4th Apr 2006, 21:43

"Tie rod broke while driving straight on the highway after 17500 miles."

Come on man. If you are going to post, then keep it real. Tie Rods don't break "going straight down the highway." I would expect some comments regarding front ends since it seems some people have posts regarding front end issues. This is the first I've heard of a "mystery tie rod failure". One thing I do notice on the Dakota is a V6 that only gets 175 HP. How do these engines respond to bolt-ons?

5th Apr 2006, 03:38

I own a 2003 Dakota Quad 4X4 and have been pleased with my purchase. I had the tie rod ends replaced under the recall, and had to have the emergency brake release handle repaired after it broke off under normal use. My truck has the 4.7 liter V-8, and it offers plenty of power with decent mileage. As far as Dodge dealerships go, the one I bring my truck to treats me like gold. I have heard that formal complaints to Daimler-Chrysler regarding poor dealer service do matter, especially if the dealer is a five star dealer. Complaints could cost a dealership the five-star certification.

2nd Nov 2006, 12:55

I purchased my 2000 Dakota SLT Club Cab about a year ago, and I am finally getting rid of it today. I have had so many problems since day one. Two days after buying the vehicle I was back at the dealer because the car kept stalling and would only stay running if I applied constant pressure on the gas. Then a few months later I had to replace the transmission. Then a month after that I had to replace the engine. I bought the vehicle with 60,000 miles on it, and have put over $3,500 back into the truck when I bought it for $8,000. I will not bash Dodge vehicles, I just had a lemon, prior to this vehicle I had two Dodge intrepid and they ran like champs and were the most dependable car I have ever had, except for minor transmission problems. My only advice is when the Dakota ran I loved it, it was a sleek truck, but when it was broken, it hurt the wallet bad. Good Luck.

10th Jun 2008, 20:36

I have a 2000 3.9 with 140000 miles. The truck is a flawless beast. I bought it used for a grand and this truck has at least another 50,000 left in it. I get about 20mpg highway, that's my only gripe. But this truck was not designed for hwy mpg's oh well. Don't listen to all the BS this truck; 1 heck of a value.

15th Jun 2008, 17:22

I bought a new 2001 Dakota Sport in October of 2000. It was an incredible truck and never was in the shop for anything. I loved the styling, and was upset when Dodge went to the ugly redesign in 2004.

I had planned to drive my Dakota for another couple of hundred thousand miles, but a kid in a Tacoma hit me head on and both vehicles were written off as totaled, even though my Dakota would still start and drive just fine. The radiator wasn't even busted. The Tacoma folded like a pretzel, snapping the transmission linkage, ripping out an engine mount and buckling the frame. It had to be hauled away on a flatbed.

I bought a Ranger, but it wasn't half the truck the Dakota was.

23rd Sep 2008, 14:11

I have a 2003 Dodge Dakota truck that has run flawlessly, my only complaint being that the doors do not seal well and it is easy to get locked out of the truck in harsh Minnesota winters.

The truck has just 37,000 miles on it and the right front tie rod broke at very low speed driving. It cost me over $1,400 dollars. I am unaware as to why a truck with so few miles, never in an accident, not used for sport driving, snow plowing, or "mudding", can break a tie-rod???