While driving vehicle makes a clunking noise. Consumer took vehicle to dealer, and they stated that cataylic converter needed replacement. Please provide any further information.
1996 Dodge Ram: harsh or hard shifting
5 of the 622 complaints about the 1996 Dodge Ram describe harsh or hard shifting.
- owner complaints
- 5
- of this car's complaints
- 1%
- recalls
- 2
Is there a fix? There are 2 recalls and 12 service bulletins for this area of the car. See below
Harsh or hard shifting by model year
- 20021
- 20011
- 20001
- 19981
- 19973
- 19965
- 19952
- 19943
What owners say
Was driving 55mph in 5th gear, downshifted into 4th gear, went back to 5th gear & vehicle failed to stay in fifth gear. Shifted back to 4th gear & then back to 3rd gear. Vehicle started to make loud noises. Was hard shifting back into 3rd gear from 4th gear.
Spent $1200 to rebuild entire front end of car due to excessive clunking and looseness after only 40,000 miles of lite street use. Factory installed componants obvoiusly inferior quality or defective. Dailmer chrysler was willing to assist in the costs of the repair until the bills came in. Daimler chrysler walked away from the issue. Rear window water leak - suggest other owners to look on passenger side for water ponding adjacent to sill plate at rear of seat. Rear factory sliding window defective. Must replace with alternate selection. Headliner will not fit properly on alternate selection - beware. Dodge ram owners beware. This owner jumping ship from dodge/chrysler products. Only owned this vehical for 11 months.
Loud clunking noise and sensation in steering linkage while braking and turning corners. Dealer had same problem with another ram pickup. Dealer replaced upper and lower ball joints. Fixed problem. However, after additional 10,000 miles problem is re-occurring. Also, three of original five tires had defects including significant bulging and ply separation. Resulted in poor traction, excelerated wear, and bouncing. Owner replaced two tires. When third tire failed, owner replaced all the tires. Dealer stated they receive many tire complaints from new vehicle owners with goodyear tires.( dot number: tire size: p245 75r16 )
Steering has excessive play/clunking noise when turning or braking.
Service bulletins that may apply
- Automatic transmission fluid usage ATF+4
- Vehicles exhibiting buzz, whining, or moaning like noise from cold transmission when reverse gear is selected
- Driveline induced vehicle surge / vibration diagnosis
- Conditions with loss of fifth gear
- Transmission opertes normally through all ranges except fifth gear
- Subject on manual transmission gear rattle at operating temperatures
- This bulletin involves overdrive unavailable in extreme cold temperatures, bypass kit installation,...
- Concerns with manual transmission gear rattle at operating temperatures
Related recalls
Power train: clutch assembly
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: pickup trucks equipped with manual transmission, v10 engines and four-wheel-drive transfer cases. Under sustained maximum rated vehicle load, while driving up a steep grade in four-wheel-drive low range in hot ambient conditions, the local exhaust temperature proximate to the hydraulic clutch line can generate line temperatures that exceed the temperature limit of the clutch line material. If this condition occurs and the clutch is depressed, the line could rupture.
- Risk
- The fluid could ignite on the hot exhaust possibly resulting in a vehicle fire.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the hydraulic clutch assembly.
Recall number 99V115000 · Recall details
Power train: automatic transmission: cooling unit and lines
- What is wrong
- Under certain high load operating conditions, the transmission fluid temperature can exceed the melting point of the material used in the connector to retain the fluid line to the transmission.
- Risk
- When these temperatures occur, the fluid line will not stay connected with the transmission and fluid can spray onto the exhaust manifold, resulting in smoke or fire.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the high temperature side of the transmission fluid cooler line connector fittings with connectors that incorporate a stainless steel retainer.
Recall number 97V084000 · Recall details
Questions about the 1996 Dodge Ram harsh shifting
Is harsh or hard shifting a common problem on the 1996 Dodge Ram?
5 of 622 owner complaints about the 1996 Dodge Ram (1%) mention harsh or hard shifting. The model year with the most reports is 1996.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 1996 Dodge Ram?
There are 2 recalls and 12 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 1996 Dodge Ram
ABS 70Brake failure 34No deployment 27Pulling 21Tire blowout 18Fire or smoke 15Headlights 15Transmission failure 14Stalling 12Won't shift 12Fuel pump 10Slipping 10Overheating 9Ball joint 8Fuel gauge 8Loss of power 7Power steering loss 7Premature wear 6Sudden acceleration 6Adaptive cruise 5Grinding brakes 5
VIN decoder
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