Since january I have been having problems with it stalling when I put it in reverse if I had it idle for awhile or warming up. I took it back to auto nation and they could not find anything wrong. They took it to dickinson dodge (910) 864-2411 and they could not get it to duplicate. The problem continued periodically until april when the transmission started slipping. This would only happen when I was in reverse then would try to put it in drive. The transmission would hesitate and it was like I was in nuetral. After a few seconds the drive gear would kick in and it was fine. A few times I had to put it in d2 then pull out and put it in drive. I had dickinson dodge check this again and they could find no problem. In late june I took it in for service and told dickinson to check the transmission again and they could not find anything or get it to duplicate the slipping and stalling. They di replace the serpentine belt and told me that could have been the problem but it wasn't. Two ddays after on july 1st I was driving around fayetteville and the check engine light came on. I contacted dickinson dodge again and on 5 july took it in. Initially they said the fault registered as a drop in RPM's. They could not find the source of the problem and thought it was electrical initially. Then on 6 july they decided to drop the transmission pan and found the torque converter was separating and putting metal fragments in the transmission. They said this ate away the seal for the gear box and allowed oil in the clutches. That was causing the slippage and the transmission would have to be rebuilt. They also said my overdrive gear was already out. They said it would cost approximately $1500 to rebuild it. I have already spent $95 for testing which showed nothing and another $80 for the serpentine belt replacement. I would think a truck with only 48,000 miles on it the transmission would be in excellent condition. I am suspecting it may be a flood vehicle.
1997 Dodge RAM 1500 transmission complaints
Page 3 of 3: complaints 41 to 56 of 56, newest first, as owners wrote them.
No summary listed for above vehicle.
The oil transmission lines causing all the fluid to leak over the exhaust system. The dealer has been contacted.
Bearings in the differential failed, required replacement.
While driving at normal speed transmission gear slips into neutral and vehicle will stop accelerating. To get it back into gear, driver has to put indicator into neutral and shift it back to drive. Dealer has been contacted.
This problem is in regards to the electrical system:ignition:electronic control unit. Summary of problem: intermintent surge,buck,driveline clunk, or transfer harshness. The exact same problem as described in service bulletin # 96-40, the federal safety agency item # sbo49106. I have been esperiencing problems with this for some time I have approached 2 different dealers ,hendrick dodge and bumpous dodge. They received my truck with 29,000 miles on it continued to drive till warranty expired and claimed nothing was wrong. As a result of this problem it has loosened the the rear shackles causing the rear differential to become loose and cause extreme wear on the passenger side tires. I have had absolutely no satisfaction with the either dealership this vehicle is a lemon. In the past I had to return it 7 times to have a water leak fixed, of course no documentation was given to me, at the time it never occured to me that this would be useful. Smart on their part. I would like some help dealing with this matter, as I am one individual with very little power and recourse. Thank you kevin carlson
Transmission dosn't shift, it bounces in and out of gear between 45-60 MPH. This is the fourth time going back for service.
Clutch assembly failed within two months after purchase of vehicle. Dealer has been contacted.
No summary listed for this vehicle.
Transmission fails to go into gear. Yh
I know of two other people who's rear ends have failed but luckily for them that they still had a little warranty let on their trucks.
Driver was making a left turn when the transmission started slipping, causing the driver to stall in oncomming traffic.
Transmission failed, replacement experiencing same failures, excessive vibration resulting in components loosening.
While driving vehicle over bumps vehicle jumps out of gear. Dealers have changed linkage 3 times but problem remains.
Brakes, rotors, transmission, and alignment malfunction.
Axle shaft snapped, resulting in a vehicle fire.
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 1997 Dodge RAM 1500?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history