2002 DODGE RAM 1500 Complaints

THE DASH BOARD ON MY 2002 DODGE RAM IS CRACKING AND IN DANGER OF COLLAPSING EXPOSING THE WIRING AND ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS REQUIRED FOR SAFE OPERATION. *TR

DURING A TIRE ROTATION THE MECHANIC NOTICED A DEFECT WITH THE RACK AND PINION SYSTEM WHICH WAS LEAKING AND WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. HE ALSO NOTICED THE TIRE RODS WERE DEFECTIVE WHICH IS ALLOWING UNNECESSARY MOVEMENT OF THE TIRES. LASTLY THE FRONT DIFFERENTIAL IS LEAKING AS WELL. THIS VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED APPROXIMATELY 2 YEARS AGO USED WITH 41,000 MILES AND CURRENTLY HAS 62,955. THIS VEHICLE IS OPERATED UNDER NORMAL CONDITIONS. *TR

1) INTERIOR BLOWER FAN: (24,000 MILES) FAN WOULD SHUT OFF AT TIMES. FIRST TOLD BY DEALER THE AIR INTAKE WAS BLOCKED WITH LEAVES AND THEY CLEANED IT OUT. TWO WEEKS LATER, I GOT THE RECALL THAT THE WIRING HARNESS FOR THE BLOWER WAS OVERHEATING. I HAD THE DEALER DO REPAIR FOR RECALL. THEY CLIPPED THE TWO LIGHTER WIRES AND REPLACED THEM WITH TWO 10 GAUGE WIRES. FAN STILL SHUTS OFF DUE TO TILTING STEERING WHEEL WITH HEAVIER WIRING NOT BEING FLEXIBLE ENOUGH. WIRES STILL GET VERY HOT. 2) RADIATOR FAN CONTROL RELAY: (90,000 MILES) CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND CODE WAS FOR RADIATOR FAN CONTROL RELAY CIRCUIT. RELAY WAS REPLACED. 3) ENGINE: (129,000 MILES) OIL SLUDGE CAUSED OIL NOT TO CIRCULATE PROPERLY CAUSING OIL PRESSURE GAUGE TO DROP TO ZERO AND BACK UP TO NORMAL ABOUT 4 TIMES. ENGINE OVER HEATED, WARPING HEADS AND DOING INTERIOR DAMAGE TO RODS AND BEARINGS. ENGINE HAD TO BE REPLACED WITH USED ENGINE. 4) PASSENGER WINDOW SWITCH: (FOR THE PAST 20,000 MILES) PASSENGER SIDE SWITCH WORKS INTERMITTENTLY. 5) PARKING LIGHTS: (149,000 MILES) WAS INFORMED BY ANOTHER DRIVER THAT I HAD NO TAIL LIGHTS. CHECKED FUSES AND RELAY AND EVERYTHING WAS OK. TOOK TRUCK TO GARAGE, THEY CHECKED AND COULD NOT FIND A PROBLEM. GARAGE CALLED DODGE DEALERSHIP, THEY TOLD THEM IT WOULD PROBABLY NEED THE FRONT CONTROL MODULE REPLACED. THE GARAGE DID NOT CHARGE ME AND TOLD ME THEY DID NOT WANT TO JUST START REPLACING PARTS COSTING OVER $200 TRYING TO PIN POINT A PROBLEM AND I NEEDED TO TAKE IT TO THE DEALERSHIP. THE DEALERSHIP CHECKED IT AND TOLD ME I WOULD NEED TO REPLACE THE POWER DISTRIBUTION MODULE AND THE FRONT CONTROL MODULE DUE TO BOTH HAVING AN INTERNAL SHORT. WHY BOTHER HAVING FUSES IF YOU CAN JUST HAVE CIRCUIT BOARDS COSTING OVER $200 EACH BLOW OUT? 6) IGNITION PARK LOCK: (149,000 MILES) GOT A RECALL NOTICE ABOUT IGNITION PARK LOCK NEEDING REPLACED. DEALERSHIP REPAIRED. THIS TRUCK DEFINITELY HAS ITS SHARE OFF DEFECTS, WITH THE ENGINE AND WIRING. MORE SHOULD BE DONE AS FAR AS RECALLS. *TR

I TURNED MY FAN ON TO COOL THE INSIDE OF THE TRUCK AND AFTER A FEW MINUTES, IT SHUT OFF. A WHILE LATER, I TRIED IT AGAIN AND IT WORKED, BUT SOON SHUT OFF AGAIN. I TOOK THE TRUCK TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY TOLD ME THEY CLEANED THE AIR INTAKE OUT AND IT WAS FULL OF LEAVES. THEY TOLD ME THAT IS WHY IT SHUT OFF. THE PROBLEM CONTINUED. A FEW WEEKS LATER, I GOT THE RECALL NOTICE ABOUT THE WIRING BEING TOO LIGHT AND IT WAS OVER HEATING. THE DEALER DID THE REPAIR. IT WORKED FINE FOR A GOOD WHILE. EVENTUALLY IT STARTED SHUTTING OFF AGAIN. SOMETIMES I COULD TILT THE STEERING WHEEL TO A DIFFERENT LOCATION AND IT WOULD COME BACK ON. I FLIPPED THE ACCESS PANEL DOWN TO FIND THE REPAIR, THEY CLIPPED THE TWO LIGHTER WIRES AND PLUGGED IN TO I BELIEVE 10 GAUGE WIRE IN THEIR PLACE. THE HEAVY WIRES ARE TOO STIFF TO FLEX AND WHEN PUSHED CERTAIN WAYS THE FAN SHUTS OFF. I ALSO NOTICED WHERE THE WIRES ARE PLUGGED IN, THE WIRES ARE SO HOT YOU CAN BARELY TOUCH THEM. I DON'T FEEL THIS WAS A VERY GOOD FIX FOR THE PROBLEM, SINCE ALTHOUGH THE FAN DOES NOT SHUT OFF DUE TO OVERHEATING, IT STILL IS HEATING UP UNDER THE DASH AND MAY CAUSE A FIRE UNDER THE DASH. *TR

I DROVE TO A FOOTBALL GAME ONE EVENING, WHEN I PULLED IN THE PARKING LOT, A MAN ASKED IF I KNEW THAT MY TAIL LIGHTS WERE NOT WORKING. HE TOLD ME THE TURN SIGNALS AND BRAKE LIGHTS WORKED, BUT NO TAIL LIGHTS. I HAD TO DRIVE HOME THAT NIGHT ON THE INTERSTATE WITH NO TAIL LIGHTS. THE ONLY WAY I HAD TO NOTIFY PEOPLE COMING UP BEHIND ME THAT I WAS ON THE ROAD WAS TO TURN ON MY CARGO LIGHT. THIS POSED A VERY DANGEROUS PROBLEM ON THE INTERSTATE WITH NOT ONLY PASSENGER VEHICLES BEHIND ME BUT ALSO SEMI TRUCKS THAT WOULD NOT SEE ME UNTIL THEY WERE RIGHT ON TOP OF ME. I HAD NO CLUE THAT THE LIGHTS WERE NOT WORKING BECAUSE ALL THE DASH LIGHTS WERE WORKING. I HAD ALL THE FUSES CHECKED AND THE RELAY AND EVERYTHING WAS OK THERE. THE GARAGE TOLD ME I WOULD HAVE TO TAKE IT TO THE DEALER SO THEY COULD CHECK THE FRONT CONTROL MODULE. I AM SCHEDULED TO TAKE IT IN TO THE DEALER IN TWO DAYS. I HAVE FOUND ALOT OF PEOPLE SAYING THEY HAD THE SAME PROBLEM WITH THE MODULE MALFUNCTIONING. THIS CAUSES A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION WHILE DRIVING SINCE THE DRIVE HAS NO IDEA THAT THEY ARE OUT AND IF DRIVING ON ROADS THAT ARE NOT LIGHTED AFTER DARK THE VEHICLE BEHIND YOU HAS NO IDEA THAT YOU ARE THERE UNTIL THEY GET RIGHT ON TOP OF YOU. FOG, RAIN OR SNOW COULD COMPOUND THIS SITUATION. *TR

MY 2002 RAM 1500 HAS PROBLEMS HOLDING THE IDLE IT FLUCTUATES UP AND DOWN. WHEN I FIRST BOUGHT IT THE IDLE WAS SO LOW IT CUT OFF ONCE. THEY MADE A COMPUTER ADJUSTMENT THEN THAT WORKED FOR A LITTLE WHILE. I HAVE HAD TO HOLD THE BRAKE DOWN HARDER THAN NORMAL AT A STOP. THIS HAPPENS ALL THE TIME. I HAVE CLEANED THE THROTTLE BODY REPLACED AIR FILTER. SEEMS LIKE ANOTHER COMPUTER PROBLEM TO ME. *TR

ON THURSDAY AUGUST 28, 2008, I WAS LEAVING AN INTERVIEW GOING ON THE HIGHWAY AND ALL OF A SUDDEN MY TRUCK BEGAN TO START SMOKING. I GOT OUT MY VEHICLE AND RAISED THE HOOD TO SEE WHAT WAS GOING ON. WHEN I LOOKED UNDER THE HOOD SMOKE WAS COMING FROM THE ENGINE, AND FLUID WAS POURING OUT FROM THE RESERVOIR HOLES. I LOOKED IN MY VEHICLE AND THE TEMPERATURE GAUGE WAS AT THE HALF WAY MARK AND THEIR WAS NO INDICATION LIGHTS ON INDICATING THAT SOMETHING WAS WRONG. AT THIS TIME I LET MY VEHICLE COOL OFF AND I ADDED SOME ANTIFREEZE. I ATTEMPTED TO DRIVE MY VEHICLE AND COULD ONLY GO ABOUT A HALF A MILE DOWN THE HIGHWAY AND THE SAME PROBLEM OCCURRED AGAIN WITH NO INDICATIONS OF THE VEHICLE RUNNING HOT. SO AT THIS TIME I CALLED A TOWING SERVICE AND HAD TO WAIT APPROXIMATELY FOUR HOURS FOR A TOW TRUCK TO COME AND TOW MY VEHICLE HOME. THE NEXT DAY I HAD MY TRUCK TOWED TO A MECHANIC AND HE SAID THAT THE MOTOR HAD BURNED UP. I THEN HAD IT TOWED TO THE DEALER SHIP AND WHEN THE MECHANICS THEIR INSPECTED MY TRUCK THEY SAID THAT THE COOLING FAN INSIDE THE "ECM" HAD MALFUNCTIONED AND THAT THE MOTOR WAS BURNED UP. THE SERVICE ADVISOR SAID THAT I WAS GOING TO NEED A NEW MOTOR AND THAT IT WAS GOING TO COST ME APPROXIMATELY $7800.00. WHICH I WANT THE MANUFACTURER TO PAY FOR SINCE THERE WAS NO INDICATION OF THESE PROBLEMS. *TR

THE DASHBOARD BEGAN CRACKING TWO YEARS AGO AND HAS CONTINUED TO DO SO. THERE ARE NOW SEVERAL LARGE CRACKS IN THE DASHBOARD. *TR

MY DASH ON MY 2002 DODGE RAM 1500 IS CRACKED ALL TO PIECES. I TAKE GOOD CARE OF MY VEHICLE AND THE DASH IS STILL CRACKING MORE EVERYDAY. THIS PROBLEM IS DUE TO CHEAP PLASTIC BEING USED BY DODGE. I THOUGHT THIS MIGHT BE AN ISOLATED INCIDENT, BUT I HAVE FOUND HUNDREDS OF OTHERS WITH THE EXACT SAME PROBLEMS. DODGE DOESN'T SEEM TO THINK THAT IT IS THEIR FAULT, BUT WITH THE LARGE OCCURRENCE OF THIS PROBLEM IT HAS TO BE. *TR

AROUND THE MIDDLE OF APRIL I NOTICED A SMALL PATCH OF PAINT DISAPPEARING FROM THE ROOF OF MY TRUCK. OVER THE PAST FEW MONTHS MOST OF THE PAINT ON MY ROOF AND OTHER PARTS OF THE TRUCK IS COMING OFF. *TR