Starting to consoder noy buying a new Ram

[Atcje]

Man, I would so be in the grill of the dealership for that. If that gets you nowhere, go to FCA HQ direct. That is a 60k plus truck and if I had to use social media as a last resort, somebody is going to do something for me to make me forget about the rat.

Lol. The rat thing is behind me now that I sold the truck, there was humor there, it just took a few days to calm down and see it. I'm not sure who was more scared, it or me. The dealership has always tried hard to do the right things but it only takes a few incompetent employees to crush a service department. I ended up steam cleaning the headliner myself, I'm sure the dealership would have done it but I honestly didn't want to see what the next disaster would be from it.

 

[da_Vinci_of_sorts]

If you go looking for a problem on the interwebs you will find it.... people are drawn to negativity like a moth to a flame. At the end of the day all you have is your peace of mind, but I don't put much into the overall quality concerns for these trucks just yet. It's far too soon to tell.

 

[BostonBlueRam]

Just read through the 12 Edmunds reviews and most are happy with the truck. One of the reviewers was just down on Rams because his 4th gen had a transmission failure after 100k miles. There was one review noting poor a/c. Another had a blown engine after 3000 miles, I’ll call that an outlier since these are the same engines put in hundreds of thousands of fca vehicles, oh and he claims they will not cover the engine under warranty, there must be more to that story. Another has problems with the uConnect system but that review is a month and a half old and maybe before the recent updates.

Just my take on what I read. More info is a good thing and thanks for pointing us there.

You must have read the same bad review from that one irate customer who literally wrote 2 pages of comments about his ipods not working with the uConnect system haha. I hate to laugh but it was just funny how he was so fixated on that.

 

[Atcje]

I don't think people are finding their problems on the internet, they are finding their problems on their new trucks and searching for solutions on the internet. The dealerships, sales staff, and service technicians often are less informed than the customer, thanks to the internet and lack of caring on the staff's behalf. Unfortunately we live in a "just good enough" society where fewer and fewer workers strive to be the best they can be at their profession. This forum like most is a place to discuss common problems and learn from other's success at resolving those issues.

 

[Dusty1948]

Just stopped by the F-150 forum. Here are some current threads. This is only going back THREE days on the forum. Do I think the F150 is a terrible truck? Not at all, I had a 2016 Platinum that had a few issues, but it wasn't a bad vehicle. The point being, is that there are many many trucks that do not have any issues. The best thing you can do is take one home over the weekend and really drive it and inspect it.

Frozen door latch Recall
Cooling Seats issue and TSB feedback
Rear window defrost not working
Clunk from rear of truck
SHAME on you FORD!! How many other 2018 guys are dealing with this...
Does everyone's ecoboost surge or shudder
Dash and console rattle
2016 Transmission Grinding
Leak Issues!!!
Panoramic Roof Nightmare Saga
single "clunk" when starting the engine
Grinding noise coming from front end
2017 w 14k miles, terrible build quality
2018 Dash fixed?

...and this generation of F-series has been out for how long?

Regards,
Dusty

2019 Ram 1500 Laramie Quad Cab 2WD, 5.7 Hemi, 8HP75, 3.21 axle, factory dual exhaust, 18” wheels. Now at: 003339 miles.

 

[Kaz]

Well lets just say all vehicles have issues; crossing our fingers the wife's '19 Limited shows up without issue as its a replacement for our lemon of a '16 Sport.

That said, my '15 GMC Yukon XL Denali I traded for my '18 Durango RT recently had its share of issues. Taillights going out, trim bits known to fall off the doors as another member posts about his Ram. I also had a front transaxle whine when the AWD system was in Auto; GMC's response was its "normal" and don't drive with the truck in Auto but in 2WD mode. Seems silly for a truck with an "auto" setting, but that might just be me.

In the end, all makes, models, years, and trims, will have some issues. Just hope you don't get them all. No vehicle is perfect.

 

[Ickabod]

I personally would not base a purchase decision on information on a forum alone. I came to this forum because I was looking at buying a new ram and wanted to join others doing the same thing. I did not come here to fine issues. Yes, my truck has had issues, but that is why there is a warranty. I don't have full faith in the dealership I go to, but they fixed the rattle I had going over bumps (loose upper arm). It is back in the shop today for the brake squeal, A/C, and center console squeak. I love this truck and would not buy anything else. This is the nicest riding car/truck I have ever driven. Even the wife chooses riding in it over her BMW.

 

[OgRedd]

Unfortunately, I have the "clunk" while turning, but I'm still willing to give Ram a chance to correct. First year builds are the worst, but the exterior and interior design of the Ram pulled me away from being a lifetime Ford buyer and I believe I was the first to buy a '19 at my dealership. FWIW, it's been my experience that a vehicle with the least amount of bells and whistles have the least amount of problems. The base trim level trucks I've own never saw a quick return to the dealership with issues shortly after purchase. That's been my experience anyway.

 

[YoAdrian]

This is a really good, healthy, and balanced discussion of how we use online information to help us make sound decisions. And on the internet, unheard of!

Just kidding, but this forum/community is a great one and I hope we all do our parts to keep it that way. On the topic of whether to buy or not, and how to interpret the information shared here, I wrote the below posts on my malfunction-poll thread regarding the rightfully worrying information shared on this site, along with how to get some good out of it all. Maybe it’ll help... my bottom line is:

”Before joining this forum I may have glossed over the inspection or not known what to look for. I’m not expecting perfection, but I am expecting all issues to be fixed before I drive off the lot, and this forum has armed me with the knowledge I need to do a thorough, careful, and focused inspection. Given this approach, I think anyone would be much more likely to be a “Happy Camper.””

Numbers can help us make decisions, but it really important to put them into full context - where do they come from and what exactly do they tell us?

My short response to your comment @Mohab would be yes, it is concerning but we should consider a few things about that raw number as we decide what actions we should take. I will be inspecting my vehicle closely based on the big problems this forum has identified, and if I see them I will ask the dealer to fix them before I drive off the lot.

The good news is most of the big problems have identified fixes in the works (crossed fingers for the clunk) with the possible exception of weak AC which at least can be tested. So that’s how I am addressing my concerns on my way to hopefully being happy with my purchase.
- This is not a scientific poll, so the possible error range + or - identifying overall defect numbers in the fleet is large.
- Forums understandably collect a higher than average ratio of owners having problems as they seek solutions. Exactly how much higher we don’t know.
- The wording of this poll asks about any problem requiring a service visit... that means it collects many small problems in with the large ones. Determining which problems are the BIG ones is needed, and a bit of reading is required in addition to viewing the raw numbers.

Before joining this forum I may have glossed over the inspection or not known what to look for. I’m not expecting perfection, but I am expecting all issues to be fixed before I drive off the lot, and this forum has armed me with the knowledge I need to do a thorough, careful, and focused inspection. Given this approach, I think anyone would be much more likely to be a “Happy Camper.”

To put a finer point on this analysis of our numbers...

...compared to the 1600+ members of the forum, and the 100-ish folks who have indicated in this poll they have found problems of any type, how many 2019 trucks have been sold? I don’t know exactly but I’ll guess the number is over 100,000 by now, considering total Ram sales to date this year are at 324000 (including 2018 models) and August sales were nearly 50000.

The goal of this poll was always to find the types of problem trends so we could detect and fix them, and then be happy... the poll does not aspire to determine exact rates of problems compared to the entire fleet of sold vehicles. Let’s allow JD Powers to do all that work, we’ll just help sort each other’s trucks out! Hopefully you all find value in this approach.

 

[Smoot178]

”Before joining this forum I may have glossed over the inspection or not known what to look for. I’m not expecting perfection, but I am expecting all issues to be fixed before I drive off the lot, and this forum has armed me with the knowledge I need to do a thorough, careful, and focused inspection. Given this approach, I think anyone would be much more likely to be a “Happy Camper.””

This is so true. The rest of us can be selfish and go to a dealership with the knowledge of those that put blood sweat and tears into getting their problems fixed. I already know if I were to buy a 19' RAM tomorrow, I'm spending about 2 hours going through each and every problem thread I can find to see what might be wrong with the truck I am about to buy.

So with that said, I hope people with problems continue to come on and share their story.

 

[UltraMadMax]

Forums like this do not have a good representative sample of problems related to specific vehicles like the Ram 1500. Please do not make any decision based on this forum. There are much better sources like consumer reports that give you the history of RAM vehicles. RAM's are not the most reliable vehicles but they are wonderful to drive and own. I bought an extended warranty because I did my research and expect potential issues especially with all of the new technology. By the way, all trucks are not reliable like Lexus for example. If you want a truck, get the one that appeals to you the most.

 

[YoAdrian]

Please do not make any decision based on this forum.

@UltraMadMax I absolutely agree with everything you said except the above, and it’s only a partial disagreement. I infer, and might be wrong sir, that you mean “take all of this with a grain of salt” and totally agree. This site shouldn’t be the only source we consider, but when understood in context it can certainly be used as an aid to lots of decision making. In fact, I think this site is currently a more valuable source than any other currently available... considering Ram marketing, media reviews, and limited technical info. I love reading the unadulterated feedback here, both positive and negative and decided to buy a new Ram, adjusted options and trim levels, and will have a specific list of inspection items all largely due to this site and good contributors like yourself.

I am also paying up for a lifetime warranty to help ensure I stay happy long term based on a broader study of Ram/FCA reliability and after listening to other owner experiences with that program.

 

[1fujifilm]

It seems like these have terrible build quality and a full of problems. From the poll on here, 35% of you have had no problems, I don't recall the 4th Gens to have so many issues.

I get a new truck each year and they all gave issues. Last year was a 2018 F-150 that the manufacturer forgot to put the standard fuse "pull" in the fuse box for those that did not but the factory electric towing brake. This meant for many owners like me could not install the factory look controller and only do a aftermarket one. Opened a complaint with Ford after tons of guys complained on sites like this and never even got a call back.
Gonna have problems with all trucks, my advice is buy when rebates are at there highest and never ever own off warranty.

Bear

 

[Electrical]

The 1500 is the flagship (sales and profit leader) of the Ram brand, no?

Id like to believe there's a huge incentive and push to get this truck right. There also seems to be an informal goal of besting the Silverado in sales; that seems to be another big incentive.

I haven't lost faith; I think Ram will step up, but I may wait til early 2019 to order.

FWIW Ford, GM, Toyota, and Honda have nothing that compares. I like the GMC Sierra... but only a 24 gallon tank and cheap-ish interior? No thanks.

 

[cruz-in]

Before buying, reading the negative posts, I too was concerned.. I think, folks who have problems are drawn to forums to find solutions/vent. Hence the disproportionate number of negative to positive posts. ..Go to the F150 and Silverado forums, they too have problems.

So far, our month old loaded 2019 Ram Longhorn is virtually flawless. Nicest vehicle I have ever been in.

 

[Kamikaze6780]

If you are going to buy, I would almost say to stay away from online vehicle issues altogether and stick with positive posts until you hit a snag. Seriously, I could go into Ford, Chevy, etc etc and I would seriously be afraid of purchase those vehicles because of what I read.

10 people can seem like thousands.

 

[Mdegen93]

It seems like these have terrible build quality and a full of problems. From the poll on here, 35% of you have had no problems, I don't recall the 4th Gens to have so many issues.

I had a couple problems. One trip to the dealer and they are gone..