zmp_
Junior Member
Wanted to get some advice. I bought a 2011 1500 outdoorsman with the 5.7 hemi 5 months ago. Its been in the shop the last 2 months. It has 89,000 miles on the clock.
Bought it cause it looked practically new and like it had been babied. Came with adjustable bilstein 5100s, nice rims and new 35" BFG ko2s. I hunt and overland a lot and drive solo into a lot of areas without phone service or that are inaccessible by tow trucks. I'm planning an arctic circle trip in the next year and drive from the southwest to the PNW and out to the east coast a few times a year. So I need something I know I can rely on.
I knew these trucks had some reliability issues but figured I'd take my chances cause the price and setup was right. I bought it from a dealer and bought an extended warranty for it for peace of mind. 2 hours into a month long roadtrip I got a code for a misfire and then sure enough loss of power. Limped it back at low rpms. Dodge dealer first diagnosed plugs and coil packs so I changed those myself but still had the same code so took it back where they told me it was cams and lifters.
The warranty tried everything they could to not cover it but eventually it went through, but the process took almost 2 months. If i had been on the road theres no way I could have waited somewhere for 2 months for this again. And typically I have firearms and my dog so figuring out other arrangements isn't always easy.
They didn't find any metal so they're doing new cams and lifters. Having such failure after driving this for 1,000 miles has shook my confidence in this rig. I've driven toyotas in the past and always knew I could trust em deep in the backcountry.
So overall, wondering if y'all would trust a truck like this in the future. I know the cams and lifters are a known issue but are there any other common issues to look out for? Would any of those issues potentially leave me stranded in the backcountry? Anything to make this rig more reliable?
The best thing financially would be to keep it for 3 years I have the warranty, pay it off and sell it before the cams and lifters explode again in 80,000 miles. I'm weary to drive it across the country knowing if it breaks down it could be months before it's back on the road. And definitely do not want to end up broken down in a situation without service and ample food/water. Considering how I use the truck would you keep it and roll the dice or trade it in for something more reliable?
Bought it cause it looked practically new and like it had been babied. Came with adjustable bilstein 5100s, nice rims and new 35" BFG ko2s. I hunt and overland a lot and drive solo into a lot of areas without phone service or that are inaccessible by tow trucks. I'm planning an arctic circle trip in the next year and drive from the southwest to the PNW and out to the east coast a few times a year. So I need something I know I can rely on.
I knew these trucks had some reliability issues but figured I'd take my chances cause the price and setup was right. I bought it from a dealer and bought an extended warranty for it for peace of mind. 2 hours into a month long roadtrip I got a code for a misfire and then sure enough loss of power. Limped it back at low rpms. Dodge dealer first diagnosed plugs and coil packs so I changed those myself but still had the same code so took it back where they told me it was cams and lifters.
The warranty tried everything they could to not cover it but eventually it went through, but the process took almost 2 months. If i had been on the road theres no way I could have waited somewhere for 2 months for this again. And typically I have firearms and my dog so figuring out other arrangements isn't always easy.
They didn't find any metal so they're doing new cams and lifters. Having such failure after driving this for 1,000 miles has shook my confidence in this rig. I've driven toyotas in the past and always knew I could trust em deep in the backcountry.
So overall, wondering if y'all would trust a truck like this in the future. I know the cams and lifters are a known issue but are there any other common issues to look out for? Would any of those issues potentially leave me stranded in the backcountry? Anything to make this rig more reliable?
The best thing financially would be to keep it for 3 years I have the warranty, pay it off and sell it before the cams and lifters explode again in 80,000 miles. I'm weary to drive it across the country knowing if it breaks down it could be months before it's back on the road. And definitely do not want to end up broken down in a situation without service and ample food/water. Considering how I use the truck would you keep it and roll the dice or trade it in for something more reliable?