When it comes to the most reliable 2020-2024 heavy-duty truck on the market, there is no clear winner. They all have some known problems to keep an eye out for when shopping for a new or used truck.
For this article, I searched ConsumerReports.org, Carcomplaints.com, NHTSA.gov and online forums to get a handle on the known problems and overall reliability.
Most reliable 2020-2024 heavy-duty truck engines
Let’s start this list by talking about engine reliability, since this is the key question I get asked all the time.
First, all the truck manufacturers offer diesel and gas options on their HD trucks.
The diesel engine options include Power Stroke, Cummins and Duramax. Each of these engines could be their own thousand-word article on reliability. I’ve spoken with mechanics and journalists specializing in diesel engines as well as done my own research. The reality is they are all pretty good these days, and the issues I hear about have more to do with the emissions equipment or fuel pumps.
Now, that isn’t to say there aren’t any engine issues. Companies like Banks, PPE, BD Diesel and others will happily sell you upgrades and modifications to improve the diesel engines’ performance. Also, diesel fuel treatment companies will tout their own products.
I know all this after owning the 2023 Chevy Silverado 3.0-liter Duramax diesel. Yes, it isn’t a heavy-duty diesel, however, I got a big taste of the aftermarket items for a diesel engine, and opinions and products are plentiful.
The gasoline heavy-duty engines don’t have nearly the same complexity, and aftermarket companies tout their products as well. They aren’t without their own issues, however, like with the 7.3-liter V-8 from Ford, as seen below.
2020-2024 Ford Super Duty
The 7.3-liter V-8, aka Godzilla, engine starts off this list of problems to be on the lookout for when buying a Ford Super Duty.
This engine made its debut in 2020 and there have been reports of lifter rollers delaminating, causing excessive wear on the camshaft journals. Basically, the metal coating on the rollers at the bottom of the lifter is breaking off in spots, causing the camshaft journal to become scarred. Owners are reporting a ticking and a no-start situation at times.
One mechanic put out a YouTube video explaining what he is seeing, and comments seem to indicate it is an issue on the 7.3-liter V-8 engine around 30,000 to 40,000 miles. It is happening on trucks, vans and RVs that use this engine as well. These engines have all been well taken care of by the owners.
Comments on that video — and on several forums — show it is happening to more than just one engine.
The question is if this is a design flaw or a bad batch of supplier parts. There is rampant speculation the lifter design is the issue, while others point to all heavy-duty trucks having lifter issues with traditional push-rod engine designs.
For Power Stroke diesel engines, the Bosch CP4 fuel pump continues to be a concern for owners. This fuel pump can fail causing extensive fuel delivery system failure. Aftermarket companies offer retro-fit kits to the older CP3 fuel pump. This fuel pump failure doesn’t happen to everyone with a Power Stroke, but if it does, it is an expensive repair and often happens after the warranty expires. Several owners who have experienced this issue have filed a class-action lawsuit against Ford and Bosch.
Looking for other issues, I mostly came up empty with Consumer Reports, which only states its predicted Super Duty reliability isn’t very good.
Interestingly, the Ford SuperDuty uses a 10-speed transmission like the F-150, however, I didn’t uncover nearly the same volume of transmission issues half-ton owners are reporting. It could be that the F-150’s 10R80 is different from the 10R100 or 10R140 used in Super Duty trucks.
2020-2024 Chevy Silverado/GMC Sierra HD trucks
Much like the Ford Super Duty, I went to the forums looking for concerns after striking out on the top three reliability websites (CR, CarComplaints and NHTSA.gov).
On the GM-trucks.com forum, there are several posts relating to electrical issues with new safety features and technology. These posts dominate the forums more so than any engine or transmission issues.
Forum user Rabbittown states the problems vary greatly with several owners reporting problems, and for his truck it is lot of different issues.
“My safety features work only intermittently. Blindspot detection, parking sensors, and lane departure all come and go. My parking brake also disconnects/reconnects, even after having the module replaced. It even locked up my trailer brakes once at a stop, and this was after the module was replaced. Others have had their trucks need to be towed, windows go up and down, and high beams only work for 5 seconds at a time. Those are just off the top of my head.”
Besides the electrical issues, there isn’t much for overall issues besides the tailgate opening on its own, which was fixed via a recall.
For the Duramax diesel, the only thing to report is General Motors went away from the Bosch CP4 fuel pump, moving to a Denso fuel pump starting in 2017.
Many consider the Duramax with the Allison transmission as one of the most reliable combinations on the market.
The gasoline engines have seen some lifter issues like those affecting Ford’s 7.3-liter V-8. Like Ford, the lifter issues have been largely hit or miss.
2020-2024 Ram 2500/3500 HD trucks
The big news for Ram HD trucks is the Cummins emissions cheating and the $1.67 billion fine from the Department of Justice and the EPA. This has new and used buyers wondering how this will impact their truck’s performance and long-term longevity.
This fine has to do with the truck’s computer tricking emissions, capturing software to make it seem like the engine was operating normally.
What’s really interesting about this situation is some owners are reporting their truck software was already corrected like Truck King’s Ram truck. Without knowing when the software was updated, they couldn’t determine if their truck’s performance had changed at all, nor do they have any idea, like a lot of owners, how this will impact the Cummins diesel reliability.
Other than this issue, there are reports of lifter issues with the Cummins diesel. The gasoline Hemi can develop a tick as well related to lifters.
Like Ford, Ram also uses the Bosch CP4 fuel pump in its trucks, however, for the 2021 model year and up, Ram went back to the Bosch CP3 fuel pump.
Other than lifter issues, like the other brands, there are a variety of posts about electronics failing, like back-up cameras, safety features, trailer assist features, etc.
The Aisin transmission, like GM’s Allison, has been reliable for Ram HD trucks.
The bottom line
Without a doubt reliability posts can cause buyers to change their mind on buying a specific truck. Keep in mind, however, many owners experience no problems, and you might not either. The goal is to be an informed consumer. Know potential pain points, and choose the best truck for your needs.
