truck falling apart, dodge never again

[HBarlow]

I've driven three Dodge Ram drw 3500s a total of 611,000 miles to date and have never, that's NEVER, purchased a balljoint, tie rod end, universal joint, or many other of the components listed or criticized here or in other threads. I replaced a set of sealed front hubs on each of my previous Rams at around 210,000 miles before they failed.

I've never experienced a cracked dash top, a failed instrument in the panel, a bad radio, a bad power door lock or window lift, etc. The outside edge of the driver's seat in my first, the old '01 with 350k miles has a frayed spot on the seat fabric but the rest is good as new even though two female German Shepherds in succession occupied the back seat every time the trucks have moved.

I can only say that some of you must be a lot harder on your equipment than I am.

I was not brand loyal to Dodge or Chrysler products before buying my first '01 because of the Cummins engine but am now.

I'm a happy owner!

 

[AClayton]

But... . weren't they all 2 wheel drives? The front-end problems we have all complained about are the 4 wheel drives.



Plus... . wouldn't you agree that you put many miles on your trucks in only a couple of years?With that said... . short of mechanical wear items,you guys that drive commercially and log huge amounts of miles will trade up when the miles get excessive and generally won't keep a vehicle over 5 or 6 yrs. Age has a lot to do with interior parts failing,not miles. I expect interior items to fail after 10 yrs on the road,but,front-end parts and steering wander and mushy handling should not be this problematic across the board. Most TDR members have written in on several occasions that the steering on the 4 wheels drives is less than desirable. AND... with so many aftermarket parts available to alleviate these issues,it becomes very clear that Dodge DID have a problem.



My BIL babied my truck and had everything serviced regulary and performed the necessary PM's. The truck was 8 yrs old and had 94K miles when I bought it from him. He had just spent well over $2K on the front-end... . including the steering box,drag links, a new hub and even installed a new steering damper. He just put new tires on the truck... . 285's..... the previous size tires were 265's,up one size from the stockers 245's. Recently,I had to add a new track bar and the new steering box installed only 3 yrs ago was already worn. I added the BD stabilizer with new box and hope this solves it.





I really like my truck and will keep it. It tows a 6K lb trailer everyday and averages about 12K a year. In the 3 yrs I have owned this truck,it has cost much more to own and maintain and drive than any other vehicle I have ever owned. It pulls the same trailer my last gasser did for 4 yrs..... the gasser got 9mpg and had no power but it DID pull it,and did so much cheaper. I would hate to track an expense record for this truck if it towed a large 5th wheel everyday.





Maybe pulling heavy everyday is the secret for getting these trucks to 600,000 miles. I'm a touch over 130K now and I must admit,I truely believe I have conquered all the usual querks these trucks have..... confident enough that we are purchasing a new 5th wheel soon and will be using this truck to pull it.





Alan

 

[kowaliga]

I've got the cheap ST trim level 'cause I studied and learned that the vinyl seats hold up better to big ***** like mine. It's all black, from the vinyl floor to the dash and door. Looks as good as new. Never seen the shop, for 86K ,and one alignment check was a-ok. Can't ask for more; dependability and power. Now back to your regularly scheduled rant.

 

[brods]

But... . weren't they all 2 wheel drives? The front-end problems we have all complained about are the 4 wheel drives.



Plus... . wouldn't you agree that you put many miles on your trucks in only a couple of years?With that said... . short of mechanical wear items,you guys that drive commercially and log huge amounts of miles will trade up when the miles get excessive and generally won't keep a vehicle over 5 or 6 yrs. Age has a lot to do with interior parts failing,not miles. I expect interior items to fail after 10 yrs on the road,but,front-end parts and steering wander and mushy handling should not be this problematic across the board. Most TDR members have written in on several occasions that the steering on the 4 wheels drives is less than desirable. AND... with so many aftermarket parts available to alleviate these issues,it becomes very clear that Dodge DID have a problem.



... ...

Now don't go bringing up little details like the difference between 2wd and 4wd front ends :-laf



You are right, mileage is less important than is chronological age and operating cycles. Those who accumulate many miles over a short time period should expect to get many more "miles" of service life out of components. Less thermal cycling. Parts have time to get hot and drive off moisture. Corrosion and deterioration rates are time based and are not effected by miles driven. So putting on lots of miles quickly and then trading in for newer models is not comparable to those of us who keep their trucks longer and drive them shorter distances and/or less frequently.



Also factor in climates where winter brings on an endless attack of road salt, cold starts and cold grease hampering lubrication every day. Spring brings potholes and summer brings on brine dust control for dirt roads. So by those standards, yes Harvey, most of us are harder on our trucks than you.

 

[R.Taylor]

Should have spent the extra $1800 at the dealership and purchased the Max Care warranty, Kicks the 36k mile warranty to 100k! I bought my rig used with 35k on it... . The first place I drove it to was the dealership where I bought the Max Care warranty. It paid for itself 2 weeks ago when they replaced all the ball joints, Tie rod ends, Steering box, All the u-joints, Lumbar support knob, Drivers side window / mirror switch panel and the complete TIPM module... ... ..... I paid $100. 00 for all those parts and labor (Would have been over $4200!!). If you have under 36k miles you can walk into any dealership and buy the extended warranty... Regardless if your the original owner or the third. I know of course that they use crappy parts but until I hit 100k it's all on Chrysler's dime.

 

[AClayton]

Now don't go bringing up little details like the difference between 2wd and 4wd front ends :-laf



You are right, mileage is less important than is chronological age and operating cycles. Those who accumulate many miles over a short time period should expect to get many more "miles" of service life out of components. Less thermal cycling. Parts have time to get hot and drive off moisture. Corrosion and deterioration rates are time based and are not effected by miles driven. So putting on lots of miles quickly and then trading in for newer models is not comparable to those of us who keep their trucks longer and drive them shorter distances and/or less frequently.



Also factor in climates where winter brings on an endless attack of road salt, cold starts and cold grease hampering lubrication every day. Spring brings potholes and summer brings on brine dust control for dirt roads. So by those standards, yes Harvey, most of us are harder on our trucks than you.

Well,in the Metro DC area,there are a lot of potholes to contend with in the winter months. But,Obama's stimulus package is in the works right now re-paving our Interstates!!:-laf



The bugs seem to be worked out for now and it could be much worse I guess. Whenever you purchase a used vehicle,you take a chance on the reliability factor vs. what you already have. The plus side of this truck does appear to be the interior... . short of the cracked dash,I have not done anything or spent any money to maintain it. The seats are not torn or ripped or even worn..... of course,I'm only about 180lbs !!Basically,a problematic transmission,worn front-end parts,cracked dash and the usual lift pump and VP issue... . already corrected,is what I've done. I did not include the BOMB'ing parts because they were not needed. And in retrospect,could have leaded to my trans woes in the beginning.



Alan

 

[HBarlow]

Yes, all three of my trucks have been 2wds but tie rod ends and steering box are the same aren't they?

The '08 I own now is a cab and chassis which uses the standard Dodge 4wd front end assembly minus ring and pinion, axle shafts, and drive shaft. It has a solid front axle with the differential housing casting, just no ring and pinion. It has only 56,000 miles on it so far but I've read complaints here on TDR about the "junk front end parts" that had to be replaced in less mileage than mine currently has.

I simply will not accept the silly argument that automobile parts wear out based on time not usage wear. Other than paint or, I suppose the dash pad if always left parked in the sun, surely nobody truly believes that.

Besides that, my daughter insisted that my son-in-law buy my old '01 for her to use for weekend chores when I announced I was going to buy a new one in '06 and sell it. It is still in the family and I still drive it occasionally. The front end was tight when I handed it over at 325k miles. It does feel a little loose now because my son-in-law owns a construction company with eight or ten job superintendents to oversee their projects. One of his hands drove my old Dodge for a year and a half or two years and apparently drove it pretty rough. When I drove it recently on a country dirt road at 350k it felt a little loose. No parts have been replaced though.

I don't live in an area with terrible rutted and chuckholed highways like some of you do (I won't name the political party responsible), don't drive offroad, and I may be more careful about slowing for or avoiding rough spots in the road.

I'm not saying a word about how some of you may drive your trucks, it's not my concern. I am, however, pointing out that not all Dodge Ram owners experience the same results as the OP or several others who report problems.

As I said, I am a happy owner. My Dodges have been essentially trouble free.

 

[TGVET]

Dittos JHawes.

05 3500 Laramie, goddies, etc. ,etc... . NOW w/156,000+. Nothing last forever (sans TAXATION) and like any other guy that's spent mega-thousands on his rigs (I've had several) and expects more out of them than he gets or should get, I've gotten A LOT out of mine. Do I go totally nutzoid when they F' up, duh! More $$$$$ to keep em going. What else are you going to do ? Drop coin on a new one ? Not even if I was very financially well off as that would not be the conservative way of life I choose to live.



No, you put your coveralls, get your tools, grab the grease gun AND GET BUSY taking care of that machine you invested mega-bucks in. Granted, not all of us guy's (and some gals) are inclined to twist and pump, drain and refill doing it ourselves to save, preserve etc. . Fortunately for me, I started as early as I can remember tearing things apart to see what makes them click and run. In the Navy we had what's called PMS, no ladies, not that kind. . Periodic Maintenance Schedule. Everything mechanical has one and needs to be followed.



To date, aside from the wiper issue, I've replaced my u-joints that wore out due to the "never need to lube" design. W. A. F. J. that is... Now, everything has a zirc fitting, I only use Amsoil grease, (as with all lubes since 1975 and swear by it). No ball joint issues, OEM stabilizer.



PMS and then some.



My 2. 5 cents worth.



P. S. The reason I bought my Ram was because my factory ordered 95 GMC Suburban w/the 6. 5 TD blew a small chip off of the #2 cylinder intake valve and lost compression. Was I totally Postal because after investing nearly 50 g's ? Dah !! But considering it had 476,000+ miles on it at ten years old (still in mint condition and awaiting a new engine) I returned to a state of calm realizing, I had gotten A HELL OF A LOT OF MILES and pleasureable use out of it BECAUSE I took meticulous care of it.

 

[SBeretz]

Man, that is where it is all at. If you can fix it yourself, and if the parts are not so faulty that you need to replace them in an undue amount of time. If the truck starting eating parts, usually that is about the time I call it quits with a certain vehicle. Scotty

 

[SMorton]

Wow, here I am thanking my lucky stars, my 04. 5 2500 4X4 with 75K on it has been completely trouble free. I've towed heavy, cruised empty, but no matter what, I always take care of it. Synthetic fluids, regular service on everything, brake fluid, trans, axles, transfer case etc... It looks like I just bought it, and still get many comments on how nice it is I'm still running the original batteries and brake pads, have only replaced the tires so far. I do notice how thin the sheetmetal is though, and have had to have my paintless dent guy handle a couple spots for me. I'm looking forward to many more years of enjoyable driving, oh, Saltillo Mexico built... .

 

[SBeretz]

So far, mine has 84K and is doing pretty well. No major parts and it is still on almost all original parts. I did change the front hub unit bearing, but that actually wasn't the problem, so I kinda threw one at it. Other than a few u-joints it has been a great truck. Scotty

 

[GreggNoble]

weak front end !no question

hi guys, here in Newfoundland canada my 4 brothers and father and i have a logging company,most off our logging gear has cummins engines ,log trucks,forwarders, harvesters, skidders etc. and when we bought our 1st ram with a cummins we fell in love with the engine again. we now have 8 off these trucks ranging from 1997 - 2006 and to be quite honest the only thing that keeps us buying these trucks is that they have the cummins engine that we love. These trucks are used on dirt logging roads off course with fuel tanks and 4 guys in them and they stand up to it well EXCEPT!!!! for that damn front end we have spent 10`s of thousands on these front ends more than a chevy more than a ford,we have proven that dodge ram 2500 has a very weak front end design Period!!!!!

If i could say to a dodge engineer i`d say 2 words to him---LEAF SPRINGS!!! THANKS

 

[SShafranko]

I have over 150,000 miles on mine. So far i replaced the axle u-joints, upper ball joints, tie rods. First thing to go was the passanger u-joint and the dealer claimed that it was totaly dry not enough grease from the factory. Once your front end problems start you obviously have to take everything apart to replace the ball joints, replace the problematic parts with the best you can find, maintain them and you will be fine. I replaced my front end parts at 38,000 miles and everything is still great with very little wear. All are greasable and i grease everything at every oil change if needed. Every brand truck has their problematic areas and from my experience i will stick with Dodge as long as Cummins does, unless Cat decides to team up with Chevy or ford.

 

[DBentley]

Leaf front springs and manual locking hubs are on my list for a real truck.
Come on toyota please build a full size 4x4 and let us spec out our drive train like a big rig.

 

[rbattelle]

Leaf front springs and manual locking hubs are on my list for a real truck.

Whereas leaf springs seem to be a good inexpensive solution for highway class vehicles, I'm not clear on why they'd be better on the Dodge than coils. Seems like quite a few heavy duty trucks run coils up front, so must not be a matter of coils being in some way "weaker" than leaves.

And I've said it before, I don't understand why so many people hate the always-engaged front drive system. Personally, I love it because it's simple.

Are there heavy duty trucks with manual locking front hubs? For that matter, are there even any medium duty trucks with manual locking hubs? I can't recall ever seeing one. Even 4wd farm tractors don't have locking hubs. Seems like the only vehicles with locking hubs are light duty.

Ryan

 

[KIKER]

The Super Duty Ford F450's at work that pull the backhoe trailers have lockout hubs. If they forget to lock them out before getting into some sand, they might have to get the backhoe to pull them out! On one pipeline job, I was running hot passes behind the bead hand who was in an F350 V-10 gas 4X4. He would have to get pulled on occasion, but I could get thru without any problem. I always thought he would do better, running a single cab/chassis with welding bed and a lighter weight truck and me in a quad cab duallie weighing more, but nope, I could go and he couldn't!

 

[kelly1]

hi guys, here in Newfoundland canada my 4 brothers and father and i have a logging company,most off our logging gear has cummins engines ,log trucks,forwarders, harvesters, skidders etc. and when we bought our 1st ram with a cummins we fell in love with the engine again. we now have 8 off these trucks ranging from 1997 - 2006 and to be quite honest the only thing that keeps us buying these trucks is that they have the cummins engine that we love. These trucks are used on dirt logging roads off course with fuel tanks and 4 guys in them and they stand up to it well EXCEPT!!!! for that damn front end we have spent 10`s of thousands on these front ends more than a chevy more than a ford,we have proven that dodge ram 2500 has a very weak front end design Period!!!!!

If i could say to a dodge engineer i`d say 2 words to him---LEAF SPRINGS!!! THANKS

Same thing when the Fords switched over to coil front ends ,not to mention the rubber tie rod end that would'nt hold a proper alignment.

 

[cojhl2]

Whereas leaf springs seem to be a good inexpensive solution for highway class vehicles, I'm not clear on why they'd be better on the Dodge than coils. Seems like quite a few heavy duty trucks run coils up front, so must not be a matter of coils being in some way "weaker" than leaves.



And I've said it before, I don't understand why so many people hate the always-engaged front drive system. Personally, I love it because it's simple.



Are there heavy duty trucks with manual locking front hubs? For that matter, are there even any medium duty trucks with manual locking hubs? I can't recall ever seeing one. Even 4wd farm tractors don't have locking hubs. Seems like the only vehicles with locking hubs are light duty.



Ryan

Ryan hopefully you did not mean to include Class 8 as heavy duty. All Class 8 have leaf springs so far as i know.



Regarding the lockouts. My feeling is to turn as little machinery as possible unless it is needed. My Dakota does not have lockouts and for that matter it does not release an axle shaft either. that means there is considerable drag.



But even with the release of an axle shaft the spider gears must be spinning to normalize the two shafts and that is just more drag and wear.



I like lockouts but have had no luck with the automatic ones.



Note my signature, that 1990 with way over 500k used it's whole life in construction and farming and never had any front end work except: 1)Front Spring hanger had to be re-welded, and 2) Replaced the drag link. Of course it has been realigned a number of times.

 

[AABEN]

Geez, would someone explain to Mr. Haggerty what spell check is !!!!#@$%!

IF this is all you can find to make remarks about you are one sad person!!

 

[rbattelle]

Ryan hopefully you did not mean to include Class 8 as heavy duty. All Class 8 have leaf springs so far as i know.

I was thinking mostly of the stuff from Osh Kosh. I can't recall ever seeing a highway truck with coils up front.



Ryan