Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (doors, hood, frame, rust, paint and trim).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 1996 Dodge Ram owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
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.
Engine completely fell apart and was replaced by northe star Dodge in san antonio. Air conditioner has relay problems. Transmission found to have clutch pieces in it by independant used car tester. All windows and doors have air leaks and rain leaks. Vehicle leaks water up throught he floor board when driving in rain. Vehicle also shudders dramatically when going over 40 MPH. Carberator has choke problems and is hard to start. Most if not all of these problems were reported to Dodge within 10,000 miles of purchase but due to stalling techiches by fiesta Dodge nothing has ever been remedied.
Consumer was changing the alteranter and haeard a squeaking underneath the vehilce. Consumer looked down and found that it was a cracked frame above the coil spring housing. Consumer contaced the Chrysler corporation. However, consmer was told that thery was nothing they could do.
Bed has completely cracked in width of vehicle. This condition makes vehicle unstable. Consumer states there are also cracks at edges near tail gate. Tailgate hinges broke. Handles on window broke, causing window to open while vehicle was in motion.
Owner states that when entering vehicle after it rains his floor is wet, owner is concerned that this May lead to his floor falling through while driving, also notes that dealer found leak around back glass and fixed it but vehicle still leaks.
While driving at 30 MPH a cup of hot coffee spilled from the cup holder, scalding the consumer's leg. Consumer felt that the cup holder was not designed to hold securely.
When driving at any speed vehicle isn't shifting properly. Also, floorboard is getting hot, and there is some type of noise coming from the floorboard.
Welds on frame broke while driving, causing motor to drop on suspension. This caused vehicle to pull to right. Dealer has been contacted.
Front brake rotors malfunctioned, causing vehicle to pull; also, front brake pads/ calipers/power locks/gas gauge sender failed.
Front of the engine frame is broken ,and that the engine is about to fall on the ground. Dealer has been contacted.
NHTSA investigations
HOOD LATCH
Onmarch 20, 1995, daimlerchrysler filed a defect report for 181,008 1994 and 1995 Dodge Ram trucks manufacturedc from January 21, 1994 - October 25, 1994 at the Dodge city assembly plant and from March 26, 1994 - December 8, 1994 at the lago alberto assembly plant.the secondary hood latch rod could bind on the guide bracket and prevent engagement of the secondary latch.if this occurs when the primary latch is not…
Body complaints in other Ram years
Frequently asked questions
How common are body problems on the 1996 Dodge Ram?
NHTSA has 24 complaints about the body & structure of the 1996 Dodge Ram, 4% of the model year's 636 complaints. The component named most often is frame and members (7 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1996 Dodge Ram body problems?
No. NHTSA lists no body & structure recall for the 1996 Dodge Ram, though it has 10 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 1996 Dodge Ram body problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 110,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 0 fires and 1 injury to body & structure problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
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.