1995 Dodge Ram SLT review from North America
"Great truck if you need heavy duty performance from a light truck"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
My fuel pump went out at 65,000 miles.
Electric seat motors started to fail around 85,000 miles.
At 80,000 miles paint started to flake slightly. At 110,000, paint is still like it was when it started to flake: just a spot or two, but no rust: Really not a problem.
At 100,000 miles the transmission started to do what I have been told is torque converter shudder. Had a reputable transmission shop take a look at it, but of course it didn't do it during their test drive. All they ended up doing is flushing the transmission and changing the filter. Added transmission fluid friction modifier and this gave some relief from the symptoms, but it still occurs, just not as frequently. The shudder always seems to occur after letting of the accelerator momentarily and then getting back into it at ~48-58 MPH. If I take it out of overdrive it also seems to reduce the problem. This truck has been driven hard. I have used it to haul our horses and their hay very often, sometimes up to ~6000 # loads. I experienced this shudder only once before: at ~ 70,000 miles hauling the horses up a very steep and winding grade.
General comments?
This truck has been an outstanding all around "ranch" truck for us. My only real complaints would be that the seats don't hold up very well: the drivers seat has broken down and doesn't provide much support anymore. Bad enough that that would be my main reason to get rid of it: I weigh in at 230# so the seat hasn't been that abused.
Even with the recent transmission problems, I am still very satisfied with this truck.
Recommended reviews
| 1996 - Ram 1500 Ext. Cab Laramie SLT Spor 5.9L (360ci) An all around awesome truck |
| A waste of money! |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Don't Know |
| Year of manufacture | 1995 |
| First year of ownership | 1996 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2002 |
| Engine and transmission | 5.2L Automatic |
| Performance marks | 8 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 10 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 6 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 7 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 5 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 31000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 110500 miles |
| Previous car | Ford Ranger |
| Date of Entry | 16th October, 2002 |