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Opinions on Reliability

5K views 25 replies 19 participants last post by  milkbone789 
#1 ·
I'm looking at buying a new '11 1500 crew cab. Never owned a Dodge before. I am a little leery because of the reputation dodge has had in the past. I guess what i'm looking for is what are the major issues with these trucks and how common they may or may not be. Posting in this forum because the 09's should have the most mileage on them.

I also realize asking this question on a Dodge forum is likely to get some biased responses, but i'll take my chances....
 
#2 ·
Welcome to the forum! If you get a chance stop by the newbie section and introduce yourself


Questions like this tend to get fairly unbiased opinions for a manufacturers forum. We may toot the dodge horn a little bit, but were not afriad to admit the downfalls of our trucks.

So far the only large problem that has had a serious recall that I have seen is for tie rods, but the dealers have steped up and are fixing them for us.

Take a look around the forum, in the 2011 section right now there are a few good dodge vs chevy vs ford truck threads
 
#4 ·
I bought my 2010 ram 1500 quad cab used at the beginning of the year. I've put about 10k miles on it in 8 months, and have had almost no issues. My third brake light seal leaked water(common on these 4th gen trucks). That was a ~$8 fix and took me about 30 minutes, hasn't leaked in months now. I have some aftermarket wheels/tires on my truck and had issues getting them properly balanced, but that has nothing to do with dodge. Dodges newer trucks (3rd gen and newer) are far better quality than the previous ones, not that they were horrible. Many people give dodge a bad rep as far as their transmissions, but as far as I'm concerned with the 3rd gen and 4th gen trucks that is no longer an issue at all (assuming you don't drive like a maniac....some guys pushing more hp and tq out of their trucks and drag racing have blown their transmissions). This truck and my old s10 are the best vehicles I've owned. My ram has about 50k miles on it. I assume you're looking at getting a Hemi, I think some have had issues with MDS but other than that they are great engines (so is the 4.7L). I recommend you get 3.92 gearing and LSD if possible, makes it a lot better to drive...
 
#5 ·
i've only owned my Ram for 2000 miles so i can't weigh in on reliability. one thing to keep in mind (and maybe you already have this mindset) is that forums are the vocal minority when it comes to problems. in other words, don't be dissuaded if you come across numerous threads saying "OMG my _________ failed after only XXXX miles!" because all manufacturers have hiccups along the assembly line. and nobody logs onto forums to start threads titled "SO IMPRESSED! my rear differential is still functioning after 10,000 miles!". this goes for all manufacturers and their respective internet forums. again you might already be aware of this, just thought it's worth mentioning.
 
#6 ·
I have 34,000 miles on mine it has never left me stranded . I did have to get the third brakelight resealed due to a leak but they took care of it . I also had to have rear bumper replaced due to rust also transmission resealed due to small leak . I love my truck except for two things one is Electronic stability control (ESC) and the other is torque management and from my understanding thats not a dodge thing thats a government thing :4-looney:
 
#7 ·
I really appreciate all the responses. I currently have an 05 F150, and i know that most of the time i'm on a ford forum, its because i have a problem. I certainly know how the interwebs can work. I'm pretty much sold on either a laramie or an outdoorsman, depending on the deal i can get on the laramie. I know that they all have problems, (looking at needing a new motor on current truck soon) just trying to get a handle on what they are with the dodges. I pretty much love these new dodges, so i guess i'm also trying to get a little more grounded on them. Again, appreciate all the replies.
 
#8 ·
The HEMI is well proven at least in my eyes. I used to be a Ford guy as well, although I have no issues with them, I just found the 5.4L reminded me too much of the old 351M's. gutless. I now have my 3rd Dodge in a row, (first Ram 1500) i have 44 xxx on the ODO. I like it a lot. I have an 09 crew. I've had zero problems with it. It has had a couple of recalls, however its never had a failure. It blows my co-workers '11 chev away in every aspect. similarily equipped the Ram has a 100% nicer interior, more room, better fuel economy 5.7 vs 5.3 and about 100 more horsepower. I find the crew cab chev is a weak attempt. first time i tried to get out of the back seat my foot got wedged in between the seat base and the pillar and I damn near did a faceplant. And i can put a rearfacing infant carseat behind the driver seat without moving my seat ahead :smileup:

IMO if you are wanting to change from a Ford the Ram is a no brainer.
 
#10 ·
I'm on Ram #3 in a row, and if I continue to have the success and enjoyability I've had with these 3, I will likely be driving Rams for many years to come.

If you do get a Ram, I would recommend purchasing a Sonnax line pressure booster for the trans. In an effort to make the trans shift so smooth that it's almost unnoticeable, they run the internal pressure a little low for the power the Hemi puts out. The Sonnax unit (~$49 and 3 minutes to install by a complete novice), boosts this internal pressure by a few psi to firm up the shifts and reduce/eliminate slippage, which will increase the trans life by a mile. Only consideration - Any mod you do 'can' cause warranty issues, but a good relationship with your service department will make this much less of an issue. :)
 
#12 ·
Dodge has earned their reputation! Dodge is working extremely hard to keep it... tie rod ends breaking, drive shafts falling down, brake problems, computer problems, front wheel bearings etc...
There are a lot of people that love their Ram cartrucks and don't want to say anything or hear anything bad about them, me being the rebellious one think you should see the other side.
I've been told on here that I just got a lemon, I guess there are just a lot of lemons around here! (I guess that is how you make a lot of lemonade!!) ,I know that I am about to hurt a lot of peoples feeling on here but lets see how they feel after putting a 1000 miles of their 36k mile/life time warranty driving back and forth to the dealer that is 24 miles away. IMO most of the post should read, Amazingly my cartruck started today or I was able to drive my cartruck today and the drive-shaft stayed where it was supposed to be!!, I stepped on the brakes.... and they worked!!!!

If you buy Dodge you better love it because you won't be able to get rid of it!! None of the other dealers will give squat for a Ram, 40g cartruck and try to trade it a year or year and a half later, any dealer might offer you 20g in trade, if you are lucky.


I wish you well on what ever you buy (all new vehicles have their faults, some more than others) so buy anything ford, chevy, toy anything but dodge gas trucks, that is. The cummins will make up for some of the dodge's issues but they are still in a dodge...
 
#14 ·
I currently own Dodges, Fords, Chevys and Toyotas. I have owned at least one of every mainstream vehicle brand offered in North America at one time or another. None of them are 'perfect' Some have given more issues then others, but every one has had at least 1 issue that happened during the warranty period.....my 2010 Ram included.

If you want a mode of transportation that is going to eliminate the need to go to the manufactures dealer for some issue, then I can only recommend staying away from anything that requires fuel of any kind (electricity included).

To suggest that the issues you have experienced with your truck, and the issues you have read on a forum trump the excellent ownership experience I have enjoyed with my last 3 personal trucks, as well as the 'majority' of the members here, puts me in a state of complete awe. :wow:
 
#13 · (Edited)
Dodge / Ram is like Ford and Chevy. Some have problems but the majority have little issue with their trucks.

Ive owned 5 new Dodge Trucks since 1993. One Dakota, three 1500's and one 2500.

Not counting recalls (for preventive action) Ive had exactly one warranty repair. The Dakota had a leaking rear trans seal when new which was replaced under warranty. Thats it. One warranty repair in 5 trucks over 18 years.

The thing you have to realize about forums is the people with problems tend to talk about them while the people without have nothing to talk about.

"tie rod ends breaking, drive shafts falling down, brake problems, computer problems, front wheel bearings etc..." Im sorry you have experienced all these problems with your truck. If I had a truck that gave me all those problems I would consider moving on to another vehicle. Whether is a Ram or a Toyota.

As to resale thats generally caused by over paying for a new vehicle. I paid $25,000 for a new 2010 Crew Cab 4x4. I seriously doubt I would loose $20,000 on it a year later. However since I have had no problems and its averaged 19+ mpg (hand calculated) since Ive owned it I think I will keep it for a while.
 
#18 ·
Well my sport 10 has been trouble free the the first year and a half of ownership with 20,000 kms on the OD. My previous 08 Dakota which I leased for two years was also trouble free with no trips to the dealership (since I do all my own preventative maintenance). Only trip to the dealer so far with my RAM was for an HVAC recall where they installed a software update (how many time have you done that on your home computer ?) The power in the HEMI is quite literely amazing with fuel economy on the highway equally impressive. Hopefully she will continue to perform like this. I guess some would say I'm fortunate however I have owned many Chrysler products over the years with no real problems. I hope this helps in your decision, just remember that no matter what you buy these things are designed and built by Man and nothing built by Man is perfect.
 
#19 ·
My 09 quadcab hemi has 136 000 miles on it and runs like new. I just purchased it 2nd hand and had to replace the manifold studs on both pass and driver side. Other than that it literally drives like new and gets 19+MPG and I have even seen it run at 21MPG recently.

My father also has a 05 hemi with 380 000 miles on it. He has had no major issues other than just routine maintenance and the torque converter finally went out of it about 80k ago.

Like others have said the 3rd and 4th gen rams are very well built. We also have a 07 Cadillac escalade ext in the family and it is nothing but problems.
 
#21 ·
Just where exactly do you guys go? I mean it isnt inconcievable to have that many miles on the 4th gen, but i thought I had alot.:LOL:
 
#22 ·
^ my thoughts exactly....I thought my truck had a lot of miles haha...

My friend had a late model escalade and it was also a total POS....hate to say that as I really like GM, but just like every manufacturer there's good and bad...He had a 2nd gen ram and 3rd gen ram before the GM, both good trucks, and now he has a 2011 RT...
 
#24 ·
Yes I'm biased, but here is my $.02. In 97 I bought a Dakota because of work experiences. I work for a utility and we drive mostly Dodges. We beat them like we stole them day in and day out. The Dodges never complain. The few Ford and Chevy trucks at the shop seemed to always stay at the shop for one problem or another. My current work truck has 140K miles on it of fleet use. It's still going strong except for the wear and tear stuff that happens to any vehicle. Anyway, back to the Dakota. It was a 2wd 2 door and on any given day it was like the little engine that could and I put the commercials to shame with what I pulled off. I towed a 2000lb boat with a tandem axle trailer with the bumper hitch for 4 years. One time I drove it down the boat ramp into the creek to jumpstart a dead battery on the boat. The water was up to the headlights but the exhaust was dry due to the ramp so she didnt stall. I buried it in the mud up to the doors more times than i can count and she never complained. After it was older and had some dings and dents I really pushed it because getting some scratches no longer mattered. I traded it in for a 350z in 04 and i still miss it to this day. When the time came for another truck, I was getting a Dodge. Period. I ended up with an 09 Ram new and still love it like the day I brought it home. I have since pushed my grown-up truck just as proportionately far as I pushed the Dakota, and it has performed flawlessly. I used to spend half a day setting up winches every time I chopped down one of my 80 ft tall oak trees. Now I just hook up a 3 inch rope to the truck, cut the tree a bit and pull it down. It is a beast. I had 1500 lbs of sand bags in the bed and did fine. I had 1.5 cu yards of crushed concrete loaded up and got 18 mpg on the way home from the cement place. When the time comes to retire it, nobody will be talking me into a different brand. People have all kind of different opinions and tastes and it makes the world a better place, but as far as reliability goes, The Dodge is hands down the most truck for the money and it won't quit. (unless of course, if you get a lemon which statistically happens to all brands).
 
#25 ·
2009 crew here. Almost 50k and I can say I have loved every mile! No problems except the RRTs which were taken care of fast and free of charge. My only complaint is my gas mileage... I guess it's all my fault not being able to tame the HEMI :) however all highway/freeway I do get 20+ mpg.
 
#26 ·
After owning all the "Big Three" makes of trucks, I can honestly say that the Dodge Ram is by far the best fit for my needs and wants in a truck. So much so, I am currently driving my third! I bought a brand new 1500 QC Hemi in 2005 and the only issues I've had were emissions related while under warranty. According to the mechanic who worked on it , the computer settings were too sensitive. They flashed it and no more problem solved! Since then, I have only had to replace a $40.00 EGR and driven it another 120,000 hard miles. Now that works for me.....
 
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