1999 Dodge Dakota Reviews - Page 5 of 8

Surface rust started in the corners of the windows, transmission needed to be repaired, the inside trim is falling apart, the motor has a slight knocking, it burns a lot of gas. but most of all, when it is cold weather the truck starts, but when I put it into gear the motor dies out. The starter has been replaced already.

I see this as a high dollar repair truck.

Brakes at 55000 miles (had original). Replaced pads with higher quality, dust free expensive kind. About $500 in all.

Fan clutch at 40,000 miles. Quick fix about $50.

Exhaust rattle fixed for free by a mechanic. Just had to move around a plate.

Usual oil changes, belts., filters.

Hum in front - cause, didn't rotate the tires enough.

It was hard to get accustomed to the feel of a truck from a Maxima. I'm a large framed guy and tall. Fits like a glove. Very comfortable especially on roadtrips.

Reliable, fast, powerful. Love it! Great sound system. Not great on wet roads. Should have bought the 4x4 option.

My 1999 Dodge Dakota has to be the gas guzzler of the year. This vehicle is very comfortable, but we cannot keep an automatic transmissions in it.

This a very comfortable truck, but it loves gas.

This truck is very bad on transmissions.

In the past month, we have put three transmissions in it.

Cruise control doesn't work correctly below 65 mph except on very flat roads. Below that speed (e.g., 55 mph) it will downshift all the way to second gear when a hill is encountered resulting in 4000+ rpm. Very bad on an engine. Chrysler knows about it and there is no fix. My answer: buy the V8.

Detonation. Took until sometime in 2001, but Chrysler finally came out with a new ignition mapping that pretty much fixed the problem (every new car I've driven pings some).

Plastic hub centers on the wheels pop off and get lost, and are $15/each to replace.

The V6 is kinda gutless. They didn't have a 4x4 V6 when I bought mine, so I didn't realize it, or that the estimated mileage for the V6 and V8 is almost identical with 4WD. Buy the V8.

I kind of surprised by the number of negative comments I see about the Dakota. Mine is still on the original brake pads and shoes, and original tires at 64K miles. Other than the items listed above, this car has never been back to the dealer. And I'm pretty picky about vehicles, having grown up in the auto industry. Guess I've just been lucky. My one regret is having opted for the V6.