6 weeks in and I love the truck.....HATE all the issues I'm finding with it!

[LonghornRam_crazy]

Well, Don't mind my rambling here. I am just putting my thoughts out here on my last 6 weeks with the Longhorn.

I'm officially 6 weeks in on the ownership of this super clean, one owner, extremely well maintained (mechanically) 4x4 Longhorn with 59,000 miles.

Mechanically, I really love the truck and the previous owner took exceptional care of it service wise, but After previously owning 6 of these Ram trucks 1988, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2006 to now this 2019, I have to say the quality control on the 5th Gen is rather disappointing. Maybe it's not quality control, maybe its just cheap materials, I don't know. I just traded in a 2022 Jeep for this Ram that had alot of what I would consider quality control issues. Another words, if someone had inspected this and that in the factory, they would of noticed it wasn't right and I don't think it would of shipped that way. They would of fixed it.

*I noticed a couple weeks after I got the truck that my Leather Dash is bubbling up.... I can see online its a very common problem. I have spoken to a couple upholstery shops and they have given me some good insight into repairing it so it lays smooth. it will never be perfect without recovering it but it should be much better then it is now. They quoted me $800 to recover the dash.
*I've noticed the upper ball joints have a pop in them, mostly the drivers side so I am currently looking for some good UCA replacements now.
*I had the infamous rear window leak which I have since fixed.
*On cold starts I have the lifter tick which I attribute to the super thin oil they run in these for the VVT.

Another thing that had me shaking my head. What bright engineer thought it was a great idea to put the oil filter over the front axle solenoid plug and the oil drain plug 2 inches from the sway bar. I think they could of thought that placement out better

I can definitely say that the quality control and materials used in my 1996 were much better. I sold the 96 to my brother back in 1999 with 76k on it. It's 27 years old now and he still drives it today with 200k on it and he is far from easy on it, it never has any issues. it just keeps plugging along.

Although I am complaining here, I do love the truck. It runs and drives good and it seems like its solid mechanically, its just mostly cosmetic stuff so I have some expenses to get this Longhorn back up to par. I just wouldn't have expected a leather dash to come apart at 59k or 4 years old. Its premature....or a rear window leak... Seems like things Ram should have realized there was an ongoing issue and taken care of it.... but that's wishful thinking on my part.

 

[c3k]

I can't speak to many of your observations, but for the oil plug, look at Fumoto oil drain valves.

Yeah, I was a skeptic at first, thinking about damaging it. That was back in '03. Since then, I've put them on EVERY vehicle I own, and also on my sons'.

You can slip a hose on it and direct your dirty oil wherever you want it to go...unless you like "aftermarket home-style DIY rustproofing" your underbody with each oil change.

(Oh...FWIW, someone did a test with ~3 valves on different cars. The Fumoto removes all but 0.3% of the old oil. If you were concerned.)

 

[bigdodge]

Well, Don't mind my rambling here. I am just putting my thoughts out here on my last 6 weeks with the Longhorn.

I'm officially 6 weeks in on the ownership of this super clean, one owner, extremely well maintained (mechanically) 4x4 Longhorn with 59,000 miles.

Mechanically, I really love the truck and the previous owner took exceptional care of it service wise, but After previously owning 6 of these Ram trucks 1988, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2006 to now this 2019, I have to say the quality control on the 5th Gen is rather disappointing. Maybe it's not quality control, maybe its just cheap materials, I don't know. I just traded in a 2022 Jeep for this Ram that had alot of what I would consider quality control issues. Another words, if someone had inspected this and that in the factory, they would of noticed it wasn't right and I don't think it would of shipped that way. They would of fixed it.

*I noticed a couple weeks after I got the truck that my Leather Dash is bubbling up.... I can see online its a very common problem. I have spoken to a couple upholstery shops and they have given me some good insight into repairing it so it lays smooth. it will never be perfect without recovering it but it should be much better then it is now. They quoted me $800 to recover the dash.
*I've noticed the upper ball joints have a pop in them, mostly the drivers side so I am currently looking for some good UCA replacements now.
*I had the infamous rear window leak which I have since fixed.
*On cold starts I have the lifter tick which I attribute to the super thin oil they run in these for the VVT.

Another thing that had me shaking my head. What bright engineer thought it was a great idea to put the oil filter over the front axle solenoid plug and the oil drain plug 2 inches from the sway bar. I think they could of thought that placement out better

I can definitely say that the quality control and materials used in my 1996 were much better. I sold the 96 to my brother back in 1999 with 76k on it. It's 27 years old now and he still drives it today with 200k on it and he is far from easy on it, it never has any issues. it just keeps plugging along.

Although I am complaining here, I do love the truck. It runs and drives good and it seems like its solid mechanically, its just mostly cosmetic stuff so I have some expenses to get this Longhorn back up to par. I just wouldn't have expected a leather dash to come apart at 59k or 4 years old. Its premature....or a rear window leak... Seems like things Ram should have realized there was an ongoing issue and taken care of it.... but that's wishful thinking on my part.

there are always a ton of issues for a new model and the 5th gen had a lot of changes not to mention a new plant to build them

 

[BrandonSmith]

...
*On cold starts I have the lifter tick which I attribute to the super thin oil they run in these for the VVT.
...

Are you sure it's lifter tick and not exhaust manifold leak?

 

[dannydyn]

Just curious.... these leather 'bubbling' issue... is that due to heat? Where are you located?

 

[TheWaterman83]

I feel bad you literally had half of the top 10 "flaws" happen in your first 6 weeks of ownership. We sound a lot alike. I've had the dead battery, e-torque motor replaced, various leaks, rear window replaced, broken sunvisor (another common issue), and one or two other things. 90% of it was covered under warranty. I absolutely love the truck. Every time I get into it I just love driving it. My wife nags me to drive it every chance she can.

My reassurance to you is that it gets better. Now, I am problem free.

Also, as other have said, its difficult to determine the difference between lifter tick and a manifold. If it continues to get worse, it's usually the manifold.

 

[mikeru82]

Well, Don't mind my rambling here. I am just putting my thoughts out here on my last 6 weeks with the Longhorn.

I'm officially 6 weeks in on the ownership of this super clean, one owner, extremely well maintained (mechanically) 4x4 Longhorn with 59,000 miles.

Mechanically, I really love the truck and the previous owner took exceptional care of it service wise, but After previously owning 6 of these Ram trucks 1988, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2006 to now this 2019, I have to say the quality control on the 5th Gen is rather disappointing. Maybe it's not quality control, maybe its just cheap materials, I don't know. I just traded in a 2022 Jeep for this Ram that had alot of what I would consider quality control issues. Another words, if someone had inspected this and that in the factory, they would of noticed it wasn't right and I don't think it would of shipped that way. They would of fixed it.

*I noticed a couple weeks after I got the truck that my Leather Dash is bubbling up.... I can see online its a very common problem. I have spoken to a couple upholstery shops and they have given me some good insight into repairing it so it lays smooth. it will never be perfect without recovering it but it should be much better then it is now. They quoted me $800 to recover the dash.
*I've noticed the upper ball joints have a pop in them, mostly the drivers side so I am currently looking for some good UCA replacements now.
*I had the infamous rear window leak which I have since fixed.
*On cold starts I have the lifter tick which I attribute to the super thin oil they run in these for the VVT.

Another thing that had me shaking my head. What bright engineer thought it was a great idea to put the oil filter over the front axle solenoid plug and the oil drain plug 2 inches from the sway bar. I think they could of thought that placement out better

I can definitely say that the quality control and materials used in my 1996 were much better. I sold the 96 to my brother back in 1999 with 76k on it. It's 27 years old now and he still drives it today with 200k on it and he is far from easy on it, it never has any issues. it just keeps plugging along.

Although I am complaining here, I do love the truck. It runs and drives good and it seems like its solid mechanically, its just mostly cosmetic stuff so I have some expenses to get this Longhorn back up to par. I just wouldn't have expected a leather dash to come apart at 59k or 4 years old. Its premature....or a rear window leak... Seems like things Ram should have realized there was an ongoing issue and taken care of it.... but that's wishful thinking on my part.

I share your concerns about quality. We've had the leaking rear window, leaky CHMSL, and broken sun visor issues in our 2020 Limited. I'm keeping a close eye on the dash but so far there are no signs of any bubbling.

But in Ram's defense your 2019 Longhorn was the first model year for the 5th gen Ram 1500 (DT). It's a fact that the first model year can be plagued with issues until some of the bugs get worked out. Regarding your last comment, they do address common issues over successive model years. Maybe not to everyone's satisfaction. However there's no way they could have known about any ongoing issues when your truck was being built in 2018/2019.

 

[Cbty2050]

I feel bad you literally had half of the top 10 "flaws" happen in your first 6 weeks of ownership. We sound a lot alike. I've had the dead battery, e-torque motor replaced, various leaks, rear window replaced, broken sunvisor (another common issue), and one or two other things. 90% of it was covered under warranty. I absolutely love the truck. Every time I get into it I just love driving it. My wife nags me to drive it every chance she can.

My reassurance to you is that it gets better. Now, I am problem free.

Also, as other have said, its difficult to determine the difference between lifter tick and a manifold. If it continues to get worse, it's usually the manifold.

He bought a used truck with 59k miles on it, none of the complaints are a "quality control" issue. If he purchased from a dealer/lot then they missed it on inspection or decided not to fix it. If he purchased it from a private owner, then that's on him for the purchase.

 

[TheWaterman83]

He bought a used truck with 59k miles on it, none of the complaints are a "quality control" issue. If he purchased from a dealer/lot then they missed it on inspection or decided not to fix it. If he purchased it from a private owner, then that's on him for the purchase.

There's definitely some fault on him/I. We bought first year model runs. So that's on us.

Too many people get way defensive on here when someone points out the first-model-run flaws of these trucks. There were tons. That's life. Everyone tries to deflect the reality onto someone/something else.

I've had people on this very forum tell me I should have lemon-lawed it. I think the fact we both still apparently love the truck says a lot.

 

[HSKR R/T]

There's definitely some fault on him/I. We bought first year model runs. So that's on us.

Too many people get way defensive on here when someone points out the first-model-run flaws of these trucks. There were tons. That's life. Everyone tries to deflect the reality onto someone/something else.

I've had people on this very forum tell me I should have lemon-lawed it. I think the fact we both still apparently love the truck says a lot.

What he means is, he bought a used truck that had almost 60k miles on it. Is not like he bought it new off the lot. You should expect some issues buying a used vehicle as you never really know the history of the vehicle. And saying his 96 RAM was better quality is anecdotal. That generstion of Rams had their own well known issues. Most notably crappy plastic dash that breaks just by looking at it wrong after about 5-10 years. The Magnum engines were notorious for leaking intake manifold and bad lifters. Ball joints were crap on them and the brakes were barely adequate. Plus the 46re is well known for going out. The OD units were weak, c-clios that hold the clutches in break causing OD to go out getting debris in the resr of trans. Poor liking for the OD unit. TPS sensors develope a dead spot where you normally cruise causing torque converter to constantly go in and out of lock-up increasing trans fluid temps and wear on the torque converter.

 

[TheWaterman83]

What he means is, he bought a used truck that had almost 60k miles on it. Is not like he bought it new off the lot. You should expect some issues buying a used vehicle as you never really know the history of the vehicle. And saying his 96 RAM was better quality is anecdotal. That generstion of Rams had their own well known issues. Most notably crappy plastic dash that breaks just by looking at it wrong after about 5-10 years. The Magnum engines were notorious for leaking intake manifold and bad lifters. Ball joints were crap on them and the brakes were barely adequate. Plus the 46re is well known for going out. The OD units were weak, c-clios that hold the clutches in break causing OD to go out getting debris in the resr of trans. Poor liking for the OD unit. TPS sensors develope a dead spot where you normally cruise causing torque converter to constantly go in and out of lock-up increasing trans fluid temps and wear on the torque converter.

Once again, love the truck but are any of these issues surprising? Not really. But once again, first-year model run usually means problems. These aren't exactly "wear and tear" or lack of maintenance issues. I've had a bunch of different vehicles over the years. Most of them were actually Mopar's, funny enough. I've had 2 basically problem-free Jeep Grand Cherokees (previous generation). 2000 Dodge Dakota R/T. Wife has a 2021 JGC-L at the moment. Funny the 96 Ram was mentioned. I drove my father's 1995 when I was in high school. Yep they definitely had problems. My father has a 2006 Dodge Ram 2500 5.9L with 260k on the clock and it still runs like a champ.

I think, unfortunately, this is the most problematic for me. Ironically, its also the most gratifying vehicle I've own. The end of lease offers I got were absurd and I ended up just buying it. So that must count for something.

I think it is more so on OP for his decision than mine or perhaps others who bought 2019 5th gens brand new. Its not like these issues are not well known. You expect some issues but not as many as I and some of the others had. Another point that also seems ironic to me is the drivetrains seem pretty solid. Trans, diffs, t-cases, front-diffs, and motors all seem to hold up well. There are problems here and there but it's all the surrounding nonsense like windows, electrical problems, e-torque, interior fit/finish/durability.

 

[HSKR R/T]

Once again, love the truck but are any of these issues surprising? Not really. But once again, first-year model run usually means problems. These aren't exactly "wear and tear" or lack of maintenance issues. I've had a bunch of different vehicles over the years. Most of them were actually Mopar's, funny enough. I've had 2 basically problem-free Jeep Grand Cherokees (previous generation). 2000 Dodge Dakota R/T. Wife has a 2021 JGC-L at the moment. Funny the 96 Ram was mentioned. I drove my father's 1995 when I was in high school. Yep they definitely had problems. My father has a 2006 Dodge Ram 2500 5.9L with 260k on the clock and it still runs like a champ.

I think, unfortunately, this is the most problematic for me. Ironically, its also the most gratifying vehicle I've own. The end of lease offers I got were absurd and I ended up just buying it. So that must count for something.

I think it is more so on OP for his decision than mine or perhaps others who bought 2019 5th gens brand new. Its not like these issues are not well known. You expect some issues but not as many as I and some of the others had. Another point that also seems ironic to me is the drivetrains seem pretty solid. Trans, diffs, t-cases, front-diffs, and motors all seem to hold up well. There are problems here and there but it's all the surrounding nonsense like windows, electrical problems, e-torque, interior fit/finish/durability.

I still have my 00 Dakota R/T. Not much left stock on it though that were common issues. It has always been very dependable truck, but I knew the potential issues and addressed them. Only times it left me stranded were after it became more of a toy and not a daily driver. And they were issues Induced with modifications.

 

[TheWaterman83]

I still have my 00 Dakota R/T. Not much left stock on it though that were common issues. It has always been very dependable truck, but I knew the potential issues and addressed them. Only times it left me stranded were after it became more of a toy and not a daily driver. And they were issues Induced with modifications.

That was probably the best years of my life when I had that truck. I was in college. It was a regular cab too which made it pretty unique. I used to roll my 2004 Kawasaki ZX-10R into the back, myself, and take it to bike rallies, the beach, etc. Black with silver decals. I believe I sold that truck with 90k on the odo, pretty much stock, and the guy who bought it drove it 1100 miles home without a hiccup.

Now, like my pearl blazing orange ZX-10r that I also sold, doesn't seem like that many of them are left. They've been either wrecked and/or rusted out.

It was a very reliable truck though.

 

[firecadet613]

What did the upholstery shops say about the dash? Mine has a few spots but isn't too noticeable.

And FWIW, I ordered a '19 early on then sold it when I switched back to a company car. Late last year bought another '19! Very few issues, but man oh man they are great trucks!

 

[wvinson]

I had a '19 Limited and loved it before I got a '22. Loved it - only had the issue with rear window leak which was the seal in the third brake light.