1996 Dodge Ram 3500 problems
NHTSA has received 182 complaints about the 1996 Dodge Ram 3500, and 25% of them involve brakes. Next are transmission (12%) and suspension (9%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 182 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Brakes 25% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 8 and 12
- Injuries and deaths
- 3 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 115,000 miles 33 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 0 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 2 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 3 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 3 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 6 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 5 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 4 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 2 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 1 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 7 |
What the data shows
Of the 33 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 115,000 miles.
Safety-related details: 8 complaints mention a crash; 12 complaints mention a fire; 3 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 1996 ranks 10th most-complained-about out of 20 model years of the Dodge Ram 3500 with enough data (95 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 1 safety recall campaign.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
Truck burned aproximately 45 minutes after shutting down in my driveway. Chrysler is sending me recall notices that are anywhere from 1 1/2 yrs old to 6 weeks before the fire, and they are coming in the mail now, almost 4 months after the fire. Chrysler will not admit responsibility for the fire, even while sending me recalls this late after the fire.
1st time fire occurred in transmission while towing trailer, 2nd time fire occurred in transmission while backing out of driveway. Had taken vehicle to dealer who replaced plug 1st time, but did nothing 2nd time. Sending copies of invoices.
Spare tire is supported by a steel cable connected to a hand winch. Upon raising spare tire, it will not lift up directly to the stowed position, but will hang against tail pipe. Operator layed under vehicle to align the tire and clear tail pipe. Cable became slack and cable retainer plate became detached, allowing the spare wheel to fall free, striking the operatoe in the face. Hitting with enough force to cause the eye glasses to cut the skin below left eye, requiring stiches at local emergency room.
My 1996 v10 dodge ram 3500 pickup had 3 catalytic converters plug up in a 4 year period due to rear injectors being plugged. There is no fuel filter in line and the screen in the injectors plugs over the course of about a year. At a replacement cost of $600.00, the dealership is not motivated to eliminate the problem.
I purchased this truck in 2003 and the dash was cracked. It shakes and rattles whenever I hit any bumps in the road. Dodge will do nothing but try to sell me another dash at a sky high rate. I'm afraid the dash will completely fall apart while my wife or I am driving down the road. I am now experiencing a vacuum problem with some lines under the dash caused by this since the dash moves so much. My ABS light is on, my cruise control doesn't work and the airconditioning only blows out of the defrost vent.