The Dodge Dakota, marketed as the Ram Dakota in its final two years, is a mid-size pickup truck that Chrysler built for the 1987 to 2011 model years in three generations. It used body-on-frame construction and a leaf-sprung live rear axle, and it was the first mid-size pickup to offer an optional V8 engine.
Dodge Dakota at a glance
| Maker | Dodge Truck, later Ram Truck |
|---|---|
| Production | 1987-2011 model years, three generations |
| Factory | Warren Truck Assembly, Michigan |
| Class | mid-size pickup |
| Construction | body-on-frame, leaf-spring live rear axle |
| Platform | Chrysler N-body (first generation) |
| Engines | four-, six- and eight-cylinder units, up to 5.2 L V8 |
| Beds | 6.5 and 8 ft |
| Notable firsts | first mid-size pickup with an optional V8; first pickup with rack-and-pinion steering |
| Special versions | Dakota convertible, Shelby Dakota, Li’l Red Express Dakota |
Based on one source: the English Wikipedia article on the Dodge Dakota.
History of the Dodge Dakota
The Dakota was developed by Chrysler as a mid-size pickup, using many components shared with existing Chrysler products and a plant shared with the full-size Dodge D/W series to keep investment low. The N-body platform came from the product planning work of Harold K. Sperlich in the early 1980s. The first generation was produced from 1986 for the 1987 to 1996 model years, and the Dakota was the first pickup truck with rack-and-pinion steering, though only in two-wheel drive and without power assistance in the early years. Inline-four, V6 and eventually V8 engines were offered with a five-speed manual or three-speed automatic, four-wheel drive was available only with the V6, and both 6.5 and 8 ft beds were sold.
A sport package joined the range mid-year, available only with the 3.9-litre V6 in both two- and four-wheel drive. It brought a black grille and bumpers with side stripes, 15-inch aluminium wheels, a front air dam with Bosch fog lamps, a light bar with off-road lamps on four-wheel-drive trucks and the sliding rear window previously reserved for the LE, plus a full gauge package, carpet, an upgraded cassette stereo and a leather-wrapped steering wheel. Fuel injection replaced the carburettors on the 3.9 V6 for 1988 while the rated output stayed the same.
For 1989 the Dakota convertible arrived with a fixed roll bar and a simple manual top, an idea from Jerry York, built by the American Sunroof Company; about 2,482 were sold in the first year. That year also brought Carroll Shelby’s V8-powered Shelby Dakota, his first rear-wheel-drive vehicle in two decades. An extended Club Cab with two doors was added for 1990, offering six-passenger seating although the rear seat was best suited to cargo, children and shorter adults.
The 1991 models had a new grille and bonnet for better access and an optional 170 hp 5.2-litre V8, and by the end of that year the square sealed-beam headlamps gave way to aerodynamic moulded plastic units with halogen bulbs, making 1991 the only year with that front end. Six-bolt road wheels replaced the earlier five-bolt pattern. The convertible ended in 1991 with only eight cars built in its final year, unadvertised and absent from sales literature. The 3.9 V6 and 5.2 V8 were updated to Magnum specification for 1992 with 180 and 230 hp and multiport fuel injection. The 1994 models gained a standard driver’s airbag in a new two-spoke wheel, lost the SE and LE trims and renamed the top model SLT, and a CD player and leather seats became available. For 1996 the underpowered 2.5-litre four was replaced by an AMC 2.5-litre unit with 120 hp. The Dakota was nominated for the North American Truck of the Year award for 2000, and a new Ram Dakota for South America was unveiled in August 2025.
Design and features
- V8 in a mid-size pickup: the first truck in its class to offer one.
- Rack-and-pinion steering: another first for a pickup, on two-wheel-drive models.
- Dakota convertible: a factory convertible pickup with a fixed roll bar, built 1989-1991.
- Shelby Dakota: Carroll Shelby’s V8 version of 1989.
Dodge Dakota versions
- First generation (1987-1996): the N-body truck with four, six and eight-cylinder engines.
- Club Cab (1990-): the extended-cab two-door with extra space behind the seats.
- Dakota convertible (1989-1991): the open-top version built by ASC.
- Ram Dakota (2010-2011): the final two model years under the Ram brand.
The Dakota sat between the compact Dodge Colt era and the full-size Dodge Ram, and it shared its plant with the Dodge D series. More Dodge trucks are in the Dodge collection.
Sources
- Dodge Dakota, English Wikipedia: generations, engines, convertible, Shelby, changes
