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).
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.
Having owned a 2001 Dodge Dakota Quad cab 4X4 I have run into similar repair issues with my vehicle.
I bought the truck new through a dealer from the factory. The first thing I noticed upon driving the vehicle was excessive whirring sound coming from the rear differential. This was very noticeable when driving down an off ramp on the highway where the engine is slowing down and engine noise is diminishing. It was at about 35 -45 MPH when you would start to hear this loud whirring sound from the rear end. The dealer/mechanic did think the noise was excessive and change some shims in the differential. The sounds was reduced.
Another issue was a snapping sound that could be heard when the steering wheel was turned all the way to the left/right and you went over a slight bump. Driving over such an obstacle created this loud "snap" that did not sound good. The dealer looked at that and said some bolts where loose in the frame (maybe the transfer case area). It still happens from time to time, but not nearly as much or as loud as it did before
I also have a 2001 Quad Cab Dakota and the first thing I noticed after I drove it off the lot was the whirring noise coming from the rear end. I was told that it was normal, but it is really annoying. The O2 sensor just went out after 74k miles, but that is something that can hold off for a while. I also noticed the popping noise when I am turning and hit a bump.
Other than that I really like the look of the Dakota. It has plenty of power and even after 74k miles, it still feels like a new truck. The body and engine are in perfect working condition. Overall I am pretty pleased with the trucks performance. The gas mileage is not that great, but I knew what I was getting myself into. I average about
15 mpg in the city.
Other than the couple of annoying noises I hear, I am pleased with the truck overall.
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