2000 Dodge Dakota Sport from North America - Comments

Bed was scratched upon receipt, and the seats did not move back and fourth properly. Seat levers were cracked and broken.

Power Steering hose went after 350 miles.

Steering Rack went after 17000 miles.

Tie rod broke while driving straight on the highway after 17500 miles.

Another steering rack was needed after the tie rod went.

Front Main oil seal went at 18000 miles.

Fuel Leveler malfunctioned and gas tank needed to be pulled at 34000 miles. The dealer also forgot to re-install the fuel filler hose, which I found out while I was pumping gas on the ground. They also forgot to close my hood properly and it opened on the highway! (Sullivan Bros Dodge)

34300 miles - Truck failed MA State safety inspection due to failing ball joints. Dodge stated they need to re-inspect the truck not a certified station.

In general I like the way the truck drives and looks, however, I would never ever recommend a Dodge product to anyone due to the way I have been treated at the Dodge dealerships. This truck has broken down more than any vehicle I have ever owned previously, and the Dodge dealerships are totally incompetent to diagnose and fix the problems. They also have tried any and all excuses to avoid fixing warranty repairs.

The morale of the story: I should have kept my 13 yr old ford, it never broke down and it was paid for.

In reference to your comments, "In general I like the way the truck drives and looks, however, I would never ever recommend a Dodge product to anyone due to the way I have been treated at the Dodge dealerships... and the Dodge dealerships are totally incompetent to diagnose and fix the problems. They also have tried any and all excuses to avoid fixing warranty repairs," I agree from experience with a new 2005 Dakota. Dodge dealers seem to be on the lower end of the spectrum when coming to repairing vehicles.

It seems various people have problems with areas of the truck that are susceptible during the break in period. Before that five hundred mile break in period you can't even put the pedal near the floor and the hose and rear differential problems are diagnosed under pre-break in abuse and load. Your line breakage and the previous reviews differential wear are notorious for people that do not break these vehicles in properly.

Your comments are ridiculous.

These problems do not occur with other vehicles, clearly the truck is poorly designed/manufactured.

I happen to have had a great experience with my 2000 Dakota Sport Club cab. I have only had one problem and that was the AC burned out while in the middle of a 3000 mile trip through the desert south west. The Dodge dealership in Albuquerque, NM bent over backward to help, sadly the warranty company was the problem and I ended up paying almost $400 to get it fixed. However, the dealer where I purchased the truck (3 months previously) refunded me every penny.

I have noticed that every manufacturer and every model had it's lemons. My family has always had problems with Ford. Oh well, that's the way the fender crumples.

"Tie rod broke while driving straight on the highway after 17500 miles."

Come on man. If you are going to post, then keep it real. Tie Rods don't break "going straight down the highway." I would expect some comments regarding front ends since it seems some people have posts regarding front end issues. This is the first I've heard of a "mystery tie rod failure". One thing I do notice on the Dakota is a V6 that only gets 175 HP. How do these engines respond to bolt-ons?

I own a 2003 Dakota Quad 4X4 and have been pleased with my purchase. I had the tie rod ends replaced under the recall, and had to have the emergency brake release handle repaired after it broke off under normal use. My truck has the 4.7 liter V-8, and it offers plenty of power with decent mileage. As far as Dodge dealerships go, the one I bring my truck to treats me like gold. I have heard that formal complaints to Daimler-Chrysler regarding poor dealer service do matter, especially if the dealer is a five star dealer. Complaints could cost a dealership the five-star certification.

I purchased my 2000 Dakota SLT Club Cab about a year ago, and I am finally getting rid of it today. I have had so many problems since day one. Two days after buying the vehicle I was back at the dealer because the car kept stalling and would only stay running if I applied constant pressure on the gas. Then a few months later I had to replace the transmission. Then a month after that I had to replace the engine. I bought the vehicle with 60,000 miles on it, and have put over $3,500 back into the truck when I bought it for $8,000. I will not bash Dodge vehicles, I just had a lemon, prior to this vehicle I had two Dodge intrepid and they ran like champs and were the most dependable car I have ever had, except for minor transmission problems. My only advice is when the Dakota ran I loved it, it was a sleek truck, but when it was broken, it hurt the wallet bad. Good Luck.

I have a 2000 3.9 with 140000 miles. The truck is a flawless beast. I bought it used for a grand and this truck has at least another 50,000 left in it. I get about 20mpg highway, that's my only gripe. But this truck was not designed for hwy mpg's oh well. Don't listen to all the BS this truck; 1 heck of a value.

I bought a new 2001 Dakota Sport in October of 2000. It was an incredible truck and never was in the shop for anything. I loved the styling, and was upset when Dodge went to the ugly redesign in 2004.

I had planned to drive my Dakota for another couple of hundred thousand miles, but a kid in a Tacoma hit me head on and both vehicles were written off as totaled, even though my Dakota would still start and drive just fine. The radiator wasn't even busted. The Tacoma folded like a pretzel, snapping the transmission linkage, ripping out an engine mount and buckling the frame. It had to be hauled away on a flatbed.

I bought a Ranger, but it wasn't half the truck the Dakota was.

I have a 2003 Dodge Dakota truck that has run flawlessly, my only complaint being that the doors do not seal well and it is easy to get locked out of the truck in harsh Minnesota winters.

The truck has just 37,000 miles on it and the right front tie rod broke at very low speed driving. It cost me over $1,400 dollars. I am unaware as to why a truck with so few miles, never in an accident, not used for sport driving, snow plowing, or "mudding", can break a tie-rod???