DC had better get on the ball.......

[DDiMarco]

As a relatively new CTD owner and the beneficiary of this great website, I am getting nervous and equally disgusted over the magnitude and frequency of the serious problems associated with our big-dollar CTD's. I have already experienced the minor door lock actuator failure and serp belt delamination issue in less than 4K miles but stories of multiple injector failures, lift pumps every six months, drive line vibration, valves imbedded in piston tops etc... ... ... this stuff makes me ill. I have a lousy Civic approaching 200K and haven't spent 500 bucks on it (besides normal maintenance stuff) in 8 years. Either there are a lot of guys out there with no mechanical sense flogging the crap out of their trucks or DC took a good motor and royally screwed up the truck/motor interface. I love my truck but its like walking on eggshells. I encourage everyone to scream bloody murder to DC anytime there are multiple failues or persistent probs. You know there is some smart DC accountant sitting at Corporate HQ, calculating lost revenue per customer complaint and taking advantage of complacency. How does the song go... ... . "i'm not gonna take it anymore. "

 

[BRayls]

I would take that civic and try and tow a load . only problem I blame d-c for on my truck is the heater box door design.

 

[TBrennan]

32K miles and not a single problem.

 

[sick_ram]

40,000 miles and 3 turbos and 3 clutches still runs like a bad @$$.

 

[WStoops]

As a relatively new CTD owner and the beneficiary of this great website, I am getting nervous and equally disgusted over the magnitude and frequency of the serious problems associated with our big-dollar CTD's. I have already experienced the minor door lock actuator failure and serp belt delamination issue in less than 4K miles but stories of multiple injector failures, lift pumps every six months, drive line vibration, valves imbedded in piston tops etc... ... ... this stuff makes me ill. I have a lousy Civic approaching 200K and haven't spent 500 bucks on it (besides normal maintenance stuff) in 8 years. Either there are a lot of guys out there with no mechanical sense flogging the crap out of their trucks or DC took a good motor and royally screwed up the truck/motor interface. I love my truck but its like walking on eggshells. I encourage everyone to scream bloody murder to DC anytime there are multiple failues or persistent probs. You know there is some smart DC accountant sitting at Corporate HQ, calculating lost revenue per customer complaint and taking advantage of complacency. How does the song go... ... . "i'm not gonna take it anymore. "

I agree. My experience with DC customer service is 100% negative. The dealers won't work on my problem because DC won't pay them to do it even though I have a warranty. E-mails, phone calls and letters go unanswered. The only response from them was to answer the State Dept of Consumer Protection when I filed my Lemon Law complaint. When I asked to speak to him I was told that the Regional Mgr WOULD NOT call me back, he was too busy. :{ All of which could have been avoided if they had just tried to solve the problem. Ignoring it does not make it go away, it just makes people mad. I'm mad as h*ll and I'm not gonna take it any more.

 

[Bertram65]

Dodge heavy duty trucks have the highest reliability rating of the big three acording to J. D. Powers and the best warrantee. They may not be as reliable as a Honda Civic but they are the best of any of the full size trucks.

 

[tpardini]

Highest realiability rating and best warrantee doesnt mean **** if your truck has A

problem and they won't fix it. My truck has only had minor problems one bad injector

so far, and launch shudder. So why does it take 11 visits to multiple deals several calls

to DC 35 days out of service to replace one injector?? I ended up fixing the launch

shudder myself. DC made this truck A lemon with alot of help from the dealer long after

it was built.

 

[WStoops]

Dodge heavy duty trucks have the highest reliability rating of the big three acording to J. D. Powers and the best warrantee. They may not be as reliable as a Honda Civic but they are the best of any of the full size trucks.

If you go to JD Powers and do a comparison, you will see that the Dodge and the Ford are roughly equal, each slightly better that the other in some areas, tied in others. GM is slightly behind. All scored low in some areas. Kind of like comparing a Yugo to a Peugeot and a Russian Lada. DC has been good at putting together packages that are appealing. Their somewhat modern and relatively daring exteriors, Cummins and Hemi engines and creature comforts have broad appeal. Good looks will only get you so far though and after that there has to be some substance and customer service. I find it hard to believe that this miserable and nearly non-existant customer service are corporate policy. Still the net effect is the same, p. o. 'd customers. They've left the door wide open to Ford and Gm to capitalize on their bad service and design problems but the other 2 seem incapable of seizing the opportunity. It may be that these vehicles have become so complex and quickly designed that some inherent flaws are unavoidable. I saw an interview with Dr. Dieter Zetsche, the CEO and Chairman of Chrysler

Group where he said that DC introduced or redesigned 9 models in 04 and are doing 6 for 05. I, for one, would like to see less redesign and innovation and greater concentration on fixing some of their design problems. :{ :{

 

[FATCAT]

Dodge heavy duty trucks have the highest reliability rating of the big three acording to J. D. Powers and the best warrantee. They may not be as reliable as a Honda Civic but they are the best of any of the full size trucks.

I wonder how much bribe $$$ it cost DC to have that "Rating" posted by J. D. Powers ... or are they using the "Initial" reliability rating aka the first 10 days or so.

 

[PJ]

G. M's customer service actually listens to you and trys to fix every problem. DC couldnt give a shi+ when Ive called.

I must say, my latest truck has been basically problem free, except for the white smoke and crappy mileage. DC's lousy attitude will be considered when I shop next year for my next truck. Since I rarely keep a truck longer than 1-2 years, I very well may enjoy the comfort and cab size of the Duramax. By the time I sell it, it should still be trouble free. I also qualify for the GM employee discount from a family member, which will put it at or below the price of the Cummins.

I feel it all comes down to the sale after the sale. DC needs to go back to school on that one.

 

[DKarvwnaris]

I feel it all comes down to the sale after the sale. DC needs to go back to school on that one.

Daimler never went to school on that in the first place. Ever owned a Mercedes? There is one other reason, europeans don't expect the same performance after the sale from a merchant/ dealer that we do. My inlaws live in Muniche Germany, Their cars go in the shop once every 2 months for problems at the least. They don't understand my irritation towards DC as they see it being a profitable company, period. Warranty repairs are small in numbers after the 1st year for them with nearly every car they own.

By the way, their typical repair bill is in excess of $800 Euro usually. That's 6 times a year easily, PER CAR!!! Gotta love German customer support!! They aslso paid as much for their cars as we do for our trucks new, so don't compare the price tag to the services deserved.

Chrysler needs to be bought up by an American share holder and boot Diaper Benz to the curb, that's all I want. American owned, American produced, Amercian bought, American used, and American accountability!! This would resolve alot of the issues all around. I really miss the Mopar that used to be. They may have been six years past due on body revisionsor more, but they relied for decades on the same design, because it was developed and researched to last from day one.

Rest in piece Mr. Chrysler, not all of us welcome the German's take over.



End rant

 

[claymike]

As a relatively new CTD owner and the beneficiary of this great website, I am getting nervous and equally disgusted over the magnitude and frequency of the serious problems associated with our big-dollar CTD's. I have already experienced the minor door lock actuator failure and serp belt delamination issue in less than 4K miles but stories of multiple injector failures, lift pumps every six months, drive line vibration, valves imbedded in piston tops etc... ... ... this stuff makes me ill. I have a lousy Civic approaching 200K and haven't spent 500 bucks on it (besides normal maintenance stuff) in 8 years. Either there are a lot of guys out there with no mechanical sense flogging the crap out of their trucks or DC took a good motor and royally screwed up the truck/motor interface. I love my truck but its like walking on eggshells. I encourage everyone to scream bloody murder to DC anytime there are multiple failues or persistent probs. You know there is some smart DC accountant sitting at Corporate HQ, calculating lost revenue per customer complaint and taking advantage of complacency. How does the song go... ... . "i'm not gonna take it anymore. "

All manufactures have problems, yes even Honda and Toyota. I will agree that customer service is not the best. This is my 5th CTD and I have had my problems with dealers and Star. But this site does not represent all of the CTD on the road. It’s kind of like watching the news on TV you only seem to hear the bad things not the good. Think about how many ram owners do not have gauges, or even a working lift pump and they are still driving their trucks. You go to any dealership Ford, Toyota, Honda Chevy and their bays are full. I guess what I am trying to say here is just because a percentage of people on here are having injector problems does not mean that the other several hundred thousand of us are going to have the same problem. Heck I have a friend that has over 500k on his 98 and has not had that many problems but my 98 was in the shop all the time.



Nuff said let me have it.

 

[DKarvwnaris]

Nuff said let me have it.

Okay you asked for it!!!



SLAP! KICK!! SLAP!! How dare you have an opinion other than those of us who rant!!! (kidding)



I agree all have problems, no matter what you own. My '96 has been a flawless performer and long since justified its life in my driveway. I am afraid to let it go as I think it was the last few years of a reliable and economical truck. $40,000 to pull a skid loader and construction forms around is a little much.

I don't think you see alot of Honda's or Toyota's being subjected to the same negative remarks. There is a definite problem with DC's parent company as it is reflecting in their overall performance drain of Freightliner, Detroit, DC, and those unfortunate to get sucked into the black hole of their ownership with no regard beyond the bottom line.

I am afraid Cummins will be cut loose once Mercedes gets its new 6 cylinder out, then the true Dodge will show its face, flat on the ground.

I don't support any of the new vehicles on the market in recent years, they are grossly over priced, under designed, and about as capable of withstanding a minor impact as tin foil. Lean up against a new truck bed, that says it all.

 

[CUMMINZ]

My CTD

I am extremely sorry that some CTD owners have had a bad experience with their truck. I have not yet and thank GOD. I run the poop out of my truck and it is obvious that most of the owners of these trucks use them like a 1966 Hemi Dart or a tuff work truck. I would bet that most of the owners are at the age that liked the muscle cars of the late 60s. You can't run these trucks and do every thing you can do to them to squeeze every pint of horsepower out of them without having some downtime. I feel for you guys that have had problems. You got the best truck ever made. :-{}

 

[Bertram65]

G. M's customer service actually listens to you and trys to fix every problem. DC couldnt give a shi+ when Ive called.

I must say, my latest truck has been basically problem free, except for the white smoke and crappy mileage. DC's lousy attitude will be considered when I shop next year for my next truck. Since I rarely keep a truck longer than 1-2 years, I very well may enjoy the comfort and cab size of the Duramax. By the time I sell it, it should still be trouble free. I also qualify for the GM employee discount from a family member, which will put it at or below the price of the Cummins.

I feel it all comes down to the sale after the sale. DC needs to go back to school on that one.

I owned a GMC (GM's susposed premium brand)for 6 years, had a lot of problems and plenty of opportunity for GM to listen, they did not and do not. This is an example, my buddy had a '91 Chevy 3/4 ton extended cab, the blower fan made a ticking noise, replaced it himself out of warrantee. My '97 GMC had the same problem, twice, replaced it under warrantee, another friend just got an '04 Yukon, guess what same problem, yeah they listen. Another example, the 350s are known for having bad intake manifold gaskets, been a problem for over 10 years, until the end of that engine's production run, did GM care or change the gasket? NO, did they come out with a TSB and cover it if it was out of the 3/36? NO. I had called customer service and had a case file with the GMC, no one cared it did nothing to improve the service of the vehicle, it was a waste of my time.

No one in "American" car companies are listening, and it is not just GM it is Ford and Dodge as well, it has taken them decades to almost catch up to the "imports" in quality, you can be sure it will be decades before they can almost catch up in the service department. I have the American and imports in quotes as the lines are so blured with where stuff is made and who actually owns the company, you cannot really use those terms anymore, call them by name Dodge GM and Ford are a sleep at the switch, and why not? There is no competition from any other brand in the full size truck area, and as long as the rental companies buy 10s of thousands of "fleet" cars from them with special pricing where the other brands cannot compete they have a big advantage, if they were all playing on a level playing field selling equal products the big three would either change or become extinct and it would not take decades.

 

[ARoshong]

DC problems

I have to My local Dodge dealer it's been pretty good on other trucks. Knock on wood my 03, and 05 have had on problems! What I have seen is the quality of tech they hire. I have 13 ASE's and work on heavy truck's and equpitment for awhile. I would not trust about 80% of the mechanics out there! The only time I go to the dealer if it has a serious problem. Most of the probblems I fix my self. ORDER THE DODGE SERVISE BOOK!!!!!! If you are a real mechanic

 

[JKing]

I've been on this site for about 5 years. There are always two groups of folks. One group that seems to have a bunch a problems, and another group, that includes me, that doesn't have a lot to post about because we don't have these problems. I had a new '96 1500 gasser I put 42k on and had zero problems. I sold my '98 CTD last year with 90k miles on it and the only issue it had was the rear seal going out on the 5 speed puking all the oil out. The transmission was replaced with a brand new one at 33k and I had no other problems. I had a 3k GSK and a #11 plate on this truck and drove it hard. I've got 13k on the 04. 5 and have had no issues. If these trucks were as bad some would lead you to believe DC wouldn't be able to sell them. As it is, they're selling every one they can build.



As for GM, I won't go near one of their dealers. I bought a new '93 Suburban and by 40k it had gone through 2 auto trans, 4 alternators, a power sear assembly, electronic dash cluster, and more. A new '94 S-10 had a complete front suspension replacement and a repaint by 16k. Then there was the '00 GMC Safari van that the wife just had to have. This was bought new as well and at 3k miles the timing cover seal was leaking. In 45k miles it went through 2 alternators, one out of round alloy wheel, cruise control unit, and was the biggest rattle trap I've ever ridden in. Never again... ... .....

 

[ceaman]

Well I would like to say that despite any problems I have had out of my last truck, I will continue to buy DC vehicles. I have purchaced more than a handfull of new vehicles from them in the past 5 years, and never had the trouble I had out of this one truck. The truck was a lemon and placed under a factory buyback, the new truck I am sure will be trouble free.

 

[BMancin]

I think it is pretty hard to beat the reliability of the old 12 valvers, they last forever, because they are the descendants of a motor from a case tractor all mechanical and no computers to worry about. My dad has his 03 and no problems at all. I love DC

 

[WStoops]

(I've been on this site for about 5 years. There are always two groups of folks. One group that seems to have a bunch a problems, and another group, that includes me, that doesn't have a lot to post about because we don't have these problems. )



I guess I'm one of those in both groups. My 03 gasser was trouble-free. Drove it hard and not even the tiniest single thing broke. Some of the things I've mentioned, such as the thin sheet metal at the door hinges, seats, RB4 cheapness, lack of wheel well liner, are relatively minor and offset by the Cummins and other qualities of the truck. Occasional bad injectors or lift pumps are basically teething problems and, while aggravating to those who have them, are generally things that are solved as the model year progresses. Unrepairable vibrations are outright design flaws, clutches that are barely up to managing the horsepower and torque are design flaws. Door seals that tear repeatedly over several model years are design flaws as well. Launch shudders and front end pulls to the right are flaws as well. The real measure of a car company is how they deal with their errors and how they treat their customers after the sale. Ignoring them, stonewalling, and denial are not the measure of a quality manufacturer. I agree that the purchase by MB is 100% negative.