Hi there. I recently bought a 1994 dakota SLT auto 4x4 v6 and have only driven it maybe 50 miles since I bought it. I don't know how many miles (broken odo) or repair history. This morning when leaving for work it seemed to slip out of gear when driving at around 20mph. Pulled over and tried shifting to reverse and no reverse either. Put it in park turned it off and started up and it went into gear fine after that. This same phenomenon happened again when leaving except this time I had let it warm up a bit for the drive home and then just suddenly died. No lights no dash lights nothing. I'm at a loss as I don't know much about these trucks as this is my first one. Hope to get some answers. Thanks.

 

Check fluid level first. Make sure everything is fully warmed up, and check fluid in neutral. (engine running) No electronics involved in first three gears for your trans....... so, not sure why restarting it would make a difference.

 

Go to the main page of the first gen dakota's and click on the first FAQ section. read it.
The bushings in the linkage of the shift mechanism may be worn out. They are under the driver side up where your feet operate the pedals. There should be a thread about them by a Ralph P (RIP) on here. When you read the FAQ page it should give you a good idea what to look at for maintenance and whatever problems you are having.
Welcome.