1991 Dodge Dakota SLT from North America - Comments

To the last reviewer, try slowing down when you type and use the spell check feature when you are done.

This review and the comments made about it, is as close to a rumble I've seen since "West Side Story".

Nothing like a good old fashioned review rumble!

Sometimes I think that 75% of the comments made on these reviews are from a dozen or so guys who are on this site ALL THE TIME and... oh my god, I just realized I'm one of them!

Boy some interesting facts here. Well I own a 91 Dodge Dakota LE. The only thing that went out in it was the cigg. lighter (used for my cell phone), but other than that it runs great. I don't think mine really gets babied. Me and my husband go hunting in it (in Oregon we have mountains and rough terrain) I also use it for my business-hauling animals in the back- (dogs and etc.) The only real complaint I have about this truck is the gas mileage.. it SUCKS. I have over 145,000 miles, I maintain it well as far as the mechanics go. The body has one dent in it where we went off the side of a mountain road during hunting season, but I'm taking it in to get it hammered out. I guess other than that

this particular truck itself has been a dream to own. I have friends that feel that it's a crappy truck to own because they have had problems with theirs, I guess I got the one that was an extreme exception to the rule.

I just bought a 1991 dakota LE about 3 months ago it has 230,986 miles on it. still gets 18 MPG city and 22 MPG highway. I have all the service records from the previous owner and NO major repairs have been done on it. engine is still clean and runs like a monster I love this truck and am glad I spent the 1,250 bucks for it. there must have been something seriously wrong with the posters truck or I just got real lucky.

Do you take care of your dakota?? service it regularly or just drive the crap out of it? I have a 94 extended 4x4 with around 9" of lift and 33" tires!!i use the best fuel, the best oil in the engine, tranny, axles and transfer case! my dakota has 165,000 miles on it I had trouble with a fuse blowing on the electric flex-a-lite fan,the horn went out and I bought new tires,

other than that I am gooooooooood to go!!

114,000 miles does not equal "high-mileage vehicle." It's time that we, as American consumers, insist that the manufacturers in this country build a product that we can stand behind? My grandparents have a 1980 Mercedes 240d that has over 600k miles on it. Other than scheduled maintenance, it has been in the shop once. For a vacuum leak. If a 20+ year car can make it to the top of pike's peak (which it did 2 years ago), why can't a 14 year old truck make it past 114k miles w/o breaking down? Stop defending this stupidity and insist on quality products for American consumers...

And also, I would like to make a point. when it comes to sheer age, miles on a vehicle don't always determine how reliable it is. for example, my uncles dodge dakota has mearly 79000 miles on it and it is constantly plagued with problems similar if not the same as the original reviewer. or, my grandmothers 1982 ford granada with 72000 miles on it, there has been enough repair money put into it that you can buy the car 6 times over, literaly. all this is happening because it is OLD, NOT because of mileage. another example is my dad's 1993 ford explorer with 208000 miles on it and the only problem he has had with it was the mass air flow sensor failed. other than that, routine maintenence. now before we go into the "if it is maintained it will run forever" dealy-bob, my uncle is very meticulious about his vehicles, and often has them serviced 250-500 miles before it is even due, and replaces anything that is faulty within days. and my dads explorer? he doesn't even maintain it. he often goes 6000 miles before an oil change or any servicing. and saying that if you buy a vehicle with less than 100000 miles on it will make you safe, think again. once again, in circumstances like this, ag is really what matters.

First off a lot of people commenting on this need to get a life and stop wasting there time talking about useless crap.

I had a 1990 Jeep Cherokee that I had driven up to 197,800 miles before I sold it. It never left me stranded or sitting.

I sold that Jeep for a 1992 dakota with 135,000 miles on it. gets 15 mpg in town and 20 on the hwy. not every truck is identical even if it has the same name plate. theres always a few that aren't as reliable as another for some reason. sounds like this person just got one of them. Just because one dodge is crap, doesn't mean the rest are.

I just bought a 91 Dakota that has 350,000kms, the engine was rebuilt at 200,000kms. I DID own a 89 Toyota 4runner that had just over 400,000kms on it. The reason for giving up the 4runner was the body was so rusty, to the point I had air conditioning all year round, (if you know what I mean). I needed A brake line replaced on it, and NO One would look at it because they said it was too rusty to work on. Well I did eventually get it fixed. This truck ran EXCELLENT. I needed a small pickup so I found this Dakota. I'm hoping it will last for awhile, so far it seems O.K. We did also own a 2001 Nissan Pathfinder, and I do have to say that SUV was so good to us as well, we went so many places with that one where a lot of other vehicles could not go. But we needed a pickup for our lifestyle, so we also just went and got a 2007 F-150. That one is O.K. too. I know I'm hopping all over the place with my story here, sorry, just woke up, but the bottom line from me is with our experiences, I have to say I will always definitely ALWAYS prefer the imports. But I do hope this Dakota I just bought doesn't give me too many problems. I think what it boils down to is, there are some vehicles that have problems from the start, and some that don't, and it is just a matter if you are the lucky one that doesn't get a lemon. But I know the next new vehicle I do buy will be an import.

If all the sniping and whining throughout this string of comments is put aside, the bottom line is this:

The failures and repairs that this Dakota owner endured are not all that unusual for any vehicle of this vintage. Import or domestic.

The comments about Dodge dealer service could very well be true. My experience with dealer service in general has been negative over the years.

If you find a good local independent repair shop stick with them. A good honest mechanic is hard to find these days.

They see a lot of different years and brands of vehicles.

When you decide to get rid of the unit you are currently driving, ask them what brands they see as most reliable and trouble free. They want to keep a customer so you will get good advice.

I do own a 1992 Dakota Sport 3.9L 5sp. manual. 243,000 miles

on the clock. I've done normal repairs. But the engine and drive train have been bulletproof. And that's all I have to say about that.

And the rest of you should lighten up.

I feel for the poor fellow that ended up with this apparently poorly maintained vehicle. In defense of the maker I will add that I have a 1991 Dakota with 287000 miles on the original engine and trans. It has a few minor problems but what wouldn't at that mileage. The truck has had regular maintenance mostly by me and starts / runs/ and drives well. as well as getting 14.5 mpg city and 18 highway with a V6 3.9 and 4 speed auto. 2WD extended cab. Buying a used vehicle is pot luck if you are not familiar with its history. Better luck next time...