I have a 2006 Ram 2500 Diesel with 48RE auto transmission with 135K miles on it. I've kept up the maintenance on it and in addition to that, had most ball and u-joints replaced plus most of the hoses. I have some of the "common features" like tach is wacky and heater won't blow on floor. It's showing some aging like rust on rear fenders and drivers seat cloth in bad shape. Lately on occasion (not a lot) it will start rough or take 2 tries but runs fine after that. I changed the oil and filter, air filter, and fuel filter today. Underneath is showing more aging after the winter with quite a bit of rust. The oil pan has a little leak at the seal and has bubbles all over the bottom of the pan now. It didn't have those last oil change. I pull a fifth wheel with it and this year we have a 1100 mile round trip plus 3 other 400 mile round trips. I'm wondering if it's going to start having more problems, some possibly major? I haven't had any engine or tranny issues yet and all seems well right now. With all the miles and more rust showing up, it is maybe time to trade it in? Just wondering what others have experienced with their trucks? Is the engine and tranny generally good to 200K or am I in the range where things can start to go South?

I have a 2006 Ram 2500 Diesel with 48RE auto transmission with 135K miles on it. I've kept up the maintenance on it and in addition to that, had most ball and u-joints replaced plus most of the hoses. I have some of the "common features" like tach is wacky and heater won't blow on floor. It's showing some aging like rust on rear fenders and drivers seat cloth in bad shape. Lately on occasion (not a lot) it will start rough or take 2 tries but runs fine after that. I changed the oil and filter, air filter, and fuel filter today. Underneath is showing more aging after the winter with quite a bit of rust. The oil pan has a little leak at the seal and has bubbles all over the bottom of the pan now. It didn't have those last oil change. I pull a fifth wheel with it and this year we have a 1100 mile round trip plus 3 other 400 mile round trips. I'm wondering if it's going to start having more problems, some possibly major? I haven't had any engine or tranny issues yet and all seems well right now. With all the miles and more rust showing up, it is maybe time to trade it in? Just wondering what others have experienced with their trucks? Is the engine and tranny generally good to 200K or am I in the range where things can start to go South? Many have gone far more miles than yours. Some early Ram/Cummins passed the million mile mark. So far on my '05 with 134,000 miles I have had the drivers seat recovered and the radiator fan clutch replaced. That is it besides routine maintenance and tires/brakes/batteries. I plan to go lots farther with the truck. No rust, we live in the driest state in the nation. Get an Edge Insight or similar and you will be able to monitor pressures and temperatures (especially transmission) lots better than the stock gauges.

As with all vehicles it will start to have more problems, both large and small, the longer you drive it. No vehicle lasts forever. 135k miles is not that many miles for the Cummins and the 48re is a fairly stout transmission for its intended use, not to say it couldn't go out before the 150k mile mark, but it could go to 200k+. It really is a roll of the dice. If you don't mind driving the truck with minor rust and and worn upholstery it will certainly be cheaper to fix what goes wrong along the way than to buy a new one.Having said that, if you think you will be in the market for a new truck in the next year or two, you might be better to trade it off now before the rust gets worse. Once the rust starts, it won't stop and more rust in the future will surely decrease the value significantly. Also, if you feel you have lost some confidence in the truck maybe piece of mind of a new truck would be worth something too. Its not fun sitting on pins and needles during a trip worrying about a possible failure.Another thing to consider is a new truck doesn't always guarantee you won't have a break down, but you will have a warranty.

We bought a used 05 Dodge 5.9 cummins with a manual tranny and that truck was always needing something repaired in the ~ 1 year we had it. A cracked exhaust manifold was the last straw so we decided to unload it. We kept thinking we would fix a problem and should be good, and low and behold another problem would pop up. Whacky Moe is no fun when it involves your wallet.BTW... You can have a 10 year old reliable truck but that 05 Dodge we had wasn't one of them. One thing we don't have an issue here in south Texas is rust so that's not part of the long term issue here.Good luck...

I have an 06' Dodge Cummins. No salt on the roads where I live. I'm at 117k miles. Also replaced Ujoints. There are a few things that could cause your rough start. Might be cheaper to pay a reputable shop vs throwing parts at it. I always use a seat cover. When it wears thin I toss it. Have you added an exhaust brake. The 2006 Dodge Auto Cummins was capable from the factory. In still on factory brake pads

Our 05 is starting to show it's age but the engine and transmission are still going strong at 160.000 miles, it is a U.S. model. It needs ball joints and tie rod ends, the heater has issues, but we fully expect it to last as long as we need it.If we had your rust issues it would be a different story.There have been reports of transmission issues that have been blown way out of proportion by the Ford and Chevy guys but they have their problems too.

2006 Ram 2500 diesel reliability past 135K? | Good Sam Community

12 Replies

2003silverado
Explorer II
Mar 08, 2015
As with all vehicles it will start to have more problems, both large and small, the longer you drive it. No vehicle lasts forever. 135k miles is not that many miles for the Cummins and the 48re is a fairly stout transmission for its intended use, not to say it couldn't go out before the 150k mile mark, but it could go to 200k+. It really is a roll of the dice. If you don't mind driving the truck with minor rust and and worn upholstery it will certainly be cheaper to fix what goes wrong along the way than to buy a new one.

Having said that, if you think you will be in the market for a new truck in the next year or two, you might be better to trade it off now before the rust gets worse. Once the rust starts, it won't stop and more rust in the future will surely decrease the value significantly. Also, if you feel you have lost some confidence in the truck maybe piece of mind of a new truck would be worth something too. Its not fun sitting on pins and needles during a trip worrying about a possible failure.

Another thing to consider is a new truck doesn't always guarantee you won't have a break down, but you will have a warranty.
jmtandem
Explorer II
Mar 08, 2015
I have a 2006 Ram 2500 Diesel with 48RE auto transmission with 135K miles on it. I've kept up the maintenance on it and in addition to that, had most ball and u-joints replaced plus most of the hoses. I have some of the "common features" like tach is wacky and heater won't blow on floor. It's showing some aging like rust on rear fenders and drivers seat cloth in bad shape. Lately on occasion (not a lot) it will start rough or take 2 tries but runs fine after that.

I changed the oil and filter, air filter, and fuel filter today. Underneath is showing more aging after the winter with quite a bit of rust. The oil pan has a little leak at the seal and has bubbles all over the bottom of the pan now. It didn't have those last oil change.

I pull a fifth wheel with it and this year we have a 1100 mile round trip plus 3 other 400 mile round trips. I'm wondering if it's going to start having more problems, some possibly major? I haven't had any engine or tranny issues yet and all seems well right now. With all the miles and more rust showing up, it is maybe time to trade it in?

Just wondering what others have experienced with their trucks? Is the engine and tranny generally good to 200K or am I in the range where things can start to go South?

Many have gone far more miles than yours. Some early Ram/Cummins passed the million mile mark. So far on my '05 with 134,000 miles I have had the drivers seat recovered and the radiator fan clutch replaced. That is it besides routine maintenance and tires/brakes/batteries. I plan to go lots farther with the truck. No rust, we live in the driest state in the nation.

Get an Edge Insight or similar and you will be able to monitor pressures and temperatures (especially transmission) lots better than the stock gauges.

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2006 Ram 2500 diesel reliability past 135K?

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