and was fully corrected by the dealer.

At 55000 miles (out of warranty) I had to replace the steering rack because of seal leakage into the bellows boots. The cost to correct this was 30% higher from the dealer than from an independent certified repair facility. I was told that the whole unit required replacement because they don't replace the seals. Would someone confirm this?

At the same time I had to replace the front rotors because of severe pitting and grooving, noting that the brake pads had very little wear. The repair facility credited this to "Chrysleritis"

Aside from the problems I thoroughly enjoy driving my Dakota. It has a 5 speed manual transmission with a V-8 (not a Hemi), and bucket seats. It's rather hard to change familiar habits having started on a farm at 12, and still, driving at 70.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 23rd September, 2004

9th Aug 2005, 16:59

How did you manage to get the A/C drain pan problem repaired under warranty?? My dealership charges me $40-$60 to clean out the drain. What was the "fix?"

Ken Schultz.

In reply to 9th Aug 2005, 16:59

22nd Aug 2011, 12:52

I don't know about the Dakota, but a Jeep Cherokee A/C will dump water in the floorboard, and the dealer will drill a hole in the heater air box and blow it open with an air hose. This corrects the problem until the algae builds up again and the water returns. I fixed the problem by using a syringe and injecting about 50ml of bleach into the hole the dealer drilled. The bleach killed the algae, and the problem never returned.