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Survey of 2009 Ram reliability and repairs

10K views 46 replies 26 participants last post by  huntergreen 
#1 ·
Hey all.

I am trying to gauge the reliability of the Ram 1500 over time.

I currently have a lease on a 2012, .....I am told the 2009 was the first year for the stuff I have on my 2012??).......and deciding whether to buy it out or dump money into a new lease......My truck has 20k on her...I only put on about 7k-8k a year.....and no issues yet...but of course the warranty runs out at 3 years with the end of my current lease.

A new 2014/2015 truck comes with the 5/100k warranty which if nothing else would put me ahead at the end of another 3 year warranty as far as warranty......

But my truck has been trouble free ---knock wood -- for the last three years...I did have to replace front brakes and all 4 tires already...but that was expected......

Just wondering how many real issues there have been for you 2009 owners over the miles and years. Hoping to look at your experiences as a way to gauge what I might expect in the next 5 years.

It is about the same money for me to either lease or buy mine out.......the obvious restriction with the lease if you cannot alter it and are responsible for any damage etc.

I guess one other thing I could do is pay $1600 or so for a mopar "plus" warranty that covers the majority of the big stuff.....but again that means no alterations that would affect warranty covered stuff.....so..............

I am looking at where I will be in 3 years and 5 years and trying to decide. I would love to just get into a brand new one. But that comes with its own set of issues.

How has your Ram treated you and at what miles did you have issues?

Thanks all!
 
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#2 ·
I have had mine for about 9 months now. I bought it with 94k on it and now I have about 112k. It has been extremely reliable and I love it.

The only thing I have had trouble with is a persistent issue with a Wheel Speed Sensor/Hub but other than that its been great.

Just like any other vehicle out there, with the proper maintenance and care...it will treat you well. I was always taught to keep up on maintenance and it will keep you rolling. Be good to it and it will be good to you!

Best of luck with your decision
 
#5 ·
You might not be able to go by my results because I don't put many miles on it.. It's at about 40k currently. Its a daily driver, but only 3 miles one way to work..

So far, the Driver's outside mirror was replaced because the heater stopped functioning (under warrantee).. And the heater blend motor was replace - not under warrantee.. :( I replaced the tires at 33k because I had a nail in one tire that did not seal with a plug on the inside of the tire.. otherwise I would have tried to get one more winter out of them.

I replace all fluids at the specified intervals religiously (don't want the lifetime drivetrain warrantee to be voided) and although I could probably get the work done cheaper at a local garage, I have everything done at the dealership. They do treat me well with getting it done and back to me in a short amount of time..

Hope this helps....

Andy
 
#6 ·
I have 44k (71,000kms) on mine. Just did a road trip all over Michigan this month. (2200mi) and would do it again in a heartbeat. This truck is one of the best vehicles I have owned. I have had her just over a year, and put on new tires. Mostly because I wanted to. And the usual modding :LOL:. I plan on keeping her for the long haul for sure, and have no worries about it. Just keep up the maintenance and you should be fine. But if I were you, I would keep it and enjoy it. You seem very happy with it, and you will be able to personalize it as well. Buy the extra warranty though, you can never go wrong with it.
 
#8 ·
I have a 2009 Ram with 88,000 miles and had it since it was new. I've replaced all (4) brake calipers, brakes all around, all tie rod ends(one twice), passenger side exhaust manifold gasket, drivers side is now bad and needs replaced, both front wheel bearings(one twice) and I am guessing I have one bad now, power rear window motor replaced, tailgate assist broke just after 36k mile warranty, ABS module(stopping to miss a deer), passenger mirror defrost doesn't work, replaced passenger headlight due to a connector issue(out of warranty) and I am on my 3rd set of tires.

Condition wise, the truck looks brand new and is very well taken care of. A little frustrated with all of the issues, but I still love the truck. This is my third ram and I am assuming most of these issues are due to being a first year model.
 
#9 ·
My '09 has 64k miles and has been excellent except for a weepy pinion seal and a blend door motor for the HVAC. Negligible in my mind.

Been across country 6 times, CA to NJ and back and never a worry except for other drivers. An excellent and comfortable long hauler in my opinion and my wife's to, 3 back surgeries.

I drive an 2012 F 150 for work and you would have to shot me dead six times before I would consider replacing the Ram with it
 
#10 ·
When talking about Warranties

Every Ram comes with several warranties

The main one is the Factory Warranty, it is always 3 years or 36,000 miles, any extended Warranty has to be purchased before those conditions are reached

Then there is the Factory Powertrain Warranty, it may vary in time & mileage, it only covers the engine, transmission & differentials, no bolt ons, like alternators, etc.

Then there are the Factory Emissions, Paint & Corrosion Warranties

Extended Warranties start the same minute that the Factory 3 year or 36,000 mile Warranty expires

No wear parts are covered under any warranty
Wear parts are upholstery, glass, plastic, belts, hoses, tires, brake rotors & brake pads, etc.
If the dealership covers any wear part under warranty, they are doing you a favor & they deserve some donuts or something

I have had very good luck with my '09 Ram, exceptions being dealership tire balancing :smiledown: ... i now only have tire stores rotate & balance the tires
Express Lane never mentioned that my Pinion Seal was leaking, & the rear differential had to be rebuilt because it ran low on fluid :smiledown:

There were other things like manifold bolts that broke off, seemingly something that happens to many Rams
Everything except the tire balance has been fixed under one warranty or another

My Warranties are or were:
Factory 3 year or 36000 miles
Factory Lifetime Powertrain Warranty
Factory Emissions, Paint & Corrosion Warranties

Lifetime Maximum Care Extended Warranty
 
#13 ·
I have an 09 that i bought in 2011 with 123,000km and it now has 289,000km on it. Since I have bought the truck I had to replace both manifolds, rotors & pads, rear brake calliper, driver side door lock button, and right now the bled door actuator is acting up for the hvac.
I have no complaints with the truck and I would buy one again tomorrow. I plan on keeping the truck until it gives out completely as with the milage i would never get what its actually worth to me.
 
#14 · (Edited)
2009 Ram 1500 4.7 2WD 49,000 miles

This is a basic truck with no bells and whistles, and all I've had done to it is replace 3 of the tire pressure monitors, and a tire after I ran over something in the road and ripped a hole in it. I replaced the stock air filter with a K&N filter, the only mod I've made to the truck. I have a decent company car (08 Chevy Impala, 63k miles) so I mainly use it to pull my boats and, although I do drive it sometimes, just because I prefer the performance to the sedan.

My opinion of this truck is that so far, in every aspect of performance or reliability, it has exceeded every expectation I've had for it, and hands down is the best driving, hardest pulling, smoothest vehicle I've had the pleasure of driving. I realize that 16.5/24 isn't great mileage compared to a Mini Cooper, but that wasn't what I bought. And compared to my 87 S10 Blazer 2.8 V6, which gets 15/19, it's a dream come true. I don't have a payment and my truck looks nearly new with low miles, so I don't think I will buy a new one anytime soon, especially with the reports in this thread of vehicles with such high mileage. Why would I?

Heck, I even like the stereo, and I've NEVER kept a factory stereo.
 
#15 ·
2009 Laramie , I have had it from New. About 125000 kilometers (canada eh) Truck looks like new , but it is babied and well maintained ,But as far as being reliable Yes it has never left me stranded. I will list the issues i have had ,most being cosmetic. 1. ALL the chrome has been replaced,bumpers twice, wheels twice, running boards. 2. hood sensor for remote start 3. exhaust bolts 5 separate trips , then i told them to change them all. (still leaking exhaust on start up) 4 . rusting door seals at bottom 5 left front fender rusted through in a spot dead center the size of a quarter,6. Tire balance issues due to wheel changes (ended up buying new ones) 7.passenger side rear pillar paint issue 8. upper and lower control arms due to ball joint issues (i paid for this one $2600 ) 9. outer ball joints replaced 10. factory 3 fold solid cover replaced twice due to leaks ( i ended up selling it as they couldn't fix it ) Drive train has been rock solid!!! Would i keep it .DAME RIGHT !!
 
#16 ·
I have a 2009 with 92k on it now. I bought it with 70k or there about. Its a SLT and the only issue i have had is the driver side exhaust manifold gasket. I have 3.21 gears and its a pain pulling my travel trailer but really I only do it a couple times a year on long trips. Over all its been problem free.
 
#17 · (Edited)
My 09 had the power steering rack go out at 80,000 miles,was $580 to replace.Have only owned it around 1 year so hope nothing else happens for awhile.Also had tires going flat due to tpms sensors, had them taken out rather than pay the big money to replace them, never had them in my older vehicles and got along fine without them.
 
#19 ·
I have an 09' 1500TRX 4x4 with 28,000 miles on it. so far the heater blend motor was replaced twice (under warranty both times). My front rotors went bad at 12,000 miles, I changed them myself and put some drilled and slotted ones on with ceramic pads and haven't had an issue since. Now I may have to change my computer and if that's the case I'll be looking at other trucks! I got in it the other day to take my son and his girl to the airport and all the gauges including the speedometer dropped out, the idiot lights all started flashing and the wipers started going with the switch off! I checked the fuses (the ones you can look at and see if theyre blown) and tried hard booting the computer with no results. Now I'm going to have to have it towed to the dealer and I'm cringing at the idea of what it's going to cost to fix! No computer should go bad that fast on a vehicle with so few miles on it.
 
#20 ·
I've got an 09 that I purchased in 2010 with 20,000 KM on it. Now its got 130,000 KM and its been ok. the biggest issue I had was to do with the rear end recall right after I bought the truck. That bolt in the rear diff backed its way out and fell into the gearing locking my rear end up completely at highway speed. My drive shaft torqued right off and they ended up replacing my entire rear end ... about $8k it would have cost me if not under warranty.

Other than the that its just been the exhaust manifold bolts and a leaking steering rack on top of regular wear and tear stuff and maintenance. Overall pretty happy with it. If you do buy a ram that qualifies for that rear end recall make sure it has been done or do it ASAP as there's no warning signs until it's too late.
 
#21 ·
2009 Dodge Ram 1500 5.7 crew cab

I have had only a few problems over 84K miles. I keep having the air blend door actuators go on me, but that seems to be the norm from my previous vehicles. I had the lumbar support crap out once, but over all my truck has been a tank. I do go over board on maintenance because I love being in the garage but so far so good.
 
#23 ·
2009 1500 Sport 5.7 HEMI 90,000 miles 2WD

let me first start off by saying I have beat the shit out of my truck,hog hunting on a weekly basis and beach driving about once a month and other cruel acts. here is what has happen thus far.

Front wheel bearings
Driver seat got stuck completely reclined after sleeping in it one night, had to replace all the seat motors.
exhaust leak
drive shaft feel out of rear pumpkin, was a recall issue but still scared the shit out of me when she locked the rear tires up doing 65MPH
passenger rear break locked up and destroyed the rotor
passenger headlight short caused 4 bulbs to blow

thats it, these trucks are tanks from my experience, has never let me down and has always got me home from the woods even though she is only 2WD.

Just ordered a 2015 PW, waiting for her to arrive.
 
#24 ·
2009 Bighorn 5.7 4x4
I bought it from the dealership in 2012 with only 7300 miles on it. A pretty good score. It now has close to 40,000 miles. The dealer didn't realize it had a cold air intake, throttle body kit and dual Magnaflow exhaust. I walked away with a bunch of goodies! The truck has a 4" lift with 35's and right away in a months time I noticed that my front tires were being chewed up from a bad alignment. Come to find out who ever did the lift didn't shorten the tie rods and the tires toe was so bad, the truck was pushing the tires down the road. The dealership ended up paying for new tires and tie rods. Other than that I've had the HVAC blend door replaced(not warrantied) I was pissed, the day after I got the truck back from that, the window motor on the driver side stopped working along with the power lock. They couldn't deny messing that up , so it was fixed. Both rear shocks were blown and just replaced those yesterday with the Pro-Comp MX6005 adjustable shocks. What a difference that made. I love this truck and it hauls some serious ass! I'm planning on driving to Arizona this weekend to pick up a 68 Impala and towing it back. I'm expecting no issues at all.
 
#27 ·
I now have 122,400 miles on my '09 Ram HEMI powered SLT 2 wheel drive
I changed out my brakes & shocks at 100,000 miles
I have changed out every fluid in the Ram, including Brake & Power Steering fluids
The only thing that is original on it is the belts & hoses as far as servicing goes & they appear to be in good condition

The dealers Service Dept. has tried to make me use my Extended Warranty a couple of times, but i remind them that i am the original owner & the work that needed to be done was covered under the Lifetime Drive Train Warranty, it was the rear differential both times & as i mentioned before, it was the dealerships fault that the rear end ran out of fluid, leaking Pinion Seal 3 times, causing the Ring & Pinion Gears to get too hot.

I believe i have used my Extended Warranty at least once & i waited until i had more then 1 thing that needed fixing.
They charge $100 deductible PER VISIT on the Extended Warranty items, not Per Item to be fixed, so make it worth your while & wait until you have 2 or 3 items that need fixing, IF you can
 
#28 ·
113k miles and this year we've done Tires, Wheel Bearings, Brakes/Rotors, Battery, Plugs, Coils, Flushes (everything but the toilet I think)
Shocks- 3 sets, Ring/Pinion, Sway Bar links/pins, 3rd Brake Light reseal (not so DIY with a full cap on)

I really hope that's it for a long time!
 
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