Used 2003 Dodge Dakota Club Cab Consumer Reviews
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Fast Truck
OneCoolGi, 09/14/2010
2003 Dodge Dakota 2dr Club Cab R/T Rwd SB (5.9L 8cyl 4A)
6 of 8 people found this review helpful
Put on many good miles on this truck with next to zero problems. The worst problem I have had was a radiator leak. Engine and trans are solid. This truck is fast and handles great. It can take a corner at 55mph. I moved from San Diego to NJ towing 3k lbs, averaged 80 mph and the truck felt like there was nothing there. It took on mountains like flat terrain. Great truck!
good to buy American
Gene Hernandez, 08/04/2003
2003 Dodge Dakota 2dr Club Cab SLT 4WD SB (3.9L 6cyl 5M)
5 of 7 people found this review helpful
My truck is actually a 1998. Since I have the truck for a while I thought my review can give those interested a long term view of this vehicle. It is very reliable, very quiet, has good power total average mpg is 17.0. The 4x4 is great for camping and fishing trips. Wish it had a 3rd door in 1998 besides that I love this truck. Almost bought a toyota but I am glad I bought Dodge, would do it again in a heart beat.
nice truck
BILL, 10/26/2009
2003 Dodge Dakota 2dr Club Cab Rwd SB (3.9L 6cyl 5M)
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
This is a nice truck, inside and out. On rough rodes the front end tends to bounce in one direction. I have the V-6 in my truck and it seems to be under powered. The ride is nice.
2003 Dakota Club Cab Sport + (4.7 auto)
DustyK, 11/29/2002
2003 Dodge Dakota 2dr Club Cab Sport Rwd SB (3.9L 6cyl 5M)
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
2003 Dakota Club Cab Sport Plus with 287cid V8 (4.7), 545FRE automatic, LSD, 6010 GVW & handing package, PW, PL, AC, front/rear sway bars, P245 70R16 on/off road tires. Exceptionally smooth and powerful engine/transmission combination. Plenty of power when pulling a load on hills. At 3500 miles, worst gas mileage was 15.04 (city w/load), 21.87 highway (65MPH). Current average is 17.38 mpg. Very comfortable seating, good ergonomics. Very quiet, except tire noise. Build quality & fit & finish near 100%. No performance, reliability, or quality issues yet.
Love the 8 in this baby....
Darbster, 01/03/2003
2003 Dodge Dakota 2dr Club Cab Rwd SB (3.9L 6cyl 5M)
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
This truck is a super. It is in a kinda stealth mode. With the eight cylinder 4.7 she can do almost anything the big boys can do and still park in a compact stall. If you are looking for a extended cab truck with some yank look no further this Dakota will knock your socks off. I have owned a Chevy 1500 Z71 sportside and a Ford Explorer XLT. I wish I had looked at the Dodge line sooner. The other trucks are okay but I'm impressed with the overall quality and precision of this vehicle. Highly recomended.
Friday afternoon off the assembly line
Ken, 12/06/2008
2003 Dodge Dakota 2dr Club Cab Sport 4WD SB (3.9L 6cyl 5M)
3 of 4 people found this review helpful
Nice truck, but at 31k the tranny would lock in 2nd gear (they called it limp mode) any time it went through a large puddle. Replaced 2 sensors several times to no avail. Dealer stopped covering the replacements after the third event. They contacted Dodge in 2007 and told if the sensors lose sight of the ground, they do this to avoid an overspeed. Told them to bypass the sensors all together, seemed to work. However, in 6 years it went through 2 wiper motors, 2 blower relays, the tail gate failed twice, seat broke once and it leaked (they tried to fix that twice). Guess it was the Friday pm one. Anyway, traded it in the day I got the title. Have a Tacoma now.
4x4 3.9 Dodge Dakota, What a Joke
chris, 05/26/2006
2003 Dodge Dakota 2dr Club Cab SLT 4WD SB (3.9L 6cyl 5M)
4 of 8 people found this review helpful
By far the worst pickup truck I've ever owned up to this date. From the second I drove it off the lot there was nothing but problems with my 2003 Dodge Dakota. The list is unfortunatly too long to list everything. Let's just say that now I'm having problems with my airbag! Like I said, everything wrong with it. This is a poor excuse for a 4x4. Absolutely no power to the tiny 3.9 lawnmower engine it has. Transmission makes the engine race and yet never pulls into gear. And let's not forget that when driving it constantly feels like you're dragging an anchor.
Awesome Silver R/T w. orange stripes
silverrt03, 06/02/2009
2003 Dodge Dakota 2dr Club Cab R/T Rwd SB (5.9L 8cyl 4A)
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
I can honestly say I think my truck is awesome. It majorly burns rubber. 360 V8 kicks major rump. Since there were a limited amount of these for the last official R/T i am proud to own one. Leather seats, another rarity are very comfortable. Infinity sound system awesome dude. the only bad point is that my truck only gets about 13 miles per gallon on average. in the city try 10mpg. Other than that i really like my Dakota.
Dakota R/Ts are fun!
The G Man, 01/28/2003
2003 Dodge Dakota 2dr Club Cab R/T Rwd SB (5.9L 8cyl 4A)
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
The Dakota R/T is an extremely nice truck. great handling, excellent design, well built, and enough power to get you into some serious trouble.
Blue
BOB, 08/28/2009
2003 Dodge Dakota 2dr Club Cab SLT Rwd SB (3.9L 6cyl 5M)
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
well its very reliable, but theres no weight in the back, its only summer and it spins on gravel. and the trans slips hope theres a recall soon
Big red truck
suzanne webb, 02/19/2008
2003 Dodge Dakota 2dr Club Cab Rwd SB (3.9L 6cyl 5M)
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Very dependable. Lots of fun to drive. Great load capacity. Did not think I would like a truck but this one is great.
Questionable
Dogman, 02/25/2003
2003 Dodge Dakota 2dr Club Cab Sport 4WD SB (3.9L 6cyl 5M)
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
I recently purchased a 2003 Sport plus 4.7 litre 5speed automatic. I only get 12 miles per gallon. And if this holds up wonder if I should have spent the extra couple thousand for the 1500. The truck for someone who wants almost full size capabilities with ease of parking.
2003 sxt 4wd
goodyear 1, 07/06/2003
2003 Dodge Dakota 2dr Club Cab 4WD SB (3.9L 6cyl 5M)
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Love the truck wish it had a few more options. Best buy for the money.
bad choice
msr212, 08/06/2003
2003 Dodge Dakota 2dr Club Cab Sport Rwd SB (3.9L 6cyl 5M)
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
I Had the truck less then a week, 500 miles and I had to bring it back to the dealership due to lack of power and after being told there was nothing wrong they had to tear the engine apart and redo the valves along with change item's in the trani. now at 20,000 miles my a/c switch has broken and only works on high and the a/c is leaking in the truck!
Excellent
Deucebmac, 08/29/2003
2003 Dodge Dakota 2dr Club Cab SLT 4WD SB (3.9L 6cyl 5M)
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Excellent off-road and on! Would buy another in a heartbeat!
Love It
shellfish, 09/06/2003
2003 Dodge Dakota 2dr Club Cab 4WD SB (3.9L 6cyl 5M)
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
I Love My Dakota. Never Any Problems. No Snow Was Too Much For The Truck To Handle. Roomy And Comfortable. And Affordable
Did my homework...
summerst, 10/03/2003
2003 Dodge Dakota 2dr Club Cab SLT 4WD SB (3.9L 6cyl 5M)
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
I went for the 4.7l V8, with the 5 speed automatic upgrade. I have logged a lot of miles in a lot of different vehicles and this is one of the most responsive power trains I've ever driven. This truck was broken in demandingly on and off road and has handled both effortlessly. When I decided I was in the market for a truck I did my homework and came up with the Dakota as the best of all aspects I needed and wanted. Better yet the critics supported my findings. I've changed my motor oil over to a leading synthetic and expect this truck to last a long time.
03' 4x4 V8 Extended Cab
x98evens, 05/07/2004
2003 Dodge Dakota 2dr Club Cab Sport 4WD SB (3.9L 6cyl 5M)
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Very fast for a truck this size, great size/price combination for a truck. Enjoyable to drive the 5 speed w/ limited slip rear end. Hard to find a good service shop for the tougher jobs (required frequent axle flushes), but you can't blaim that on the truck.
Not a Snow Queen
wayne bahlieda, 01/21/2005
2003 Dodge Dakota 2dr Club Cab Sport Rwd SB (3.9L 6cyl 5M)
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Owned for a year and one half and found vehicle to be impractical. It basically is a two seater. Selected the 2 wheel drive option with traction control. Compared to a front wheel drive vehicle, the vehicle had poor traction in fresh snow or on ice. The icing on the cake was the poor gas mileage. Traded the vehicle for a PT Crusier.
2003 Dakota Sport Plus
Dusty, 03/07/2007
2003 Dodge Dakota 2dr Club Cab Sport Rwd SB (3.9L 6cyl 5M)
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
The Dakota has been a great truck with lots of power, a smooth drivetrain, rugged and reliable that remains quiet and comfortable. It is larger than models from Nissan and Toyota and that was the deciding factor in my purchase. It functions as a part time personal and work vehicle and does both more than adequately. My year-to-date fuel mileage is 16.82 and I can consistently get 20mpg carrying 900 lbs. of ATV and additional gear in the summertime. The 4.7 has excellent low end torque which I appreciate on hills and for towing. Mine has been reliable, with two recalls and one heater blower resistor failure. No rattles or squeaks after five years!
First time truck owner
Kelly Jones, 04/17/2003
2003 Dodge Dakota 2dr Club Cab Rwd SB (3.9L 6cyl 5M)
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
This truck handles really well. The ride initially is not great, you feel all of the bumps and grooves in the roadway. Over time, this seems to have smoothed out a bit. Interior is very comfortable and roomy in my model (bucket seats, club cab). Gas mileage is around 17-18 city, 19-21 hwy.
Great Truck
uncle buck, 05/22/2003
2003 Dodge Dakota 2dr Club Cab SLT Rwd SB (3.9L 6cyl 5M)
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
This is a fun truck to drive. It gives you a sense of power driving around town. The styling is distinctive, the patriot blue color is different and the handling off and on highways is superb. It is without a doubt the best truck that I've ever had, including full size trucks. The reliability gives not doubt that this truck will last me a very long time without any problems.
Northeast Driving
YanksSck, 05/26/2008
2003 Dodge Dakota 2dr Club Cab Rwd SB (3.9L 6cyl 5M)
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
I inherited an 03 Dakota 2 years ago. I live in the Northeast and not having 4WD pretty much just doesn't work out. It gets stuck every time there is more than 3 inches of snow on the ground, and slides all over the place in any snow or ice (which is pretty much 3 full months a year). Piling weight in the back just doesn't seem to help. The fuel economy is terrible for a 2wd vehicle, my count is about 18 mph highway at best but i have got as little as 8 city. The Truck would be fine in a snow less region, but if you live in a cold climate look elsewhere. You can get much more traction power without sacrificing too much in MPG.