Thoughts on air suspension? It is worth it? Will it break down?

[Ute4Life]

I have a few trucks I am going to look at this afternoon and some have the air suspension. Just don't know if it is worth it, and how long it will last and the maintenance of it if it breaks. Would love some insight

 

[Brady_SS]

This is my second Mopar with the air suspension. I had a 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee with it and now my 2019 Ram Limited. In the 3 1/2 years I owned the Jeep, the air suspension never had an issue or failed to operate as it should. I know that's not a terribly long time but I can say it was reliable while I owned it.

To me the upgrade is worth it. I drove trucks with both options. The ride is very good with the standard coil suspension and even better with the air option.

 

[adrianp89]

I love the air suspension.... especially for towing and having some payload in the back. Also nice for when my in-laws or grandmother needs to get in, I can lower it to make it easier. On the flip side, if I need to off-roading I can have a instant 2" lift.

 

[Joshwaa]

Never had a problem with mine going on 3 years. To me the best thing is to be able to get in and out of the truck easily without having steps or running boards.

 

[Accountant]

I test drove trucks without it and I felt a big difference. It’s all subjective. I also got Mopar lifetime max care warranty for peace of mind.


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[DRkNESS]

I say test drive both and see as far as comfort for yourself. Sadly even if others have had air systems before, this won’t allow any of us to really comment since it’s a new system. Yes I’ve had several vehicles with it and for my needs it wasn’t necessary.

 

[soapy]

I had a 2009 with the air suspension and never had a problem in 85,000 miles. The next couple of Rams did not have it. Now that I have it again I will always have it. The new system is better than my 2009.

 

[IMRAM]

I have a 2017 1500 limited 4x4 with it, my coworker in Denver has the same truck without it, mine rides noticeably different, he mentions it every time he gets in my truck. I’ve got just shy of 30,000 miles, I know it’s way too early but so far I love it.


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[John813]

I prefer coil due to it's simpler design and that my parents were through 2-3 cars/trucks that had air suspension failures, all after the warranty expired.

Benz car has failed 3 times, Navigator countless times(converted to coil). Drawing a blank atm on the 3rd one.

Maybe Dodge/RAM has got the reliability better than others. Not trying to be a negative nancy, but just sharing some stories of some air ride cars that had issues as a heads up.

 

[JoeCo]

I prefer coil due to it's simpler design and that my parents were through 2-3 cars/trucks that had air suspension failures, all after the warranty expired.

Benz car has failed 3 times, Navigator countless times(converted to coil). Drawing a blank atm on the 3rd one.

Maybe Dodge/RAM has got the reliability better than others. Not trying to be a negative nancy, but just sharing some stories of some air ride cars that had issues as a heads up.

Just out of curiosity, what were the approximate time frames of these failures? And MY's of the cars?

 

[John813]

Just out of curiosity, what were the approximate time frames of these failures? And MY's of the cars?

2005 E55. Think it failed not more than a month or two after the 4 year warranty expired. They walked out to the garage to see the car slammed to the floor.
Mercedes made them pay in full. Then after that roughly every 3 years. Wasn't a daily driver. Got maybe 7-10k miles at most on it per year.

The navigator was a 2004 and failed while in warranty (3/36). But it just kept on having issues post warranty. Day after my dad got it converted to coil, it got t-boned by a semi running a red light. Truck was cursed lol.
It was driven 20-25k miles a year, so failures was in warranty and over 100k for the issues.

 

[adrianp89]

I prefer coil due to it's simpler design and that my parents were through 2-3 cars/trucks that had air suspension failures, all after the warranty expired.

Benz car has failed 3 times, Navigator countless times(converted to coil). Drawing a blank atm on the 3rd one.

Maybe Dodge/RAM has got the reliability better than others. Not trying to be a negative nancy, but just sharing some stories of some air ride cars that had issues as a heads up.

Wouldn't trust a MB or Lincoln with anything when it came to reliability.

 

[homeguy]

Mine is a 2017 w/air and no problems so far


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[JoeCo]

2005 E55. Think it failed not more than a month or two after the 4 year warranty expired. They walked out to the garage to see the car slammed to the floor.
Mercedes made them pay in full. Then after that roughly every 3 years. Wasn't a daily driver. Got maybe 7-10k miles at most on it per year.

The navigator was a 2004 and failed while in warranty (3/36). But it just kept on having issues post warranty. Day after my dad got it converted to coil, it got t-boned by a semi running a red light. Truck was cursed lol.
It was driven 20-25k miles a year, so failures was in warranty and over 100k for the issues.

Yikes, I can understand why you're not a fan. I've never had it before on any vehicles but have always been curious as to the potential issues and how soon these issues could start. I also wonder about how they do in various environments? Places like I live, nothing seems to last very long so I think I'd be a little more hesitant to

 

[Sportznut]

I was thinking of doing the same thing how much did you end up paying for the lifetime maxcare warranty if you don't mind me asking?

I test drove trucks without it and I felt a big difference. It’s all subjective. I also got Mopar lifetime max care warranty for peace of mind.


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[soapy]

I have had 4 MB with air suspension and the only problem I ever had was when my wife put almost 1 ton of tile in her SUV to bring home 60 miles. Eventually I had to replace both rear shocks but found them on line for only $238 each. I think RAM has had plenty of time to iron out their air suspension. I love it for towing trailers.

 

[Accountant]

I was thinking of doing the same thing how much did you end up paying for the lifetime maxcare warranty if you don't mind me asking?

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$2,745 For $100 deductible. Can also get $200 deductible for $2,450. Was a no brainer for me.

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[Tim7139]

I've had a few occasions where the air suspension needed service in the RAMs I was driving, but I still have it on my want list due to the great ride on the highway, the adaptability to cargo, mileage improvement, and the ability to access a few more parking garages or remote camping spots with the adjustable clearance.

I find the difference in cornering with air ride over without more noticeable than the improvement of 20" over 17" rims.

 

[BWL]

Mine sits a bit low on 1 corner but works well apart from that. Rides great, keeps the ride height the same loaded or empty and gives me a couple extra inches when i need it and the fuel economy of not being a couple inches higher when i don't. Haven't driven the truck enough to speak on reliability though, but i now know a couple co workers who have had no problems with it including one with 100k miles on his. Seems like the real problems occur when they leak and freeze up due to moisture in the air so having it serviced if needed by a good mechanic that knows and follows the correct procedures to purge the air and refill the nitrogen is key so minor problems don't become major.

 

[Accountant]

Mine sits a bit low on 1 corner but works well apart from that. Rides great, keeps the ride height the same loaded or empty and gives me a couple extra inches when i need it and the fuel economy of not being a couple inches higher when i don't. Haven't driven the truck enough to speak on reliability though, but i now know a couple co workers who have had no problems with it including one with 100k miles on his. Seems like the real problems occur when they leak and freeze up due to moisture in the air so having it serviced if needed by a good mechanic that knows and follows the correct procedures to purge the air and refill the nitrogen is key so minor problems don't become major.

The dealer can adjust the parameters for each corner so they can fix the low corner for you.