I know a guy who bought a new ram last week. parked it in his driveway, it rolled back down the hill and into a pond. Insurance totaled it. It has the electronic gear shift knob. when recovered it was IN PARK. He has found several more instances of this happening with the new dodges, its supposed to be a parking prawl problem the Chrysler is denying.

That's how the guy from Star Trek got killed too right?

My BIL has a new 2016 1500 Ram with the "dial" shifter on the dash. It's certainly different, but definitely not needed.
I'm not sure why Chrysler felt like it had to "fix" the old fashioned shifters. It seems like they've had nothing but problems across all of their vehicle lines, including sedans, Jeep SUVs, and the like. It's also suspected in the death of that movie kid whose car rolled back on him. I've driven a few of Chrysler's vehicles with these electronic shifters, and personally I think they are garbage.

FWIW, I believe these electronic shifters are only in the 1500 Rams, not the 2500/3500 Ram trucks..

The transmission in those trucks is an 8 speed ZF unit. Same transmission that the big BMW's and Jaguars use. Both those cars also use a dial gear selector. Odds are it was the bean counters and legal counsel that approved that choice. "Vee can saf $5.00 a vehicle if vee use das selector, ya, und maybe vee get sued by only 5 peoples so das uber savings could be tousands, ya"

I have it in my truck. It can be quite a learning curve to adapt to and , at least for me, does not instill a high sense of confidence. Made of plastic and feels like it. The only salvation is I really like my truck...a far nicer vehicle to drive than, the Cadillac CTS sport wagon I owned previously.

I dont understand peoples hang ups with the knob shifter. I rented a Ram 1500 back in March to drive to California and back from Chicago the learning curve was putting it in reverse to back out of the parking spot, then putting it in D to drive, its not Rocket Surgery, or even Brain Science. I didnt need to use it that way, but I'd bet it works great going from reverse to drive and back trying to rock a stuck vehicle out of the snow / ice. All new transmissions are electrically controlled so there is no need for linkage and the knob uses less space and is safer than a lever off the column or floor.

I have one......it is fair, not exactly "a best thing since sliced bread" invention. I am in/out of the truck 20-25 times a day. Atleast once a day the key will not be recognized (crank and nothing, remove key and restart again and it works), 1-2 times a day the trans will not recognize what gear you are attempting (display says move selector to park and try again)......this is usually when you are flipping the knob too quickly. As far as "rocking a stuck vehicle" I suspect the tranny will not recognize what you are attempting to do and it will freak out. I won't be buying any more Rams.....one and done.

Came out of '05 f250 Diesel and into a '16 Ram 1500 eco diesel. The gear selector knob is nothing to brag about. Getting into something new, there is always a learning curve... Especially when there are other knobs in the vicinity. I love the truck, however the service from the dealerships and the corporation as a whole is far from up to par. Brakes squeak... Dealer can't fix... Door squeaks... Dealer can't fix... Had my truck for almost two months to figure out it needed a fuel pump. Very aggravating especially since I told them that's what it needed when I dropped the truck off. One and done.

Drove the Eco-Diesel and hated the way it lugged around.....felt like my wife's Mercedes diesel SUV.

Funny you mention the door squeaks, all 4 doors do it. Lithium grease spray seems to stop that. The doors squeak like a 15 yr old farm truck would! I have a "click" coming from drivers front wheel, no idea what it is but it is loud enough to hear it from the interior with windows up, radio on. Nicest touch for me was the optional 20 inch chrome "appearance" wheels.......steel wheel with a plastic chrome insert!

Typical fiat quality, I hate to say.

I haven't been impressed with a Chrysler/ Daimler/ fiat product in decades.

I dont know, I have a '14 Ram with the Hemi and 6 speed. 3 Summers now of towing etc and she has no rattles or squeaks. Its only been to the dealer for a stereo re-flash and a steering column wire. Pretty flawless so far. Pretty sure people will grumble about any/every brand.