1997 Dodge Ram Pickup 2500 SLT turbo cummins diesel

Summary:

Great!!! More Great!!! Most Great!!!

Faults:

Front end problems in steering column. Warranty replaced entire camber problems at 50,000 miles. No other problems have arisen in the 4 years of ownership.

General Comments:

Excellent vehicle. Super power for towing. It doesn't even feel like you have a trailer behind you. The truck out performs any 4 wheel drive vehicle I have ever owned. It's reliability out ranks all others. I can only add that Dodges Cummins Diesel is a sure bet for gas mileage, low maintenance, and smooth riding. The quad cab is roomy for all errands, and great for the child and dog!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 15th June, 2001

31st Jul 2003, 21:51

I have the same truck except it's a 97...and I totally AGREE with everything you wrote!

Great truck!

3rd Feb 2004, 22:46

Our 1997 Dodge Ram 2500 SLT, Laramie has 87,000 miles on it. We use it for heavy towing of livestock in a 16 ft. trailer. Recently we have experienced a failure in the diesel fuel shut-off solenoid, ($600 to replace), the right front wheel bearings went out, the bearing race froze to the hub. The Dodge dealership we had it towed to has done all the maintenance on it and they said this "happens sometimes" ($ l,000) and now it's a month later and we have a major squeal in the engine compartment that appears to be the water pump going out. The vehicle is diesel and does an excellent job of towing, but I'm beginning to wonder about the Dodge reputation for quality.

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1997 Dodge Ram Pickup Sport 318

Summary:

The truck of all trucks

Faults:

The only thing that has happened so far is that the heat shield on the exhaust came loose from a broken weld. Problem fixed for free at the dealership.

General Comments:

I couldn't be happier with this truck.

Many people complain about the fuel mileage on these trucks. I consistently run around 17mpg. I don't know any Chevy owners who can say that. Everyone I know who owns a Chevy says they feel fortunate to get 15mpg.

Plenty of power for my needs.

No problems with the transmission or transfer case.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 12th June, 2001

28th Mar 2005, 13:53

I've got a '96 Ram and consistently get 18 mpg on the highway, and the Ram turning radius can't be beat by Chevy either.

1997 Dodge Ram Pickup Sport 1500 5.9L

Summary:

Never again!! An expensive pain in the butt!

Faults:

From the beginning this truck has had problems. Driver's side door was not on right, they attempted to fix it twice. Still not on right.

Other minor things that needed to be fixed.

Had the truck a couple months, had to have the heads replaced. Truck was in the shop for 2 weeks.

At 60,000 the rear end went out while driving down the freeway! Had it towed to the dealer. While in the shop they also discovered the transmission was bad. It was in the shop for a month. Then 2 weeks after it was out, I was driving it home, turned left accidentally, hit cruise control. I realized what I did and it was starting to hail so I hit the brakes only to discover there were no brakes, so I hit them again and they locked up causing me to spin and throwing me into a horse corral fence. So much for the Anti-lock Brake System!

General Comments:

I have called Dodge and they sent an inspector out to check the brakes. He checked the codes and said, well nothing wrong, go back to the dealer since they were the last ones to work on the brakes. I kept asking him why the ABS would lock up like that! He had no answer, just take it back to the dealer, they will make right by you! There is over $6500.00 in damage to the truck. I thank God I was not hurt. We used to be a Dodge truck family!! After this we are not too sure anymore.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 3rd May, 2001

20th Sep 2001, 21:32

The ram truck brakes can't be hit twice in succession or pumped because it causes the brake system to revert to the base braking system and turns off ABS. It's in the manual. I had the same problem no one told me and then I ran across it.

13th Apr 2011, 14:33

I have a 97 Dodge Ram. I do all the proper maintenance and it's at 200,000 miles, still going strong.

I love it even though the front end is way too heavy and you will most definitely get stuck in the mud if you try to go muddin'. Its purpose is hauling.

I do believe there are such things as lemons that come out of the manufacturing plant and I do not believe there is a truly honest mechanic left in the world. I'm sorry you had a bad experience with yours, but I love mine, and know way too many people who love theirs.