Farewell Ram and hello Tundra

[alschief]

My nephew had a 2019 Chet 1/2 ton he got ride of because of multiple engine Drive train issues. He had an extended warranty but the returns to the dealership were really bad. He went to a ford 1/2 ton. With only 18k on it it’s now starting to live at the dealership more than on the job. Maybe he will try a Ram next

 

[mjbenedict]

Funny, my nephew is switching from a rusted out Tundra with many problems to a Ram. My die-hard Toyota brother is now looking for a Ram too. I went with a brand new Ford several years ago just for a switch and regretted it. My three brand new rams before that spent less time at the dealership in total compared to the Ford. I also didn’t like the duct tape fixes for the minor stuff like sunroof rattle (4 times to dealer for “grease”), cutout the back of the seats for the cooling feature to work (instead of adding a simple duct), etc. I didn’t list the major ones like the engine completely losing power 4 times on me for throttle body replacements. There were other major ones too. I’m now back to a new ram.
Good luck with your Toyota.

 

[Doug Ram]

Now, something you guys will laugh your ass off... I'm getting same mpg with Tundra v6 turbo around the city that I was getting with my v8 hemi. Around 13mpg city... Truck is still very new with only 300 miles on it, but I'm not expecting mpg to improve drastically...

Yeah, MPG is not something a truck is known for... unless its a EcoDiesel. And thats a whole 'nother set of issues.

 

[WSeanMac]

My last truck was a Tacoma. I sold it with 500k km (~310,000 miles) and only because the transmission was finally starting to get rough and I didn't want to bother with it just before winter. Toyota did replace the frame on it for free while I owned it. It is still out there driving around 3 years later. I would have got another one but there were so few new ones available (in nasty colors) and the prices were a little nuts so I ended up in a new 2019 Ram Classic.

I am hoping to keep this truck as long as possible and it is treated very well (all maintenance, no towing , synthetic oil etc) - however with just 53k (~33k miles) the coolant was suddenly very low with no warning. I only noticed because it started to get cold here and there wasn't much heat coming out in the cab. It was checked at the last oil change and so it dropped a LOT in 6000km which has me freaked out. No leaks showing, no warning lights, no overheating (if anything it seems to run cool)... will see how it goes but I can see why people will switch.

 

[Silver21Ram]

"I'm buying it to have a reliable trouble free truck to get me around in my life, have it add enjoyment to my life, and not to waste my time with constant fixing ..."

You don't know that !
Cannot imagine someone thinking that they have finally found the first ever trouble free truck for the rest of their life!
Let us know how you feel when making that call to the dealer service department for something that just quit working!

 

[trevor89]

I hear you, 3 rams now and all have had issues by 100 000kms (60 000miles). Electrical problems, weak transmission (6 speed), clunks, rattles and squeaks, paint flaking off, rust on a 3 year old truck, cam issues, air suspension problems, wheel bearings left and right. I’ll add they mostly see highway mileage too. I’m basically beaten down at this point.

 

[Archer02T]

I get it. I have 50K miles on my 1500 and the electronic gremlins won't stop. Tried to contact someone who cares at Ram/Fiat/Whoever is next and there is nothing but apathy. Will probably follow you and purchase a Tundra next.

 

[jimmyfjk]

I hope you love the tundra, if i had it to do over again i would still have my 2015 which l loved. It got better millage than my 2021 ram and had more power to boot. At 136,000 miles nothing and i mean nothing had ever been done to it except the standard brakes and routine maintenance. I started to replace the serpentine belt at 100,000 just out of precaution and when looking at the original i kept it on as it looked brand new. I dont know about the newer tundra's but toyota has always been about reliability first. hope you love it.

 

[Narg]

@Kap1 apparently you didn't see the latest Toyota recall. They wheels can fall off. Seriously, no kidding.

Also, there's a reason why the new RAM 1500 was at the top of the quality ratings, and Toyota was at the middle of the pack. RAM fell to middle only because of a radio issue. Nothing else.

I hope you don't learn the hard way here. But, then again, no OEM builds truely bad trucks any more. It's more a matter of what features you want. Smooth ride, and better MPG in the RAM is why I didn't bother with Toyota on my last truck. Toyota engines are 1990 technology, and same for MPG in what I see from experience from others.

 

[Justin33]

Nice tundra! Congrats! I dont care for the grille and front end at all personally, they should have made the Toyota emblem larger so it takes up more room on it. That big grille and those little lights dont do it for me, but it's a nice truck.

I do like Toyota and Honda, they build great vehicles that are reliable and hold their value. I have a 2007 Rav4 that's still running well. They have issues too so prepare yourself for that. Is yours V8 or the new twin turbo V6?

I'd consider a tundra but they dont have an HD version so no go for me. One thing I can say from personal experience is that Honda and Toyota take care of their customers after the sale way better than any of the big 3. Any issue I had with my Honda was quickly addressed and without any hassle. Toyota the same. The added bonus is if you take care of your vehicles and equipment like I do, come trade in time they are still worth something. Unlike any big 3 vehicle I've owned, at the 8 to 9 yr mark they want to give you peanuts for stuff that's still nice. What was the cost compared to the big 3?

Just my .02 though.... but nice truck, good choice and I hope it gives you good service (I'm sure it will)

Happy for you man but I agree with the above the new refresh I am def not a fan of, not trying to be rude.

 

[gfviperman]

130,000 on my 2011 HEMI Laramie ... zero engine issues.

Oil analysis is excellent ...

Replaced whining alternator at 125,000.

Still looks new inside and out and get tons of compliments on it ...

Toyota makes good stuff ... good luck!!

 

[Joe Merchak]

A lot depends on how a manufacturer supports the customer. Toyota has a great reputation. I don’t know much about Ram since I bought mine used. I had a 2012 Mustang with a 36k warranty. When the warranty was close to expiration the convertible top had issues. Parts in the steering components were bad and the water pump was going. They wouldn’t cover any of it. Said they were all natural wear issues. I accepted the top, but not the front end parts or water pump. If that’s there excuse then every part on the car is a natural wear issue. The warranty seems like a con. I declined repairs and traded it in on a new Subaru Outback. Not as fun but dependable. The last couple years consumer reports has rated the Ram truck as number one so it sure looks like they have put effort into reliability. So far my 16 has been good, but seeing how it ages is a wait and see.

Maybe where you are but where I live Toyota sucks worse than the Ram dealer. I had a 2008 Toyota Camry Solara and within the first year it spent a total of 2 months in the shop. The rear window defroster stopped working and the way they designed the top the only option was replace the whole top. That took them over a month because the dealer kept messing it up. Then we had electronic gremlins, and it was in the shop again for another month. We had it less then 2 years and all the chrome on the internal door handles started peeling so every time you open the door you get cuts from the sharp edge. Traded it in on a Tacoma pickup and within the first 2 years the truck went back 5 times because the blower motor would start to squeal. It also had exhaust headers like the Ram where they would warp and leak. After awhile they would not fix it any more, just told us that's the way it was. Want to know how annoying sound is when you turn the fan on low and have to listen to bearing squeal. Then the frame recall and they had the truck a number of months to fix that. My neighbor had the same recall on his truck, and when they found out he had 175K on the truck they said they would not fix it and total his truck on the spot. They would not let him take it because it was unsafe but yet would not fix it. He wound up sueing them.

 

[frag]

I've owned both. A 2007 Tundra than a 2013 Tundra. The 2007 was a great truck. Not so the 2013. Needed the tranny replaced at less than 5000 miles. It was covered under the warranty thank God. Then the hood latch broke . After that i there were many small problems. Figured i got a lemon. Anyway i went to Ram and have not had any major problems with the 3 i've owned.

 

[Freakydude]

neighbor has a Toyota and I have a Camry beside my Ram. Camry is uncomfortable but a trustworthy car that will always get me to where I need to go. Neighbors Tundra is always having tranny problems.
Sounds really really bad when driving away especially on cold mornings.
Looks like its a 50/50 thing when it comes to trustworthy vehicles same as all the manufacturers

 

[JohnBike]

I don't think I could get used to that front end either - are their designers blind?

Bold design though lol.

Probably same guys who designed that ugly French Citroën.

 

[Delta11]

I've owned a 5.7 l tundra and they are very tight and quick and Toyotas last but now I own a 2010 2500 with a 5.7 hemi with 250,000 mi on it no lifter tick engine doesn't burn all and does not leak oil transmission had to get changed at 195 k water pump about 150 and everything else that I've done has been purely preventive maintenance I do add one quart of marvel mystery oil at every oil change which is every 5,000 MI I'm too far into it to back out now now it's an ongoing experiment to see how long it'll last before I have any sort of engine problem none so far

 

[tcass]

Hope you have good luck with your new truck. I got another Ram. I had had a 2014 i traded for a 2021 Gladiator. it was a little small for me and i traded it after a year for a 2022 Ram Eco-Diesel Rebel. Maybe i should have waited for the 2500 Rebel Cummins that will be here for 2023.....lol. So far, so good.

 

[GrumpyOldMan]

I'm waiting on delivery of my new 2022 1500 Bighorn 5.7L, in about 2 weeks now according to them. I've always been pretty much a Ford guy, my last one was a `97 F250 7.3L Powerstroke that I drove for 20 years. It had 285K on it and was still going strong when I made the mistake of loaning it to a friend who proceeded to total it for me. That was 5 years ago and since then I've been driving an old 2000 Tundra, and that thing has been a money pit. It's got 238K on it now. 2 out of 8 ignition coil packs have failed, starter, O2 sensors, spiral connector in the steering wheel, radiator, and now it's developed an ominous noise somewhere in the drive line that the dealer can also hear but has been unable to localize. After dropping $1200 on that last issue without any resolution, I told them to stop and then went and ordered a new Ram. I probably would have gone with a 5L F150, but by then it was too late in the year to order one. I barely got in under the wire on the Ram. Toyota had already discontinued their 5.7L V8 and there weren't any around, the GM trucks just didn't do anything for me, and none of the half-ton V6 options that I test drove impressed me at all. So here's hoping that my new Ram will be one of the "good" ones and treat me well.

 

[Elkman]

I have owned 5 Toyota mini trucks with 4WD and they held up exceptionally well. When sold them after 180,000 miles on and off road they were rock solid with no gearbox whine or steering wheel play and all the electical systems worked perfectly. I waited for the 2022 Tundra to arrive but then was very disappointed by the trucks.

The Tundra has the worst tailgate setup of any truck sold today. The body work also precludes safely using a third party bed step. Contrast that with the tailgates available from Ram, Chevy, and Ford, and I have to wonder why the product design people in Japan are so clueless about pickups.

The Tundra has only one engine and there is no option for a larger gas tank or a diesel engine or a locking rear differential. To get these one must buy a Ram or a Ford pickup truck. Chevy provides a small diesel option but not a locking differential and I am all too aware of the much higher cost of ownership of a diesel pickup.

 

[ScottCoupland]

I don’t think I’ve ever posted on this forum but I’ve been reading for years. Had to reset my password just to make this comment. Forgive me if it’s too long.

I’ve been a Dodge guy for years. I still have my 2001 Cummins 4wd extended cab and a 2012 Cummins 4wd MegaCab dually. Both have been pretty good but have had some issues with the 2012.

160K miles on the 2001 and 50K on the 2012 - used mostly for pulling the horse trailers.

I have a 2014 Tundra for running around (not much towing) that hands down beats both the others in just about every way. Except pulling the trailers, simply because the trailers are too heavy for the Tundra.

The interior, radio, seats, lights, feel way better to me in the Tundra. 180K miles on the Tundra and the only repair has been a idler pulley and brake repair on the right rear. I plan on driving it at least another 100K miles. It is 2wd and has the smaller (4.7? 4.6?) V8. 17.5 MPG lifetime since I bought it new in Oct 2014.

If Toyota built something that could pull the trailers I have I’d probably replace the 2012. I drive the Tundra like it’s stolen and it just works. The auto door locks randomly work/don’t work and every once in a while the radio reboots while I’m driving it. Takes about 10 minutes then it comes back on and connects to my phone via Bluetooth, no problems. Other than that no problems.

Based on my experience with this Tundra I’d say it’s the best pickup I’ve ever had. And that’s hard for me to say because the 2001 Cummins is my baby.

Just one guy’s opinion.