Among American pickups, it’s worth considering if you want a good used truck. With its excellent features, excellent reputation, and safety, it is one of the best-selling pickups in America. But even the best can hit the occasional sour note. Here are three of the worst Ram 1500 models to avoid and why.
2013 Ram 1500
The 2013 Ram 1500 is the lesser of the three evils in this roundup but it still suffers. According to consumer website CarComplaints.com, some problems happen early in ownership.
It usually happens around 45,000 miles and costs $11,500 to repair. Power steering failure occurs at about 76,000 miles and costs $2,500 to repair. No information is available about preventing or repairing the braking system.
2014 Ram 1500
Of the 1500 models in use, the 2014 version has the most issues reported to CarComplaints.com. The long list includes features such as transmission, air suspension, and power steering issues. Air suspension issues start at about 56,000 miles and cost an average of $2,000 to fix, while power steering issues reach about 67,000 miles and cost about $2,400 to fix.
The electrical issues carried over from the 2013 model year. According to owner reports, there is some difficulty diagnosing problems, ranging from the truck shutting down while it’s being driven to the entire electrical system failing. These problems start at about 30,000 miles and cost an average of $1,500 to fix.
2016 Ram 1500
Arguably, the fourth-generation Ram 1500 is 2016. Severe engine and transmission problems plague this model, and repairs are costly.
Engine failure occurs about 78,000 miles on average. Most of the complaints were that an engine replacement was necessary to fix the truck at an average cost of $4,360. Some of the complications posted indicated that owners have replaced engines in the 2016 Ram 1500 more than once.
Also of concern are the model’s transmission problems, showing around 10,000 miles on average. The biggest complaint was the truck jumping or lurching forward when the driver tried to stop it. But there were other issues, too, like power loss, shifting issues, and one report of the truck rolling over on its own. The average cost of transmission repairs was $10,000.
Before buying any used car, research, read reviews, and see what real-life owners have to say about their experiences. It’s a clever way to reduce the chances of getting a lemon instead of the winner. Once you find a good used car, follow the manufacturer’s recommendations to keep it in good working order.
