1996 Dodge Ram 1500 4X4 Extended Cab from North America - Comments

Seat coverings have cracked.

Power steering box seals leaked.

Excessive rust on the bottom of the doors and the door frame.

Tape player goes into fast forward when changing sides.

Water leaks into cab, floor constantly wet.

Black finishes have chalky white film.

Transmission has loud whine when reversing.

Tires wore out under 18,000 km of road driving.

I purchased my Dodge for two reasons, I liked the truck and it was built in North America. For the price we pay for vehicles such as mine I expect it to last 10 or more years with no major problems. Instead I have had constant headaches. I purchased an extended warranty which cost me an additional $2500.00, however, there is a $100.00 deductible everytime I bring it in.

I will "NEVER" buy another Dodge. Toyota may not be built here, but it has an outstanding reliability and service record. My next vehicle, if I can offload this one, may just have to be Japanese, at least I'll know I got my moneys worth.

I feel your pain... I have the same model truck...

So far I have replaced the transfer case @ 40,000... Now the engine @ 60,000... Can't wait till 70,000 to put in a new transmission....

I have too much money invested to sell it so it looks like I will be a Dodge owner for a little while yet....

See, now I disagree. To the original complainant I say that Toyota are not worth the money! My husband and I had one a few years back and ended up fighting with Toyota Canada over a cracked block which was allowing oil into the 6th cylinder. We complained about it and they said "oh yeah, the extended warranty will cover it, we just have to get the guy in to look at it." He came, refused to fix it because the part did not 'break' and Toyota refused to put the truck back together without fixing it first.

We called around and found out this was a VERY common problem with Toyota and $3000.00 (out of our pocket) later we traded the piece of crap in on a Dodge Ram and have never looked back.

Oh I lie, we did look back once when we found out Toyota had actually put a recall on that particular problem two years later after we had already lost our $3K. Before this we were very loyal customers to Toyota but after that fiasco we went Dodge and have never had a problem since.

I own a 1996 Dodge 2500. I bought this truck in 2000 because it was a sharp looking truck and had a lot of room for a single cab. A few months later I found out that the dealer repainted the bottom of both doors that had had been rusting out. I have had one fixed for $320.00 so far. The body shop says the rear fenders are starting to bubble and will pop any day. There are small spots all over the hood that show the undercoating. The chrome is coming off the grille. I have had to replace one wheel bearing assembly (over $300). The other one needs it now. I put Lucas oil in the transmission at 98,000 miles because it was slipping. The transmission shop says it's normal for Dodge trucks at that mileage. It will cost between $1200 and $2000 just to get repaired. I get 11 miles to the gallon. There are only two things I like about this truck. It turns on a dime and it has a lot of room. I previously owned a Chevrolet and put 250,000 miles on it without any major problems. I will not buyt another Dodge truck...Bill.

My cousin has a 96 Dodge truck and all we have had is problems. The drive shaft has fallen out, the trans and the trans case have both blown out, wheel bearings on both sides have broke, and the engine knocks louder than rocks in a dryer. I would never buy a Dodge after seeing what he has went through. The Chevy is the way to go.

Can someone help me with a question about my 1996 Dodge Ram 1500 4X4 Extended Cab. I bought this truck used with 135,000 miles on it. Ran great for a few weeks till the transmission started slipping in and out of over drive at 55 mph. Has anyone had this problem If so, what do I do to correct it?

To comment 9:47:

Your transmission is on its way out. It's your choice on whether to replace the transmission, or buy a new vehicle. You should probably trade it in on a nice new Toyota Tundra or Nissan Titan. Both are much more reliable than any domestic. On a good note, your truck did manage to out last the 100,000 mile mark, which is very good considering domestics are disposable by then.