2001 Dodge Dakota SLT review from North America
"Fun truck, but Mother Mopar could have done better"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Within two days of purchase, the front brake rotors warped and had to be turned.
At about 26,000 miles it developed an ignition miss.
At 26,000 miles the exhaust hanger on the right side simply broke (the metal broke right in the middle).
At 27,000 miles the transfer case came apart, literally, while in two-wheel-drive (I was going 75mph on the freeway at the time).
General comments?
The truck looks awesome when it's clean.
It's fun to drive when it is running right.
The interior is very comfortable.
It performs great off-road.
However, the gas mileage is terrible (17mpg-highway/ 14mpg-city).
The automatic transmission's shift points are too low and rob the engine of performance- not a high performance trans, for sure.
The front end bobs, creeks and growls under hard stop.
The 3yr/36,000 warranty is standard, unless you want to pay more for the 7yr/70,000. (which is disappointing since all of the other major manufacturers offer 7/70 standard)
The warranty service is horrible at both dealerships I've had to take the truck to for service.
Recommended Reviews:
  | Not worth the trouble |
| A Durable, Fun Truck |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | No |
| First year of ownership | 2002 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2002 |
| Engine and transmission | 4.7L V8 Automatic |
| Performance marks | 8/10 |
| Reliability marks | 2/10 |
| Comfort marks | 10/10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 1/10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 5/10 |
| Distance when acquired | 13000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 27000 miles |
| Previous car | Nissan Pickup |
| Date of Entry | 30th July, 2002 |