One Way

In my thorough research to buy a new truck I'm curious as to how reliable the electronic shifting systems are on these trucks. Gotta say leaving the good old reliable shift on the floor is making me a bit nervous as I do a fair bit of far off road remote travel with mandatory 4 low driving. The Laramie package with all it's niceties is pulling me to the dark side! Let me know what you guys have experienced, thanks!

Cummins610

Very very

SOhappy

Never heard of one going out, but surely it will quit before a manual lever on the floor would.

6.7L MegaCab

If I could go manual I would. Last time I was off road, it kept grinding trying to go in 4-HI. I ended up having to stop, put it in neutral, then 4-HI and roll backwards slightly. For some reason 4-HI and 4-LOW would not engage without making terrible noises. At one point, when it seemed to have engaged the truck would barely move. Kind of a scary thought as I had my 3 oldest kids (oldest being 8yrs old) and we were quite far from assistance if I needed it.

When I got home, I engaged it on the road to see if it would do it again and it engaged without issues.

Needless to say I've been looking into either converting it to a manual or getting the NV271.

My 08 was manual and never had an issue.

Go manual if that option is available to you.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

wildkarrd

Biggest thing I've found with my 09 having the switch instead of manual is that you have to excercise it on a fairly regular basis. When you go a while without flipping the switch is when it seems to want to act up, but if every other week or so I flip it to 4hi and once a month kick it into 4lo no issues or complaints from the truck. If I forget to cycle it for a while then she'll groan and make all sorts of weird noise when I finally go to lock it in

09 CTD qcsb, parts fell off, some got added, car seat and hot wife mod w/ full wallet delete

juicedcummins

I ran an 11 Company truck from new for 40k and it had problems but never had to go to the shop. It was used many times a day and simply could not be trusted.
My personal 12 has been proven to be unreliable also.
Great feature for the pavement queens in above freezing conditions.

Danderson

When I ordered my '07 the salesguy couldn't fathom why I wanted the lever. I'd order freespins if available.
I think a true simpler truck would sell like hotcakes.
Basic radio,hubs AC,manual transfercase,bedliner etc.

Greg Reed

I don't know how the Ford system compares to the Dodge, but I used to drive a Ford Expedition, and in freezing weather, the transfer case would lock into low range. After it sat in the garage overnight, it would resume normal operation. I still prefer all manual controls.

HMX-1

I've only had one time the 4WD wouldn't engage and it was due to temperature.

It was 10 degrees with a below zero wind chill and the truck hadn't been run in a couple days. I had it plugged in and had no problems firing it up, but it did need time to warm up to get the electronics working so it would go into 4WD.

One Way

Hmmm...this doesn't sound too positive. Especially since I live where it's wet and cold and snows a lot for at least 6 months. I don't think the Aisin tranny comes with the manual transfer case, anyone know if this is possible? Not too excited about the g56, but don't want a electronic 4wd system.

Jezzhuntin

I had the same dilemma as you when I bought my 14. I had the manual in my 03. My BIL has an 09 (push button, he bought it new), lives in Boise and he hasn't had any problems and he uses 4WD a lot more than the average. His also sits a lot as he has a commuter. I agree with your concerns, but IMO I wouldn't make it a bigger deal than it really needs to be. I treat mine as I did my manual, let off the skinny pedal before engaging and disengaging, let it connect and get back on the throttle. I have used my 4WD way more than the average guy will in the life of their truck and I only have 3500 mi on it. No issues thus far.

Buy a 14 and smile as you drive it. There will always be those opinions/experiences that will scare the hell out of you.

03 ant a hemi

My 2005 Worked well,
My 2012 works well,
I work in the Oilfields in Alberta Canada. Lots of mud, snow and ice. I have yet to have any problems with the 4x4 electronic shift.

On my 2003 with a manual shift the linkage pin fell off, dealers fault They never put the retainer pin back in.

I would no hesitate to buy an electronic shift 4x4. They work pretty good on the Dodges.

ddestruel

my 03 is a 271 manual t-case never had an issue, use 2wd low when backing. plenty of sub -20 weather no issues 238k miles

My 70 year old Dads 2012 in cold weather, also after 10-12k miles of dirt/slimy roads gave us fits. at 39k miles he paid for a 271 and lever actuated t-case to be swapped in after the 273 didn’t engage fully and did while getting on I80 outside of reno he hit a small patch of ice rear tires spun just a little truck revved up a few hundred rpm he let off throttle as anyone who drives on ice know to and at that moment if fully engaged and then proceeded to leave part of the chain drive and t-case along with several quarts of aft under his truck.


At the ranch in normal where i hunt out of 6 different rigs dodges and fords all 2010 or newer 2 have manual shift t-cases and 4 have electronic. guess which 2 haven’t malfunctioned multiple times. even GMC’s my wives 2010 will at random not fully lock in then bang into gear a mile or two later less than 100k miles works great on i80 or highway 101 when you engage it and let it do its thing over 20 miles but if you engage on a dirt road or icy road and it sticks and doesn’t fully engage when or if it does fully engage it is very unpredictable and can bang loudly.

my friend rick with a 2014 tows a backhoe into numerous tight locations. after 15k miles and 3 tow jobs he’s swore he’s done with electronic shift.


our new fords at work all do the same things. unpredictible and unreliable after 30k-50k miles it may shift into 4wd it may just light up the light and stay in 2wd for awhile until you spin the tires and it finally bangs into gear blowing the tease apart. cold weather below 20 degrees its anyones guess.

lots of work on dirt roads, moisture or with mud same thing very unpredictable


Im not a fan. when i go to buy a 2015 or 2016 ill buy with a G56 and big horn interior or an ST with all the mods so i can have a 271 or if not then i’ll pay to have a 271 and shift lever swapped in. Day 1. i will not do this again on any of my company trucks or personal for sure if i can help it. i will get a manual t-case anyway possible if that option exists. after 50k miles its very irritating. Technology and creature comforts are great but at some point they cease to be functional as well as they should in in climate environments. i expect more from my trucks and think the technology is best suited for paved roads and urban streets

One Way

Well, kind of good news, I have found a few tradesmen models with the Aisin and the manual transfer case (actual truck sitting on lot). Haven't seen a Laramie yet, but all the window stickers I look at list the auto transfer case as an option, it's not listed in the Laramie package section. So I think it might be possible to order a truck with it? I'll post what I find out.
I know the auto would work fine most of the time, but a couple years ago I had my truck and camper 60 miles down a dirt road in Toroweap on the rim of the Grand Canyon. With the wife and a three month old on board there were times when I wouldn't have been able to get out if the the four low didn't work right when I needed it. My current transfer case has had zero issues in 11 years 250k miles.
We'll see, probably not a deal breaker, but would be preferred as I continue to take my truck and camper on "could I get my truck in there?" trips!