Other engine problem on the 2003 Dodge Dakota
When other engine problem gets reported
Owners of the 2003 Dodge Dakota report other engine problem at a median of 5,000 miles. A quarter of the reports come in before 500 miles and a quarter after 40,000 miles, from 11 reports that carried an odometer reading.
A part like this is normally expected to survive 95,000 miles. It is the 4th most-reported problem on this model year.
The mileage distribution
The reported range runs from 400 miles at the tenth percentile to 90,000 miles at the ninetieth, a spread of 89,595 miles across the middle 80% of reports.
A spread this wide points at use rather than design. Towing, climate, service history and city mileage all move a failure like this, so the median is a weak guide to any individual car.
73% of the dated reports were filed under 36,000 miles.
The whole distribution
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 405 miles | 450 miles | 6,000 miles | 41,886 miles | 90,000 miles |
Read the 10th percentile as “one report in ten arrived this early”. Exact figures are shown in this table because it is the table of record; everywhere else on the site they are rounded to the precision the sample can carry.
What a percentile can and cannot tell you here
These five numbers describe the readings owners gave, in order. The median is the middle one: half the reports arrived below it. The 10th and 90th are the edges of the bulk of the distribution, and the distance between them is the part worth reading. A tight spread — say 70,000 to 95,000 miles — points at something that wears out on a schedule, and the schedule is knowable. A wide one, 20,000 to 190,000, points at a fault that hits some cars and never troubles others, which means the mileage on the listing in front of you tells you very little about your odds.
What these figures are not is a survival curve. Every reading here comes from a car whose owner filed a complaint, so the sample contains only failures: it cannot say what share of the fleet made it past 150,000 miles untouched, because those owners had nothing to report. Nor is the mileage the moment of failure — it is the odometer reading as recalled at the time of filing, which may be weeks later and is sometimes rounded to the nearest ten thousand by the person typing it.
Percentiles are shown at all only once 8 readings exist for the vehicle and mode. Below that the middle of a handful of numbers is noise wearing a decimal point, so the figures are withheld rather than dressed up.
What happens, and what it costs
Putting it right typically runs $300–$4,000 at an independent US shop. That range is an editorial estimate held in this site's failure-mode catalogue, not a figure from NHTSA, and it is a repair cost rather than a diagnosis cost.
The same failure on other years
The same failure is reported on 11 model years of this car. It shows up earliest on the 2007, at a median of 5,000 miles, and latest on the 1998 at 115,000 miles.
By volume the 2001 carries the most reports, with 39; the 2003 has 19. A mode that appears across most years of a model is usually a design choice rather than a bad batch.
If one year stands out to the left, that is the year to avoid; if the whole line sits at a similar mileage, this is wear rather than a defect in one production run.
Tick median reported mileage Solid middle half of reports Faint 10th to 90th percentile Colour how bad the failure is when it happens
What owners wrote
Verbatim from NHTSA complaint narratives, trimmed for length. The mileage is the one the owner gave.
When the truck is started and allowed to warm up for approximately 3 to 4 minutes and then put into reverse the truck dies. I have had the truck back to the dealership 4 times now. They have told me that they are unable to get the problem to replicate. I know that this is not true because I have had the truck for three months and it has died every time I have put it into reverse. The last time they called me to tell me that they could not get the truck to die so I made a trip to the dealership and replicated the problem for them. The dealership then called chrysler and chrysler told them to put a "co-pilot" on the truck and hopefully that would catch the problem. I picked the truck up yesterday after they installed the co pilot and today when I went out to start it, died six times when I put it in reverse. I took the truck back to the dealership this morning and they removed the co pilot and said that they would send the info to chrysler. I am hoping to get this problem fixed but as of right now I am not going to hold my breath. *la
4x4 dodge dakota quad cab stalls periodically. Has stalled 12 times between the period 10/30/03 and 12/19/03. Dealership claims it cannot recreate. Usually occurs within a few minutes of starting. Typically has been at slow speeds (20 MPH or lower), but has occurred as high as 40 MPH. Typically restarts after sitting for a few minutes. Would not restart, however, after stall on 12/14/03. Currently on 5th service visit. Dealership tells me no error codes show up on the computer. I suggested installation of a co-pilot. After lengthy wait for a co-pilot (national backorder per chrysler), event was recorded on co-pilot and has been sent to chrysler. As of yet, no word on results of co-pilot data. I have begun arbitration process under mn lemon law to have vehicle replaced/repurchased.
As truck pulls out (1-5min.)it slows down and backfires real loud. Doesnt stall out, but no power. When you step on the gas nothing happens it still is crawling around 5mi.this will happen about 1-3mminutes then it automatically picks up by itself and resumes speed. Happening every 2wks then every wk. Sometimes a day apart.had co-pilot on twice but results were o. Nothing shows on the dashboard when it happend, but the backfiring is getting louder. Called consumer around 5 times but I am right where I started.
Also reported on the 2003 Dodge Dakota
Control arm, ball joint or bushing failure
Premature brake pad or rotor wear
Other suspension problem
Other electrical problem
Other brake problem
Parking brake failure
How far this goes
Complaints are voluntary, so 19 is a floor and not a count of affected cars. Mileages are typed in by owners and cluster on round numbers. And the mode itself is assigned by software reading the complaint text, which is reliable in bulk and fallible one report at a time.
Questions this page answers
At what mileage does other engine problem happen on the 2003 Dodge Dakota?
Across 11 owner reports that included an odometer reading, half were filed by 5,000 miles. A quarter were filed before 500 miles and a quarter after 40,000 miles. These are the mileages owners reported when they complained, not a prediction for any individual car.
How common is other engine problem on the 2003 Dodge Dakota?
19 reports have been filed with NHTSA, about 0.3 per 1,000 vehicles. Complaints are voluntary, so this is a floor rather than a count of affected cars.
What this is and is not. These are the mileages at which owners chose to complain to a federal agency, which is not the same as the mileage at which the part fails on every car. It skews toward failures that happened outside warranty, cost real money, or frightened someone. It is still the only public dataset that carries failure mileage at all, and the shape of a few hundred readings is informative even when a single one is not. Methodology · JSON · this failure on other cars
Source Owner complaints and recall records published by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, model years 1996–2027 Figures rebuilt Published by AtWhatMileage How every figure is computed