I would like to know if anyone know if the 3rd generation Dodge Rams ,If they have had any transmission issues like 2 gen Rams. I own a 2001 Ram and I looking to replace with new truck ,I would like to give dodge one more chance before switching to another brand.
Thank You for any comments or replies on this subject.

 

I dont know what the 2nd gen probs are but i had some on my 3rd gen. Third gear blew up after about 34,000 and the torque converter blew at the same time.

 

the 545 is a good trans, its passing gear that is weak. you cant floor it when your on the highway as the clutches in 2nd prime are too weak and the clutches in the overdrive gears are also not designed to handle the power. from over drive to 2nd prime (passing gear) is what kills these trans. many have well over 400whp with the stock trans its just how you treat it. the 545 is said to be better from a stop or a slight role then having to down shift as far as trans wear and risk.

 

yeah tell me about the weak passing gear but once that starts to go your screwed as i have found out

 

I am already way ahead of the game. I had a '98 1500 SC 4x4, that went out at 17k miles (warranty fix). Dodge dealer had the audacity to try to blame it on the "way" I was towing my 2200lb. bass boat! A buddy of mine had a '96 1500 SC 4x2 that had 29k on it when it died (warranty), 2nd tranny somewhere in the upper 80k's (not warranty), and right about when I bought my 3rd Gen (summer '04) he was getting another put in at somewhere around 120-130k miles.

I got 36k out of my 3rd Gen. so far...

 

I'm having a ton of problems with my '03 1500 right now. From standstill it revs really high, shifts hard, revs high again, shifts down then when I'm at cruising speed it'll rev up about 600-800 RPM and back down. Something is definitely wrong. It's going into the shop next week. Anybody have something similar? If so, what was it, and how much did it cost to fix?

 

had tranny replaced on a 06 at 4000. it died out of nowhere one day. just wouldnt shift at all. when it revved past 3000 rpms it would just shift into neutral . had it replaced. they day i picked it up i made it a mile before it started shifting very hard. salmming and shifting into neutral on its own. i brought it back right away and they checked it out again and realized it was teh speed control sensor that was faulty the whole time. they replaced it and ive put over 20000 on it since. i would say take teh truck to teh dealership to get it checked out as asap even if it shifts hard sometimes. like others say the tranny is not good for passing at all. cant handle downshifting more than 1 gear...

 

Just by chance I was at a wedding in Arkansas a few weeks ago
and met a guy who had been a Chrysler Regional Service rep
until a few months ago. He admitted that the torque converter
in the 5-45 automatic had been giving more trouble now that
2003-2004 Ram model years were piling up higher mileage.

Jeep insisted on putting the Mercedes W5A580 automatic trans
behind the 6.1 Hemi in the Jeep SRT8.

The Cummins 6.7 3500 cab chassis got an Aisin 6 speed auto.

Actions speak louder than words.

 

interesting. sorry to hear this but please let us know as there are tons of 03 guys that could use the info you get once its fixed. how many miles? serviced on time? how hard are you on the downshifting?

 

im glad someone brought this up. when in park or any gear for that matter, and i change to reverse, i hear a grind, sort of like a manual grinding when you shift.(i know its not supposed to grind) also i hear a clunking sound when it changes. the truck is new with only ~2800 miles on it. should i be banging on the dealers door to get a new tranny? whats the deal?


btw: i dont tow anything and i dont drive the truck hard either. its just a daily driver and kid hauler.