Faults:

Timing chain rattled when I bought it. Dealer included a 3 year/36,000 mile warranty, so that covered the repair bill for a new chain/gear set and tensioner kit.

Stalling/backfiring problem. Intermittent, but I still need to figure out what it is. I suspect the idle air control valve may be dirty.

General Comments:

I chose this truck because it reminded me of my 89 Dakota, which I loved.

Very reliable and plenty of power.

Faults:

Power steering pump went bad at 140,000, (dealer said it should have died at 80,000), replaced clutch and throwout bearing at 120,000, water pump at 100,000, 2 batteries, (1200 watt stereo didn't help with the life of them), 1 coil wire and a cracked exhaust manifold is the extent of the problems I ran into.

General Comments:

I bought this truck with 16 miles on the odometer due to the amount of room the interior had, I could still wear my hat and get in and out easily. A simple little 4 cylinder with a 5 speed and enough space for the dog and stuff in the bed. All I did was put gas in it and change the oil regularly with Penzoil, aside from regular wear and tear items this has been the best wearing vehicle I have ever owned.

Alas, some drunk kid has taken my beloved truck form me, he totaled it on Dec 12... I have 207,500 miles on this truck and expected another 100,000! I have replaced the 96 with a 98 club cab, I only hope to get the same life out of it as I did my 96.

Faults:

The only problems that I have run into while owning this truck was replacing a map sensor twice. This was most likely my fault though considering I have a lead foot on the pedal.

General Comments:

The truck drives like a dream and easily outmatches most vehicles around in power and reliability. I have put this truck through torment since I've bought it and it starts up and runs perfect everyday. I thought my dad's s10 had some power with the 4.3 engine, however it doesn't match Dodge's 5.2. The gas mileage is terrible, but what kind of fool buys a v8 and worries constantly about gas mileage? This truck is great for anyone in my opinion. My mom drives it once in awhile as well as my dad and they both love it to death. Bottom line if your looking for something that can easily speed up on highways, smoke the tires, or simply just get you from point A to B look no further.

Faults:

Installed after market alarm system at 5k miles electrical system acted funny. Not sure if was installations fault. Truck wouldn't turn over then eventually killed battery. Replaced battery at 20k miles no problems since.

Replaced front dash cup holder at 25K. Not sturdy enough ripped bolts right out of plastic.

Constantly rotating tires every 10k miles. Trucks rear wheels get eaten up due the the high torque. Seem like I'm always spinning out when trying to get into traffic.

Replaced windshield four times. Seem like it's a magnet for rocks.

General Comments:

Bad points about this truck is the turning radius. Hard to do you turns and park. Especially since it's a extended cab. Glad Dodge fixed problem with the 1997 model.

Door rear view mirrors howl after doing 70 MPH or in high winds. Dealer warned me about design flaw and I signed a waiver. Rarely go that fast, but easily remedied; roll down the windows a bit.

Good points about this truck is highly dependable. Very comfortable and spacious interior room especially the head room. 1997 model lost a lot of this due to the new more rounded cab design and add ons of interior moldings.

Has more that enough power for me and the V6 doesn't suck down the gas. It's also nice to know I can drop the V8 5.2 liter in there later on if I want more power or towing capacity.

First thing I would recommend is adding on, and are very inexpensive, are mud flaps. The high torque of the wheels send mud and road tar up the side of the truck and if you want to save your paint job it's a good idea.