Most common 1996 Dodge Ram Van problems
Share of the 18 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Dodge Ram Van complaints by model year
Best Ram Van years: 1995, 2002, 2003. Years to avoid: 1999, 2001. Compare all years →
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal safety investigators have looked into a possible defect involving the 1996 Dodge Ram Van:
Safety belt cinching latch plate
There are no injuries or fatalities associated with this alleged defect.while conducting this investigation, odi found that the subject cinches meet the load bearing requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard 208, and that many of the reported failures were due to incorrect child safety seat installations.
What 1996 Dodge Ram Van owners say
Transmission & drivetrain
We submitted a letter to Chrysler asking for a "goodwill repair refund" and had a phone call from the customer service center, al williams, stating that the three (3)year warranty had expired. We had explained that our leisure travel Van with a Dodge v8 360 engine only on 31,365 on the transmission. He said it did not matter. The Chrysler dealership that replace the transmission with a rebuilt transmission from Chrysler stated that he had never seen a transmission "chewed up" like ours. We have made several phone calls to Chrysler asking for a letter stating exactly why they were denying our request for a "goodwill repair refund". We have had no calls returned and can not reach their customer number because it is always busy. On line "ask" questions never respond to a question.
The transmission locked into 2nd gear and stalled while going 60 MPH on the highway. Power steering was lost and getting the Van across 3 lanes of city traffic while losing speed was very difficult. Complete transmission needed to be replaced w/ repairs at owners cost. Only 6 months over 3 yr. Warrenty and only 12,000 miles on the 36,000 mile warrenty. Chrysler would not take resposiblity even when we had the Van into a Chrysler dealer the month before complaining that something was wrong with the transmission. They returned the Van saying there was no problem.
Engine & cooling
Last year, when I had made 23 payments on my Van, it had been in the shop for 23 times. I drive nearly 100 miles to put it in the shop, so 23 x's 200 miles is a lot of mileage that was put on my Van just for repairs. The first week we had the Van, we called to complain that we couldn't even take it to carwash, because the windows leaked so badly....then the heater quit working, and on and on and I have had it in the shop numerous times for engine and transmission problems. I just feel like noone cares that I am so disappointed in Dodge and my Van.
While driving, could hear wind noise coming through the door on driver's side, continued driving, later, checked door, door lock post where normally welded to frame/covered with sheet metal, came off. Dealer rewelded door post back to frame. Had to be redone again 6 months later. Water leak at rear seam. While cruise control was activated at 68 MPH, vehicle accelerated to 78 MPH and was climbing. While driving in extreme heat, the clutch fan engages, there is a loss of power, and there is very low fuel economy.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 1996 Dodge Ram Van a good car?
Based on 18 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 1996 Ram Van rates average: 1.2× as many complaints as a typical year of the Ram Van at the same age. Complaint counts don't account for sales volume or individual maintenance, so have any used car inspected before buying.
What is the most common problem with the 1996 Dodge Ram Van?
The transmission & drivetrain — 6 complaints, 33% of all complaints for this model year, most often about automatic transmission. Next are the engine & cooling (3) and body & structure (2).
How many recalls does the 1996 Dodge Ram Van have?
NHTSA lists no recalls for the 1996 Dodge Ram Van. You can still confirm with your VIN using our VIN recall check.
What are the best and worst years of the Dodge Ram Van?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 1995, 2002 and 2003. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 1999 and 2001. See the full Dodge Ram Van years comparison.
At what mileage do 1996 Dodge Ram Van problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 31,000 miles; 100% of problems with a recorded mileage started before 50,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.