2008 Dodge Ram 2500 Safety Review

September 30, 2009

SAFETY | 6 out of 10

Expert Quotes:

Not tested
NHTSA

Not tested
IIHS

Four-wheel antilock disc brakes are standard on the heavy-duty Ram 2500
Edmunds

The cab sits high off the ground offering excellent sightlines
Car and Driver

The 2008 Dodge Ram HD is huge and heavy, and theoretically, it should offer good safety for its occupants.

As the Dodge Ram HD has not been officially tested for impact protection, TheCarConnection.com can only provide you with standard and optional safety features. However, the non-HD Ram 1500 received "good" for frontal offset impact tests and "poor" on rear crash protection, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), which should bode well for the Dodge Ram HD. Edmunds reports that although the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has not tested the Dodge Ram HD 2008, the lighter Ram earned "five out of five stars for its protection of front occupants in head-on collisions."

"Standard safety features on the 2008 Dodge Ram HD consist of dual front air bags; a tire-pressure monitor; and 4-wheel anti-lock brakes with electronic brake-force distribution (EBD)," reports J.D. Power. Head-protecting curtain side air bags are optional on all Dodge Ram HD 2008 models. "Optional on the SLT and standard on the Laramie are power-adjustable pedals," according to Edmunds.

Visibility in the Dodge Ram HD 2008 is good as Car and Driver reports: "The cab sits high off the ground offering excellent sightlines." As a truck, though, the view to the rear is obscured by the bed and tailgate.

Conclusion

Though no crash tests of the 2008 Dodge Ram HD have been performed, the regular Ram is close enough in size to give a good idea of its results; opt for the side curtain airbags nonetheless.

SAFETY | 6 out of 10Expert Quotes:Not testedNHTSANot testedIIHSFour-wheel antilock disc brakes are standard on the heavy-duty Ram 2500EdmundsThe cab sits high off the ground offering excellent sightlinesCar and Driver The 2008 Dodge Ram HD is huge and heavy, and theoretically, it should offer good safety for its occupants. As the Dodge Ram HD has not been officially tested for impact protection, TheCarConnection.com can only provide you with standard and optional safety features. However, the non-HD Ram 1500 received "good" for frontal offset impact tests and "poor" on rear crash protection, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), which should bode well for the Dodge Ram HD. Edmunds reports that although the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has not tested the Dodge Ram HD 2008, the lighter Ram earned "five out of five stars for its protection of front occupants in head-on collisions." "Standard safety features on the 2008 Dodge Ram HD consist of dual front air bags; a tire-pressure monitor; and 4-wheel anti-lock brakes with electronic brake-force distribution (EBD)," reports J.D. Power. Head-protecting curtain side air bags are optional on all Dodge Ram HD 2008 models. "Optional on the SLT and standard on the Laramie are power-adjustable pedals," according to Edmunds. Visibility in the Dodge Ram HD 2008 is good as Car and Driver reports: "The cab sits high off the ground offering excellent sightlines." As a truck, though, the view to the rear is obscured by the bed and tailgate. ConclusionThough no crash tests of the 2008 Dodge Ram HD have been performed, the regular Ram is close enough in size to give a good idea of its results; opt for the side curtain airbags nonetheless.  2008 DODGE RAM 2500 STYLING | [7 out of 10] Kelley Blue Book: "The 'big rig' look is a long-time Ram styling cue" Edmunds: "an all-American macho machine" Car and Driver: "the Dodge Ram's aggressive styling has stood out since 1994" The 2008 Dodge Ram HD is still instantly ...

Read More of this Review:

  1. styling
  2. performance
  3. quality
  4. safety
  5. features

Other Choices:

While the Dodge Ram 1500 has been relegated to a distant third place in the pickup truck sales race for years, in the heavy-duty segment, the 2008 Dodge Ram 2500 and Ram 3500 models compete nearly neck and neck with the Ford Super Duty and Chevy/GMC HD pickups.

Next Steps:

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for a 2008 Dodge Ram 2500 near you

See the Dodge Ram 2500 in Other Years:

2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000 | 1999 | 1998 | 1997

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