I am editing my original message to reflect some updates to my story, but I am leaving my overall experience with the truck for an honest assessment.
My 2019 RAM 1500 has been one of the most difficult vehicle experiences I've ever had. I had a 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee Summit before, and my wife has a 2017 Jeep Wrangler. My father has a 2020 RAM ProMaster RV. We have enjoyed our MOPAR/Chrysler/Stellantis vehicles. My wife is also looking to get something a little more family friendly soon, along the lines of a Grand Cherokee or Durango.
I purchased my truck new in February of 2019, and the problems soon began. Within 4 months, the dreaded driveshaft "bump" upon coming to a stop began. It took RAM over a YEAR and 3 visits to keep trying new things, including a new driveshaft, greasing the driveshaft and even replacing it a second time. It STILL has this problem. It re-emerges within a thousand miles or so of a repair and still happens to this day. I've come to accept that it's just how the design operates - it is essentially a 3-piece driveshaft with two slip joints (Long Bed + Crew Cab). For my troubles, I was given an extended warranty with a $200 deductible.
The next problem I had was with the plastic surround of the rear window. It cracked and began to leak, which was fixed under the 3/36 warranty.
By the fall of 2021, I started hearing and smelling an exhaust leak. I looked behind the driver side exhaust manifold heat shield and saw a small crack. I brought this to the attention of my dealer, who "could not verify" the crack because they refused to pull back the heat shield and actually look for it. I was at 57k miles then, still within the Powertrain warranty. I am now at 65k miles, the problem got worse, and the dealer was able to find - surprise - a CRACK in my driver side exhaust manifold. So, I asked for RAM to consider waiving the deductible on the extended warranty because I did what I should and brought it in under the factory warranty for this exact issue. The dealer had no success in getting RAM to waive it, but suggested I seek reimbursement. The RAM Customer Service team denied this reimbursement request. I didn't even ask for the loaner vehicle to be reimbursed, even though that also came partially out of my own pocket - I wanted to remain reasonable. I only asked for the deductible of $200 to be reimbursed.
After reaching out to a few more people, Stellantis Corporate has taken an interest in my case and looks to be doing the right thing. THIS is the experience I am accustomed to with RAM, and why I've fervently recommended Mopar vehicles to all my family and friends.
I'm 31 years old and an automobile enthusiast. I have many more cars left to buy. Despite some of my negative experiences with the truck, I can assure you that this will NOT be the last MOPAR vehicle that I or my family will buy. As I've said in later replies to this thread, I understand that every single man-made product can and will have issues. We aren't perfect, our creations aren't perfect. What I assess my experience on is how I'm treated when those problems happen. Since being contacted by Stellantis directly, I can tell you that there are many great people working for the company that care about the customer.
This is why you should buy a RAM.
My 2019 RAM 1500 has been one of the most difficult vehicle experiences I've ever had. I had a 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee Summit before, and my wife has a 2017 Jeep Wrangler. My father has a 2020 RAM ProMaster RV. We have enjoyed our MOPAR/Chrysler/Stellantis vehicles. My wife is also looking to get something a little more family friendly soon, along the lines of a Grand Cherokee or Durango.
I purchased my truck new in February of 2019, and the problems soon began. Within 4 months, the dreaded driveshaft "bump" upon coming to a stop began. It took RAM over a YEAR and 3 visits to keep trying new things, including a new driveshaft, greasing the driveshaft and even replacing it a second time. It STILL has this problem. It re-emerges within a thousand miles or so of a repair and still happens to this day. I've come to accept that it's just how the design operates - it is essentially a 3-piece driveshaft with two slip joints (Long Bed + Crew Cab). For my troubles, I was given an extended warranty with a $200 deductible.
The next problem I had was with the plastic surround of the rear window. It cracked and began to leak, which was fixed under the 3/36 warranty.
By the fall of 2021, I started hearing and smelling an exhaust leak. I looked behind the driver side exhaust manifold heat shield and saw a small crack. I brought this to the attention of my dealer, who "could not verify" the crack because they refused to pull back the heat shield and actually look for it. I was at 57k miles then, still within the Powertrain warranty. I am now at 65k miles, the problem got worse, and the dealer was able to find - surprise - a CRACK in my driver side exhaust manifold. So, I asked for RAM to consider waiving the deductible on the extended warranty because I did what I should and brought it in under the factory warranty for this exact issue. The dealer had no success in getting RAM to waive it, but suggested I seek reimbursement. The RAM Customer Service team denied this reimbursement request. I didn't even ask for the loaner vehicle to be reimbursed, even though that also came partially out of my own pocket - I wanted to remain reasonable. I only asked for the deductible of $200 to be reimbursed.
After reaching out to a few more people, Stellantis Corporate has taken an interest in my case and looks to be doing the right thing. THIS is the experience I am accustomed to with RAM, and why I've fervently recommended Mopar vehicles to all my family and friends.
I'm 31 years old and an automobile enthusiast. I have many more cars left to buy. Despite some of my negative experiences with the truck, I can assure you that this will NOT be the last MOPAR vehicle that I or my family will buy. As I've said in later replies to this thread, I understand that every single man-made product can and will have issues. We aren't perfect, our creations aren't perfect. What I assess my experience on is how I'm treated when those problems happen. Since being contacted by Stellantis directly, I can tell you that there are many great people working for the company that care about the customer.
This is why you should buy a RAM.
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