Five problems related to engine and engine cooling have been reported for the 2001 Dodge Dakota. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
My Dodge Dakota with the 4. 7 engine races all the time. When I first start it, it races and it also does it when shifting gears. When I go from one gear to another I have to put it in neutral until it stops racing and then put it in either reverse or forward. It also does this when I come to a stop sign or red light it races and I have to push harder on the break pedal to keep it from going forward until it comes down to normal speed. I don't know how many times I came close to hitting the person setting in front of me from the engine racing.
The contact owns a 2001 Dodge Dakota. The contact stated that the central timing module of the vehicle was defective. The contact stated that because of this defective part the ignition lights flash when he removed the key, the horn blows, and the windshield wipers go off. The dealer stated that they could get the part but they do not know when it will arrive. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 179,000.
The key can be pulled out while the car is running. I did this by accident about 5 years ago. It has happened several times since. I just read the article about the current gm recall in the USA today newspaper. I'm not concerned about it being a safety issue as I understand it. I try not to pull it out anymore as I think that would loosen it up more. I don't think it ever goes out of the run condition. I believe there are several oem's (if not all when the vehicle gets old) that have this issue and I also believe that it is not a real safety issue. The customer knows they have an issue which makes them share on the liability. I just reported this on my Saturn vue as well. The key comes out much easier on the Dodge than on the Saturn. The ignition slot is much looser on the Dodge.
Bought the truck used and the temperature and oil pressure gauge started to fluctuate and engine killed over. Now, repair shops are stating that they are now seeing this problem quite frequently for the 4. 7l Dodge Dakota engines because of the oil pan proximity to the engine. Repair shops stated a new/rebuilt engine is needed: ~$3,500-$5,000 just for the engine and ~$1,000 for labor!.
Blower motor first inoperable at 7566 miles. Currently in for service for the 12th time for this problem. I live in minnesota - when motor goes out I cannot defog or defrost windows. Additional problems possibly related include: headlight accessory panel going out, hvac control lights going out, door alarm malfunctioning, and cigarette lighter inoperable. Current mileage is 44,xxx miles. Blower motor problem is at times intermittent with longest time between complete failures being ten months. Dealer has tried replacing blower motor, relay, fuses, wiring harness, duct work, etc.