1996 Dodge Dodge Truck problems & reliability
35 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1996 Dodge Dodge Truck. Last verified Aug 8, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
1 complaint report injuries (1 injured).
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 9 | 26% |
| Power Train | 4 | 11% |
| Electrical System | 3 | 9% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 3 | 9% |
| Seats | 3 | 9% |
| Tires | 3 | 9% |
| Air Bags | 2 | 6% |
| Equipment | 2 | 6% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 2 | 6% |
| Unknown OR Other | 2 | 6% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
All 14 reported components →Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Like almost every other dash in the dodge pickup this one as well as the one in my 18 year old sons 96 1500 is destroyed. *tr”
Structure · filed Sep 6, 2011
“I was driving my 1996 dodge caravan to work one day when I began to hear a sound like an avalanche of rocks falling underneath the car. The van ultimately stopped running. I noticed coolant on the street. I towed the van to a dodge service center. They diagnosed that my water pump bearing had broken. The timing belt…”
Unknown OR Other · filed Jan 12, 2003
“1996 dodge ram extended cab pick up involved in severe frontal crash. Airbags did not deploy. Dodge's investigation said that this was correct since the damage was in the "crush" "crumple" areas and energy did not disipate enough to activate airbags? Insurance company totaled vehicle due to severe damage. We have…”
Air Bags · filed Dec 17, 2002
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Technical service bulletins
1 manufacturer communication (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 1996 Dodge Dodge Truck.
Subject on parking lamp circuit overload on 1994 and later full-sized trucks. *tt
SP696 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 25, 1997
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
No NHTSA recall campaigns name the 1996 Dodge Dodge Truck in our current data. Recalls may apply only to certain VIN ranges — always confirm with a VIN check.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 1996 Dodge Dodge Truck?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.