Skip to main content

Why a 2017 Ram 1500 Sport owner is furious over his non-dimming mirror

The owner of a new 2017 Ram 1500 Sport is confused at first over why his passenger-side mirror isn't automatically dimming. After talking to the dealership he is angry.

The owner of a 2017 Ram 1500 Sport is angry after investigating why one of his mirrors isn’t auto-dimming. Livewire tells members of a Ram Truck forum, “I was coming home from a road trip and noticed that my passenger side mirror is not tinting? Before I went to the dealer i thought I would look at the mirror, that is when I noticed that the mirrors are not the same one is auto tinting and the other is not. I went to the dealership and went to service and they thought I was on drugs till i showed him, he pulled up the build sheet and I have auto dimming but why do i have two different types on my new truck? The service rep said he never saw this before and is going to call Ram. Even my salesman and his boss never heard of this, but i checked the other Ignition orange sports and they are all the same driver tint passenger non tint.”

This is one of those situations that drives new buyers crazy. It is all about the trim level and the fine print. Jared, another owner tells Livewire, “Laramie and above get the tinting passenger side mirror with auto tilt down in reverse, Sports have auto tinting rearview and drivers side mirror without reverse tilt feature.”

Other owners are similarly dismayed. Steve says “Wow, that's interesting...I've never heard of this being an issue before. Thanks for the heads-up. I just like the convenience of not having to reposition myself or the mirrors due to bright headlights, but again I wouldn't pay extra if they didn't come with the package.”

Horse, who posts very frequently, was surprised as well. Horse says, “I find it hard to believe that on my Lone Star, which is a lower trim than a Sport, all 3 would dim, but on the more expensive and well-equipped-from-base Sport only two would!”

Mineral says this is very common on the Sport versions. “I have owned 3 Sport recently 2011,2013 and 2015 None of them had a dimming passenger mirror. My current 2017 Ram Laramie has Dimming all around plus tilting.”

Some of the truck owners say that they don’t like the auto-dimming feature, but others, like Mac say they insist on having it. “I won't own a vehicle without all 3 mirrors auto dim. I have no problem seeing at night with them.”

Yankee says that the mirror can be converted to auto-dimming, but the service department doesn’t make it easy. “The mirror glass can be switched out, in the parts dept. they cost about $50 each. The Service Department will tell you that the complete mirror assembly has to be replaced. They are misinformed."

The bottom line is to make sure that the truck you buy has all the bells and whistles that you want. You can order specific additions, but there will be an upcharge.

Comments

Robert kenna (not verified)    August 12, 2018 - 11:27PM

Just bought a 18 quad cab 4x4 v6 bighorn. The passenger mirror doesnt dim. The driver and rearview do dim. The two outside mirrors look different. The black outer edges are different. They are heated and folding. I will be calling the dealer tomorrow. But i'm assuming now it is supposed to be this way. Seems silly to have only one outside mirror dim. I didn't see anything on window sticker to confirm or deny.

Tony Drews (not verified)    June 8, 2020 - 5:03PM

I have the same issue on my 17 sport with the passenger side mirror not dimming
I have the tow mirrors that I want to swap out for the sport mirrors but not sure I want to if I can't get both sides to auto dim
Anybody know where I can get a pair of auto dimming mirrors ?