Faults:

Stereo sound knob for adjusting the balance broke within the first week. I dropped the truck off twice for other minor issues with the seat adjustment, which they fixed, but they never replaced the knob.

About a month after I bought the truck, I made my first highway trip. The truck lacks power at highway speeds. It does not pass well or even maintain power going up hills well. If one is using cruise control going up even a small incline, the vehicle will lose speed until the engine suddenly revs up to about 4500 RPM in an attempt to maintain speed. If one is just driving without cruise control, the vehicle will lose speed going up an incline, and then slight pressure on the accelerator will cause the same sudden, loud increase in RPM.

The anti-lock brakes do not work when wet. If has rained I must be very careful the first few times I use the brakes, as they will lock up. Once they are warm, they won't lock up, but they still do not function properly and cause abrupt stops.

The brakes have been replaced with OEM parts, and like the original brakes, do not offer much stopping power in dry conditions. One has to learn to compensate by slowing down ahead of a stop sooner than would be normal, and keeping 50 feet or so behind vehicles in front in case a stop is necessary.

The truck has much more road noise than my 1998 Dakota had.

The dealer fixed repainted the front bumper after I bumped into a short concrete filled metal parking barrier. The paint is cracking and pealing 8 years later. That may be normal, I don't know.

Most recently I noticed oil on the threads of my number two spark plug when changing them. My number six spark plug has what appears to be a rubber gasket blocking the hex head of the plug, preventing me from replacing it.

General Comments:

I have had very few problems with this vehicle.

I change the oil according to schedule.

Have changed the battery once.

Just changed five of six plugs at 86,000 miles (I can't remove one of them), and the shocks.

Flushed the brake fluid, transmission fluid, and power steering fluid one time each.

The back seat was roomy when my kids were small. Now that they are 10 and 12, it is too small.

Faults:

Power window replaced at 40,000 miles.

Cracked exhaust manifold at 45,000 (possible driver error). Dealer put the wrong bolts back on, so I took it to a private party and fixed it no problem.

Plastic switches for power seats broke off.

Replaced upper and lower ball joints, rack and tie rod ends, and front hubs at 105,000.

Rear axle outer bearings and seals at 110,000.

Fan clutch replaced at 112,000.

Thermostat at 112,000.

Rear differential rebuilt at 115,000.

General Comments:

Dakota was a ultra reliable truck for the first 100,000 miles. Afterwards parts began wearing and running costs were quite high. 10/10 for reliability before 100,000, and 5/10 afterwards.

Very fun truck to drive. This truck had the R/T suspension, and made the driving of a supped up 4.7 amazingly fun.

Jet chip, Magnaflow stainless cat-back exhaust, K&N cold air, and your 4.7 drives and sounds like a beast.

Keep this truck well oiled with synthetic oil with frequent changes, and the engine will outlast the body.

The 5 speed automatic transmission makes hwy driving at about 20mpg at 62 mph.

Rear differential is the weak link on this truck.

I changed the fluid every 30,000 miles, knowing it would help, but I had to have it fixed none the less.