Lemon? My bad luck?

[Gearhead54]

I have ranted on multiple threads on each individual problem. Just curious how many other people have 5+ issues with their Ram.

Back round - 2020 Ram 1500 crew 6.4ft (Lwb) 5.7L. Purchased Dec 2023 with 38k miles. Now has 55k miles. I previously owned a 2012 f150 from 2016 to 2023/ 138k to 238k miles..

Infotainment screen will stay dark. Based on outside temp. Two times the first winter I owned it. This winter, 5 separate occasions. Two button reset doesn't change anything. Truck has to be turned off and locked for at least 5 min and it only corrects that sometimes.

Oil cooler failed.- NOV 2024. Dealer only put a new cooler on. I had to pay out of pocket for new coolant.

Rear glass.- Head liner was wet. Dealer forgot my appointment, put a new 3rd brake light in. Told me it was the back glass frame for slider. Out of bumper to bumper and I was SOL. I just silicone the thing.

4wd selector will go wild. Irregular, sporadic dim back light flickering. Can't shift out of 4high until light goes steady and bright.

Just today "Service Shifter" has came across dash. PRND works just fine. I had attached a trailer in 4wd. When it started freaking out.

Thus truck is financed and the loan is double what i have spent/borrowed for my first 7 vehicles.... super frustrating. FCA as a corporation, dealers, build quality of truck and parts have been a complete disappointment.

 

[Fatherof3]

Sorry to hear about your problems . I have nothing for the infotainment screen but the rear window is exactly what you did for the fix . Apparently GM and Ram used the same supplier for the rear window frame and they both have the leaking problem .
My 4WD buttons do that too when it’s cold out but I have never tried to switch to 4WD or 2 WD while it was doing the flickering so I don’t know if mine won’t switch or not .
I haven’t had any problems with the shifter .

 

[HSKR R/T]

I have ranted on multiple threads on each individual problem. Just curious how many other people have 5+ issues with their Ram.

Back round - 2020 Ram 1500 crew 6.4ft (Lwb) 5.7L. Purchased Dec 2023 with 38k miles. Now has 55k miles. I previously owned a 2012 f150 from 2016 to 2023/ 138k to 238k miles..

Infotainment screen will stay dark. Based on outside temp. Two times the first winter I owned it. This winter, 5 separate occasions. Two button reset doesn't change anything. Truck has to be turned off and locked for at least 5 min and it only corrects that sometimes.

Oil cooler failed.- NOV 2024. Dealer only put a new cooler on. I had to pay out of pocket for new coolant.

Rear glass.- Head liner was wet. Dealer forgot my appointment, put a new 3rd brake light in. Told me it was the back glass frame for slider. Out of bumper to bumper and I was SOL. I just silicone the thing.

4wd selector will go wild. Irregular, sporadic dim back light flickering. Can't shift out of 4high until light goes steady and bright.

Just today "Service Shifter" has came across dash. PRND works just fine. I had attached a trailer in 4wd. When it started freaking out.

Thus truck is financed and the loan is double what i have spent/borrowed for my first 7 vehicles.... super frustrating. FCA as a corporation, dealers, build quality of truck and parts have been a complete disappointment.

Sounds like you got someone else's lemon. Possibly why they traded it in. Risk you take buying used. Has nothing to do with overall quality of RAM. There are far more trucks out there with little to no issues than those like yours.

 

[BlueHemi1500]

Thus truck is financed and the loan is double what i have spent/borrowed for my first 7 vehicles.... super frustrating. FCA as a corporation, dealers, build quality of truck and parts have been a complete disappointment.

I feel the pain of your wallet, I too purchased my truck Nused. Mine was an emergency purchase so not many options/time, I had to have the car/truck that Saturday. I too have had my share of troubles with my truck. I have just gone out of the Powertrain warranty . Trying to get work done at my local dealer is a bit difficult due to having to wait 2-3 weeks for a service appointment. Then the appointment time is to meet the Service Advisor - not the time they will work on the truck, it might be days/weeks waiting for parts/repair work to be completed.
Several of my problems, I have fixed using information from the various RAM forums and YouTube videos, AlphaOBD programming.
My radio just 1 day after working took a dump, I spent several hours/days reading and learning how to get the update files that finally fixed that issue. That took several months, but the journey was well worth the effort/time - the results were/are that I have a stable radio platform.
Front Passenger Strut failed, service told me I could just replace one strut with a straight face, was not impressed - 2-3 2wwks to get the parts, 2 weeks to get parts installed,( I'm not a mechanic nor do I have the space/tools for this work.) I baby, my truck, so not sure why the failure.
Plus, a few other problems, I consider myself fortunate compared to others on the various forums.
I worry with every rain/snow storm for the 3rd brake light/rear window leak(s) to appear.

Keep your chin up, and march forward. These problems will pass (like a kidney) but they will pass.

When you see/read all the problems with the 2025 trucks, I feel that at least with my AlphaOBD equipment, I can diagnose and make some repairs without the dealer for everything.

BlueHemi1500

 

[Gearhead54]

Sounds like you got someone else's lemon. Possibly why they traded it in. Risk you take buying used. Has nothing to do with overall quality of RAM. There are far more trucks out there with little to no issues than those like yours.

My truck was a lease turn in. Had routine maintenance. One "accident" (rear bumper and tailgate).. Father-in-law bought a 2019 brand new. I fell in love with the interior layout and the ride quality. I spent years browsing online. Big horn level two/lone star is what decided on. Finding a crew cab 6.4ft bed with a trailer brake took me a while.

 

[Gearhead54]

I feel the pain of your wallet, I too purchased my truck Nused. Mine was an emergency purchase so not many options/time, I had to have the car/truck that Saturday. I too have had my share of troubles with my truck. I have just gone out of the Powertrain warranty . Trying to get work done at my local dealer is a bit difficult due to having to wait 2-3 weeks for a service appointment. Then the appointment time is to meet the Service Advisor - not the time they will work on the truck, it might be days/weeks waiting for parts/repair work to be completed.
Several of my problems, I have fixed using information from the various RAM forums and YouTube videos, AlphaOBD programming.
My radio just 1 day after working took a dump, I spent several hours/days reading and learning how to get the update files that finally fixed that issue. That took several months, but the journey was well worth the effort/time - the results were/are that I have a stable radio platform.
Front Passenger Strut failed, service told me I could just replace one strut with a straight face, was not impressed - 2-3 2wwks to get the parts, 2 weeks to get parts installed,( I'm not a mechanic nor do I have the space/tools for this work.) I baby, my truck, so not sure why the failure.
Plus, a few other problems, I consider myself fortunate compared to others on the various forums.
I worry with every rain/snow storm for the 3rd brake light/rear window leak(s) to appear.

Keep your chin up, and march forward. These problems will pass (like a kidney) but they will pass.

When you see/read all the problems with the 2025 trucks, I feel that at least with my AlphaOBD equipment, I can diagnose and make some repairs without the dealer for everything.

BlueHemi1500

I have never met anyone who makes payments on their kidney stones.

The grass may not be greener on the other side of the fence, but I can less mad over there.

 

[Gearhead54]

My dump trailer was too much for my old f150. My daughter was born. I wanted the ram 1500 cc 6.4ft bed, and it is nearly the same size as the first gen "mega cab" dodges. The numbers made it seem like it the right fit. I know it's way better at towing than my f150, but its still not a 3/4 ton. Interior space, overall length, wheel base, hp, tq, 8 spd auto, luxury features, fuel economy unloaded, this truck excells at for my needs. Weighs less with softer suspension than the 15yr old 5.7L mega cabs. I but I still want a true 3/4 ton truck. It seems like every used 3/4 ton $30k has 100k miles on it. I don't want to pay $2k in taxes just to get another truck with no warranty, and a base model 3/4 at that..

 

[Gearhead54]

Dealer said on the phone that it's a $100 diagnostic free and " most likely we won't be able to duplicate those issues" referring to the PRND and 4wd selector.

I completely forgot about the exhaust fell apart on vacation in NC last June. I had zero tools. Bought a C-clamp and it held the flanges together for the entire week. The junction at the inflow of the muffler itself. Bolts rotted off.... my comparison I never had the exhaust fall apart on my 11 yr old, 230k mile f150... but my 4 yr old 44k mile Ram sure did.

 

[firecadet613]

Dealer said on the phone that it's a $100 diagnostic free and " most likely we won't be able to duplicate those issues" referring to the PRND and 4wd selector.

I completely forgot about the exhaust fell apart on vacation in NC last June. I had zero tools. Bought a C-clamp and it held the flanges together for the entire week. The junction at the inflow of the muffler itself. Bolts rotted off.... my comparison I never had the exhaust fall apart on my 11 yr old, 230k mile f150... but my 4 yr old 44k mile Ram sure did.

Something is up with your truck.

Was it flood damaged? What part of the country was it in before you bought it?

 

[rick619]

Dealer said on the phone that it's a $100 diagnostic free and " most likely we won't be able to duplicate those issues" referring to the PRND and 4wd selector.

I completely forgot about the exhaust fell apart on vacation in NC last June. I had zero tools. Bought a C-clamp and it held the flanges together for the entire week. The junction at the inflow of the muffler itself. Bolts rotted off.... my comparison I never had the exhaust fall apart on my 11 yr old, 230k mile f150... but my 4 yr old 44k mile Ram sure did.

When they say "most likely won't be able to duplicate those issues", likely correct. They don't work very hard to get the issues to come up. Probably turn it on a few times and see if it will shift. Then mark 'unable to reproduce'.

Bolts rotted off - Check for other rust issues. Could be an issue that would make me trade it in for something else. Part of the problem with used trucks is you never know if they towed a load often that it couldn't handle, didn't change the oil, etc. For my lemon, they said the oil likely was not changed often enough.

Other than that, nothing too alarming above for something with 55K miles. I had a lemon 2011 F150 that I bought around 50K miles. Needed a new engine at 55K miles ($7500 out of pocket). Then was a game of nickel and diming until I traded that cursed thing in. Don't know if I'll ever buy a used truck again. My wife agrees.

 

[Gearhead54]

Something is up with your truck.

Was it flood damaged? What part of the country was it in before you bought it?

It was a leased turn in. It was 3 yrs old with 38k miles. Mid ohio, North Central ish.

 

[Gearhead54]

When they say "most likely won't be able to duplicate those issues", likely correct. They don't work very hard to get the issues to come up. Probably turn it on a few times and see if it will shift. Then mark 'unable to reproduce'.

Bolts rotted off - Check for other rust issues. Could be an issue that would make me trade it in for something else. Part of the problem with used trucks is you never know if they towed a load often that it couldn't handle, didn't change the oil, etc. For my lemon, they said the oil likely was not changed often enough.

Other than that, nothing too alarming above for something with 55K miles. I had a lemon 2011 F150 that I bought around 50K miles. Needed a new engine at 55K miles ($7500 out of pocket). Then was a game of nickel and diming until I traded that cursed thing in. Don't know if I'll ever buy a used truck again. My wife agrees.

No other rust issues. Coworker and my father in-law have 2019s that had the same bolts rot off.
Bummer on the f150. My brother ran his F150, 2010, 4.6L 3v 6sp auto to 223k miles by 2020. My dad's 2010, 4.6L 2v 4spd auto had 250k on it in 2020. My 2012 5.0L 6spd had 238k in 2023. My father also ran a 2003 chevy 1500 5.3L to 297k miles by 2011 and a 1993 dakota to 318k by 2003.
I feel old saying "they don't build them like they used to".
Interest rates are stupid, but will be cheaper than a lawyer.... running a 1/2 ton near rated capacity for my dump trailer isn't worth it.

 

[mikeru82]

Middle of the rust belt in other words. Lots of people have had issues with the exhaust bolts rusting out. There are a few threads here about that but I haven't seen any traffic on them for a while.

 

[1791]

i have a friend that has had two toyota lemon law buy-back's. imagine the luck.
as far as the rear window i know a parts manager at a ram dealer he said they replaced more rear windows than he can count for leak's but now even the dealer is using flowable silicone to repair the leak. also he is aware of the window spontaneously shattering. i told my friend thats a serv writer and former gm mechanic about how forum members are fixing the leak now his dealership is doing the flow silicone thing.
the cracking manifold is a thing. you have a iron block aluminum heads and cast iron manifold all expanding and contracting at different rates that why gm ls based motors snap exhaust bolts off.