Overview & Reviews

The Dakota R/T, featuring a 250-horsepower V8, is available for those seeking a performance pickup. The passenger airbag can now be deactivated in all 1998 Dodge Dakotas, so a rear-facing child seat can be used. The Dakota is also available in three new colors.

• Dual airbags, tight turning circle, Ram styling, roomy cab, optional V-8 engine, optional ABS

• No third door option

User Reviews:

Showing 11 through 20 of 60.00

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  Nothing but problems - 1998 Dodge Dakota
  By Disappointed - May 7 - 4:07 pm

  Trucks look great, but lack performance and reliability. Bought the truck 1 1/2 years ago with only 48,000 miles on it, today I have around 66,000 and have had to replace the transmission twice, the radiator, brakes, ball joints, heat. I bought the truck with high expectations and have been nothing but let down ever since the day I drove it off the lot.

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  Nicest Dodge Ive Ever Driven - 1998 Dodge Dakota
  By Ralph - April 14 - 7:25 pm

  I have never driven a 5 speed standard 318 before this truck. I have to say its got some jam. And the throttle response is great. The body has great flowing lines that are arrow dynamic, unlike the new Dakotas that seem square. If i ever decide to buy another truck, it is gonna be a Dakota.

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  We love it! - 1998 Dodge Dakota
  By Graham - March 17 - 10:58 pm

  We have 175,000 miles on it, have driven it fairly hard, pulled trailers with it, towed a large trailer with a bulldozer on it, etc, and we have no complaints. We got our moneys worth! 318 5.2L V8 should never have been discontinued. We have just (3 weeks ago) put a rear end in it, and that might have been damaged in an accident a few years ago. No engine/tranny trouble (no rebuilds or repairs on either). The only things that have gone wrong are the ball joint (and I hear those go bad regularly, but Dodge has made parts available so you dont have to buy a whole new assembly) and the AC evaporator. We tell people were planning to give this to our first-born, who hasnt even been born yet!

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  Poor Paint - 1998 Dodge Dakota
  By Poor Paint - January 2 - 12:47 pm

  I ordered the truck with everything I wanted and was blown away when I went to the dealership to pick it up. So far, overall, its been a very good reliable truck. The 318 V8 has plenty of power, but with any V8(and 4WD larger tires), fuel economy is poor. The interior is functional, durable and neat. Mechanically, its been solid overall. Ive had multiple ball joints replaced. No major problems with mine other than delamination of the paint which is very common for this Dakota. Ive seen many others with the same problem.

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  Flash2Speed - 1998 Dodge Dakota
  By flashtube - November 27 - 10:14 pm

  The best mid sized truck I have purchased. Runs like a hot rod. Outside paint is a beautiful emerald green. When I turn the key on I can hear a deep thrum from the exhaust.

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  Dodge Rocks - 1998 Dodge Dakota
  By Krude 1966 - October 7 - 7:56 pm

  I bought this truck brand new, ordered just the way I wanted. V6 , 5 speed manual tranny, sport edition 2wd. I bought it to haul firewood and it has hauled anything you can imagine. It now has over 120000 miles and the only major problem was replacing the tranny in the spring of 95. That has been my only complaint is shifting from 1st to 2nd is very clunky. It gets reasonable mileage of 22mpg on the highway and 18mpg in town. This truck will be in my possession until I die, a very worthwhile investment in my book.

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  The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly - 1998 Dodge Dakota
  By J. Garcia - September 14 - 10:54 am

  The Good: Good interior, lots of truck for the money. Fairly decent fuel mileage. The Bad: Ball joints were completely worn out. Replacing them requires chiseling and/or grinding steel rivets off. Cheap plastic interior pieces, not very well put together. The Ugly: Designed by an accountant. Control-arm bushings are not replaceable. The whole control-arm needs replacing at over $300 per. Rubber plug in the differential cover. Non adjustable clutch master/slave cylinder. Very notchy 5-speed, with completely wrong ratios for the 4 cylinder engine. Will not pull even a moderate incline at highway speeds in 5th gear. 50 year old pushrod engine design. Not even a crossflow cylinder head.

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  Peppy Mid-Size Machine (V8) - 1998 Dodge Dakota
  By Joe - August 15 - 10:15 pm

  Now that I have the Dakota I am very happy that I bought it. My friends always talk about their fast little cars, and to be in my 5.2 and beating all these sporty little cars makes me laugh so hard. They are relatively easy to work on and I love punching it when I am going slower than 40 mph because getting it to chirp is sweet. The Dakota to me is a fine truck I would buy them for a long time but only from 1997-1999 because of the 5.2 and body style because the new body style to me isnt that good looking.

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  Stuck With It - 1998 Dodge Dakota
  By Blessed Anyway - May 18 - 4:53 am

  I rarely buy vehicles and only once bought new which was this one. Ball joints and brakes were bad news for this model. Several manufacturer recalls: steering, two exhaust related ones. Brakes warped (Underengineered). Oil pressure has been issue this past year. Had oil pump replaced and only slightly improved pressure. Overall, performance was great compared to other small trucks, especially power/acceleration from 4-cyl, but the quality of parts and durability was quite poor. Several interior items failed, some more than once. Emergency brake handle, glove box handle mechanism, and cup holder assembly all failed. Overall, it took a beating from me, but I feel I didnt get full value.

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  Dodge Dakota the Best Mid Size Truck - 1998 Dodge Dakota
  By justin - April 30 - 1:00 pm

  I think it is the best mid size truck you can buy. I have hade no major problems with it. It does use a lot of gas, but with a few mods and laying off the gas, the mileage goes up.