When you’re in the market for a new or second-hand Dakota, knowing the mileage of the car you’re about to purchase is quite important. After all, you’re probably looking to get the most bang for your buck. In this blog, we’ll look at the most popular models but first let’s answer the main question:
How many miles can a Dodge Dakota last?
On average, a Dodge Dakota lasts between 200,000 – 240,000 miles. A Dodge Dakota needs to go to the garage for unscheduled repairs about 0.16 times per year with a 14% chance of the severe problem. Furthermore, Dodge Dakota owners spend an average of $622 per year on repair costs.
Having said that, we’re certainly not done. Below we’ll first explain in more detail how many miles a Dodge Dakota can last. After that, we’ll compare the Dakota to its main competitors in terms of potential mileage and compare the Dakota to other Dodges.
Furthermore, we also discuss the common problems that a Dodge Dakota can have, how much maintenance will cost per year, and how to maintain a Dakota. Read on!
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Want to know how many miles this Dodge can still last with an almost empty fuel tank? Read this blog we wrote earlier.
How Many Miles Can A Dodge Dakota Last?
To answer how many miles a Dodge Dakota can last, we retrieved data using autotrader.com. On this website, we selected all Dakota’s that are currently for sale in the United States. We divided the cars into groups based on the amount of mileage they had driven.
We can see here that 33,21% of the Dakota’s that are currently for sale have a mileage of 150,000 miles or higher. Therefore, it does seem that the car is fairly reliable in terms of reaching a higher mileage. Also, there’s a substantial number of them that have reached the 100,000 miles mark.
| Amount Of Miles | Percentage Of Cars |
| Cars With 150.000+ | 33.21% |
| Cars With 100.000 – 149.000 | 40.33% |
| Cars With 45.000 – 99.999 | 25.00% |
| Cars With 0 – 44.999 | 1.46% |
However, this does, of course, not tell the full story. Therefore, we also decided to see what the Dakota is that has the highest recorded mileage. The reason for this is that this number can give you a reasonable estimation of what is possible for a Dakota if the car is pushed to its limits in terms of lifespan.
What we found here is that the Dakota has the highest recorded mileage of 300,000 miles. Therefore, it does seem that the Dakota is reliable in its own rights.
How Many Miles Can A Dodge Dakota Last Compared To It’s Competitors
However, we, of course, also have to compare the Dakota to its competitors to see how well the Dakota actually does. This will give you an even better understanding of how reliable this car actually is.
We took its three main competitors to compare the Dakota and used the same method to develop the table below. Before you look at the table, we want to clarify that the Dakota had its last production run in 2011.
The other cars in this comparison have a production that’s much longer. To make a fair comparison, we only compared the Ranger, Canyon, and Tacoma produced before or during 2011.
| Model | Sample Size | Cars With 150.000+ Miles | % Percentage Of Cars With 150.000+ | Highest Mileage |
| Dodge Dakota | 548 | 182 | 33.21% | 300,000 |
| Ford Ranger | 1128 | 374 | 33.16% | 340,000 |
| GMC Canyon | 131 | 49 | 37.40% | 270,000 |
| Toyota Tacoma | 1892 | 953 | 50.37% | 390,000 |
What we found is that the Dakota does seem to hold up well in terms of reliability. Regarding the percentage of cars that have reached 150,000 miles, we can clearly see that 33,21% of the Dakota does seem to be quite average. Only Tacoma is outperforming the other cars in this category.
The same goes for the highest recorded mileage in each car. The Dakota’s 300,000 miles does seem to be fairly average. It outperforms the Canyon and underperforms the Ranger and Tacoma. However, overall the car does seem to hold up well against its competition.
How Many Miles Can A Dodge Dakota Last Compared To Other Dodges?
Besides comparing the Dakota to its competition, it’s also important to compare the Dakota to other cars produced by Dodge. The reason for this is that this gives you a clearer picture of what to expect from a Dodge and the quality standards that Dodge holds itself to.
We found in the table below that the Dakota seems to be the most reliable car that Dodge has produced in the past years. We clearly see that the Dakota outperforms all the other cars in terms of the percentage of cars with 150,000 miles or more.
Now, of course, that’s not a fair comparison to some of them (because some of them are much younger and therefore haven’t had as much time to reach this mileage), but it is fair against other cars such as the Caliber, Nitro and Avenger.
| Model | Sample Size | Cars With 150.000+ Miles | % Percentage Of Cars With 150.000+ | Highest Mileage |
| Dodge Grand Caravan | 5635 | 541 | 9.60% | 290,000 |
| Dodge Charger | 13,465 | 252 | 1.87% | 250,000 |
| Dodge Dart | 1355 | 44 | 3.25% | 180,000 |
| Dodge Challenger | 2974 | 66 | 2.22% | 230,000 |
| Dodge Journey | 8087 | 280 | 3.46% | 240,000 |
| Dodge Durango | 10485 | 438 | 4.18% | 280,000 |
| Dodge Caliber | 330 | 77 | 23.33% | 230,000 |
| Dodge Nitro | 271 | 77 | 28.41% | 260,000 |
| Dodge Dakota | 548 | 182 | 33.21% | 300,000 |
| Dodge Avenger | 829 | 162 | 19.54% | 250,000 |
Also, in terms of the highest recorded mileage, it’s clear the Dakota seems to be the car made for the high mileages. All the other cars are outperformed here, with only the Grand Caravan and the Durango coming close.
How Much Does Maintenance Cost Per Year?
Besides knowing how many miles a Dodge Dakota can last, it’s also important to know how much maintenance will cost you when you achieve higher mileage. For this, we used the data of repairpal.com. In the table below we’ve put the average maintenance cost per year for cars produced in a certain year. For example, a 2010 Dodge Dakota currently costs $614 in maintenance per year.
What becomes clear here is that the Dakota does seem to have a very reasonable maintenance cost. This is especially because this is quite a sizeable pickup truck, and they normally easily run into the $600 – $800 range.
It probably comes as no surprise that the 2007 model is the cheapest in maintenance per year. The reason for this is that this car is most likely already reaching the end of its lifespan, which means people are more likely to scrap it when a major repair needs to be done. This brings down the average cost of the annual maintenance.
| Year Of Manufacturing | Dodge Dakota Maintenance Cost |
| 2010 | $ 614 |
| 2009 | $ 523 |
| 2008 | $ 518 |
| 2007 | $ 484 |
Common Dodge Dakota Problems
Besides knowing the maintenance cost, it’s also important to look at the most common Dodge Dakota problems. The reason for this is that this gives you a clearer image of what you can expect from this car, what to look for and how much this will cost. Below we’ve stated the five most common problems you’ll find on a Dodge Dakota.
NOTE: Before buying a used car, I always like to make sure the vehicle isn´t having any problems that you should be aware of. The easiest way to do this is by buying an OBD2 scanner. These scanners can easily be plugged into any car you’re interested in, and they’ll give you a rundown of potential problems.
Exhaust Manifold Bolts Break
In the 3.6L V6 and the 4.7L V8, the exhaust manifold bolts are prone to break at some point during the 100,000 miles mark. This means the exhaust manifold gasket and bolts need to be replaced. Expect to pay between $200 – $300 for this repair.
Camshaft Position Sensor Fails
The camshaft position sensor may fail on the 3.6L V6 and the 4.7L V8, which means the engine stalls or won’t start. In this case, the sensor needs to be replaced, which means a repair of $200 – $250.
Overheating
In pre-2007 models, the Dakota is known for overheating because of coolant leaks. This means you’ll need to inspect to find the leak and replace the part that’s leaking. Common spots for this problem are the thermostat, water pump, or intake manifold gasket. A thermostat will set you back $100 – $150, whereas a water pump or intake manifold gasket will cost $350 – $400.
Sensor Wire Connector Doesn’t Work Properly
On the 3.9L V6 and the 5.2L V8, the crank position sensor wire connector may not work properly, which causes the engine the stall or not start at all. The cost of replacement is normally $200 – $250.
Noise From Intermediate Steering Shaft
When turning, you may hear noises from the intermediate steering shaft. In most cases, this needs to be aligned again, but this may need replacement in some cases. If you’re looking at a replacement, you’ll most likely spend $200 – $300.
For more information on steering sounds you can check this video:
Is A Dodge Dakota A Smart Buy?
Finally, it’s also important to answer the question of whether or not the Dodge Dakota is a smart buy or not. For this, we have to take everything into account: the maximum mileage, the cost, and how much value you get for your money. Let’s see.
First of all, it’s important to note that the Dakota seems to be a very reliable car capable of reaching higher mileage quite easily. If you’re looking for a truck that will easily cross the 200,000 miles mark, the Dakota should definitely be on the list.
Furthermore, it’s good to see that the Dakota has meager maintenance costs (especially for a pickup truck). The Dakota also doesn’t have many major problems with a reliable transmission and rare occurrences of major issues like engine failure.
(e.g., transmission or engine failure). This makes the car not only reliable but also fairly cheap to own.
Also, it’s good to know that the Dodge Dakota currently has a depreciation of about 68% compared to its sticker price when you look at the 2010 version. Assuming this kind of car has around 150,000 miles on the clock, that means you’ll most likely still be able to get another 100,000 miles on the clock for 32% of the value of the new car. We would say this seems to be a fair deal overall.
Dodge Dakota Maintenance Schedule
For A Dodge Dakota to reach higher mileages, it’s important to properly take care of the car. To do this, you need to know what the recommended maintenance schedule is for the car. Below we’ve outlined the maintenance schedule as advised by Dodge.
- Change the oil every 6,000 miles
- Rotate the tires every 6,000 miles
- Replace the air filter every 30,000 miles
- Replace the spark plugs every 30,000 miles
- Change power transfer unit fluid every 60,000 miles
- Change rear drive assembly fluid every 60,000 miles
- Flush and change the coolant every 102,000 miles
- Replace the drive belt every 120,000 miles
Closing Thoughts
Knowing a car’s mileage before purchase is crucial and if you’re on the lookout for a Dodge Dakota then we made sure to not only compare the Dakota to its competition, but also to other cars produced by Dodge.
Since the average Dodge Dakota can last between 200,000 – 240,000 miles this car is fairly reliable in terms of reaching a higher mileage. While we cover more that just mileage here if you’re curious to know know how many miles this Dodge can still last with an almost empty fuel consider reading this blog here!
So there you have it! Knowledge is power and when it comes to cars knowledge also means making the right purchase as well as your safety on the road. Happy driving!
Sources
Hi! My name is Stefan; I’m the owner and lead writer at TheDriverAdviser.com.
I’m an active writer on this blog myself, as well as a novice car mechanic. For the really technical stuff, I find writers with experience as a mechanic or who have studied mechanical engineering.
Read more about our fantastic team on our about page!