Do not buy a Dodge

[ExpressThis13]

OK so as many of you know last yeari bought a 13 ram express and it was great for the 1st year of ownership but now it had been in the shop more times than it should have and now i have to take it back. So here summer/spring i had to take the truck in for a sensor to get replaced then shortly after the started missing so then the dealership replaced all injectors on the right bank. All should be good right? Well tonight the light came back on just as our weather is going from decent to garbage 30s and under so because this light is on again i cannot use my remote start and the truck with not go into eco mode. To top it all off the truck only has just under 17k miles on it. This is my first ram and it will be my last I'm sticking with a Sierra or silverado from here on out.

[JHL88]

sorry to hear about that. every make and model has some bad ones though looks like you might've gotten one.

 

I had to have my WHOLE rear end replaced on my '13 silverado at 12k miles. I also had to have my power steering res. replaces twice.

[Chris@Adams]

Bummer....like mentioned you can get a bad one in any make. My Ram has been a good truck, my last 4 trucks were Dodge's all good.

[07stanggt]

Thats a bummer!! I would drive it right to your local Ford dealer and buy the best selling truck for 37 years straight, FORD.

[DieselDude]

Sorry to hear about all your luck with your first Dodge Ram.   I have had great service out of mine which is a 2006 Dodge Ram 2500 Cummins. You will find one like that no matter who the manufacture is.  My parents have always had a Chrysler Corp vehilce (Chrysler, Dodge, or Dodge Truck) and has excellent service out of every single one. 

[chas]

This is a bummer to hear.  My wife and I are planning to start a family in the next year or two and I don't think my Tacoma is going to cut it space wise and I was looking at RAMS, you know, because any car guy needs two years in advance to research his next purchase right?  I hope you get this resolved swiftly, this is never a fun situation.

[694doorbird]

Eric,

 

You really can't judge a manufacter by one vehicle.

 

We have a '06 Charger, just rolled over 103,000 miles. It's only been to the dealer three times. All of them warranty work. This is our first Dodge and I really can't complain about it.

 

I bought my '00 Ranger used with 137,000 miles on it. Right now it's close to 176,000.

 

It almost sounds like your truck was one of those "built on a Monday, Friday, or day before/after a holiday".

[GXPaycheck]

Lemon law?

[HydroBlueJK]

one of our work trucks is an 2011 ram with a hemi in it that has 155k on it and has never had an issue, honestly like everyone says they all have issues..my moms buick had a short in the wiring and the whole harness behind the dash needed to be replaced.

[Adam]

I've had a lemon of every US auto maker, it seems!   Loved my 2011 Jeep 5.7 Hemi Grand Cherokee, not an issue, ever.  The 2014 Jeep 6.4 SRT spent way more time at the shop.  Had a few Fords that spent more time at the dealership than in my garage, namely an '05 F-350 with the 6.0L diesel, then a 2008 F-350 with the 6.4L diesel.  

 

It's crazy how many recalls have been happening.  Drives me crazy to see cars being sold before the bugs are worked out!

 

Still, when it comes to recalls, who ended up having the most over the past few years?

 

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jimgorzelany/2014/03/26/automakers-with-the-lowest-and-highest-recall-rates/

 

 

1. Mercedes-Benz USA:  2.1 million recalled/5.2 million sold;  0.41 recall rate.
2. Mazda Motor Corp:  5.2 million recalled/9.4 million sold;  0.55 recall rate.
3. General Motors:  99.3 million recalled/153.2 million sold;  0.65 recall rate.
4. Nissan North America:  19.1 million recalled/26.8 million sold;  0.71 recall rate.
5. Subaru of America:  4.3 million recalled/6.0 million sold;  0.73 recall rate.
6. Kia Motors:  3.7 million recalled/4.9 million sold;  0.77 recall rate.
7. Toyota Motor Corp:  38.6 million recalled/48.1 million sold;  0.80 recall rate.
8. BMW of North America:  5.1 million recalled/5.7 million sold;  0.90 recall rate.
9. Ford Motor Co:  97.0 million recalled/104.7 million sold;  0.93 recall rate.
10. American Honda Motor Co:  31.1 million recalled/32.9 million sold;  0.94 recall rate.
11. Chrysler Group:  63.2 million recalled/63.2 million sold;  1.00 recall rate.
12. Volvo Cars of North America:  3.3 million recalled/3.1 million sold;  1.05 recall rate.
13. Volkswagen of America:  10.2 million recalled/9.7 million sold;  1.06 recall rate.
14. Mitsubishi Motors North America:  5.3 million recalled/4.8 million sold;  1.09 recall rate.
15. Hyundai Motor Co:  9.9 million recalled/8.7 million sold;  1.15 recall rate.

[chas]

I have had more recalls on my Tacoma this year than I ever could have predicted having with a Toyota:

 

1. New rear leaf springs

2. New transmission mounts

3. New steering wheel damper

4. New rear drums

5. ECU re-flash for engine knock

6. New rear leaf bump stops.

[Adam]

My wife had a 2007 4Runner, and that thing went back for a new rear drive shaft at 4K miles!

[Team Adam's]

I agree with everyone else... no brand is immune to the occasional lemon.

 

As much as I loved my 06 TBSS that thing went thru multiple transmissions, 2 rear differentials, all under warranty luckily. The next 2 GM trucks (my avalanche and my silverado) were nearly perfect. The only warranty item I ever had on the Silvy was a hum from the heater core that was fixed under warranty as well. Fastforward to my wifes Equinox that has now been towed to the dealer 2x b/c it suddenly can't start. Both times they blame excessive carbon buildup on the valves, but can't isolate the reason.

 

I can certainly identify with the frustration, but look at it this way... if you buy another dodge the odds you'd get one with the same amount of problems as this one are slim and none

[ExpressThis13]

This is my first new truck as well and I've always been a gm guy at heart but decided to try something different. I love the truck don't get me wrong awesome power and looks and comfort. When i took it in last i had an aftermarket intake and catch can on the motor and they asked me to put the truck back to stock to run further testing so i did.i put the catch can back on but left the intake off. I have things i would like to do to the truck but I'm afraid to because everytimei do something to the truck i have to take it in.

[Team Adam's]

Was the ECU reflashed or tuned to compensate for the CAI?

 

I only ask b/c out of personal experience you can run into all manner of problems on some rigs by changing the characteristics of the airflow. The compression of the LQ9 in my 04 SS was such that a simple CAI swap without a tune made it run like an old tractor instead of a $40k truck. Similar issues reported with the LS2 in the TBSS and the LS3 in the Camaro.

Its not as easy as it used to be, simply slap on an intake and go... the increased air flow can freak the electronics out in some cases. Just a thought.

Edited December 16, 2014 by The Shine Doc

[Black Bowtie]

It can also be the Dealer not making sure this are fixed correct before the truck leaves. Take it to another dealer in your area if you are not happy or ask the Sevice Manager who the Zone Rep is for the dealership and take your problems to the next level.

[LFairbanks]

I know I'am not a Dodge fan.  The only reason I have one is the wife come home with it.  My wife has a Charger with only 47k and had the park shift interlock bust.  Won't let you shift gears, period.  Fortunately for her it happened in the garage at home.  Found out later that there is an over ride.  Any how had to replace the pink part in the below picture.  Can't believe something with such tension on it from a spring is made out of plastic.  Thin plastic at that.  You can see where the hook is and that bust's off.  The aftermarket repair part is metal.  On top of that it uses about 3 quarts of oil in between oil changes.  Really???  I'am a huge stickler on my maintenance and have never had a vehicle use oil.  Had a 93 4Runner that I would put 5 quarts in and wouldn't have to worry about it.  Never leaked or burned anything.  Had a 147K on it when I sold it.  Not to mention the other vehicles that I have owned since that don't use any oil.  The guy at the Dodge dealer tells me that the oil consumption is normal in that motor and worse in the 4.0 motors that are used in their vehicles.  No Thanks.  Also had a condensation issue in the headlamp that I had to repair.

 

Knew a lady that both she and her husband had Diesels and the front end had issues due to the weight of the motor, constantly.  They may have fixed this since.  

 

 

Edited December 17, 2014 by LFairbanks

[DieselDude]

Adam,  Very good information about the recall rate on vehicles. I think we have only received three recall notices (two of them the vehicle did not have the part that was being recalled on it and the other they fixed it in two minutes when I took it in).  Also suprised on some of the recall numbers in that list and some I am not suprised.  It is a miracle that we can get from point a to point b every day with how many systems are on a vehicle.

 

I do agree with the Mercedes number.  I did make the switch to Mercedes for a daily driver two years ago and it has been best daily driver vehicle for me.  

 

 

1. Mercedes-Benz USA: 2.1 million recalled/5.2 million sold; 0.41 recall rate.
2. Mazda Motor Corp: 5.2 million recalled/9.4 million sold; 0.55 recall rate.
3. General Motors: 99.3 million recalled/153.2 million sold; 0.65 recall rate.
4. Nissan North America: 19.1 million recalled/26.8 million sold; 0.71 recall rate.
5. Subaru of America: 4.3 million recalled/6.0 million sold; 0.73 recall rate.
6. Kia Motors: 3.7 million recalled/4.9 million sold; 0.77 recall rate.
7. Toyota Motor Corp: 38.6 million recalled/48.1 million sold; 0.80 recall rate.
8. BMW of North America: 5.1 million recalled/5.7 million sold; 0.90 recall rate.
9. Ford Motor Co: 97.0 million recalled/104.7 million sold; 0.93 recall rate.
10. American Honda Motor Co: 31.1 million recalled/32.9 million sold; 0.94 recall rate.
11. Chrysler Group: 63.2 million recalled/63.2 million sold; 1.00 recall rate.
12. Volvo Cars of North America: 3.3 million recalled/3.1 million sold; 1.05 recall rate.
13. Volkswagen of America: 10.2 million recalled/9.7 million sold; 1.06 recall rate.
14. Mitsubishi Motors North America: 5.3 million recalled/4.8 million sold; 1.09 recall rate.
15. Hyundai Motor Co: 9.9 million recalled/8.7 million sold; 1.15 recall rate.