Has there ever been a year when Dodge had all the problems worked out of these trucks?

I don't know about the 1st Gens.

The 2nd Gens had bad front ends, bad transmissions at least the sticks were bad, 5th gear falling off isn't a good deal. The 47re isn't really great either. The 53 block, the KDP, the VP fuel pumps. These aren't minor problems in my book.

The 3rd gens still have bad front ends but not as bad. Wiring problems on the 06, plastic intercooler tanks. Mine throws more codes than a pro wrestler throws fake punches. Bad lift pumps again. Clutches that could be stronger even without mods.

The 48re is better than the previous trans but still could have been better if you believe what's written on here. I'm not talking about it holding together if you hot rod the engine either. Just stock people complained about it.

Rear windows leak, the HVAC system isn't as good as the 2nd gen.

I'm not saying Dodge didn't improve the 3rd gen but they added different bugs.

The 6.7 is having it's share of problems too.

I have to admit I haven't read the GM, Ferd forums maybe they had these problems too. If it's industry wide then why do we put up with it? If it's just Dodge why do we put up with them?

 

No complaints with my '03. And the stock clutch is holding up fine with the SMARTY cranked up.

MikeyB

 

I have owned this 3rd gen and a 2nd gen Dodge diesel, and my dad has owned 3 new ones, my mom one, my brother has owned one and my brother in law has owned a couple for the farm.

Of course the Dodge isn't going to be as well engineered as a GM or Ford in general, but I think we all understand that. They are less expensive trucks and they just aren't quite finished when they roll off the line. I think if you buy a dodge you pretty much have to be prepared to finish their job and do the necessary modifications to make it a reliable truck. That's the price you pay for buying a truck at 50% off retail.

I might add the only reason I purchased mine were for the cummins engine, and the only reason the rest of my family buys them is for sheer price. I would not have a Dodge for any other reason.

 

"Has Dodge ever gotten it completely right?"

With my help and the help of my tranny guy, they finally got my '96 right in about May of last year.

These trucks are like an unfinished sculpture. You can see the outlines of a real work of art, but you have to chip away at it a little to make the beauty shine through. Bad news is it takes a lot of work, $$ and worry; good news is you are not only the owner, but the co-manufacturer.

 

If I wanted quality I should have bought a Toyota...
I wanted the Cummins and my only choice was Dodge...

 

Best truck I've ever owned, period. I've owned 13 other trucks, Ford, Toyota, and GM and they all had their share of problems including Dodges I owned back in the early 90's. I think the last of the 5.9's were as close to perfect as I will ever see.

 

Every brand has it's share of trouble. Why do we put up with it?...because we don't like to walk......

 

Well, that's a little harsh to say. Admittedly, Dodge does not always get it right but neither does GM or Ford. They both have their fair share of issues. I would also say the newest of the Dodge trucks are about as reliable as you're gonna get.

I'll also say that my 06 drives better, handles better, runs better, and is more comfortable than a fully loaded 07 GMC 2500HD my old boss had, and my neighbors 06 Lariat F350.

In stock form LOTS of people have had great success with these trucks, but like anything else there are bad eggs too. After all Ford had like 5 billion dollars lost in warranty claims with that 6.0. The Duramax had injector issues, brain issues on the allisons, and maybe even more?

Now I'm not knocking any brands, I'm actually a big fan of all 3. I like the styling of them all, I think they all have nice interiors and what not, but I'm just a Dodge guy at heart.

My .02...

 

Go buy a D-Max or a P-Stroke and see how long it takes you to come back to Dodge!

IMHO, they are all engineering marvels.... and engineering nightmares.
As nicely said above by 'rbox', just go in knowing you have to "customize" to meet your needs and you won't be so disappointed.

RJ

 

Their quality has improved a great deal in the recent years, I will give them that.

 

I assure you its not just dodges that have their occasional trouble.

 

Not as long as you keep buying them. After all we do all their testing to make improvements for next years pos!

I had two 1st gens - without any problems, then came the 95-97 models which weren't too bad, then it was downhill after that. The intro of the 24v's, fit n finish was krap, and all that electronic nonsense. I bought two more to prove myself wrong - they spent 3 mos in the shops waiting on parts. Never did work right. Sold them to unsuspecting fools.

I wanted a good Cummins/Eaton combination, so I had to buy a BIG truck, which I finally did - haven't looked back since. Today, if I wanted a good small economical truck I'd buy the Toyota or maybe a Dakota as long as I didn't have to pull anything. On a farm that's impossible. So here I am pulling hay wagons with VN610 and an N14. Hey it works, but the Unimog with the 122hp Mercedes works better than the Cummins - more efficiency - brought to you by the people that invented the diesel engine.

 

my 06 HVAC is really a pain, it would blow on the feet for a bout 2 months, then i did a bunch of research on the forum to yank it apart,
then all the sudden, it started working again (just made a LOT of noise)


i think your post says alot about why the Big 3 need a bailout...


ain't that the truth? i have been in my tranny twice, and adjusted the bands for about a week straight (thinking that would help the hunt-shift at light throttle)


i was READY to trade my truck for a Toyota last month when the tranny felt like a 6 speed on crack (hunting gears when shifting) and my feet were ice cold.

i put the $120 solenoid in the tranny, the heat started blowing on my feet, and i was happy with my Big 3 Bailout plans.

but this week, my feet are cold, and i got a powerful itch to get a toyota.

but i did scale out at 14,500 yesterday, and it run ~70mph on cruise for a few hours at that weight with no drama.

 

Agreed! My father used to run Ford's for hauling livestock and they never lasted. Always in the shop getting worked on for things that had to be fixed.

My work purchased a brand new 08 Ford PowerStroke last year as a delivery truck for the company. I believe we bought it around fall/beginning of winter. I was in my work today visiting people and I see our new ford has the front end all apart. I asked my coworkers what was wrong with it (i've been laid off since Decmember) and they tell me the rad is leaking all over the place. I laughed and couldn't believe it. Not even enough miles on the truck to fully break it in and the rad is already toast. Wouldn't that have been nice to have it go out on the highway and get things nice and toasty

Every company has problems (the Big 3) and things to deal with. It's just being as we own Dodges, we see all the problems and hear about them all the time. If you were to go out and drive a Powerstroke or Duramax for however long. The same thing would happen, you would find out and hear about all the problems those trucks and engines have as well..IMO

The companies can't make these trucks too perfect, or else no one would be buying new vehicles, buying parts, etc.

 

My, someone got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning.

I love my truck, best vehicle I've ever owned. Six years and 70,000 miles and it has yet to disappoint. Always starts, never left me stranded, and not one penny more than tires and regular maintenance. Believe me, I rider 'er hard and put 'er away wet.

Will they ever be 100% perfect? No, of course not. Perfection is simply not possible, otherwise Toyota would have already achieved it.

The one problem with these forums is the 2% of the unhappy customers get 98% of the attention.