I am looking to purchase a very clean 2001, Dakota 4x4 with 111,000 miles. I am not new to used vehicles and do most of my own repairs. I understand no one can tell if this is a good vehicle or not. What I want to know is are there any flaws or issues I should look for particular to this year Dakota with the 4.7 V8? I searched the internet and did not find any one issue that stood out other than what I consider typical maintained and upkeep issues with a vehicle having over 100,000 miles.

Thanks for any input

 

Obviously nobody posted anything and I only just found this. Don't know if you bought or not, but one issue that seems to be common is the electric windows fail to operate from the passenger doors. Turns out it's the "child proof" switch on the drivers door that si the problem. I found a method somewhere on this forum and did it. Been working fine ever since.

Can't speak of the 4.7 because I've only owned the 3.9 on two Dakotas spanning 25 years. I don't recall any issues beyond a fuel pump failure that happened a few weeks prior to the warranty running out. Unfortunately my "friend" mechanic repaired it and was happy to take my money, but that was several years ago. My truck only has 62K on it, but the clear coat is history and a full paint job is beyond logic. I was quoted around $5K which did include minor body work, but that is way too much for a vehicle I'm probably going to be selling within the next year. I'm retiring and can't justify three vehicles and the Dakota wins or loses depending on your perspective. Otherwise I'd be keeping it until my last breath. Not much more than routine stuff like batteries, brakes and exhaust and tires.

Hopefully you got the truck and have been happy with it.

 

I have a 4.7 and it's now got 263K and running well. A few things I've learned since purchasing. Mostly you'll have to fix the front end issues - ball joints and sway bar links and bushings. It's best to buy the 03 or 04 due to the better brakes (rear disc) and the 545RFE transmission, which gives you 5 speeds vs 4... a bit better on gas, lower RPMS while cruising in OD. Finally, try to get a truck with the tow package. You get a heavy duty suspension and more importantly, heavy duty cooling, which means a bigger radiator and a large transmission cooler up front. A truck with a tranny cooler will probably have a longer lived tranny. Furthermore if you ever decide to tow, the tow package includes a plug in under dash for trailer brake controllers. An important feature if towing a trailer with it's own brakes.