31st Jan 2002, 09:43

I have 1997 Dodge Sport, we bought it used with 20,000 miles and at 30k we had a transmission installed.

6 months later we had both front u joints installed, the dealer said it was cause of excessive wear.

My wife owns a day care center and this is her truck, I guess that this means I hauled too many Infants in it.

Now the second transmission is shot and I took it to the dealer, they said it is a brake switch making it stick in gear. I replaced that and about three months after that transmission goes again and the front end is eating tires like crazy. I have 50.000 miles on it now and it is sitting in my pasture I figured the horses can scratch their asses on it. Law suit pending.

6th Jun 2002, 22:15

I have a 1997 Dodge Ram 2500 Laramie SLT King Cab Long Bed, with a full ton bed. Its got 46 000 miles on it. I haul heavy loads. I take it four wheeling (even got it stuck in the mud once…..). The guy who had it before me did serious fifth wheeling in it. I haven’t had an ounce of trouble with it (except when a curb leaped out at my poor tire and put a cut in its side, but that’s a different story)

1st Jul 2002, 13:16

I have some great comments on my 2001 Ram 1500 Van. I bought brand new in 2002 and had not had it 300 miles when the first check engine light came on and the transmission got stuck in overdrive. Back to the dealer for the first of 7 visits and counting (it is in the shop as I write this), they have replaced every sensor, and a complete rebuild has not fixed it. This is all in the 1st 3500 miles of owning the Van. I am not a happy Dodge owner and never should have gotten rid of my 89 Chevy Van that never broke down. The Dealer has told me that they are stumped and hope that Dodge can tell them what is wrong. Can you say lemon law?

10th Jul 2002, 12:09

I posted last February about my 1995 Ram 1500 with the peeling paint & steering box problems. (The aftermarket GM steering box is still working perfectly, FYI) :-)

I've never had a problem with the transmission (it's been one of the most reliable major components on the truck so far), and I've got 130,000+ miles on it. I notice a LOT of people are having multiple transmission problems. My sympathy goes out to you folks... I can only assume I got lucky in that regard.

But here I am, over a year later, and the paint is still peeling. The "dime-sized" spots I reported last year are now between 2-7 inches in diameter, and growing. Another spot has developed, below the exterior trim, in the silver paint that they told me "would never chip, peel, or corrode." The paint on the rear fenders (sides of the bed) is pitted and fading now, and is even noticeable when comparing the rear half of the truck to the front half. I'm taking it today to get an estimate done on the paint repair, since Chrysler won't touch it with a 1000-foot pole.

The rear bumper has developed a crack in the chrome and is rusting out from underneath. The ceiling liner inside the cab is coming loose up next to the top of the windshield. I'm banking that some simple spray adhesive will fix that, however... but the bumper will be a $300 part.

I don't have the time to mess with a lawsuit against Chrysler, class-action or otherwise. So, in October 2001, when the five-year, 0% deals were everywhere, I bought that 2002 Pontiac Firebird Formula I'd had my eye on.

Chrysler called me about 2 weeks later and asked if I'd be willing to trade my '95 Ram in on a new 2002 Ram. I saw this as an opportunity. The lady was real nice & courteous, so I said, "well, I'm not looking to sell it right now... I've got some issues with it that need addressed, and I plan to keep it."

"Really?" she said... "what kind of issues?" Gotcha!

"Well, I have this problem with the paint, it's peeling, you see. And the rear bumper is rusting out thru a crack in the chrome, even though it's never been struck, scratched, dented, or otherwise damaged."

Her demeanor immediately changed. "Are you sure? You can't see it all the time, you know. Someone may have hit it. Besides, if this all happened within the 100,000 mile limit, your corrosion warranty will cover the repairs."

Just the reaction I'd hoped for... I pushed on:

"Hmm, yes. Strangely enough, it all started happening less than a month after the corrosion warranty expired. If I didn't know better, I'd say it was some kind of conspiracy by Chrysler to soak me for more cash! HA HA HA!"

She didn't laugh. "Well, I don't think that's a fair thing to say, sir. We pride ourselves on quality. Your isolated problems could be due to mistreatment or something like that."

I was still laughing at my clever joke, so I said:

"Ha ha,...ehh. Kinda like the 35 other people I know who have the same paint problems, but AAAAnyway, Chrysler has told me many, many, many times that there's nothing they can do about it. Sooooo, actually, I went & bought a Pontiac Firebird Formula 2 weeks ago with the money I COULD have spent on one of your new trucks, had I simply been treated with some good, old-fashioned, honest-to-God, FREAKIN' RESPECT! I'm KEEPING my current truck, which I'll have you know gets better treatment than most people's PETS. I'm keeping it because everybody should have a truck, and I'll take it to someone who will actually do some quality work on it! I'll thank Chrysler not to call me anymore, pestering me about buying another one of their vehicles for at LEAST another five years. Maybe by then, they'll learn how to treat people who are willing to shell out twenty to thirty grand for their products."

And I hung up. They haven't called back since. :-)

28th Jul 2002, 22:19

1994 Ram 2500. 5.9L 183,000 miles. Only major problem was transmission replaced at 163,000 miles (1st one). I work it to death, it was even hit by a dump truck. Buddy bought the Ford diesel quad cab, he has less than 40K and has gone through 1 Trans. and new rotors. Any indication of my experience with Fords, he'll replace the steering gear sometime soon.

Still have my 94 Ram and a new addition 2002 Quad Cab Ram.

My 94 has always been serviced regularly.