Hello all,

New owner of a 2010 Dakota 3.7L Big Horn. What do I need to check for? The truck has close to 36,000 miles, paint is in good condition with the exception of the clear coat coming off the bumper, and a 3"x5" paint crack on one of the doors. The vehicle history reports shows no accidents/theft/etc.

The truck was not driven much, and I'm going to assume the owner did the regular oil changes. I noticed some recalls which I'm going to follow-up on.

The underside of the truck makes a weird sound when turning at a particular angle, at a particular speed. Have not dialed down the specifics to this. Any steering issues?

Any guidance would be appreciated!

 

Welcome!

I would guess your sway bar links are shot. I replaced mine a few years ago on my 2005 and they started clanking again a few months ago. I took off the entire bar and now the truck is quiet, rides smoother (especially with the 2 inch spacer in the front), and handles just about the same as before. just a little more sway, which I do not mind at all. If you want to keep it, Moog parts are generally preferred.

Change the oil anyway now and again in 3,000 - 4,000 miles to make sure it is up do date in that area. If the other fluids look good, then I would not worry about changing them, except the brake fluid. I would change it now unless you know for sure it is fresh. A power steering fluid change may quiet down the noise if your problem happens to be there.

 

Welcome. Dakotas seem to suffer the usual Chrysler woes - neglect and iffy electronics. If you aren't having any other symptoms, I'd say you are golden. Although, I would recommend an oil change. Check all the fluids while you are at it. Don't start with assuming the truck is okay and then get all mad when it makes a really expensive noise.

Need more description on the "weird" sound. Scraping? Metal on metal sounding? Rhythmic sounding? Groaning? Sounds like plastic? 4x4 or not? Any vibrations when it makes the noise?

 

That's a little old to have so few miles. I would change the oil, brake fluid, and coolant. I would check all of the other fluids and have someone check the seals and fluid lines (brake, transmission, etc) for decay. I'd also have the brakes checked and serviced (pins lubed, etc). Check your alignment.

My first thought is that if someone had the truck this long and drove it that little, then it probably also wasn't maintained at regular intervals. Might be worth having a trusted shop do a full maintenance check.