2001 Dodge Ram Pickup 1500 SLT 5.9 V8 from North America

Faults:

Heater core went right after I got it.

Plastic dash cracked all to pieces during the heater core job.

General Comments:

I bought this truck to pull my travel trailer; my son sold his truck so I needed one quick. It's a quad cab with the 4 doors that open. The truck is loaded with almost every option but leather heated seats. The seats are nice and comfy, and you're not going to be fighting for elbow room in the middle.

The dash had to be removed due to a blown heater core. After it was put back in, the dash started cracking bad and I just went ahead and bought a Dash Skins dash cap for it.

It has the 5.9 Magnum in it. Power wise I would say it's decent. It's not a rocket by any means, but it pulls my 28 foot trailer with ease. She likes to drink gas, but I knew this going into this style of truck. It gets about 14-16 on the highway and about 8-9 in the city.

Mine is 4WD and has the anti spin rear end (limited slip), which makes it good in the snow and on wet roads.

I'll post more updates as my ownership hasn't been too long with it.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 11th April, 2018

2001 Dodge Ram Pickup SLT 360 from North America

Summary:

Won't buy another Dodge truck. They need to address their defects

Faults:

Most recent, the hood flew up while driving, causing severe damage to the hood, windshield, both hinges. A factory recall on this latch system was too late for me, as the truck was bought less than 1 year ago, and I did not know about it.

A/C compressor failed in June.

Evap. coil under dash board leaking in July.

A/C pressure switch & canister, both bad in July.

Dashboard fell apart in several pieces; also a factory problem.

Lost both front wheel bearings in August.

Water pump failed, due to a leak in a small hose you cannot see between the pump & manifold, in July.

2 weeks later, the radiator started leaking at its base. August.

Very bad noise in Reverse has just started, but only when cold? October.

Severe rust on brake lines below brake booster under hood. September.

Rust bad on the top caps that support the front shocks under the hood. September.

General Comments:

I bought this truck in November of 2011, and have had it less than 1 year.

It has been up on a roll back and in the shop more than on the road.

It had been painted in October 2011, and looked and ran great at that time. Still having to make payments is hard when so much is failing on this truck.

The hood latch should never fail on any vehicle, causing the hood to fly up while driving. 2000-2001 trucks were recalled by Dodge per NHTSA with defective hood latches.

The engine is strong and the trans seems solid for now.

Seats are comfortable, even on long trips, with good leg and head room. The design of truck is what sold me on the Dodge Ram.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 13th October, 2012

14th Oct 2012, 09:06

Yeah, & with *only* 188,000 miles - how dare they not offer a lifetime warranty!

7th Apr 2016, 17:44

I have 430,000 miles on this amazing 5.9 diesel engine.

First off, since I do not know you or your driving habits, all I can do is give you my first hand experiences.

I keep a very stringent maintenance program, do not try to drive it into the ground and pay immediate attention to any unusual noises, handling problems or anything that does not feel right. I also have added an EDGE CTS Programmer, not for racing but for the added torque and H.P.

I also pull a 40', 3 horse slant load/L.Q. horse trailer all around So./No. CA. and Arizona.

Sorry about your problems, but treat it right and it will treat you right or maybe you actually do have a lemon; report it, but keep in mind one bad one does not mean they are all bad.

Not demeaning, just commenting.

8th Apr 2016, 22:28

2001/2002/2003 had a lot of complaints on some of those trucks. Please see carcomplaints.com... some of the other ones were not that bad. I am not a Dodge guy, but my neighbor has one and runs it 24/7 and seems like it's holding up for him.

6th Jul 2019, 07:05

The problems that you talked about may have been from lack of care before you got it. My dad has a 2001 Dodge with the 318 and it still goes no problem. Whoever had it before you may not have taken good care of the truck.