17th Mar 2006, 04:39
I have an 03 Quad 4X4 with the 4.7 liter V-8. The truck has 38K miles, and so far it has only had the recall work done on the ball joints. I am also now experiencing the pulsation in the brakes, but this may be a direct result of my wife driving the truck 50% of the time. I truly believe that most brake repairs are a direct result of poor driving habits. You see them every day, people driving 60mph between red lights, then locking up the brakes to stop in time. As far as the gas mileage goes, the 4.7 liter V-8 mileage is easily on par with most V-6 based trucks out there, with significantly more power and torque to boot.
5th Jul 2006, 14:41
I currently own a Automatic 2002 Dakota 4X4 and now I'm about to reach 110,000 km. It has done me well.
I do currently have the warped rotor problem, and was told by the shop it was due to a wet June we had in Alberta last summer, when hot rotors came into contact with water. I believed it. I think that's better than someone telling you you're a bad driver. But it really does sound like a manufacturer problem.
I have also run into a problem with it stalling when I turn a smaller radius at a slow pass (IE parking). Anyone have any suggestions?
But beside that, I love the truck, but might have to sell it due to the gas prices. It's a shame because you can't get anything that's durable off highway that's low on gas mileage.
7th Jul 2006, 21:59
I had a 2001 Dakota and (THANKFULLY) never had any problems at all with it. However, my family and I have owned Dodge cars and had the same warped rotor problems I read about in these reviews. The manager of the dealership where we bought our cars said (quoting his exact words) "I'm not going to fix it and you can't make me". This was the FIRST MONTH I had owned the car. appeals to Chrysler's arbitration board were totally ignored. I opted to pay a private garage to install new rotors. I drove the car 90,000 miles and never had another problem, however none of my family has ever bought another Chrysler product. We are a three-car family and now own 2 GM vehicles and 1 Ford vehicle. If Chrysler had any regard for its customers that would probably be 3 Chrysler vehicles, as the cars and trucks themselves are really very well-built and good values.
6th Apr 2007, 10:39
I have a 1999 Dodge Dakota Sport. Woke up one morning to go to work and it wouldn't start - had it towed and wound up having the distributor, rotor, cam and crank sensors replaced. Two days later, truck fires, but idles extremely rough when cold - here is the weird part - if below 0 Deg C, runs horrible until it warms up, once warm, runs great. Have had it in the shop for almost a week and no-one can seem to figure it out. Had the computer changed, distributor gears checked, complete tune up, etc. Anyone else come across a similar problem? Apparenlty Dodge Engineering has not heard of this before, and this is an anomoly!
MD.
20th Apr 2007, 11:10
Junk, Junk, Junk... I have had all these problems and then some. I took a chance on a American vehicle and got burned bad... back to an import for me... I can't afford to be loyal.
22nd Oct 2007, 12:30
A thing that you may want to consider with your warped roders.. the rear brakes are drum brakes... are you putting too much stopping emphasis on the front discs, have the drums checked out, they sometimes need adjusting or are bad all together. I had that same problem, till I adjusted mine. Other than that my truck is wonderful I bought it new at the age of 19 (2001), and it has no mechanical or physical problems, pretty impressive for a kid who drives it in a lot of snow, and salted street conditions.
4th May 2009, 11:18
I have a 2001 Dakota Sport with the 3.9L engine. For the past year, it starts easily but will misfire when I try to drive. It will stop misfiring after driving a mile or so. If I stop for 15-20 minutes and restart, it does the same thing. The garage has replaced plugs, wires, coil rotor cap, tested for vacuum leaks and still no improvement. It has been to two Dodge garages and one independent mechanic. I've had all the problems listed above, plus this. Won't be buying another Chrysler product any time soon.
16th Mar 2006, 20:25
I own a 2001 SLT Quad Cab with the 4.7L GEN2 engine. I get great acceleration, Great gas mileage. I have no complaints. this is the best truck I have ever owned. I have been through stuff it took modified Jeeps to get through with no problem. The truck is fast smooth. It looks good and hauls everything I want. I have 69,318 miles. I haven't warped the rotors or anything close. I run EBC Green stuff pads. I beat this truck daily and it keeps coming back for more. Great truck I will buy another Dodge.
SPC Wiltberger
1ST EN US ARMY.