Used 2005 Dodge Dakota Club Cab Consumer Reviews
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a needy 4x4 truck, but ok after repairs
gary williams, 04/27/2018
updated 10/30/2019
2005 Dodge Dakota 4dr Club Cab ST 4WD SB (3.7L 6cyl 4A)
8 of 10 people found this review helpful
I got this truck dirt cheap from a relative's estate for $300. It started right up after sitting a year, and didn't smoke or tick, and the 4x4 worked. I knew the service history of the truck, he had put a new front end in it (struts, bearings, ball joints, tie rods) and a new transmission, and always changed oil- so figured mechanically it was ok. it had 142,000 miles but relatively easy miles. he had owned it for 10 years. it needed quarter panels and bed painted, and grill/headlight, and interior cleaned- but other than that my first impression was, it's all cosmetics- that mechanically it was sound. and boy was I wrong. these trucks are inferior metal and rust out very easily. I had the rear quarters replaced/painted and found 4 Dodge mags, and put them on- the truck looked great. but the first night my kid took it out, it blew a trans line and leaked all the fluid out, and had to be towed home. ok- I replaced both lines with high pressure rubber, and refilled trans- back on road. well then I had it out one day and after climbing a local road that is a long winding mountain, a few miles later it developed a miss and stalled. had it towed home again- it had a BROKEN VALVE SPRING in the engine, drivers side last cylinder. I changed that myself ($3 part, $50 special tool, and 3 days in driveway in cold weather) and it ran again fine. I put new 4-tip spark plugs and Amsoil synthetic oil/filter for good measure. ok no more engine problems. shortly thereafter I was hauling 6 rims/tires in the bed and heard a crack/thud- unloaded the wheels at destination, looked under bed, the right rear leaf spring eye had broken off the shackle, first time I ever saw the spring itself break at that point- usually it's the shackle. checked the other side, that one has the front spring eye cracked in half. so it needs new leaf springs, and rear shackles. ($400 in parts plus labor). I pulled the emergency brake release one day, it snapped off in my hand, had to epoxy glue it back together. the radio in this truck can't pick up hardly any stations, and the CD player while ok sounding, acts up sometimes. the seats are very comfortable for a truck, and in 4x4 mode it will go anywhere. I also like the 4wd on the fly, just turn the knob, no hubs to lock. problem- it has a 3.92 rear axle ration, and weighs 4500 lbs.- and only gets 14-15 mpg daily driving. I checked it repeatedly. you MUST run premium fuel in this engine, or it runs like crap. the valve springs are only single springs, not double or triple like other makes, so they have the tendency to wear or break. you can't beat on this truck, the engine will break. it does always start, it rides nice for a 4x4. oh BTW this also needs upper/lower ball joints- again- even though my relative put them in new not too long ago. he did have a tie rod break on his once on the way to my house, I had to go pick him up, and get the truck towed. I talked to Dodge mechanics, they said these trucks eat front end parts. I bought 4 upper/lower ball joints and front struts too, going to do it all in one shot along with the back springs/shackles. so now it's banging on nearly $3000 in this truck including insurance, title, repairs- and if I had to do it over again, I never would have bought it. something told me don't buy a Chrysler, cuz they are the lowest quality American car made- I've been a GM guy for 40 years- but I have owned a few Ford and Chevy 4x4's and 2WD trucks, and one International 1 ton 2WD- and this Dodge is the worst for reliability. one more thing, from sitting the brake lines rotted out, but I knew that ahead of time, and had them replaced first thing- the lines under the master cylinder. and the tailgate hinges are rotted out, only the top latches hold the gate on. so if you are considering a Dodge Dakota, look all these factors over closely first, and if you do buy, don't pay more than $500 or so. unless it was garage kept with 60,000 miles or less. these trucks don't run forever like a Chevy or Ford. BEST FEATURES: low price, rides nice for a truck, 4x4 on the fly no locking hubs, comfortable seats WORST FEATURES: terrible gas mileage, frequent mechanical breakdowns over 100,000 miles- construction quality spotty due to inferior metallurgy and parts, cheap to buy but expensive to repair and keep running
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Dakota drivetrain quality
ezcc, 04/04/2013
2005 Dodge Dakota 4dr Club Cab ST 4WD SB (3.7L 6cyl 4A)
6 of 9 people found this review helpful
The driveshaft that couples the front axle to the transfer case is ungreaseable and only lasts about 75000 miles the rear axles splines break and need to be replaced before 100000miles and the auto trans will be due for a rebuild at around a 100000 also, This all happens even if you change fluids and do maintenance as recommended in owners manual. This are very light duty vehicles, not really trucks as far my definition of truck goes.
I really want to love this truck but I can't
hoogoosedmoose, 09/10/2012
2005 Dodge Dakota 4dr Club Cab SLT 4WD SB (3.7L 6cyl 4A)
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
I bought this truck new in the summer of 2005. there was a year end clearance sale and I got a good deal on it. V8 engine, 4 wheel drive, very comfortable seats and drives and handles well. The plastic used on the doors is ultra cheap however, the dash is a little better but not much. having 4 wheel drive for ohio winters is nice, this is not a truck made for heavy 4 wheeling. I knew that buying it though. I cant get over 15mpg no matter what I do. for what the mileage is it should have a lot more low end grunt. that and a lot of times the transmission feels like its in the wrong gear a lot. like it should downshift faster when hitting the gas
No Ford! Dodge!
chesman12, 09/22/2008
2005 Dodge Dakota 4dr Club Cab SLT 4WD SB (3.7L 6cyl 4A)
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
Just bought my '05 4wd Dakota 4 months ago. Love it on road- off road even more! Thought it was too low it crawled over everything like it was pavement! Reliability is awesome. Can take this truck ANYWHERE you can think up. 4lock works great- very impressed.First 4wd I've owned. Best overall mid-size truck on the market- roomy, comfortable, [even in the ext. part.]
Best in Class
handyguy, 01/29/2006
2005 Dodge Dakota 4dr Club Cab ST 4WD SB (3.7L 6cyl 4A)
3 of 4 people found this review helpful
After owning a Ford Ranger and looking at all the available vehicles in this class, purchasing the Dakota was a no brainer. It's roomier, quieter, smother and better handling, especially in corners where the Ranger had a tendency to feel like it was going to flip over. The lack of storage, if you forego the center console, is is very annoying. There is nowhere to store your cds except in the door pockets, which is less than ideal. The rear seat also leaves much to be desired in the club cab. with such generous headroom in the rear, they could have raised the seats a couple of inches, which would go a long way toward making the seat more usable for those over 5ft tall. Overall, buy it!
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