2001 Dodge Dakota

HEATER CORE HAS GONE OUT FOR THE SECOND TIME CAUSING HOT COOLANT TO BE LEAKED ON MY FEET IN THE CAB AND FOGGING THE WINDOWS SEVERELY WHILE DRIVING. RESEARCH SHOWS THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH MY MODEL YEAR DAKOTA. RESEARCH ALSO SHOWS THAT ONCE YOU HAVE THE PROBLEM THEN IT WILL HAPPEN AGAIN FREQUENTLY WITH NO FINAL FIX. I FEEL THIS IS DANGEROUS AND THE MANUFACTURER SHOULD HAVE A PERMANENT FIX. MY FIRST FAILURE WAS AT 58K MILES AND NOW MY SECOND IS AT 69K. *JB

I BOUGHT A 2001 DODGE DAKOTA 4WD A MONTH AGO. I HAVE HAD TO REPLACE THE LOWER BALL JOINTS, CATALYTIC CONVERTER, TIMING CHAIN, WATER PUMP AND NOW THE TRANSFER CASE HAS GONE BAD. THE TRUCK ONLY HAS 55000 MILES ON IT. I HAVE ONLY MADE ONE PAYMENT ON THE TRUCK AND HAVE PAID THE REPAIR SHOP OVER $1500 IN REPAIR COSTS. THEY ONLY TIME THAT I HAVE GOT TO DRIVE THE TRUCK IS TO THE REPAIR SHOP EXCEPT WHEN I BOUGHT IT. THIS IS RIDICULOUS, A TRUCK WITH LOW MILES LIKE THIS SHOULD NOT HAVE THIS MANY PROBLEMS. THE DEALER SAID THAT THEY WOULD LOOK AT IT THIS TIME PUT THEY COULDN'T MAKE ANY PROMISES. WE PAID FOR EVERYTHING ELSE TO GET FIXED AND I REFUSE TO PAY FOR ANYTHING ELSE. I PAID $10,000 FOR A TRUCK THAT I CAN'T EVEN DRIVE, I'M ACTUALLY SCARED TO DRIVE IT BECAUSE WHO KNOWS WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT. APPARENTLY DODGES ARE PIECES OF CRAP TO PUT IT POLITELY. *JB

BOUGHT THE TRUCK USED AND THE TEMPERATURE AND OIL PRESSURE GAUGE STARTED TO FLUCTUATE AND ENGINE KILLED OVER. NOW, REPAIR SHOPS ARE STATING THAT THEY ARE NOW SEEING THIS PROBLEM QUITE FREQUENTLY FOR THE 4.7L DODGE DAKOTA ENGINES BECAUSE OF THE OIL PAN PROXIMITY TO THE ENGINE. REPAIR SHOPS STATED A NEW/REBUILT ENGINE IS NEEDED: ~$3,500-$5,000 JUST FOR THE ENGINE AND ~$1,000 FOR LABOR! *JB

TL* - THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 DODGE DAKOTA TRUCK. THE ENGINE STARTED TO MAKE A NOISE, AND THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATOR LIGHTS. THE MANUFACTURER ADVISED THE CONTACT TO FILE A COMPLAINT. THE CURRENT MILEAGE IS 48,900. THE CONTACT WAS ADVISED BY THE MECHANIC THAT THE COIL SPRING CAUSED DAMAGE TO THE HEAD GASKET . THE MECHANIC STATED THIS WAS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THESE VEHICLES. *AK

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE HAVING THE VEHICLE SERVICED, THE DEALER NOTICED THE BRAKE PADS AND ROTORS WERE WORN AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. ALSO, UPON STARTING THE VEHICLE, THE KEY WOULD NOT TURN THE IGNITION SWITCH. THE DEALER DETERMINED THE SWITCH NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE CONTACT REMOVED THE SWITCH AND CLEANED IT WITH NO FURTHER PROBLEMS. UPDATED 11/30/2006 - THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED CONSTANTLY. THE DEALER DETERMINED THERE WAS A VACUUM LEAK. THE WHEEL CYLINDER LOCKED UP. *NM

LOSS OF ENGINE COMPRESSION, WHICH RESULTED IN THE #3 CYLINDER MISFIRING AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT STAYING ON AND NOT ABLE TO RESET. VEHICLE WAS AT THE MECHANICS SHOP FOR 2 WEEKS. AFTER RECEIVING VEHICLE BACK, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN. WHEN THE PROBLEM OF THE #3 CYLINDER MISFIRE WAS DETECTED, IT WAS CAUSED BY 2 VALVES BEING BENT, WHICH ACCORDING TO THE MECHANIC WAS DUE TO A CARBON BUILD UP IN THE ENGINE. VEHICLE IS AND ALWAYS WAS WELL MAINTAINED AND NEVER HAD ANY SORT OF MECHANICAL PROBLEM. I AM THE ORIGINAL OWNER AND PURCHASED NEW IN 2001, ONLY HAD 63,000 MILES ON IT. ACCORDING TO THE DEALERSHIP PARTS DEPARTMENT, THE 4.7L ENGINE IS KNOWN FOR A CARBON BUILD UP AROUND 50,000 MILES OR SO AND THE PROBLEM THAT I HAD WAS NOT AN UNCOMMON ONE. WAS ALSO ADVISED THAT WAS ONE OF THE KINKS THAT DODGE NEVER COULD CORRECT. GEE THANKS! I CORRECTED THE PROBLEM MYSELF, HOWEVER, I TRADED IT IN ON A 2006 TOYOTA TUNDRA. IT'S NO WONDER WHY THE AMERICAN AUTO INDUSTRY IS IN SUCH POOR SHAPE! *NM

2001 DODGE DAKOTA QUADCAB BEGAN RUNNING ROUGH APPROXIMATELY 3 WEEKS AGO, FROM THIS DATE, 09/15/06. BROUGHT IT INTO THE DEALERSHIP BECAUSE THE "CHECK ENGINE" LIGHT WAS ON. AFTER CHARGING ME $500.00 + FOR A TUNE-UP, CLEANING THE INJECTORS, AND REPLACING AN OXYGEN SENSOR, THE DEALERSHIP STILL COULD NOT MAKE THE TRUCK RUN SMOOTHLY. THEY ENDED UP TELLING ME THAT IF I LEFT IT WITH THEM FOR A WEEK OR SO THAT THEY COULD POSSIBLY DETERMINE THE PROBLEM AND IT WAS PROBABLY GOING TO ENTAIL THEM REMOVING THE HEADS AND WOULD BE A MINIMUM OF $1,000.00. I WAS ALSO ADVISED THAT MY FRONT END NEEDED TO BE ALIGNED. I JUST PUT THE TIRES ON LAST SUMMER, HAD ALL THESE PROBLEMS CHECKED BY ANOTHER MECHANIC. FRONT END DID NOT NEED ALIGNING BUT THEY DID DETERMINE THE PROBLEM WITH RUNNING ROUGH. SEEMS THAT DUE TO A CARBON BUILD-UP INSIDE THE CYLINDER, SOME CARBON ACTUALLY GOT INTO THE #3 CYLINDER AND CAUSED THE VALVE TO BEND SLIGHTLY. I AM THE ORIGINAL OWNER OF THIS VEHICLE AND IT ONLY HAS 63,000 MILES ON IT. I HAVE NEVER RAN IT HOT, WITHOUT OIL AND ALWAYS MAKE SURE I MAINTAIN MY MAINTENANCE ON IT. LAST YEAR, MY FRONT BRAKE CALIPERS HAD TO BE REPLACED, AT $900.00 WHICH IN TURN RUINED THE FRONT BRAKE PADS. THE DEALERSHIP THEN TOLD ME THAT THE BOOTS IN THE CALIPERS WERE DRY ROTTED. I LIKE THE TRUCK BUT IT SEEMS AS IF SINCE I PAID IT OFF 3 YRS. AGO, I HAVE HAD SOME SORT OF MECHANICAL PROBLEMS WITH IT EVERY YEAR SINCE THEN. I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND THIS VEHICLE TO ANYONE, UNLESS THEY WERE A MECHANIC. MY MECHANIC SAYS THAT A LOT OF IT IS DUE TO POOR WORKMANSHIP. WHAT A SHAME, IT IS NO WONDER WHY THE U.S. AUTO INDUSTRY IS IN SUCH BAD SHAPE. *JB

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS IDLING, A WHISTLING NOISE WAS HEARD UNDER THE HOOD. UPON CHECKING, THE CONTACT DISCOVERED THAT THE HOSE CONNECTED TO THE INTAKE PLENUM WAS BROKE AND HAD SPLIT AT THE END ALONG THE MOLD MARK AND WAS ABOUT TO FALL OFF. THERE WAS ENOUGH SLACK TO CUT BACK TO A GOOD SECTION OF THE HOSE AND IT WAS REATTACHED. A WEEK LATER, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO LOCAL REPAIR SHOP WHO DETERMINED THAT A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT HOSE WAS ALSO SPLIT AT THE END. THE INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP CUT THE HOSE BACK TO A GOOD SECTION AND REATTACHED THE HOSE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS ALERTED BUT THE CLAIM WAS DENIED BECAUSE THERE WAS NO RECALL. UPDATED 10/25/2006 - AS OF 9/15/06 THE HOSE THAT ATTACHES TO THE INTAKE PLENUM HAS STARTED TO CRACK AGAIN. *NM

JUST BOUGHT A DAKOTA TRUCK 2 WKS AGO, SECOND DAY ENGINE LIGHT WENT ON AND CAR KEPT STALLING WHEN DRIVING, IT COMPLETELY TURNED OFF WHILE DRIVING. IT ALSO DOES NOT CHANGE GEAR; IT TAKES A WHILE TO GET GOING. THIS HAPPENED 1/18/06. ON 2/10/06 I NOTICED AN IDLING SOUND RIGHT AFTER BREAKING AND IT DIDN'T WANT TO STOP. VERY UNSAFE DRIVING WITH CHILDREN. UNCERTAIN OF ITS BRAKES AND THE COMPLETE SHUT OFF OF TRUCK & OR STALLING WHILE DRIVING. I TOOK IT TO CHRYSLER AND WANTED TO CHARGE $170. FOR DIAGNOSTIC WORK 2 WEEKS AFTER I BOUGHT IT. WHY HAVEN'T THEY RECALLED THESE TYPE OF UNSAFE VEHICLES? *NM