$70k Truck Falling Apart at 38k Miles

[MD Sledhead]

You've never bought a truck equipped with Bridgestone Duelers I'm guessing. They make a pretty good studless snow tire (Blizzak) but those Duelers are lucky to make it 30k miles for most people.

In all the years (20+) I've owned a Ram, I have never had tires go more than 30K miles. Michelin, Goodyear, General, Cooper, and many others.

 

[Hudsonodoi]

I’m having all the issues everyone is having and more. Now I have these Service 4WD, with tail gate brakes, and many computer issues. I’m so done. Changed dash, engine stalled for diesel fuel pressure pump to be fixed (it took them 3 weeks to fix) now truck will be in the shop gain for a total of 20days……I’m so done with RAM. Waiting for a fix and trade in for Toyota Land Cruiser. I’m don’t with pickups

 

[DA Smith]

Man that's the kind of dealership I would love to go to. I could spend all the time I wanted looking and getting in vehicles to get the feel of them until I found one that flips my switch then ask for a salesman, it's always irritating to me when going to look at a new vehicle you pull up and park and before you can cut the engine off there's a pack of sales people running out of the office ready to pounce on you. I'll call for one when I'm ready for one.

 

[turkeybird56]

Credit check for a test drive? That's a little nuts.

I've never done more than a photocopy of my license.

No way they gonna do a Credit run on a test drive for me. THEY cannot check my CREDIT anyway, as I have all the reporting Credit Agencies Locked down, as frozen. I have to go in and "unfreeze" which one of the Big 3 any bizness/car dealership whateva using before they can do a credit check. Heck, even getting financing to do new windows for house, I had to go in and temporarily unfreeze a reporting agency. Not fool proof but another level of security on fraud.

 

[Jerrybob]

In all the years (20+) I've owned a Ram, I have never had tires go more than 30K miles. Michelin, Goodyear, General, Cooper, and many others.

I've never had any vehicle we've owned get less than 40K on any tires.....that includes tow rigs.....hunting rigs.....passenger cars...SUVs. I do replace my trailer tires at 5 or 6 yrs not due to wear but weather cracks on sidewalls....just sayin.

 

[Docwagon1776]

Of course a new vehicle has attractive new, shiny features...

*For me* the shiny new features have jumped the shark. There's no current production Ram 1500 I want, and frankly that goes for most manufacturers. I don't want lane assist, I don't want automatic brake application, I don't want my truck watching me drive, I don't want automatic over the air drivetrain updates, etc. The truck watching you for being sleepy or drunk is coming to the US unless Congress changes the law in the next few years. My days of buying new are probably over.

 

[dtru1222]

I appreciate all the input. I dont think I qualify for the lemon law here in Texas. It requires the dealer to attempt 2+ repairs on an item and the original warranty which went out last year before I hit the 36k mile mark. I know this doesnt happen to all vehicles, I have had many Dodge/Ram vehicles over the years. My last two 1500's had little problems. One had a weird intermittent shifting issue. Had my Challenger for a while with no real problems either. I finally went for "top of the line" at the time before TRX came out and bought the truck outright. I am just very disappointed that the truck I was so excited for and to show off is now feeling like its just falling to pieces.

I have taken great care of it. I am an ex Army mechanic and I know all the stories of how people mistreat/neglect their vehicles and I can assure you thats not me. I could have looked passed all the other issues but the dashboard is where I draw the line. That is completely unacceptable. Reading the forums it seems its common and they still will not take care of it. They offered a discount but at that point I am more inclined to drive it around like a billboard for the poor quality.

 

[Dusty]

Glad you had good luck with your Honda. Our Odyssey was nothing but problems and why we started getting rid of vehicles before the warranty ran out. Torque converter, 3 alternators all four brake rotors TWICE! the TCS never worked correctly (probably related to the brake rotor issues) and an annoying rattle they never could find.

No broken motor mounts? It seems everyone I've known with an Odyssey has had at least one break.

Regards,
Dusty
2019 Ram 1500 Billet Silver Laramie Quad Cab 2WD, 5.7 Hemi, 8HP75, 3.21 axle, 33-gallon fuel tank, 18” wheels. Build Date: 3 June 2018. Now at 112538 miles.

 

[MD Sledhead]

I've never had any vehicle we've owned get less than 40K on any tires.....that includes tow rigs.....hunting rigs.....passenger cars...SUVs. I do replace my trailer tires at 5 or 6 yrs not due to wear but weather cracks on sidewalls....just sayin.

Interesting... do you live where it's flat? Little to no snow? If I'm not going up a hill, i'm going down one. Roads are rough due to the harsh treatment in the wintertime.
The 20" P tires that come on the Rams start out with 11/32 of tread (i.e. 1/3rd worn out). Even rotating ever 5000 miles will get me about 25k max.
I went to Falken Wildpeak AT3 LT tires and exceeded that, but I traded for my 2024 before they needed replaced (had high hopes there).

 

[Tulecreeper]

I've never had any vehicle we've owned get less than 40K on any tires.....that includes tow rigs.....hunting rigs.....passenger cars...SUVs. I do replace my trailer tires at 5 or 6 yrs not due to wear but weather cracks on sidewalls....just sayin.

Interesting... do you live where it's flat? Little to no snow? If I'm not going up a hill, i'm going down one. Roads are rough due to the harsh treatment in the wintertime.
The 20" P tires that come on the Rams start out with 11/32 of tread (i.e. 1/3rd worn out). Even rotating ever 5000 miles will get me about 25k max.
I went to Falken Wildpeak AT3 LT tires and exceeded that, but I traded for my 2024 before they needed replaced (had high hopes there).

I'm with @Jerrybob.

I live in flat terrain now, but my last truck I drove for 23+ years - a Silverado 1500 4x4. No snow, but very hot summers, and for the first 14 years of that 23 years I lived in N CA and spent my share of time off-road, towing a boat, hunting and fishing and I never got less than the 50,000 mile warranty out of a set of tires. And I was buying Big-O brand tires for like $500 - $600 per set so nothing fancy. Just good, solid tires.

 

[KeithP]

No broken motor mounts? It seems everyone I've known with an Odyssey has had at least one break.

Regards,
Dusty
2019 Ram 1500 Billet Silver Laramie Quad Cab 2WD, 5.7 Hemi, 8HP75, 3.21 axle, 33-gallon fuel tank, 18” wheels. Build Date: 3 June 2018. Now at 112538 miles.

Not while had it but we didn’t have it all that long. Wouldn’t be surprised if the second owner didn’t have that problem though. Hopefully they still had some warranty time left if it did happen to them.

 

[DanAR]

Never had a sunroof leak on past Saab, Audis, or Toyotas/Lexus (at least as long as the wife closes it completely). But I view them kind of like skylights in a house. When you ask the builder how many skylights he plans to put in and he responds with, well - how many roof leaks do you want. It’s a bad omen.

 

[Scottly]

I'm with @Jerrybob.

I never got less than the 50,000 mile warranty out of a set of tires. And I was buying Big-O brand tires for like $500 - $600 per set so nothing fancy. Just good, solid tires.

But I bet ya kept the air pressures in check, and rotated them on the regular

 

[Jerrybob]

But I bet ya kept the air pressures in check, and rotated them on the regular

Easy to do........highly recommended.

 

[MD Sledhead]

But I bet ya kept the air pressures in check, and rotated them on the regular

I'm with @Jerrybob.

I live in flat terrain now, but my last truck I drove for 23+ years - a Silverado 1500 4x4. No snow, but very hot summers, and for the first 14 years of that 23 years I lived in N CA and spent my share of time off-road, towing a boat, hunting and fishing and I never got less than the 50,000 mile warranty out of a set of tires. And I was buying Big-O brand tires for like $500 - $600 per set so nothing fancy. Just good, solid tires.

That would be the difference. I rotate my tires every 5k and keep the recommended pressure.
Vehicles don't last 20 years where I live - doesn't matter what you do to them.

Winter is extremely hard on any car or truck. Between the $hit they put on the roads (84 tons of salt per lane mile, and antiskid that will slice right through your tires) and snow/ice, it's brutal. If undercoated, you'll get 10 years only if you really take good care of it.
(all because the Baltimorons can't driver their BMWs in the snow).