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Potential RAM owner w/ questions. TIA.

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User_56711

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New member as of about 2 minutes ago. I have never owned a Dodge/Ram vehicle, but recently ran across a 2019 RAM 1500 Laramie (30k miles) that I really like. The CARFAX has me worried. I've never seen a "replaced steering wheel" disclosure. They've also apparently had issues with the battery/charging system, backup camera installed (replaced?), and some fuses replaced? My initial reaction is whoa!Any insight or just keep on looking?

Truck listing: 2019 RAM 1500 Laramie

CARFAX: 2019 RAM 1500 Laramie Carfax

I've asked for information from the dealership, but I'm guessing they aren't going to willingly relay the full story?

Thanks in advance!
 
Welcome to the Forums.

Personally I would straight up ask them for the records on this work to see what was going on with it. If they can't/won't provide it then I would walk away. If there are that many things fixed I would want to know the full story before putting money down.
 
Welcome to the forum . Some steering wheels were replaced under warranty for delamination of the leather . Battery / charging system could just mean the battery . Does it have ETorque ? The back up camera on some of the new Rams stopped working for a little bit but if they got it into the dealer when it wasn’t working it would’ve been replaced .
 
The steering wheel replacement could be due to the leather issues that some people have had. New wheels have fixed it.

The battery system could have been a bad battery or grounding issue, very common on this forum. New batteries fix it.

The backup camera install is weird, as it should have one from the factory. Maybe there was just an issue with it?
 
NWA_RAM_newb said:
New member as of about 2 minutes ago. I have never owned a Dodge/Ram vehicle, but recently ran across a 2019 RAM 1500 Laramie (30k miles) that I really like. The CARFAX has me worried. I've never seen a "replaced steering wheel" disclosure. They've also apparently had issues with the battery/charging system, backup camera installed (replaced?), and some fuses replaced? My initial reaction is whoa!Any insight or just keep on looking?

Truck listing: 2019 RAM 1500 Laramie

CARFAX: 2019 RAM 1500 Laramie Carfax

I've asked for information from the dealership, but I'm guessing they aren't going to willingly relay the full story?

Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...
Just looking at that carfax, I don't see anything too scary. That steering wheel could have been as simple as the driver tearing the cover somehow, or as major as a bind or electrical issue. If you trust your gut though you'll make the right decision
 
@securityguy how we lookin on things boss? still think these trucks are wired OK?
 
Snofire said:
Welcome to the Forums.

Personally I would straight up ask them for the records on this work to see what was going on with it. If they can't/won't provide it then I would walk away. If there are that many things fixed I would want to know the full story before putting money down.
Click to expand...
Agreed. I am awaiting their response. Just thought I'd join a RAM forum and try to browse and see what I could learn on my own as well. Cargurus/Carfax says it has been for sale for 140 days, which seems like a while for a nice truck at a nice trim level.
 
i just came out of a perfectly good 2015 into a 2020 only because i needed 4x4

and im scared to death

you can see i just joined recently < - - -
 
Fatherof3 said:
Welcome to the forum . Some steering wheels were replaced under warranty for delamination of the leather . Battery / charging system could just mean the battery . Does it have ETorque ? The back up camera on some of the new Rams stopped working for a little bit but if they got it into the dealer when it wasn’t working it would’ve been replaced .
Click to expand...
It does have the eTorque. I've watched a couple of youtube videos trying to learn about it.
 
LaxDfns15 said:
The steering wheel replacement could be due to the leather issues that some people have had. New wheels have fixed it.

The battery system could have been a bad battery or grounding issue, very common on this forum. New batteries fix it.

The backup camera install is weird, as it should have one from the factory. Maybe there was just an issue with it?
Click to expand...
Thanks for the info. The optimist in me says "good. glad the issues have surfaced while under warranty...better now than later". The realist/pessimist in me says "uhhh, are these things fixed for good...and what else is going to surface over the years?".

I currently drive a GMC Sierra and I'm a member of a prominent forum for that world. The forum folks are a great collective brain, so I knew I could probably get good answers from a RAM forum.
 
None of these would be deal-breakers for me. I have a 2019 and I've had quite a lot of work done and things looked at. I've not had a battery issue or backup camera issue but have had my steering wheel replaced because of delamination. No biggie and the other two aren't a huge deal either.

The truck was originally bought in Arkansas so why is it now at the GM dealer over 4 hours away?

Questions I would ask the dealer:

1. How did you get this truck? Most dealers will keep hot sellers on their lot if they take it in trade, which is fine. They could have traded another dealership for it, which is fine. If they got it from auction some other dealership did not see it as a good truck for their lot, which makes me question its condition (did they take it on trade, find an issue, then put it up for auction?).

2. What is the build date. Most of these issues happened with the "early" builds for the 2019 (fist run of the first year of the "all-new" truck). Most of the 2019 trucks you read about having multiple issues were build prior to October 2018 (10/18). By now, though, the issues should be ironed out.

Based on the CARFAX miles you should have some miles left on the basic (bumper to bumper) warranty as that goes until 36,000 miles (or 3 years after first purchase) no matter how many owners the truck has had.

Just my .02
 
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I appreciate the input from you guys. The dealership salesman said "I honestly don't know anything other than what the Carfax says". So, I took it upon myself to call the dealerships that did the various fixes/maintenance. They were actually very forthcoming with what they did and actually provided more information that the Carfax did.

-Steering wheel replaced due to de-lamination issue with the leather.
-Recalls V04, V07, and V61 were addressed.
-Battery was replaced. Didnt seem to be a result of any concern related to eTorque system. Service manager said he didnt have many issues with the eTorque over the past couple of years.
-Blown fuse replaced related to vacuum pump. Fuse was replaced.
-Issue of some sort with rear camera wiring/connection, so it was replaced.
-Tires replaced. Assuming dealership had the Nitto tires installed for selling purposes.
-Powertrain control module was re-placed or re-programed. Seems to to be a recall/TSB type issue (u87).

With the above information now known.....what's the overall thoughts on proceeding with a purchase? I know every vehicle/brand has its issues and that 19 was the new model year, which always leads to a couple of bugs to work out. 3 year/36 month bumper to bumper warranty has about 6k miles or 6 months left.
 
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All reasonable explanations from the servicing dealer... I too would go with your gut as stated above... We use to buy used vehicles without knowing all that Carfax tells us today and my gut never got me into a truly bad situation, so trust yours I say.. Good luck with whatever direction your go.
 
All seems minor to me.

- I had my steering wheel replaced for the same issue.
- I've had 2 recalls done on my truck.
- I've read of battery issues. I don't know if it was a bad batch but getting a new battery seems to fix the issue.
- Fuse is a simple issue as long as nothing is causing it to blow.
- There is a TSB for a display issue. One of the fixes is new backup camera and wiring.
- Tires are tires. The original ones were probably pretty low at 30K miles. A new set makes the truck more inviting for potential buyers.
- IIRC there was a PCM TSB. If the new software did not clear some internal codes then the PCM was replaced.

If you like the truck and the price I'd say go for it. You've still got 6K left on the B2B for any issues that come up.

Just my .02
 
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