2004 Dodge Dakota Club Cab Sport 4X2 review from North America
"Nice truck, but only if you really need a truck"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Check Engine light appeared at least 12 times. Had 2 oxygen sensors replaced, valve rockers tightened, crank sensor replaced. It seemed like every trip I took over 200kms, the light would come on. Most of the time, the light would go off after a few days, other times, the truck made a lot of noise, or had excess vibration, so I had to bring her in.
Tires were completely finished after 45000kms, and I don't drive off road.
General comments?
I'll start with the bad things first, the engine has no power when you need it, like passing on the highway, or climbing a steep hill, yet seems to have more than enough when you don't.
The manual tranny is not precise, and many times the trans would be very hard to shift into 1st gear or reverse.
The bed tie downs are useless, they give you 4 tie downs located at each end of the bed? How are you supposed to tie stuff down like that. They really need a rail system like in Toyota/Nissan.
Even with the limited slip diff, there's no traction whatsoever in rain or snow, you're sliding everywhere.
Now the good points, The heating, Air conditioning work great, and so does the radio. For a base sound system it packs a nice punch.
This is a solid truck, nice big doors, very comfortable interior, grab handles, and a very refined ride.
If you really need a truck, like for towing, or carrying, then this truck is hard to beat based on it's size. I would suggest buying the 4X4 though.
Recommended reviews
| Dependable truck, but it's pretty basic |
| This truck is costing us more in repairs than the purchase price |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Don't Know |
| Model year | 2004 |
| Year of manufacture | 2004 |
| First year of ownership | 2004 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2007 |
| Engine and transmission | 3.7L V6 Manual |
| Performance marks | 6 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 5 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 9 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 5 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 8 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 0 kilometres |
| Most recent distance | 50000 kilometres |
| Previous car | Mazda 626 |
| Date of Entry | 20th July, 2007 |