July 1998 - transmission blew $1,400 to fix.
September 1998 - whole rear end went out, $2,000 to fix and still paying on it.
October 1999 - bearing on the rear end went out, covered by warranty.
January 2001 - whole rear end went out again. Don't know the cost yet this time.
Meanwhile numerous small things broke down (to many to mention). Above all, to make things worse, when we had to find the parts to fix it with they were hard to find plus they cost more than any other vehicle brand in comparision.
Comfort is the only good feature.
You don't know a thing about your Dodge, You failed to mention if you took proper care of the dodge or not. Don't go knockin on Dodges when you don't know what you are talking about. I have a 1999 Dakota and it is the best truck I have ever owned, because I take care of it.
I have spent MORE money on my 1998 Mercury Mystique (MISTAKE IS A BETTER NAME FOR THE CAR), in 1 year, just repairing it, than I have on my 92
Dakota in the whole 9 years I have owned it. Perhaps whoever built the Mercury should take lessons from whoever built the Dakota.
Chris Cravens Cravens@Tyler.net
Just ask me.
1998 Mercury Mystique, purchased February 1998.
February 1998, won't go in reverse.
April 1998, water pump fails.
May 1998, alternator bad.
June 1998, A/C pulley fails.
Jan 1999, engine quits, VCT solenoid fails, 800.00 to repair.
May 2000, A/C blower goes out.
May 2000, on the way home the dashboard catches on fire because the dealership wired it wrong.
June 2000, a brake hose gives out and nearly causes a wreck.
July 2000, airbag deploys even though there was no collision or even a possibility of a collision.
And they wonder why Toyota Camrys are the most popular cars in the world?
I would think that if you spent that much on all of those repairs, much less, had to find parts for it, you would know what kind of engine is in it. My 91 Dakota, 318/Automatic is a very reliable tank.
I had a 93 Dakota that also had rear problems. The fit and finish were awful and the paint peeled. I'll never even look at another Chrysler product. Maybe the Germans will straighten that company out.
Mine is the '93 Dakota 5.2, ext cab 2wd. Bought it in '96, paint started peeling off the hood later on that year, then roof, now it's going down the sides. It's been a great truck all around but not much to look at these days. Took the dealer to court; waste of good time. Hard to stomach when I see the original paint on the old '49 Dodge farm truck, faded, but at least it's sticking to the metal. Chrysler offered 20% of costs to repair, not good enough. 50% and up is more what I had in mind. Not sure if I will ever own another Chrylser product. Major complaint- Dealer, Dealer, Dealer.
1991 Dodge Dakota with the 318. I was just told by The chrysler's corp 1-800-992-1997 to try selling our truck out for parts because they no longer make the tensioner for it nor can you buy it after market because Dodge would not release the patent. I have tried to locate one used in this entire nation and Canada with no luck. Chrysler response was it's an old truck what do you expect. I wonder if they ever really made any replacements.
I have a 1998 Dakota Sport V6 3.9L and it is garbage! The exhaust has been replaced 6 times! The entire exhaust system! Melted and welded part all over the place. What a piece of trash! It has 80,000 miles on it and about every 15,000 the truck starts to sound like a Sherman tank and that is my cue to shell out another 1000$ for repairs. Yep great quality here. I took care of it and oil changes and all that other good stuff and even though I have done that it still burns up the exhaust. The car first did it when it had 6000 miles on it! You have to be kidding me. All I can say is that I will never recommend a Dodge product to anyone and I will post this message everyplace I can to prevent other from making the same mistake.
1999 Mercury Mystique, in the last year of ownership
have had to have the fuel pump replaced, then on 8\5\04
engine has no power, took it to the dealer, dealer said
needs new timing belt and vct 1600 dollars, before this car
had a 98 pontiac Grand Am, engine went out dealer recomended
by another car not worth the cost of another engine, last
Us built car I had before these was a Vega years ago, told
myself no more American cars back then, It seems to me
American cars fall apart at about 75k, while Toyota and Honda
are just broken in at this mileage.
If you are replacing your exhaust every 15,000 miles you either need to find a new exhaust shop or drive the truck long enough (for example, take it out on the highway for a bit now and then) to dry the condensation which is causing your problem. Also short trips are terrible for your engine as well. Don't blame Chrysler for your driving habits. I've got a Dakota, a '92, and love it to death.
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