dodge dakota 4.7 4X4

hd6gtom

Well-known Member
Has anybody had any experience with one of these? 4 door automatic, have a chance to pick 1 up.
 
What year? My Dad has one that my Older bro usually drives. I love it for a medium size truck. I like the full size ones better. Its a 07, currently the throttle control sensor something a rather is messed up so it shifts weird. We get about 19 MPG high way and 14 MPG city. Ours is the Lamar edition so heated leather, but only 5 seats. The 4x4 does stay on some times even when you try to switch it off. Overall a nice little truck.
 
Never had a 4x4 but had 2 wheel drive. 2000 4.7 auto extended cab. Got it totalled back in september when a car came off a blind side road from the left, hit left front corner and spun me around and wraped truck around a power pole in extended portion of cab. Replaced with regular cab 3.9 6 2001 model, Just not enough power for trailer I had no problems with on the one that got totaled. As of now I am starting to look for a quad cab 4 wheel drive auto with either a 4.7 or 5.9 in a 2000 to 2004 model.
 
Local guy that parts out Dodges says stay away from the engines that end in .7 he never gets any good ones as they do not hold up.
 
Got a 2004 with 117,000 on it. Nice driving truck, good power, fairly decent gas mileage, although there are certainly better out there. Their anit-lock brakes are the best on the market, period. Repair costs have been higher than they should be for the mileage, though. Sheet metal is made out of goat cheese. Takes very little abuse to dent the thing. Nice suburban truck, but it ain't no real work truck, unless you don't care about it being all dented up. Sway bar bushing are ALWAYS shot. (had a bad one when it was brand new and they have been replaced a couple of times since. Finally just gave up on em) The Dakota has a lot of nice features, but this thing has just been too expensive to maintain. There always seems to be something falling off the undercarrige.

Would I buy another one? No. And I am a Dodge person.
 
this is an 02. looks good, no rust to be seen, inside looks good, leather seats look good.
 
My mechanic friend says that 4.7 is one of the best engines there is. Only reason fot thinking about 5.9 over 4.7 is more power for heavier trailers. I did have to put on the overload shocks due to loads I pulled with it.
 
In the 6 years I owned mine I never had a problem with the sheat metal denting and it got rough use but I do like to take care on things. And that bushing, never heard of it so if I would have had a problem with it I would know what it is. And that is the only model I am considering my next truck. Closest thing out there to my best trucks, 70 GMC 1/2 ton and 74 Chevy 1/2 ton. Worst was a 86 Ford F250, could not keep that thing on the road.
 
My 03 4.7 5-speed was my daily driver for 12 yrs over 200k miles. Still have it for a "spare" (truthfully no dealership would give me anything for it) But its just recently started rusting in the wheel wells. I have had trouble last few yrs with an "evap" code...tried gas cap, new lines, new solenoid something-or-other...always comes back "small leak". Finally I started just having a friend clear it 2 days before inspection, drive it 75 miles and take it in for a sticker and it passes. Day later evap code comes back and I drive until the next year.
 
I had an 01 double cab. Nice ride, zippy but thirsty when empty, didn't like towing and got REALLY thirsty. Traded it when the warranty ran out as it was needing some serious front end work.
 
Past experience has taught me to never buy anything manufactured by Chrysler.
 
You've had better luck with yours than I have then. 116,000 have had two valve lifters gone bad on the right side, Dealer said that is a common problem with the 4.7. Cracked exhaust manifold also. Doesn't take much of a whack from a chunk of firewood to dent the body. Older Dakotas were much better in that respect.
 
Not gonna get good mileage, but the 4.7 and 545RFE trans are about the best drivetrain package Chrysler has built in the modern era. Just changed the oil in a customer's 01 Grand Cherokee with a 4.7. 251,000 miles, uses no oil, and the engine has never been apart.
 
Way better than Ford. Since I can remember 46 Dodge 2 ton, 55 Desota, 65 Chrysler, 81 Reliant ( only one bad, was junk when wife bought it for son, had rejected it before but was sick when she bought it), 83 Reliant, 87 Reliant, 85 Caravan, 88 Caravan, 94 Caravan, 2 98 Voyagers, o6 Caravan (wating on insurance settlement from when semi went left of center and wiped me out), 00 Dakota ( still have it if some idiot would have slowed for stop sign), And curently 01 Dakota.
And I started out Buick and Chevy truck.
 
Had a 2000 Durango 4 x 4 with the 4.7 which the same thing sort of. It got a solid 11 mpg! Had it to the dealer several times and tried tuning it myself it was total pos! Sold it at a loss in 06 with rust bubbles forming all over.
 
I liked my '02 Quadcab 5.9 4x4 that I bought new and had for 12 years/150K miles. Had no more trouble with it than Chevy or Ford. Are you buying it for the extra seating in the back? I rarely had passengers in mine and sold it because I got tired of the tiny 5-1/2 foot bed. If you want an SUV, buy one and get a utility trailer.
 
I have an 03 with a 3.9. It's underpowered in towing situations with my tractor but it's been a good truck. 230,000 and still counting. Replaced normal wear and tear stuff. Love the 4 doors.
 
Forgot to mention ... a maintenance issue you will have to deal with at 100k+ miles on these generation 3 Dakotas -- the upper and lower ball joints are not serviceable and have to be replaced. They have no grease fittings. A telltale sign is a squeeking/creaking sound in a hard turn. Dealer charges something like $1500 for both top and bottom sets.
 

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