I have a 2016 RAM 2500 Cummins and found that I rarely tow trailers anymore and looking for something a little better built and better mileage. My truck has been at the dealership multiple times because the steering is loose and they said yes something is wrong but we can't fix it. The door hinges pop and creak. The dealer replaced those and now the new ones are doing the same thing. Test drove a 2018 RAM with 5 miles on it and the doors were creaking and popping. That is just a couple of the issues. The quality just isn't there. Most of my driving is in town which I only get 11-12mpg. Unloaded on the highway I have seen as high as 32mpg but usually average 22-24mpg. I'm looking at replacing it with a 2015-2016 F250 or F350 Power Stroke

 

You are not going to gain any real mpg with a powerstroke. The cummins has always been the leader of the two for better overall mpg. Town MPG in anything 3/4 ton+ is poor. 1/2 ton trucks are where it is at for mpg and lighter duty towing needs. I see you're looking at 2015-2016 which is great, I really liked those trucks better than my new 2017. My seat squeaks, driver door has sagged, body panel alignment is not great, 4 wheel drive hums, battery leaks, driver power window is pulsating down, all in the first 25k. I'm a Ford guy but I'm just saying the grass isn't always greener....unless we're talking GM, then the grass is brown and dead.

 

trading in a New truck.. big cash loss.... for small small issues...

best of luck with your search..

anything Made by Man.. will have issues.... Now or in a year or 3...
retired mechanic... 43 years...

as for dealer saying,, they can not find/fix it... Find a Better Dealer... as these are poorly trained or lazy...
that steering design is more then 60 years old... its fixable....
my opinion.

as for fuel mileage... why do you think your Ram has a 6 cylinder engine and others have 8 cylinders... better fuel mileage..
my best friend has a 2013 Ram 3500 diesel...

 

I came from a dodge, not same caliber you see. But they each have their pros and cons. I think it might be because my f350 has more things to break than my old Dakota.

 

Yes, this was my sentiment too. Find a new shop.

If you're not towing or hauling heavy stuff, then maybe a F-150 will do the trick for you?

The differences between the F-250 and the F-350 Single Rear Wheel trucks are minimal. The F-350 gets an extra helper spring and a 4" suspension block in the back instead of a 2". This makes it so the truck levels out with a load. The F-250s sag with a load.

As for build quality, I haven't had any issues so far. Some people don't like the hollow/weak sounding door closing. A friend of mine has a 2016 Ram and the diesel sounds lots better than the Ford (but then again I like a nice diesel rattle). The Ram exhaust brake is more aggressive and his engine warms up much quicker than mine.

Hope this helps.

 

I've taken it to a couple different shops and pretty much have the same outcome. It's a 2016 RAM with 25k miles. The problems started around 10k miles

1. A/C blowing warm air and compressor cycling every 4-5 seconds. Dealer said it was normal after keeping it 8 hours in the shop. Received the truck back and it was blowing ice cold

2. Loose steering. 1st dealer said it was normal and aligned the truck. Said the camber was still off and he could not get it within spec. Said it's common on the heavier RAM's. 2nd dealer found no worn steering components but suggested rotating the tires every 1k miles to compensate for the camber.

3. Loss of power and MPG drop. Again, dealer had it 8 hours in the shop and they said they found nothing wrong. Got the truck back and issues were fixed and lasted 5k miles

4. Binding door hinges. Dealer 1 said to grease the hinges. I did that and the problem returned within 2 weeks. Dealer 2 greased the hinges themselves. That lasted a month. Back to dealer 1 they replaced the hinges under warranty due to wear. 2 months later they are binding again. While the truck was in the body shop getting the hinges replaced I noticed the truck's steering got tighter. Not much but there was a small improvement

 

Okay, so it sounds like you've talked yourself out of the Dodge (excuse me...Ram), and potentially into the Ford. I have a 2011, and have little things I wish were better, but nothing like you've stated above. And personally, if a dealer told me something was out of spec, couldn't fix it, and then told me to do something else to "compensate" for it, I'd be pretty pissed (and have them do the compensation work!). You're not going to get better mileage in the Ford. that's not going to happen. But for what it's worth, I get around 20 - 21 mpg unloaded on the highway, and around 16 - 17 in what would be considered city driving for me (I don't live in the city, but have to drive to it).

So have you driven a Ford yet? 2016, or even 2017/18. Are you able to work a deal on it that you're comfortable with? If so, you probably should go ahead and do it. You're just going to drive yourself crazy going back and forth on this forum (and any others you might be posting the same stuff to), until you do. If not, we probably can't help you anymore than we have. Good luck, and let us know.

 

After the dealership said there was nothing they could do about the loose steering/camber being off I had taken the truck to Firestone to have them check it. Sure enough the camber was still off and the stock Firestone tires RAM provides no warranty on treadwear. The last place I had look at the truck was a tire shop that specializes in diesel trucks and they said it's such a widespread issue with RAM that fixing all the trucks would bankrupt them. I drove a 2016 F250 and a 2017. I like the looks of the '16 better and as far as driving they seemed to handle pretty much the same.

 

Mine is a love hate relationship. Great power but my truck is a turd. It has sat at the dealership longer than all the cars I've owned.... combined. Oil pan leaks, radiator leaks, wheel speed sensor not working, def sensor intermittently acts up, body bushings are shot which likely took out the radiator. That's in less than 2 years and about 40k miles. I'd break even or ahead if I'd trade it but registration in GA is for the life of the vehicle and paid at time of purchase, that's the strongest argument for keeping the truck.

 

I found a great deal on a 2016 F250 XLT 6.7 crew cab 4X4. It only has 22k miles but the way the truck is optioned it was probably a special order

XLT
Manual folding tow mirrors
No backup camera
No parking sensors
No drivers LCD display
Manual shift on the floor 4x4

 

These days, you're probably right...it's a special order. It's hard to find one like this (it sounds like a basic XLT) with all the manual stuff. My XLT (2011) has the full power mirrors, backup camera (but not proximity warning...I actually miss that), and drivers LCD (4" screen I think in the instrument panel). I don't have 4X4. I also got the chrome package, so mine has the chrome mirrors, front tow hooks, and side steps. Also AM/FM/6CD changer (that I've never used), and SYNC. And this was a pretty low-optioned truck at the time.