1995 DODGE RAM Complaints

RECALL REPAIRS FOR SECONDARY HOOD LATCH FAILED, ALSO HOOD FLEW UP AND WENT THROUGH WINDSHIELD, CONTACTED DEALER.*AK *SLC

RECEIVED RECALL NOTICE 99V214000. CONTACTED DEALERSHIP, AND WAS INFORMED NO ONE AT DEALERSHIP AVAILABLE TO DO RECALL REPAIRS ON SUSPENSION'S COIL SPRING. HAD CONTACTED MANUFACTURER, AND INFORMED CO CALLED CONSUMER BACK. CONSUMER HAS BEEN WAITING FOR SEVERAL MONTHS AND NO CALL. *AK

WHILE CONSUMER WAS TRAVELING AT ABOUT 65 MPH AND VEHICLE WITHOUT ANY NOTICE STOPPED. THIS PROBLEM HAS HAPPEND FIVE TIMES ALREADY, BUT THE DEALER COULD NEVER FIND ANYTHING WRONG. *AK

NHTSA RECALL 01V037000/ MANUFACTURER'S RECALL 970: CONSUMER RECEIVED RECALL, AND CALLED DEALER FOR AN APPOINTMENT ON AUG 28, 2001. DEALER STATED PARTS HAD NOT COME IN YET, AND SHOULD BE ARRIVING IN ABOUT A WEEK. CONSUMER STATED IT HAS BEEN A MONTH AND NO PARTS HAVE YET ARRIVED. *AK

STEERING SHUDDERED WHILE DRIVING BETWEEN 45 AND 55 MPH AND WHEN HITTING A BUMP OR POTHOLE IN THE ROAD. VEHICLE VIBRATING AND SHUDDERING UNCONTROLLABLY THROUGH STEERING WHEEL. ALSO, IN ORDER TO REGAIN CONTROL OF VEHICLE HAD TO DROP SPEED AROUND 20 MPH. CONTACTED DEALER, AND DEALER STATED THERE WAS A TSB FOR THAT PROBLEM. CONSUMER COMPLIED WITH TSB, BUT STILL HAD PROBLEMS.*AK

WHILE VEHICLE STOPS ON A GRADE BRAKE PEDAL WILL LOSE RESISTANCE, AND FALL TO THE FLOORBOARD. THIS RESULTS IN VEHICLE ROLLING INTO AN INTERSECTION. ALSO, WHEN ATTEMPTING TO APPLY THE BRAKES DURING NORMAL OPERATION, PEDAL WILL GO TO THE FLOOR, AND BRAKES FAIL TO SLOW VEHICLE. ACCORDING DEALERSHIP WAS UNWILLING TO EXAMINE VEHICLE FOR THIS PROBLEM AND OTHER ISSUES. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION / ATTACHMENTS.*AK

TRANSMISSION WAS SLIPPING AND WOULD NOT GO INTO GEAR. CONSUMER HAD TRANSMISSION REBUILT, BUT DID NOT REMEDY PROBLEM. TRANSMISSION WAS STILL SLIPPING UNTIL IT FINALLY WENT OUT. CONTACTED DEALER. PLEASE ADD FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK

DODGE RAM TRUCKS HAVE A KNOWN HISTORY OF "SELF SUSTAINING VIBRATION" OR "SHIMMY" AFTER STRIKING A SMALL BUMP, OR OFFSET IN THE ROAD. SEE DODGE TSB 19-05-96 AND OTHER STEERING RELATED ISSUES. WE HAVE HAD OUR VEHICLE WORKED ON TWICE DUE TO EXTREMELY VIOLENT SHIMMYING THAT HAS NEARLY CAUSED COMPLETE LOSS OF CONTROL OF THE TRUCK ON 6 SEPERATE OCCASSIONS. ONLY BY INCREDIBLE LUCK AND SKILL HAS THERE NOT BEEN SERIOUS ACCIDENTS AND FATALITIES. THE TSB I JUST REFERENCED SUGGESTS THAT THE SERVICE PERSONNEL "TEST DRIVE THE VEHICLE OVER A ROAD THAT DUPLICATES THE CUSTOMER COMPLAINT AND IF SHIMMYING IS FELT PERFORM ..." THIS IS WOEFULLY INADEQUATE IN THAT THIS PROBLEM CAN NOT BE REPLICATED BY SUCH A PROCEDURE. THE FACT REMAINS THAT ONE CAN DRIVE HUNDREDS IF NOT THOUSANDS OF MILES OVER THE SAME ROAD AND THE PROBLEM WILL NOT REPRODUCIBLY APPEAR. BUT, WITH ABSOLUTELY NO NOTICE, AND AT RANDOM, THE VIOLENT SELF SUSTAINING AND PROPAGATING SHAKING WILL SUDDENLY OCCUR AND ONE WILL NEARLY WRECK. DURING THE LAST SUCH EPISODE WHICH OCCURRED LAST WEEK, THE VIOLENT SHAKING WAS SO GREAT THAT A 140 POUND CARDBOARD BOX ABOUT 18 INCHES HIGH WAS NEARLY THROWN OUT OVER THE SIDE OF THE TRUCK. THIS INCIDENT OCCURED AT A SPEED OF ABOUT 65 MILES PER HOUR ON A CURVE ON THE INTERSTATE WHEN THE FRONT TIRE OF THE TRUCK HIT A HOLE IN THE ROAD THAT WAS ABOUT 4 INCHES WIDE, 1 FOOT LONG, AND MAYBE AN INCH DEEP. IN OTHER WORDS, THE BUMP WAS NOTHING. FORTUNATELY I WAS IN THE MIDDLE LANE ON THE INTERSTATE AND ALL OF THE OTHER CARS AROUND ME HIT THEIR BREAKS WHEN THEY SAW THE TRUCK BOUNCING AND LEAPING DOWN THE ROAD. TO FURTHER COMPLICATE THINGS THE VIOLENT BOUNCING ONLY GETS WORSE WHEN YOU APPLY THE BRAKES. THE ONLY QUICK WAY TO RESTORE CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE IS TO VIOLENTLY JERK THE STEERING WHEEL BACK AND FORTH, UNFORTUNATELY THIS REQUIRES BOTH LANES OF THE ROAD AND THE EMERGENCY LANES. THERE DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE AN ADEQUATE "FIX" TO THIS PROBLEM FROM DODGE.*AK

THE HEADLIGHTS AND TAIL LIGHTS FAILED TO OPERATE PROPERLY. HAD TAKEN VEHICLE TO PRIVATE MECHANIC TO CHECK OUT SYSTEM. WAS INFORMED THAT ELECTRICAL WIRES WERE MELTED TOGETHER. THERE WERE NO RECALLS. *AK

CONSUMER WAS TRAVELING ABOUT 5MPH AND THROTTLE GOT STUCK. DEALERSHIP WAS MADE AWARE OF THE PROBLEM.*AK CONSUMER RECEIVED A RECALL NOTIFICATION IN THE MAIL #970 FOR THE THROTTLE CABLE AND THROTTLE LINKAGE COMPONETS TO BE REPLACED, HOWEVER AFTER BECOMING STRANDED AND THEN HAVING VEHICLE TOWED IT WAS DETERMINED BY A MECHANIC THAT NONE OF THE THROTTLE LINKAGES COMPONENTS WERE REPLACED AND MECHANIC INFORMED CONSUMER THAT THE PARTS WERE ON BACK ORDER AND THE THE PREVIOUS DEALER THAT PERFORMED THE WORK MUST HAVE USED A DEFECTIVE PART AND CONSUMER REALIZED THAT THE REPAIR ONLY TOOK AN HOUR.*JB