This is not good: Consumer reports rates Ram as #10 of top ten least reliable

[navyjoe]

The biggest issues in the 2500/3500 series. I am rather surprised, I thought Ram was doing better. Bur CR uses feedback from owners and maintenance records doesn't it?. Anyone out there a subscriber to CR that can read the actual report? Here is the brief article reference:

Ram is #1 http://wallstcheatsheet.com/stocks/the-10-least-reliable-car-truck-brands.html/2/?ref=OB

Jeep is #6 http://wallstcheatsheet.com/stocks/the-10-least-reliable-car-truck-brands.html/6/?ref=OB

Dodge is #5 http://wallstcheatsheet.com/stocks/the-10-least-reliable-car-truck-brands.html/2/?ref=OB

Main introduction http://wallstcheatsheet.com/stocks/the-10-least-reliable-car-truck-brands.html/?a=viewall&ref=OB

 

[Deleted member 995608]

Literally everything I bought because of CR's recommendations has failed me miserably. Everything from riding mowers to LCD TV's. CR doesn't hold any merit in my books.

 

[Bill Stockard]

The biggest issues in the 2500/3500 series. I am rather surprised, I thought Ram was doing better. Bur CR uses feedback from owners and maintenance records doesn't it?. Anyone out there a subscriber to CR that can read the actual report? Here is the brief article reference:

Ram is #1 http://wallstcheatsheet.com/stocks/the-10-least-reliable-car-truck-brands.html/2/?ref=OB

Jeep is #6 http://wallstcheatsheet.com/stocks/the-10-least-reliable-car-truck-brands.html/6/?ref=OB

Dodge is #5 http://wallstcheatsheet.com/stocks/the-10-least-reliable-car-truck-brands.html/2/?ref=OB

Main introduction http://wallstcheatsheet.com/stocks/the-10-least-reliable-car-truck-brands.html/?a=viewall&ref=OB

Reader/subscriber surveys do not make an accurate report and I take them with a grain of salt. Just how many of their readers actually drive a Ram 2500/3500? I'm willing to bet not many and of those few, the one's with problems will go to the trouble of filling out the survey and usually those owners without problems don't bother. Don't forget they must sell magazines to stay in business... cover page/headline hype anyone?

Bill

 

[navyjoe]

I know what you mean on products, but I've used it routinely over the years before buying a used vehicle to see how cost of repairs stacked up. After all those are the results of actual feedback from owners.

Literally everything I bought because of CR's recommendations has failed me miserably. Everything from riding mowers to LCD TV's. CR doesn't hold any merit in my books.

 

[Ram4Sam]

Literally everything I bought because of CR's recommendations has failed me miserably. Everything from riding mowers to LCD TV's. CR doesn't hold any merit in my books.

Could not agree more.......

Sam

 

[gapayne]

I subscribe to CR so I took a look at their site, notice I didn't say the article, and found many pages of information on new and used vehicles. No where did I find a list where RAM was #10. Of course I found references to the 2500 and 3500 and the 1500, including a page mentioning that the 1500 diesel was one of the best new vehicles. Now I, too, am cautious of CR's ratings and frequently find myself disagreeing with either their philosophy or their use of facts but in this case I just could not find the article you mentioned. I checked back to your post and noticed that the article you mention was written by a Justin Lloyd-Miller for the online publication "Wallstreetcheatsheet.com." Reading that article I learn that Lloyd-Miller read about the CR report in USA Today and The Los Angeles Times. It doesn't appear that he ever read the CR report that he seems to be reporting on.


On its site CR did make a list of best to worst vehicles based on predicted reliability drawn from owner's surveys ("Did you have a problem that you would consider major?"). RAM was listed 19th which was also 10th from the bottom. USA Today apparently wanted to focus on the 10 worst results so RAM was first (or 10th worst). I'm not sure that Lloyd-Miller made that point clear. For those who don't want to look up the article the list is: RAM, Volkswagen, Hyundai, Nissan, Jeep, Dodge, Cadillac, Ford, Lincoln, and bringing up the bottom is Mini.


I suspect that the situation is very much that which Bill Stockard suggested--very few of CR's subscribers own RAM 2500 or 3500's and of those a disproportionate number had what they would consider a major problem in a particular vehicle system so the brand/model gets labeled as a bad choice. I can tell you that there are no questions about whether there is anything you particularly like about the vehicle. I did not have time yet to read the entire CR site but in my quick overview I did not see that CR had any particular complaints with RAM. They simply reported that owners survey results placed RAM in 19th position for predicted reliability. Any suggestion as to a particular cause implied in the Lloyd-Miller article appear to be that writer's.

Gary

 

[TimothyLong]

Gary, great write up! Thanks for taking the time to research this!

As for CR, I haven't trusted a single thing they rate since it was found out a number of years ago that they skewed their ratings based on the amount of advertising $$$ that vendors pay them. Like others on here, I often find myself disagreeing with them anyway.

 

[Big Red 94Ram]

CR is owned by the Japanese. They influence and dictate the reports in their favor. I've know this for years.

 

[zb39]

I have never trusted CR, and never will…………..

 

[Regcabguy]

They pushed Obamacare. Look how that's working out?

 

[navyjoe]

Thanks Gary, really appreciate you checking that out.

 

[TCDiesel]

You will never put faith CR if You spent 1 day at any Automotive shop, I will give 1 Example Man comes to shop for the $29.99 LOF ,We inspect the car which needs over $3000.00 in DL suspension and tune up repairs, Heck 1 of the tie-rod ends was so bad you could yank it out of the steering Knuckle, WHAT!!! that fresh oil won't know what to do in the Crankcase when it surrounded by junk. But according to CR oil changes are maintenance @ every XXXX miles, these are the same owners that report to CR.......:-laf:-laf

On edit..... the owner left with bologna skin tires and denied all the repairs and paid the $29.99 LOF......

 

[RikDavis]

I decided Consumer Reports was not a "Best Buy" years ago

 

[TFucili]

Literally everything I bought because of CR's recommendations has failed me miserably. Everything from riding mowers to LCD TV's. CR doesn't hold any merit in my books.

I have been in a couple industries where consumers were heavily influenced by CR. I have on numerous occasions seen them give ratings that were, at best, bogus, and, at worst, crooked. One of my manufacturers, who generally ranked well, naively pointed out to them a serious error in their test methodology, and after that they got slammed every time. They are FOS.

 

[MLee]

Here is something to think about on surveys. when you fill one out how do you rate a item your not familiar with? or no knowledge of, usually low and you rate the items you know about pretty high. So do surveys really mean anything? depends on how you look at it-Nada.

 

[RustyJC]

As for CR, I haven't trusted a single thing they rate since it was found out a number of years ago that they skewed their ratings based on the amount of advertising $$$ that vendors pay them.

You must have them confused with someone else. CR doesn't accept advertising, nor do they accept free samples for testing. They purchase what they test.

Not to say I agree with them, but they're not being influenced by advertising money.

Rusty

 

[rscurtis]

Keep in mind also that the article was not written by CR, but merely grafted from their statistics. Many of these articles are done merely to gather headlines and are fraught with errors.

 

[SnoKing]

Did they say most of the problems were with all the fancy electronics in these new vehicles? Which create things like dead pedal and other problems that require reflashes. Fluid lines that are not crimped correctly etc etc. Beta tester trucks? Or is it "Blue Screen" trucks!

SNOKING

 

[PMcCall]

I had a number of issues with my 2500 the first 4 months, but after a few parts changes and too many flashes, its been solid for the most part. I think its a lack of testing and real world experience/service before they sell them on the open market. The market changes fast in today's world, everyone is trying to play catch-up or one-up the competition. There isnt time to bulletproof things like they used to and not be perceived as falling behind. just my 2 cents

 

[K5IP]

I also began to question CR many years ago when the said my 1973 Toyota FJ40 was completely unacceptable. It was in my opinion the best off road rig you could buy if you lived, like I did in Moab Ut.
Rog