The Ram 1500 is one of the most popular pickups on the market. With its loyal following, this truck has seen an explosion in the number of sales over the years since it was first produced. But, like its competitors, this pickup has seen its fair share of annoying problems.

According to Repair Pal, the top three problems owners have experienced deal with the manifold bolts, window water leaking, and mysterious coolant leaking issues. Some of them can easily be fixed, while others take more time, effort, and money to resolve. Here’s a look at each one of the most frustrating issues Ram owners face with this truck.

Problems with broken manifold bolts on the Ram 1500

328 people reported a problem with a ticking noise they heard upon starting the pickup. They found this in the Hemi engine and other motors. When it warmed up, the noise would go away. Sometimes, the noise would get worse and sound like a loud knocking sound instead.

Some repair techs claimed the issue had to do with the lifters. But, when the owners investigated the problem themselves, they found broken, rotted, or missing manifold bolts.

To fix it, they replaced the manifold bolts and the gasket. The ticking noise would stop in most of those cases. Some of those reporting the problem paid for the replacement bolts and labor at a cost of around $800 and up.

Other drivers fixed the noise themselves, while some reported their warranty covered the repair costs. On average, the bolts breaking or turn up missing happens when the truck had under 100,000 miles on it.

Water leak problems

Several Ram 1500 truck owners experienced a frustrating problem with water leaking into the rear seat area. Sometimes the seat and carpet would get saturated with water, while other times water would pool in the storage area under the rear seats.

This could happen after a hard rain or running it through a car wash. Sometimes, the issue would show up not long after purchasing the truck brand new. They determined that the seal in the rear window didn’t function properly. Also, the third brake light cover appeared to have no seal underneath it.

Some owners could get the problem fixed with a new rear window rubber gasket seal. Other owners had their rear windows replaced several times and still had water leaking into the rear seat area.

In a few of those cases, the third brake light cover turned out to be the problem due to the lack of seal underneath it. Pickup owners took matters into their own hands and placed a silicone seal under the light cover, even though they were aware it would make replacing that bulb difficult down the road. But, by doing that, they fixed the problem and had no other issues again.

Ram 1500 coolant leak problems

The Ram 1500 is well known for a mysterious coolant leaking problem. Finding the best way to fix it will depend on where the leak is at. Unfortunately, that’s often the hardest part to figure out.

In a lot of cases, people don’t find a leak, but they will notice that their coolant levels are going down. Some will find the leak and replace the part, only to find out that there’s another leak somewhere else.

To fix it, pickup owners have replaced either the water pump, intake manifold gasket, thermostat, timing cover gasket, or heater tube o-rings. In several cases, owners replaced most of them and found that they still leaked somewhere within the coolant system.

This has been the most frustrating problem for loyal Ram truck owners. Many of them swear they’ll look elsewhere for their next truck if Ram can’t come up with a satisfying solution to the issue.

The Ram 1500 is a good truck for those who need a decent hauler or work pickup. But, as with any other truck out there, it comes with some frustrating issues many owners have come to expect. If you’re a die-hard fan of Ram products, like many people are, patience will be the key to overcoming some of these problems.