12 problems related to gasoline engine have been reported for the 1998 Dodge Dakota. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
Engine check light came on while we were on a trip to palm coast, FL on Thursday, April 26, 2001. The oil pressure dropped from normal to 0. We pulled off at the next exit. The truck was still running, however we called Chrysler and they said they would tow it to the nearest Dodge dealership. We told them to take it tallahassee as we were in madison. After one week being in the shop they told us the engine was blown due to non-maintenance (oil changes). We did not understand that because we had the oil changed. It was not every 3000 miles but it was sufficient. They told us that the oil had never been changed in this truck. This is totally untrue. We gave them receipts where it was changed and they said the inspector from Chrysler had to check it out. We had to pay russell Dodge over $200. 00 to break it down just for an inspection. The inspector for Chrysler came after 3 days and said it was not covered under warranty. So my husband works for prestige Infiniti dealership in tallahassee and we had it towed to their garage to look at. They told us the engine was gone and they had never seen anything like it. We are going to have to replace the engine. We believe there is a defect in the 6 cylinder 1998 Dodge truck engines, because we can prove that the oil was changed, therefore something in the engine was not working and caused a back up of oil or something was not functioning properly. The funny thing is that when we called to get a replacement engine, the person we ordered it from said they had sold 17 engines for 1998 Dodge 6 cyclinders in the last month. Now come on 17 in a month, what is wrong with this picture???? a 1998 is only 3 years old and our engine had 42,000 miles on it. Should not an engine last more than 42,000 miles without being totalled???? I think there is definitely something wrong here. Also the Chrysler corporation will not send us a copy of their inspection report do they have something to hide.
This trruck has been a lemon from beginning and Chrysler service center told me to get a lawyer and they do not care help me!! I have only drive my truck 1/2 the time that I have had it, because it always has broken down.
Loose clunking eminating from the steering wheel and brake pedal. This occurs when turning, accelerating and applying the breaks. Appears to be a loose fitting in the steering wheel colom or the mid shaft. Getting worse all the time. Only 21k on this truck. Also, truck slides all over the road when surface is damp or wet. This happens even at low speeds. Antilock system does not appear to work. Truck also burns up tires after 15k miles. Engine miss-fires and utilizes way to much fuel. Aprox. 12 mpg. Overall, my two main concerns are the steering and brakes. Problem. This is most certainly an unsafe vehicle which should be looked into before someone looses their life. The time is now, not later. I have been in contact with several owners of this year and model. They too report the same sittuation with respect to the steering and brake system.
This happened 1 day after an oil change. A qualified mechanic should have noticed this. No safety defect mentioned in the summary.
When running the a/c and stopping at a red light, then attempting to restart, and car just quits.
Continued spark knock. Has been in shop 4 different times. Dealer not sure how to fix it.
While driving. Vehicle cuts off. Also while idling, giving vehicle gas or stopping at intersections, vehicle also cuts off.
This truck jumps around in the rear end when it is empty. Does not seem to be safe in bad weather.
No summary.
Engine continually backfiring, unable to rectify.
Vehicle would shut off, total electrical shutdown, at any given speed. Multiple brake failures. No cause determined for either problem.
Engine backfires when decelerating.