Hows it going,

I tried looking for a buying guide in the FAQ but couldn't find one. My father in law currently has a 2nd gen and the transmission is going out for the second time in three years so he wants to upgrade to an 09 or newer. I was wondering if there are any known problems with them like the transmissions and limited slip rear ends for the second gens. Any help would be great.

Thanks

 

Two things I hear as general themes are exhaust bolt breakage and rear axle problems. I think both of these are pretty low frequency, but since there aren't many other common issues these tend to be more visible. The exhaust bolt issue isn't really major and is covered by most warranties until 100K. The rear axle issues have a current recall in place to address the pinion nut that can come loose.

I'm sure I'm forgetting some other issues that other people will chime in with...

Rob

 

You can check for recall`s on a truck you are interested in buying by taking the VIN numbers to a dealer to see if they`ve been done or not. As for the hemi engines and transmissions, both are proven very worthy. (transmission 545 rfe) Like Rob said, its hit an miss with the rear differentials. Most have been updated/repaired recently by the recall. Be aware that ther are 2 different recalls on the rear diff`s. In 2011 the rear diff had a incorrectly located "fill plug", it was to low, it wouldnt allow the correct amount of lube to be installed, hence low level lube caused bearing failure. The 2009 & 2010 had pinion nuts coming loose. As for those 2nd gen trucks, i would NEVER buy another one if they were the last truck on the planet. (horrible transmissions in the 2nd gen) The 4th gen trucks are FAR superior...!

Here are some links to dodge truck recalls: (thers tons of info, just google it)
http://www.motortrend.com/used_cars/..._1500/recalls/
http://www.cars.com/dodge/ram-1500/2009/recalls

Carfax reports will tell you alot about the vehicle as well, so do your homework and you should be able to find a nice one out there.

 

I'm not sure that's quite accurate. I just called my dealer yesterday and they claim to not have access to the parts for the recall yet. I know some people have had their truck fixed for the recall but the parts must be trickling out...

Rob

 

Like i said, its hit an miss, some fixed, some not.
Next time i`ll be more clear on what i meen.