2001 Dodge Dakota Engine cooling Problems
- Complaints
- 53about this part
- Share
- 8%of 678 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 56,982miles
- Trend
- StableComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are within 25% of the 3 years before.
NHTSA recorded 53 complaints about the engine cooling of the 2001 Dodge Dakota, 8% of the 678 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 56,982 miles. 1 of these say a crash was involved, according to the filers.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“My vehicle was recalled but the day I was going to bring it in the transmission stopped working and the motor is no more good. The truck would not shift gears good and it was going on for a while. My father changed the head gaskets but it did not help.”
NHTSA complaint #10263914, filed 2009-04, 85,000 miles“Coolant was leaking near cap, could not replace because dealer closed ,dealer only part,tried duct tape for tem. Fix until dealer opened, did not stop leak, was still wet at cap gave cap a twist to insure tightness,,, plastic housing suffered major failure, split apart and covered me with scalding coolant,2nd degree burns on 10% of me.. Beware if you have the 2.5 l engine then you have this setup. All Dodge needed to do is make that thin plastic piece of junk a bit thicker.”
NHTSA complaint #10327661, filed 2010-04, 114,349 miles“I puchased this truck used with 12,500 miles.it has a rear window leak,I have yet to solve this problem.it also has some paint flaws.I had a problem with the gas cap which caused a engine code light.when I went to local dealer to solve code problem,I was told that I had no warrantee.Dodge advertises otherwise.”
NHTSA complaint #10069361, filed 2004-01, 12,450 miles“Heater core has gone out for the second time causing hot coolant to be leaked on my feet in the cab and fogging the windows severely while driving. Research shows this is a common problem with my model year Dakota. Research also shows that once you have the problem then it will happen again frequently with no final fix. I feel this is dangerous and the manufacturer should have a permanent fix. My first failure was at 58k miles and now my second is at 69k.”
NHTSA complaint #10187709, filed 2007-04, 69,035 miles“The heat quit working in our 2001 Dodge Dakota quad cab. It would not work on any of the blower settings. I began looking up possible solutions to the problem. I replaced the fuse, and it still didn't work. I also replaced the resistor. While looking online for other options, I realized that many vehicles from Dodge from that year and surrounding years had a common problem. Everyone had mentioned the wiring harness was melted. Sure enough, I went and checked and it was melted just before where the resistor plugs in.”
NHTSA complaint #10332102, filed 2010-05, 110,000 milesRelated service bulletins
- 10223854Sep 7, 2016Service - Four Piece Oil Pan Gasket All Cummins Equipped Vehicles ONLY - The replacement oil pan gasket can be a four piece gasket rather than a single piece gasket. This applies…
- 10191460Feb 26, 2016Valve Body. These may cause over drive cycling.
Engine cooling: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 1 | 1% |
| 2007 | 3 | 2% |
| 2006 | 9 | 3% |
| 2005 | 12 | 3% |
| 2004 | 12 | 6% |
| 2003 | 34 | 11% |
| 2002 | 34 | 5% |
| 2001 | 53 | 8% |
| 2000 | 50 | 6% |
| 1999 | 70 | 11% |
| 1998 | 60 | 11% |
| 1997 | 49 | 11% |
| 1996 | 27 | 14% |
| 1995 | 18 | 9% |
| 1994 | 14 | 8% |
| 1993 | 12 | 9% |
| 1992 | 19 | 9% |
| 1991 | 6 | 5% |
| 1990 | 3 | 5% |
| 1989 | 8 | 13% |
| 1988 | 4 | 7% |
| 1987 | 3 | 15% |
Other parts of the 2001 Dodge Dakota
236 complaintsBrakes
130 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
93 complaintsElectrical system
58 complaintsSteering
48 complaintsAir bags
39 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
31 complaintsTires
30 complaintsExterior lighting
20 complaintsVehicle speed control
19 complaintsOther or unknown
13 complaintsEquipment
12 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2001 Dodge Dakota
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.
To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology