1997 Dodge Ram Pickup SLT review from North America
"I've invested so much in sorting out this truck that I can't afford to get rid of it!"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
From new, the brakes have been just barely enough to consider safe, but certainly not anything that builds confidence.
The automatic rear view mirror dimmer has never worked.
The interior map light broke at 3 years.
The intake manifold plenum gasket leaked causing enormous oil consumption and incessant spark knock (started at ~45,000 miles and took until 65,000 to identify). This took numerous visits to the garage to rectify.
The exhaust has rattled since within the first 15 months of ownership. At the beginning of year 9, the darn thing still rattles.
The headlights are not bright enough as from the factory.
The front end alignment was way off as delivered new.
The differential pinion bearing broke at 72,000 miles. Once repaired, the trucks gas mileage jumped from a lifetime of 12-13mpg to 15-16mpg. I believe the differential was not assembled correctly during manufacture which led to premature failure and truly lousy gas mileage. Jumping from 13 to 16-17 highway was a wonderful fringe benefit to the absurdly expensive rear-end overhaul.
The front axle oil seals (4wd) both started leaking at 73,000 miles. Very expensive repair.
General comments?
The truck has a quiet ride and is good looking.
The four wheel drive works very well.
I replaced the brakes with heavier duty calipers and re-wired the headlights to make more current available (made a big difference in brightness).
In spite of all of the repairs I've done on this truck, I still like it!
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| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | No |
| Model year | 1997 |
| Year of manufacture | 1997 |
| First year of ownership | 1997 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2005 |
| Engine and transmission | 5.9 Automatic |
| Performance marks | 5 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 4 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 7 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 3 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 7 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 0 miles |
| Most recent distance | 75000 miles |
| Previous car | Jeep Cherokee |
| Date of Entry | 11th June, 2005 |