The power windows on the Dodge Dakota involve multiple components, much like other vehicles. This includes the glass, the window regulator, the run channel and the wiring connecting the regulator to the switches. You may need to replace any one of these to repair the window on your Dakota. Not all models of the Dakota have power windows, and the process to repair one can vary depending on the vehicle's model year.
Disconnect the Dakota's battery, loosening the cable clamp nut on the negative (black) cable and removing the cable from the battery terminal.
Pry out the window control switch panel with a trim stick; on the Dakota this is usually placed diagonally above the door's inner pull handle. Disconnect the electrical connector, making sure the window is all the way down.
Pull out the weatherstrip along the upper window slot. This may be in two pieces; pry up the inner strip's rear end and slide it toward the rear to remove that strip.
Unscrew the trim panel's mounting screws -- look for them along the top and bottom edges and inside the handles -- and then lift the panel off its clips and pull it off the door.
Peel away the plastic water shield that blocks access to the window and other in-door components. Make sure you don't tear the plastic material.
Disconnect and remove the window's vertical run channel, removing its two bolts with your wrench.
Remove the nuts connecting the window glass to the regulator at the bottom with your wrench and slide the glass up and out of the door through the slot. Use caution and wear gloves if the glass is cracked or broken.
Unplug the regulator's electrical connector and remove the regulator's bolts to remove the regulator through the door's access hole. Remove and replace the wiring from the door if it needs replacing.
Insert the replacement regulator into the door through the access hole and bolt it in place with your wrench. Connect the electrical connector.
Slide the glass -- new or replacement -- into the door and connect it to the regulator using the same nuts as before.
Install either the old run channel or its replacement -- making sure it engages with the window glass -- and bolt it into place.
Reconnect the trim panel with its clips and then the screws. Reinstall the weatherstripping to the door slot; install new strips if the old ones were worn out and cracked.
Connect the power switch plate to its electrical connector and reinstall it on the door trim panel.
Reconnect the negative battery cable.
