Owner-reported complaints naming the transmission system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Reports naming the automatic or manual transmission, including shifting behaviour, shudder, slipping and transmission control modules. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 1996 Dodge Ram submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 106 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
The 25 most recent of 106, in the owner's own words
WHILE DRIVING TRANSMISSION FAILED TO GO FROM SECOND TO THID GEAR. MECHANIC STATED THAT THE THIRD GEAR LIP SEAL FAILED. THIS WAS A COMMON FAILURE WITH THESE VEHICLES. *AK
MANUFACTURER DEFECT COULD HAVE CAUSED AN ACCIDENT OR EVEN HARM. *PH PROBLEMS WITH VEHICLE NOT SHIFTING PROPERLY. VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO DEALERSHIP AND THE HIGH CLUTCH DRUM WAS REPLACED. *MR *JB *SC
SHIFTED FROM PARK TO REVERSE. ENGINE IDLED FAST, TRUCK TOOK OFF IN REVERSE AND COULD NOT BE STOPPED BY PRESSING ON THE BRAKE. SPEED PROBABLY ACCELERATED TO 20 MPH BEFORE HIT 3 OTHER VEHICLES. WITNESSES SAID THE REAR TIRES WERE SPINNING AND THE ENGINE NOISE WAS HIGH PITCHED AND OSCILLATING.*AK
COOLANT SYSTEM INSIDE OF TRANSMISSION WAS MELTING GEAR, TRANSMISSION WAS REPLACED. CONSUMER STATES THAT THE TRANSMISSION WAS REPLACED 01-NOV-2001 AND SHE HAD NOTHING BUT PROBLEMS WITH IT UNTIL NOW. *SLC
TRANSMISSION WILL JUMP INTO LOW GEAR AND/OR WON'T DOWN SHIFT AT TIMES. *AK CONSUMER ADDED DURING COLD START, TRANSMISSION WILL NOT BACK UP FOR SHORT TIME. *TT
TRANSMISSION HAS A DELAY WHEN SHIFTING FROM 2 ND TO 3 RD GEAR, ALSO THERE IS A GRINDING SOUND WHEN IN REVERSE.*AK
TRANSMISSION SLIPS MOST TIMES WHEN IT SHIFTS FROM 2 ND TO 3 RD GEAR, VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN EXAMINED BY DEALER YET.*AK
CONSUMER STATES TRANSMISSION LEAKS. DEALER FOUND DEFECTIVE COOLER LINE. COPY OF REIMBURSEMENT CHECK FOR EXPENSES INCURRED BY CONSUMER ATTACHED. *TT
WHILE SHIFTING VEHICLE IN SECOND GEAR TRANSMISSION WOULD SKIP SECOND GEAR. DEALER HAS BEEN CONTACTED. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK
MECHANIC SAID HE SEE THIS IN DODGE'S RANGING IN THE YRS.1994-1999'S, IT IS A FAULTY PART. NO SAFETY DEFEC TMENTIONED. *AK
CLUTCH COULD NOT BE USE AT THE TIME OF SHIFTING GEAR. HAD TAKEN VEHICLE TO DEALER. THEY FOUND OUT THAT CLUTCH TRAIL BEARING WAS DESTROYED. PLEASE PROVIDE MORE INFORMATION.*AK
WHILE DRIVING ABOUT ANY MPH TRANSMISSION WORKED POORLY. AT STARTING/ PASSING GEAR WILL MAKE A LOUD NOISE. PLEASE PROVIDE MORE INFORMATION.*AK
HIS TRANSMISSION STARTED SLIPPING IN AUGUST. I CONTACTED THE CHRYSLER CORPORATION WHO STATED THAT IT WASN'T THEIR PROBLEM TO HAVE REPLACED, WHEN WE HAD 2 DEALERSHIPS TELL US THAT DODGE HAS ALWAYS HAD PROBLEMS WITH THEIR TRANSMISSIONS, AND THAT IS WHY NOW THEY ARE OFFERING THE 7 YEAR/70,000 MI. POWERTRAIN WARRANTY ON ALL OF THEIR VEHICLES. WE FEEL THAT THEY SHOULD RECALL THIS AND HAVE IT REPLACED FOR NO CHARGE TO US. THE DODGE TRUCKS WE WRE TOLD HAVE THE LONGEST RUNNING POWERTRAIN CAPABILITIES. WE WERE ALSO TOLD THAT THE TRANSMISSION SHOULD NOT HAVE GONE OUT AT 70,000 MI. WHEN THEY ARE GOOD FOR AT LEAST 150,000 MI. BEFORE ANY PROBLEMS SHOULD EVER OCCUR. IF YOU SHOULD NEED ANY FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CONTACT ME AT EITHER NUMBER LISTED. THANK-YOU. WALTER BUTLER. *AK
WHEN VEHICLE IS COLD IT WILL NOT GO INTO REVERSE. ALSO, VEHICLE WILL NOT GO INTO SECOND OR THIRD GEAR UNLESS CONSUMER RELEASES GAS PEDAL AND RPMS WILL COME DOWN. DEALERSHIP WAS AWARE OF PROBLEM.*AK
NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK
TRANSMISSION SLIPS GOING FROM 2 GEAR TO 3 GEAR. *AK
VEHICLE JUMPS FROM FIFTH GEAR TO NEUTRAL BECAUSE BOLT IN COLUMN SHIFT COMES OUT. DEALER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED. PLEASE PROVIDE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.*AK
TRANSMISSION DOES NOT SHIFT FROM SECOND TO THIRD GEAR EASILY. CONSUMER CONTACTED SEVERAL MECHANICS, INCLUDING CHRYSLER DEALER, WHO SAID THAT IT WAS A "MANUFACTURING DEFECT AND SHOULD BE RECALLED." TRANSMISSION BEGAN TO FAIL AT 57, 000, IT WAS A HEAT RELATED PROBLEM. AN OVERDRIVE UNIT W/ TORQUE CONVERTER HEATED UP SEALS WHICH WILL NOT ALLOW THE SEALS TO HOLD PRESSURE.*AK
WHILE DRIVING UP A HILL ENGINE LOST POWER AND ROLLED BACKWARD. THEN, CONSUMER CONTROLLED VEHICLE AND PARKED IT, AND SAW BLACK SMOKE. TRANSMISSION FLUID CAME OUT. PROBLEM WAS JUST LIKE SAFETY RECALL ON GASOLINE O, BUT THIS VEHICLE ENGINE WAS DIESEL. *AK
I HAVE REPLACED MIRRORS AT MY OWN COST. *AK
IN 1997 VEHICLE WAS TAKEN IN FOR RECALL 97 V 084 000 REPAIRS. PROBLEM HAS REOCCURRED, TRANSMISSION FLUID WAS LEAKING. CONSUMER HAS CONTACTED DEALER. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK
THERE ARE TWO RECALLS FOR THIS PROBLEMS #828 & #838. THEY DO NOT INCLUDE THE 1996 TWO WHEEL DRIVE, THE CLUTCH HYDRAULIC IS THE SAME AND WE HAD THE SAME PROBLEMS. THEY FIXED IT AT 98,000 MILES AND THE SAME THING HAPPENED 15,000 MILES LATER. THEIR FIX DID NOT FIX THE PROBLEM. THEY INSTALLED A SHIELD BUT THE PLASTIC CLUTCH LINE RUNS NEXT TO THE SHIELD AND TOUCHES. PLASTIC NEXT TO METAL MELTS AND THE LINE BURST CAUSING OR CAN CAUSE A FIRE. THEY WILL NOT FIX IT AGAIN. THE RECALL ALSO NEED TO BE EXPANDED.. *AK
I WAS NOT ABLE TO ENTER THE VIN # HERE IT IS: [XXX]. I WAS TRAVELING @ 75 MPH IN THE FAST LANE OF INTERSTATE 95 IN HEAVY TRAFFIC. FELT SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER & DECLINE OF SPEED, NARROWLY ESCAPED MAJOR ACCIDENT. FOUND THAT TRANSMISSION LOST 5TH GEAR. RESEARCHED AND FOUND MANUFACTURER PUBLISHED SERVICE BULLETIN (#21-10-98A) SEPT. 98. I WAS NEVER MADE AWARE OF THIS KNOWN PROBLEM. DODGE DOES NOT CONSIDER THIS A SAFETY CONCERN - I WISH THEY WERE IN THE VEHICLE WHEN THIS HAPPENED INSTEAD OF MY TWO SONS & I.*AK INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR
CONSUMER STATES TRANSMISSION HAS BEEN REPLACED. *JB
STEERING HAS TO MUCH PLAY, ALSO THERE IS A POPPING SOUND, TO DEALER 4 TIMES, CANNOT FIND PROBLEM. VEHICLE WILL NOT STAY IN OVERDRIVE. *AK
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
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