Dodge Dakota Interchangeable Parts by Year and Model

Sometimes finding spare parts to effect a repair to your truck can be tricky. They may be hard to get or people are charging an arm and a leg for the part. It would be nice if car parts were like medicines and there were generic versions that did the same job but for less money.

Sadly this is not the case as different car manufacturers have their own designs and you generally can’t crossover parts from a different company's vehicles. You can however sometimes use a part from a different model year of your vehicle and that can work.

In this post we will dig into which parts for your Dodge Dakota you might be able to salvage from an older model year if you needed to.

History of the Dodge Dakota

Introduced in 1987 by Chrysler as a mid-sized pick up the Dodge Dakota was designed to be a low investment for the company. Many of the truck's components were taken from existing models to avoid the necessity to design whole new parts for the line.

The Dakota went through three generations and lasted 25 years in production, the last two which were under the Ram name rather than the Dodge. In 2011 the Dakota was discontinued due to declining interest in the more compact pick-up design.

The longevity of the model however has meant that there is a decent capacity to use parts from other model years in a truck if new parts can no longer be sourced.

Dodge Dakota Interchangeable Parts and Years

You know there are many good reasons that truck lovers buy the Dodge Dakota, not least of which is the interchangeable nature of some of its key components. Generally speaking transmissions and other major parts can be swapped out for similar model year trucks.

In the below table we touch upon the main parts that can be switched around between Dodge Dakotas to help you find a new source for spare parts. The compatible years will be mentioned as will more specific guidelines for parts that are interchangeable.

Between 2002 – 2008 all Dodge Ram 1500 trucks were part of the same generation and these parts were also used in the Dakota trucks of the same period. This means that many of the parts found in the Dodge Rams and Dakotas at this time would be interchangeable.

How Can I Tell Whether Parts Are Interchangeable?

There are some indicators that can help you determine whether or not a part may be interchangeable in your Dodge Dakota, the most obvious being if you can locate a part number on the item you need to replace. The part number of course identifies what type of part it is. If you find a matching part with this same number then it theoretically should be identical to all other parts with that number.

A visual comparison of a part and any specifications listed on it may also help you determine if this part may match your Dodge Dakotas needs.

Transmission Interchangeable Years for the Dodge Dakota

The first point to know is that between 1999 – 2002 the Dodge Durango and Dodge Ram 1500 trucks with Hemi motors had the same transmissions. This means that they may be compatible with your Dodge Dakota of the same model years.

It is important to note that you should check the model number of the transmissions to confirm that they would be a match. The Dodge Ram automatic transmissions from 2001 are interchangeable with truck models between 2000 – 2002.

Cabs, Fenders and Doors

Sometimes the part you need to replace was damaged due to an accident, for example a door, fender or even the whole cab. Thankfully between the model years 1987 – 1996 the same doors, cabs and fenders were used.

This means if you needed to replace a rusted out damaged cab you could do so if you found a better one for sale. There are some elements that differ however such as the radiator, grill bumper, lower valance and the hood.

Can You Get Parts from a Dodge Durango?

There is actually a lot of similarity between the Dakota and Durango models in their respective model years so there are many parts that could be sourced from a Durango if needed. This is especially true with the 1997 – 2004 Dakota models and the 1997 – 2003 Dodge Durango models.

In fact the main differences between the two trucks in these model years was the dashboard and the door panels. Always check part numbers however to make sure that you have an interchangeable item

Parts such as seats, fenders and headlights are interchangeable in models from the late 90s through the early 2000s. Always check dimensions and bolt hole locations to be sure the parts will match up.

Wheels

Generally speaking wheels in the same generation of trucks will be compatible with one another. As an external part, wheels are generally interchangeable as long as they fit the wheel wells comfortably. You should of course make sure they are in good shape and have plenty of tread life left in them.

Conclusion

During the run of the Dodge Dakota Chrysler was still reeling from near bankruptcy and this led the company to cut production costs. One of the solutions they came up with was producing the same parts for multiple models of vehicles.

This meant they could produce large quantities without spending time and labor changing machine specifics. The obvious result being that many trucks like the Dakota have parts that are interchangeable.

Always double check however that the part you are sourcing would indeed fit your specific Dakota model year. There are plenty of online resources to help you track down part numbers and compatible spare parts.

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