One problem related to transmission noise has been reported for the 2002 Dodge Dakota. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
While driving home after having transmission rebuilt my brakes started to sound as if there was dirt on the pads. As the vehicle only had 19000 miles at the time that's what I believed. The noise over the next week got louder and the truck harder to stop saftly. Contacted dealer brought in and discovered that the rotors were scared and the pads were gone on the passenger side. The rotor was pitted on the driver side. Dealer refuses to fix except as a maintence issue. They did however replace upper ball joints . I believe the loose front end caused the vibration in wheels which led to brake failure. I have read many compaints of brakes on the web. Dodge needs to recal this veicle -- someone is going to get hurt.