Confidence in 2026 Models?

[pensfan]

The engines aren't the problem with the '25 and '26 model years. Apparently the batteries are trash. New ones seem to make the problems go away. The Hurricane is a good motor. The issues erroneously get blamed on the engine. I love that motor. I hadn't had any issues until last week after 11K of issue free motoring. I hope to have this ride for a bit, but if I had to, I'd get other Hurricane. It's impressive.

What problems surfaced last week on your truck?

 

[pensfan]

From all the reading I’ve done I’d agree the engines are solid. I’ve also seen some chatter that some connections aren’t fully seated on sensors sometimes, and even fuses in the fuse box. Those are easy fixes. But is replacing the battery really such a cure all? I’d be pissed if I was sitting around waiting months on a BCM or something without my truck and it was just the battery all along.

Having to wait months for a new eTorque unit is what scares me. I've had 2 Hemis and the only problem was replacing the manifolds on my '16 at 35K.

 

[Rebellion is Duty]

What problems surfaced last week on your truck?

First, I got the blue screen on my back up camera feed. That lasted a day. Then, I got the head unit needs to be serviced twice. Those seemed to resolve on their own. The check engine light came on Saturday. Took it to the dealer Tuesday morning.

 

[RAMTEXAS]

lemons exist for every make and model, that’s just how it is…

 

[pensfan]

First, I got the blue screen on my back up camera feed. That lasted a day. Then, I got the head unit needs to be serviced twice. Those seemed to resolve on their own. The check engine light came on Saturday. Took it to the dealer Tuesday morning.

They need to hire a lot of programmers to fix all of these software issues that keep popping up. uConnect 5 is horrible. My wife's '24 Durango is on the 2nd replacement infotainment unit. The problem is they don't give you a new unit, it is a refurb.
The eTorque lack of replacement units is inexcusable. They have units for production. Their supplier should be working OT to catch up with the demand for replacements. Better yet, change the design or do away with it by updating the Hemi. The Hemi should never have returned without a fix to the eTorque system.

 

[Namelama]

You're not wrong. I'm basically looking for something a little larger and with at least Hemi levels of pep.

Tundra - Main bearing issues and fairly well-known catastrophic engine failures
Silverado - The jury is out on whether or not the 6.2 is a safe buy following the big recall and the diesel option is not for me
Ram - Revised electric system doesn't seem to be panning out
Titan - It's cousin the Armada is one of the worst reviewed vehicles ever made and I've never heard a positive word about it.
F-150 - I can't find anything especially damning on these other than some transmission concerns that seem to have cleared up. I had some bad Fords in the past though so this makes me very nervous

After being a Chevy owner for over 30 years, replacing an 8 spd transmission on Silverado 1500 at 41k, amongst other issues, I just went through these same comparisons you've made here and decided to give 26 RAM BH 1500 a shot because it was the only truck with 10yr/100k mile warranty. There are no 1/2 ton trucks without issues of one kind or another, but a buyer needs more than 5yr/60k powertrain warranty after spending $60k+ on any kind of new truck. 100% agree.

 

[SW Driver]

Is this the Mopar warranty you're talking about? If so, just be aware that it's definitely not a bumper to bumper warranty.

Yes, it’s the Mopar warranty. I know they market it as bumper to bumper, but I also know it’s not a “true” bumper to bumper. I read all the fine print to know what was covered and what was not covered.

 

[anorrismd]

New owner (286 miles) of 2026 Ram 1500 W SO Hurricane. No problems yet mechanically but still having issues with nighttime electrical adjustment of screen brightness. Does not seem to self adjust and the adjacent roller adjustments on the lower left for cabin and display do not adjust the screen. Not sure if it is a setting (I have on auto for night) but driving home from the dealer after dark (took 3 hours to sign ppw and all) burned my retinas out.

 

[wvinson]

I have a September 2024 build '25 Limited night edition and have had zero issues with software or batteries. I also was supposed to have the approach lights feature but it never worked and I just left it alone (not sure if that can cause battery drain?).

This one has been the most trouble free of the 5 Rams I've had since 2014! Others only had minor issues.

 

[Rebellion is Duty]

There's been wacky problems in every vehicle I've owned, and it's a pretty long list. None of this would deter me from buying another 1500 and Hurricane. What I like about them outweighs any problems I've had which, in reality, wasn't much. Over a year of trouble-free driving. Enjoyed every mile. Some have been unlucky enough to get a lemon, but most of this is more an annoyance. The owners with disabling issues and waiting months for parts, that's ridiculous. Ram needs to do better.

 

[SW Driver]

New owner (286 miles) of 2026 Ram 1500 W SO Hurricane. No problems yet mechanically but still having issues with nighttime electrical adjustment of screen brightness. Does not seem to self adjust and the adjacent roller adjustments on the lower left for cabin and display do not adjust the screen. Not sure if it is a setting (I have on auto for night) but driving home from the dealer after dark (took 3 hours to sign ppw and all) burned my retinas out.

I noticed that myself. I haven't had time to read the manual yet, so I just went into settings and switched it from Auto to Manual. Then I turned it way down for the night. I'm sure there's a setting somewhere to change the white background to black which would help a lot. Always so much to learn with new modern vehicles.

 

[kjn86]

New owner (286 miles) of 2026 Ram 1500 W SO Hurricane. No problems yet mechanically but still having issues with nighttime electrical adjustment of screen brightness. Does not seem to self adjust and the adjacent roller adjustments on the lower left for cabin and display do not adjust the screen. Not sure if it is a setting (I have on auto for night) but driving home from the dealer after dark (took 3 hours to sign ppw and all) burned my retinas out.

This happens to me on and off. It's on my list of minor things to bring up to the dealer when I go in next. But I can immediately fix it two ways: 1) Rotate the knob for the headlights to off and then immediately back to AUTO or 2) Adjust the interior lights up or down with the rolling dimmer wheel. It's weird that dimmer option doesn't work for you. Maybe the headlights trick will work.

It's annoying but ultimately fixes itself really quickly. I can't pinpoint why this is happening or when to identify some cause and effect.

 

[Mike504]

I am currently the owner of a 2025 Limited with the Hurricane HO but that truck has been nothing but headaches and is currently involved in litigation with FCA. At some point I need to find something else but really I don't think there's anything that checks my boxes like a RAM does. Heck, I even like the Hurricane engine. The thing is I don't want to jump out of the pan just to land in, well, the pan. There's of course my own personal experiences but I've even caught folks at the dealership saying things that seem to point toward a reality where the 2025's were not very good and had a lot more issues then their predecessors.

Furthermore, I'm having a hard time deciding because of my RAM experience so far
RAM #1: Perfect truck. Never needed anything
RAM #2: Excellent truck - no issues
RAM #3: Wiped the cam at 25mi (yes, twenty-five) and got swapped for a different truck
RAM #4: The replacement for #3 and probably the best vehicle I've had so far
RAM #5: Basically a disaster that's been nothing but problems, stress, and drama

So here I am where the best and worst vehicles I've owned are the same make, model, and general age and let's just say I've had a healthy number of cars in my life so far.

What's everyone's read on the 2026 model year? Of course the Hemi is back which is great but I'm thinking more in terms of reliability concerns. Do you think Stellantis got their crap together and did a little better job on the second model year (of the 5th gen refresh/Hurricane platform in RAM)? Does anyone out there have one that has some miles on already?

I cant comment on rams reliability. Im here basically looking to find out how it is with this engine. I can comment on other brands though. I've owned a 2017 ford f150 lariat, a 2019 gmc sierra denali and currently have a 23 chevy silverado high country. I got scared off of ram before my latest truck purchase and kind of wish I had just gotten that instead.

My f150 had problems with the transmission and at one point completely shut down while I was driving it. It was in the shop for 28 days straight before they could even figure out to get it to start. Evidently it was such a strange problem, it went all the way to one of the highest engineers in the company who was the only person tk figure it out. I ended up going throw lemon law with that one.

My 2019 denali had tons of random electronics problems and, had I kept it, probably would have been part of the massive recall for all the failing 6.2 liter v8 engines. I traded it after about six months because I was sick of all the random problems and the seats also were horribly uncomfortable.

After that I went to a car for a couple years then bought my silverado. The silverado, at first was pretty good. Only real issue was the parking sensor which was replaced under warranty and has now stopped working again outside of warranty. I didnt have a lot of problems for a couple years, but now at 77k miles im having issues with electronics, recognizing the key fob, the infotainment not working intermittently, sometimes the left turn signal and entire light cluster wont come on at all and it will say service needed but then start working again next time I turn it on and not have thst issue for weeks. Im getting some worrying ticking sounds, transmission is getting jerkier and sometime have grinding sounds at low speeds. I've had all of it checked out multiple times, not just by the dealer and no one can find anything specific wrong with it.

What I've learned from this, and the main point of my rant, is that, all the companies making trucks have some big quality control/reliability problems. Even Toyota cant make a reliable vehicle anymore, so, for me at least, ill look at major known issues and use that as a factor (ie. Engine/transmission failures), but other than that, im just going to get whatever I like the best and go into it expecting that im probably going to have some problems with the vehicle regardless of the brand.

 

[Rebellion is Duty]

All manufacturers are putting customer loyalty to the test. Just have to decide which service department you want to sit in.

 

[CalvinC]

I don’t know what this backwards obsession with recalls is.

To me a recall is a manufacturer going “crap, we screwed up, but we’ll fix it.”

Much better than burying their heads in the sand like many do.

 

[Rebellion is Duty]

Point is they all have them. You can't base a buying decision based on recalls, tsb's, or reported issues. They get fixed, eventually. If not, there are buy backs and lemon laws.

People are concerned about the '25 and '26 model years for Ram. These are growing pains of a redesign. My worst vehicle ever was an '07 Tundra. The year of a redesign.

You can buy anything you like, just don't expect complete error free driving.

Honestly, I don't care what people buy. Their money.