Hi everyone. Newbie here!
looking at jumping ship from GM to Dodge!
First time on a Dodge site as I have never owned one. I have always been a diehard Gm guy and than Ford as a second, Dodge trucks always looked nice but I was always turned off by issues my friends always seem to have with Dodge. I was at the dealer today looking at the 2010's and must say that they are the nicest looking truck ever! I have grown out of love for the fugly trucks GM has today, a face even a mother would want to slap if you ask me. Fords 5.4 is weak by comparison albiet a nice well built truck. Dodge is having some very nice incentives now on new trucks.

So those with the 2009 and 2010, tell me how nice your truck is, how reliable, how beautiful,
etc,etc,etc, pretend your the salesman and want to get me out of my GM and into a Dodge!

 

buy it or drive a GM!

 

Well, my new Dodge is still to new to tell about reliabilty. But I can vouch for the wifes 2008 Dodge minivan with 0 issues so far, so if the truck is the same, I am golden!

As for the rest,I have owned Chevy trucks for the last 20 years, this is my first Dodge. Why? The looks were top notch. I love how mean this thing looks. The new Chevy's were not doing it for me. And I needed something that would keep the power of my bored out 454 with all the goodies on my last truck. This thing has impressed me power wise. It doesn't match the 454 pushing 600ft lbs of torque, but it doesn't feel like 200 lbs less. It is amazing what it does that the Chevy/Ford didn't.

And my buddy has a 2009 GMC, it has been in the shop 3 times. I am not knocking any manufacturer, but if you honestly believe that any of them are problem free, you need a new way of thinking. Here is town, what really got me was the price, 12 grand off MSRP and the dealer is great. My Ford dealer is good too, but my Chevy dealer sucks so if I wanted a Chevy, I was looking out of town.

Good luck on your choice!

 

Thanks for in input!
I know there is no such thing as 100% problem free but my GM's have been very good, problem is I can't compare to Dodge because I have never had one, My Fords have been ok but not as good as GM overall.
I am going out the door to try a Ram today!

 

I had a major problem with my motor but it was a rare thing I have not heard of anyone else having a problem.Even with my problem I still love my truck and would buy another one.

 

but in seriousness, to me you can't go wrong with it , no truck can touch it for looks. can't beat the power. good gas mileage for a truck , rides great too

no major issues with break down s yet thankfully

 

The HEMI 5.7 V8 has 16 spark plugs! 16. Manual recommends replacement at 30,000 miles with copper plugs. Every truck I have ever owned had platinum good for 100,000 miles.
Also, the first oil change warning came on at 2500 miles and the second warning at 5400 miles. I am at 8500 with no warning yet.
Also, Doge recommends mid grade gasoline not regular. If you are concerned about gas prices this could be an issue.
Tap on the rims and you will see they are plastic not chrome or alloy. Its a plastic cover.
The FOB has always had intermittent problems. If you don't mind being locked out of your truck for a few minutes then you should have no concern. I have yet to understand what the hell the valet key is for except to turn on the alarm in a parking lot with everyone watching. Funny for the onlookers, not so funny when you are standing next to a brand new vehicle.
Try to get the dealer to give you two free years on the satellite radio. I just got my bill a few weeks ago and when you call Sirius it goes from $142 to $179. I am now without satellite radio.
Get as many free oil changes in writing from the dealer as you can. The truck takes 7 quarts. If you do your own oil changes then no worry.
Get free undercoating from the dealer before you take it home. I have rust underneath, and mine only has 8500 miles on it.
Don't belive it on the gas mileage. I only get 15 MPG and I drive it like an old lady most of the time.

Other than that, its a great truck and rides like a car.

 

ok, 15 mpg city 20 highway driving is not bad for a 5300ish lb truck with 390 HP/409 TQ sorry if you think it is.

and it runs just fine on 87.

dodge not the only one using chrome clad

7 quarts for a truck not uncommon

rust well dodge metal, vs ford metal vs chevy metal vs imports doubt there is much diff in that

go with the servicie schedule ignore the oil change light reset it. it is not perfect just a reminder it does the best it can to guess conditions. there is no little scientist in there doing oil analysis

spark plugs, well i would never go 100000 miles between changes even with 16 plugs

sat. radio sure if the dealer will sure go for it if not reenew , that is not a dodge specific thing

key fob issues yes there are some, never heard of any perm. ones and if it prevents the truck from getting stolen and get s a insurance discount, great (which some carriers do) and it is rated pretty good against theft. but that could come from a number of issues but that is one they need to work on

 

For what it's worth, everyone uses "chrome cladding" these days. Many have been for years. It actually cleans up better than aluminum wheels that pit easily from brake dust. Just my observation. This is my third Dodge with the chrome clad wheels.

89 octane recommended, but 87 is also OK to use.

 

15 in the city? How? I can only get 11 in town. On the highway I can get 20.3, then as soon as a grade comes up it's down to about 15.5.

You will always have problems with any vehicle, I don't care what you have, but some have more problems than others. This is my first Dodge and my last. I have a recurring problem that sounds like there is something in my bed rolling around sometimes when I take off and sometimes when I stop. I took it to the dealership and according to Chrysler - It's okay for it to make that noise. WTF? Well, what is it? They either don't know what it is or they won't tell me.

I also have shifting problems, but it only happens after cruising at highway speeds for a while. If I go to downshift as to pass someone or go up a grade, there is a pause (a brief one), then the trans bangs into gear, like a tranny slam. The problem is, Dodge can't recreate the problem.

It's these two issues that keep me from towing 5000 lbs of boat and trailer behind my truck through 200 miles of desert. I bought a truck and can't (or better yet, afraid to) use it for what I bought it for.

My driver's bottom seat cushion is tearing at the perforations, the seat cover has been on order since August of 2009.

The Bluetooth module in the radio works intermittently. There is no module to replace - the whole radio needs to come out so I will lose all the songs on my harddrive.

I have a recurring engine light that always has no codes stored in the computer when I bring it in for service - It always seems to happen when I'm away from home.

I have a leaky headlight that always fills with water when it rains, but they won't warranty it because I am running HID lights and "using them has caused the light to leak".

The factory tires suck - they slip in any damp condition and wear like crazy.

The seatbelts don't tuck themselves back between the seat cushion and the pillar and rattle like crazy - you have to put the seat back past the pillar to avoid this rattling. This kills the rear seat leg room.

I can't figure out the traction control - sometimes the tire (no limited slip in the 3.55 axle), until I lift off the gas and other times it'll kill the power until no more slippage occurs.

As mentioned - no limited slip with 3.55 axle ratios or less.

Whenever the steering wheel is in a comfortable position you block the top of the gauges.

The auto climate control doesn't wait until the engine warms up before blowing cold air at full speed (My 07 GMC waited until the engine warmed up before blowing air).

The leather buckets are hard in the Dodge in comparison to my the leather buckets in my 07 GMC.

The wheels on the Sport models are plastic - on a $40,000 truck.

Sport models don't come with a color matching grille, but you can buy one.

The damn chrome trim ring on the console shifter will blind you when the sun reflects off of it.


The good points are:

The Hemi engine - it runs like a champ.
The RER DVD/Nav stereo with the 30 gig harddrive - no need to hook up an iPod.
The lifetime drivetrain warranty on the 2009 models - I know I won't be using that warranty.
The exhaust note on the Sport model is pretty good for a stock set-up.
With the coil spring rear end it does ride very well, but is quick to sag when anything is hitched to it.


Some people love these trucks, some don't. I'm one of the ones who don't. I knew after about 2 weeks that I made a big mistake buying this truck. If you really want a Dodge truck, then do a real comparison - spend some time, not 15 minutes (like me), but some real time, even if it means renting a truck to see if you really like it and compare it with the GM and Ford counterparts.

Dodge has a good start, they just need to follow through and complete the building process. There is a wealth of info on this website, you would think that this would be a good source for Dodge to peruse through to see what they need to do to improve their vehicles and dealer practices.