28th Jun 2003, 08:44

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.

2nd Mar 2009, 12:21

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.

11th Sep 2009, 09:47

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?

11th Sep 2009, 18:14

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.

22nd Mar 2010, 11:36

I bought a 1996 Dodge Ram 1500 4x4 about 2 years ago, and it had 215000 miles on the transmission and still works great. I do not know about all the problems you people seem to have, but you have to keep up with the maintenance on your truck, I don't care what brand it is, or it will break down. Eric.

8th May 2010, 02:54

Response to Sept. 9 9:47

The guy who responded to your trans problem has no business giving advice. He is dead wrong. Your problem is the Throttle Position Sensor! There are other possibilities such as relays or the torque converter, but the TPS is very common on all vehicles. When tested with a VOM, it should show a smooth transition throughout its resistance range up and down. If it doesn't, than replace the TPS and adjust it as per the factory manual. The TPS is a potentiometer that is constantly moving with the throttle, and it will become erratic in due time. Many transmissions with your problem have been rebuilt for no good reason. This is true for all vehicles with a TPS.

Often these transmissions have very clean and not burnt (smelling) fluid. Fluid color is not a true indicator anymore (for some fluid types). If the fluid is clean I would look for a control problem. i.e. sensors, relays, wiring, valve body spool sticking, or servo problem.

8th May 2010, 03:19

I agree with Eric. If you ever looked at the manual in your glove box, it would tell you to do all kinds that I don't even do! But you need to do most of them on schedule.

My 1995 RAM is fifteen years old and looks near new inside and out. It is a diesel, and I have done a few repairs, but nothing premature as per the manual other than replacing the snap-ring on the transfer case output shaft. Cost = under $2 (I did the labor-simple fix). One serpentine belt, 1 water pump and $4 worth of fuel return hose in 125000 miles, rear brakes once (they were half worn out) front brake pads 3 times (I tow the boat, but drive with no load on the rear axle, so with that and weight transfer, the front pads do most of the stopping). I grease all greasable zerks at each oil change.

My son's 1996 Indy RAM has over 230,000 miles, runs like new, and runs real strong and sounds very good (mileage is a lil harsh), but it's a V8 truck with a low geared rear. The trans has been rebuilt once and the power door lock linkage needs lubed. If I have one thing bad to say about my son's truck, it's that the paint is peeling on the roof. That is unacceptable even if it's 14 years old. Damn good trucks!!!

9th May 2010, 10:53

Hi, I own a 1996 Dodge Ram 1500 4x4 5.2L V8 that has 248,000, and all that I've done to mine is front brakes (2), steering linkage, trans was leaking so I replaced gasket and oil, shocks front & back, new tires, spark plugs (2), serpentine belt (1) in the matter of 5 years I've owned it.

I do now have to replace the motor because 2 cylinders are not firing, which is understandable, because over 5 years it's been stolen twice, and whoever had it must of had a joy ride with it; who knows what they did.

But overall it's a great truck; those 318s will last forever if you keep up on the maintenance.

Drew.

28th Oct 2010, 17:12

I own a 96 Dodge Ram 1500 4x4. I really haven't had a problem with mine, just trying to fix up all the half a** jobs the guy before me did, but any car or truck you own, will all eventually need major parts; it's just how well you treat them, and keep up on the routine maintenance. 65% of people don't look at their routine maintenance guides, so then when it breaks a major part, they're like this car is junk.

18th Sep 2011, 15:31

It different for every truck, I have 97k miles on it and bought it a year ago. Found out after I bought it that it was a plow and haul truck for its first 9 years. 84k miles put on it then, and transfer case, transmission, are all original. All repairs I've had to do are normal wear and tear for being a plow for so long, the engine and tranny still shift like brand new, and no major rust.