Buying help

[rich2342]

Hi All,

I am looking for help to decide if I should move forward with leasing a new 2020 1500.

I initially was looking used 1500 classic's then read about transmission issues, clunk, skipping etc. I then saw the new ram and love how they look and the motor, but read a bit to find more of the same then some with reliability and or issues.

I am in crunch as there are few Crew cabs near me. Should the 3rd brake light water issue and transmission issues scare me away? How widespread are they, is it certain vins? Can I check a new vin to see if it is affected?

Please help as I have an opportunity to lease before incentives end and limited supply of other makes and preference available.

 

[Wsmith]

My 2020 DT has been perfect so far, sub par AC, and halogen lighting (my fault). I only have 4,500 miles so far, but completely happy.

 

[brian42]

It's the same mechanical drivetrain so it could happen to either generation.

More options with a 5th gen than the Classic.

I had some rough shifting (solved with software update), cracked rear window frame (replaced with newer part), and a few other issues that have all been resolved. The 3rd brake light seal is more foam than rubber and can be replaced with weatherstripping for a better seal (discussed in threads around here for what to use). I never had a 3rd brake light leak but replaced the seal with marine weatherstripping to make sure it doesn't.

I bought the 1st year of a new generation (I had no choice) and have had my share of dealership visits but I knew that going in. I love my truck and would do it again with all I've learned and been through since I bought it.

The Classic will be a better price and usually have as good or better deals than any 5th gen if that is what your budget is. Many prefer that styling but, for me, the 5th gen cabin is far better than the 4th gen.

 

[rich2342]

I was reading another thread on here about the driveshaft binding which also occurred with the classics as well. How the f does FCA not fix these production defects year over year. It blows my mind.

I like the looks of the truck and its attributes, but its really deters me from wanting to deal with issues. It's the down time and hassle etc that would get me.

 

[mikeru82]

The thing you need to keep in mind is that this is a forum. One of the main purposes of a forum is to find information when a problem occurs. So it stands to reason that the majority of the threads are going to be about problems people are having. It's inevitable that there will be some common problems between them, but that doesn't mean it's a common problem with all Ram trucks. Go to any Chevy or Ford forum and you'll find the same thing. The fact of the matter is, any brand of truck can have problems. Sometimes multiple problems. But the majority of them on the road do not have any problems (like my 2020 Laramie or my girlfriend's 2020 Limited). It's a fools errand to go to forums before buying a new vehicle in an attempt to buy a trouble-free one. You'll never find a forum where no common problems are discussed.

My advice is to find the truck you like with the features and options you want, regardless of the make, and ignore what you read in forums.

 

[Adrianp89]

I've had two 5th gens. One had some clunking, was a loose nut in the front suspension - 15 minute fix at dealer and it was done. My newest one has been 100% issue free. *knock on wood*.

 

[Neurobit]

The thing you need to keep in mind is that this is a forum. One of the main purposes of a forum is to find information when a problem occurs. So it stands to reason that the majority of the threads are going to be about problems people are having. It's inevitable that there will be some common problems between them, but that doesn't mean it's a common problem with all Ram trucks. Go to any Chevy or Ford forum and you'll find the same thing. The fact of the matter is, any brand of truck can have problems. Sometimes multiple problems. But the majority of them on the road do not have any problems (like my 2020 Laramie or my girlfriend's 2020 Limited). It's a fools errand to go to forums before buying a new vehicle in an attempt to buy a trouble-free one. You'll never find a forum where no common problems are discussed.

My advice is to find the truck you like with the features and options you want, regardless of the make, and ignore what you read in forums.

 

[rich2342]

The thing you need to keep in mind is that this is a forum. One of the main purposes of a forum is to find information when a problem occurs. So it stands to reason that the majority of the threads are going to be about problems people are having. It's inevitable that there will be some common problems between them, but that doesn't mean it's a common problem with all Ram trucks. Go to any Chevy or Ford forum and you'll find the same thing. The fact of the matter is, any brand of truck can have problems. Sometimes multiple problems. But the majority of them on the road do not have any problems (like my 2020 Laramie or my girlfriend's 2020 Limited). It's a fools errand to go to forums before buying a new vehicle in an attempt to buy a trouble-free one. You'll never find a forum where no common problems are discussed.

My advice is to find the truck you like with the features and options you want, regardless of the make, and ignore what you read in forums.

Not necessarily. I came here hoping for some peace of mind, not to confirm my concerns. These issues are more rampant than not and that's purely a sign of quality. I turned down a deal from a friend who is a sales manager. There have been no less than four recalls and a new unit and those are only the ones which don't seem to appear here as common other issues. All that is enough. I'm not trying to bash. Many come to forums for modding idea's etc, not just to report issues. It seems the common issues require effort and time and expense. That is my point. FCA seems tone deaf to their quality control. Those initial quality graphs are garbage.

 

[Neurobit]

Not necessarily. I came here hoping for some peace of mind, not to confirm my concerns. These issues are more rampant than not and that's purely a sign of quality. I turned down a deal from a friend who is a sales manager. There have been no less than four recalls and a new unit and those are only the ones which don't seem to appear here as common other issues. All that is enough. I'm not trying to bash. Many come to forums for modding idea's etc, not just to report issues. It seems the common issues require effort and time and expense. That is my point. FCA seems tone deaf to their quality control. Those initial quality graphs are garbage.

Again, what you are seeing here are outliers. FCA makes and sells hundreds of thousands of trucks.
The people on this forum are a fraction of a percentage point of those. So small it's infinitesimal. Even on this site of 30k users, people with water leaks (or clunks, etc) are just a fraction of the total members.

 

[LaxDfns15]

Again, what you are seeing here are outliers. FCA makes and sells hundreds of thousands of trucks.
The people on this forum are a fraction of a percentage point of those. So small it's infinitesimal. Even on this site of 30k users, people with water leaks (or clunks, etc) are just a fraction of the total members.

Let's add more numbers to it. FCA sold 633,694 Ram 1500's in 2019 in the US (from what I can find). If there are 30,000 users on this site that's 4.73% of the US population of trucks. Now, let's say half of the users on this forum have even one of the issues you talked about (very very VERY unlikely). That's 2.36% of all trucks sold in the US having issues.

You're in an echo chamber of complaint when you come to a forum. That's why new trucks come with warranties.

 

[Wsmith]

I had a 15 Silverado there were five recalls on my vin in the first year and a half. None of them caused me any problems. Not too many people get on the forum looking for help with something that's not a problem. As of now, problem free for me, but I like to come here to see if I have a problem that I didn't even realize. Just read about oil consumption problem, made me check my oil, mine is full to the line. Read about rust, mine is rust free as of now. I would say if you are uncomfortable, probably a good Idea to pass it up.

 

[mikeru82]

Not necessarily. I came here hoping for some peace of mind, not to confirm my concerns. These issues are more rampant than not and that's purely a sign of quality. I turned down a deal from a friend who is a sales manager. There have been no less than four recalls and a new unit and those are only the ones which don't seem to appear here as common other issues. All that is enough. I'm not trying to bash. Many come to forums for modding idea's etc, not just to report issues. It seems the common issues require effort and time and expense. That is my point. FCA seems tone deaf to their quality control. Those initial quality graphs are garbage.

Hey, I'm not trying to convince you to buy a Ram. What you buy is a decision best left to you. If you came here for peace of mind, you won't find it. Just like any other truck or car forum, you'll find lots of threads about lots of problems. If you base your car buying decisions on what you read in forums you won't ever buy one. If you do find a forum which gives you peace of mind, please point me to it.

The fact is, some of the issues here are common, for the people who have posted about them. But are in no way rampant with respect to the total number of new Ram 1500's that are on the road. I wish you luck on your hunt for a truck. Just try not to put too much stock into problems you've read about in a forum, for any make of truck.

 

[Wakesnowb]

If you are leasing, all this stuff is covered under the term of the lease so that at least minimizes cost for repair. I would not worry about any of the issues on here. I agree they are outliers. Get the darn thing if you like the truck.

 

[Skater]

Let's add more numbers to it. FCA sold 633,694 Ram 1500's in 2019 in the US (from what I can find). If there are 30,000 users on this site that's 4.73% of the US population of trucks. Now, let's say half of the users on this forum have even one of the issues you talked about (very very VERY unlikely). That's 2.36% of all trucks sold in the US having issues.

You're in an echo chamber of complaint when you come to a forum. That's why new trucks come with warranties.

Now why did you have to go and get cerebral on us all? At least you did not get into that strange so-called math with letters in it. I never understood that stuff they call math when I was trying to solve for one of the 26 letters of the alphabet, let's say "FRIGGIN X, or Y"!! That just should not be called math. The mathematicians could just as easily identify the letters of the alphabet by their corresponding number in the order of our ABCs if you ask me! Example: A=1, B=2, C=3, D= well, may be the grade I got in MATH!

 

[brian42]

When buying a used vehicle I do tons of research before buying. My last truck was an F-250 and it took me 18 months until I decided on what years and engines I was interested in. It took me almost another year until I found what I was looking for.

With a new vehicle I did minimal research and focused more on what I wanted. I never buy the first year of a generation but my truck was totaled (putting me on a short timeline) and the 4th gen did not impress me inside. The Fords surprised me at how disconnected I was when driving them, the Toyota was pricey and felt old compared to the others, and you can't pay me to have a GM product. The 5th gen RAM was my only choice for a truck that I was going to enjoy driving. If that comes with some dealership visits under warranty to iron out any production/quality issues so I have a truck that I will still be happy with 200K miles from now, then so be it.

Yes, there are issues. It's the beginning of a generation (even though there is some holdover engineering). GM trucks use the same rear window and they have problems, Fords have front end problems and doors that freeze shut. With the brand new F-150 coming out for 2021 see how many people have problems with that one with all the new bells and whistles. I'll bet that their forums will be filled with complaints and issues for their new generation too (false advertising, equipment, connectivity, and reliability).

I don't regret my choice and, if I had to do it over again, I would still get a 5th gen RAM.

 

[Paultg]

@mikeru82 really appreciate all your comments. I was a bit nervous when I first got here not long ago, but quickly realized most of what you said (and it’s true about all the competition forums too).

I did get some piece of mind though. Finding those problem threads and seeing Ramcares responding to help, and that most owners are getting the issues resolved rather easily at the dealer made me feel better about it all.
I realize the percentage of people on this forum complaining is a drop in the bucket compared to the hundreds of thousand Rams sold, but knowing Chrysler seems rather easy to jump in and assist and dealers are also generally good at sorting the issues out made me not worry too much. Hopefully I’ll be lucky and have zero issues.

 

[brian42]

A lot of the issues are with the dealerhships themselves. Some are helpful and some are not. The key is to find one that has a good sales department to purchase from and one that has a good service department for any work that needs to be done. That may not be the same dealership.

Some dealerships have the different groups as departments within the dealership (think different rooms of the same house) but most of them seem to operate as separate entities within the dealership (think different houses in the same neighborhood). The rooms work together to share the house but each house operates by itself in the neighborhood.

The first model (rooms in a house) is great for purchasing. You might be able to work a deal to get something from another "room" when purchasing (parts, discount, service packages) but they all contribute to the whole so service may not be as amenable for repairs.

The second model is great for service. I bought my truck at a dealership 120 miles away but have taken it for servicing at a local dealership. They have been great as they are their own entity and account for a large part of the dealership' profit. I don't know if they get paid more or less than someone outside of warranty but they have always addressed the issues I report when I bring it in.

That being said there are 6 dealerships in my area. Of those 4 of them I wouldn't give a dime to (one of them is 2 miles down the street from me), the one I go to has a good service department (20 miles away), and I haven't tried the last one yet (35 miles away) since I'm happy with the one I go to now.