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RAM Quality Concerns

Thanks guys, great replies!! (ha! made a rhyme). I am happy with my RAM, it drives very nice and it is a beautiful truck. On my recent trip to Montana from Washington, I couldn't have asked for a better ride. Hell, got damn near 20MPG going 75-85 most of the trip (empty), I do like the 50 gallon tank. I'm not afraid to drive it or put it to work. The reason for the thread was to get feedback/perspective from y'all and that's what I got, appreciate it.
H3LZSN1P3R said:
the forum fear mongering is not something to worry about since most people who have no issues will never visit a forum so you are only getting the bad side of things on forums.
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You're right, I get it. Bad news travels fast and good news isn't as interesting. When I was 'researching' the 68RFE, I came across an informative vid that explained the reason for the failures. After that, I didn't hesitate to buy my truck (6.7, 68RFE and 3.73 axles).
 
Bull Creek said:
Wow, a "steering wheel heater"!!!! We don't have any of those warm luxuries in our 2016 Ram 2500 Tradesman Power Wagon and 2024 3500 4x4 Tradesman HO Cummins. You probably have heated seats too? Driver and passenger climate controls? I can only dream.

Yesterday, I ordered a new thermostat assembly for our 2016 due to it's staying open, so the engine doesn't get hot providing only cold to very little warm coolant through the heater core into the cab ventilation. Was scraping the windshield inside and the side windows were frozen inside. Had to stop and scrape. At least that replacement part is still available. Got very lucky in getting a new replacement 66RFE last Fall. Purchased our 2024 due to our mechanic informed us that they were on back order and he couldn't get one. Found one in a month of looking. Everything can be fixed, but only if the parts are still available.

Our forecast low is down to minus 41F and still drive it due to it it's a Power Wagon which has better 4x4 capabilities than our newer truck. Got to plug the HO Cummins engine heater in though for awhile when it's below minus 15F before we start it. View attachment 81378
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Yes Bull, my truck is loaded with nice 'comfort' options. I didn't care about the options, the wife however did. My 01 F350 worked fine for me but the wife wanted more comfort. I am also very fortunate that my living has allowed me to buy any truck.
 
RAMMITDOWN said:
Yes Bull, my truck is loaded with nice 'comfort' options. I didn't care about the options, the wife however did. My 01 F350 worked fine for me but the wife wanted more comfort. I am also very fortunate that my living has allowed me to buy any truck.
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Our family in rural Wyoming has a 2014 Ram 2500 4x4 Crew Cab Laramie 6.7 Cummins loaded with leather seats and with those heat options, but it's a unicorn with the G56 manual transmission versus the 68RFE. More comfort is a very good thing to have when it's way below 0F!
 
sstoner911 said:
I had 3 Chevys in 2024 that beg to differ
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My dad has a 2022 Ram with a mystery oil and coolant leak, they can’t find it. But know it’s there… just letting the clock tick at this point.

My in law has a 2022 Ram that has spent a grand total of 196 days in the shop because of a mystery air leak behind the dash. Ram should be writing them a check soon.

My 2024 had a rear output shaft leak with under 6k miles.

I use the term quality loosely.
 
poorman_pw said:
My dad has a 2022 Ram with a mystery oil and coolant leak, they can’t find it. But know it’s there… just letting the clock tick at this point.

My in law has a 2022 Ram that has spent a grand total of 196 days in the shop because of a mystery air leak behind the dash. Ram should be writing them a check soon.

My 2024 had a rear output shaft leak with under 6k miles.

I use the term quality loosely.
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I think the 2022s were prone to issues for some reason. The rear out put shafts have bee far and few between. I have owned a 2019,2021,2022,2023, and a 2024 RAM DRW trucks that all have had zero mechanical issues. A few little interior rattles but easily fixed. The 2022 had a weird tick after one oil change...Ram said it was normal??

My first Chevy DRW had bad front hub extensions and bad steering intermediate shaft at 300 miles.

Second one came off the lot(100 miles) with a bad front drive shaft, which after the 3rd replacement shaft still vibrated and knocked when letting off the fuel, that they finally just shimmed the transferer case to mask it. it also had a bad steering intermediate shaft, bad front hub extensions.

Third truck they put me in hoping 3rd try was a charm - bad intermediate shaft and the front doors would flex so bad with a trailer hooked up that you could see daylight between the body and door when going down the freeway and hitting rough patches in the road - especially bridge transitions.

I would have traded all those chevy truck for your family's Rams in a heartbeat.
 
sstoner911 said:
I think the 2022s were prone to issues for some reason. The rear out put shafts have bee far and few between. I have owned a 2019,2021,2022,2023, and a 2024 RAM DRW trucks that all have had zero mechanical issues. A few little interior rattles but easily fixed. The 2022 had a weird tick after one oil change...Ram said it was normal??

My first Chevy DRW had bad front hub extensions and bad steering intermediate shaft at 300 miles.

Second one came off the lot(100 miles) with a bad front drive shaft, which after the 3rd replacement shaft still vibrated and knocked when letting off the fuel, that they finally just shimmed the transferer case to mask it. it also had a bad steering intermediate shaft, bad front hub extensions.

Third truck they put me in hoping 3rd try was a charm - bad intermediate shaft and the front doors would flex so bad with a trailer hooked up that you could see daylight between the body and door when going down the freeway and hitting rough patches in the road - especially bridge transitions.

I would have traded all those chevy truck for your family's Rams in a heartbeat.
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My Jeep would eat through batteries too (main and stupid aux), I went through 8 batteries under the 3yr/36k mile warranty.

I think all OEMs have pretty bad rep at this point, partially because quality seemed to take a nose dive as the pandemic wrecked havoc on their supply chains, increased costs of labor and materials means they need to cut somewhere. Beyond that, those of us that are enthusiastic and old school enough about our vehicles are far and few between, I'd wager 9 in 10 accounts on forums are people who come in to look for help on a single issue or complain about a crappy experience and then never return - an echo chamber. If things were really that bad, I don't think we'd ever see a Chevy or GMC on the road ever.
 
One thing I have come to learn, is all the stupid nannies and such come on every time you open the door. Defender 90 guys have dead batteries at camp all the time. ( for the handful that do anything with those blobs) But I noticed it in the wilderness with our Grenadier as well, which comes with 2 batteries. And I was told that because certain safety systems, such as back up camera are regulated to be on nearly instantly as you get in to drive, they fire up every tine you even just open the door, rather then waiting for a key trigger. So definitely, between that an all the tech these days batteries face a huge demand. That being said, I still believe car battery quality is way down.
 
SolidAxleorBust said:
I simply would not trust Chevy, GMC, or Toyota at all. I think Ford is a lot closer to Ram.
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Well, maybe I can give you some new found trust in the brand. I've got a 2015 Tahoe with 197,000 miles on it and haven't had any major issues. As far as HD trucks though, I like Ram and Ford better, but I'd trust a Chevy truck just fine.
 
I'm one of the lucky few that went through my state's lemon law process to replace my first Ram HD ('22 2500 HD) due to some gremlins in the electrical system. It'd be reasonable to think I should be wary of Ram, but I'm really not. I've owned vehicles from every major manufacturer over the years and they've all had their issues and each make and model has left folks on the side of the road and sh*t outta luck... it's a roll of the dice no matter which way you go.

In the meantime, I couldn't be more happy with the capability, features, and comfort of my Ram 3500. It's treated me well and is currently tied with my dog as my favorite family member... much to the dismay of my wife and children.
 
RAMMITDOWN said:
Hey all. This is my first RAM. I still have my good old stand by 01 F-350 CCLB dually. I would have looked at another Ford but I was so disappointed how they treated 6.0 and 6.4 owners. Not to mention that Ford has had continuous problems with aluminum body panels and won't take care of those issues (not trucks). So I thought that I did my due diligence in research about the HD RAM products, now I'm a little nervous about my purchase.
Let me start by saying that I turned my attention to RAM after working on several nice 1500's. The craftsmanship was very good - my customers were proud of their trucks. Now I will tell you that I love my used 2021 RAM 3500 CCLB Laramie Sport. It drives nice, has plenty of pulling power for my needs and the most important, my wife likes it and enjoys pulling our toy hauler without the white knuckle stress. I bought the RAM about this time last year, drove it home and immediately addressed the heater grid problem, added a 68RFE pressure increase mod and felt good about the truck.
I joined this forum and think highly of the people here. BUT now my mind is running wild with the potential camshaft/crankshaft failure, heater rely fire, DEF issues, numerous electrical issues (steering wheel heater, UConnect) heater core problems, etc.,etc.
Now I know any and all manufacturers have there issue/problems but now there is discussion about Stellantis and their both financial and quality issues. I'm not paranoid just maybe a little disillusioned about the future of my truck.
Okay, enough whining - what say y'all.............................
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We love our 2021. It has been mostly glitch free, but as I learned from your post, the steering wheel heater went kaput for no reason. Good to know it seems to be a known problem
 
jetlag said:
We love our 2021. It has been mostly glitch free, but as I learned from your post, the steering wheel heater went kaput for no reason. Good to know it seems to be a known problem
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My 21 has been trouble free as well. Probably jinxed it now. LOL. 23K miles. Except for the trips to the dealer for recalls which is a PIA. I do my own service.
 
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Shots said:
Well, maybe I can give you some new found trust in the brand. I've got a 2015 Tahoe with 197,000 miles on it and haven't had any major issues. As far as HD trucks though, I like Ram and Ford better, but I'd trust a Chevy truck just fine.
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That was 2015. Back then Toyota was the reliability leader. These days not so much. GM is having a reliability melt down as well on new trucks. The other reason for never looking at a GM product is I am most interested in off road capability and reliability. Chevy/ GM has always been more pavement princess, and IFS. Typically you see Chevy trucks running around with 22" spinner wheels and the like.
 
So far, my truck has been great. I do miss the seat comfort of my Silverado. I’ll give it to Chevy…they sure got the seat comfort down!! Haha

Reading problems on forums is everywhere. The Can Am forum I visit is no different. Guys come on, post a thread about an issue, then disappear. Never to be seen again. Never a “thank you” or a follow up/resolution to their issue. I call them “drive-by” posters. It adds to the algorithm, then any Google search brings it up. Gives the appearance of a chronic problem.

I don’t post much, but still visit. Loving my truck so far!
 
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