2002 DODGE RAM 1500 Complaints

I WAS STOPPED BY POLICE DUE TO THE FACT THAT MY PARKING/RUNNING LIGHTS WERE NOT WORKING. THE SIGNALS AND STOP LIGHTS WORKED FINE. MY 2002 DODGE RAM IS AT THE GARAGE. THEY FOUND THE CIRCUIT BOARD (POWER DISTRIBUTION CENTER) UNDER THE FUSE BOX IS BURNED OUT. COST FROM DODGE, $400.00. I THINK THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE, THERE IS NO INDICATION THAT THE LIGHT WENT OUT FROM THE CAB. THE DASH LIGHTS WORKED AND THE HEAD LIGHTS WORKED. THE GARAGE INFORMED ME THAT IS HAPPENING A LOT TO OTHER DODGE RAMS. *NM

MY 2002 DODGE RAM VEHICLE BEGAN TO SHAKE UNCONTROLLABLY, I WAS ON THE RAMP GETTING ONTO THE INTERSTATE. I THOUGH MY TIRES WERE BEEN RIPPED OFF. I IMMEDIATELY STOPPED THE VEHICLE ONLY TO HEAR THE BOTTOM OF THE CAR BEEN BANGED AS IF THE FLOORBOARD WAS COMING UP INTO THE VEHICLE. I HAD THE CAR TOWED ONLY TO FIND OUT I AM LUCKY TO BE ALIVE WITH MY THREE CHILDREN AND MY THREE NIECES AND NEPHEWS THAT WERE RIDING WITH ME TO THE CHILDREN'S MUSEUM. THE UNIVERSAL JOINT HAD COMPLETELY BROKEN OF THE TRANSMISSION AND MADE A HOLE ON THE BOTTOM OF THE TRUCK ONTO THE FLOORBOARD. LUCKILY I STOPPED THE CAR ON TIME BEFORE A TRAGEDY WOULD HAVE OCCURRED. I FEEL THE TRUCK IS NOT OLD ENOUGH FOR THIS TO HAPPEN AND I HAVE NEVER BEEN ON ANY TYPE OF COLLISION THAT WOULD HAVE CAUSED THIS. WHEN I SPOKE TO THE CLOSEST DEALERSHIP AND MY HOME DEALERSHIP, THEY ONLY CARED ABOUT HAVING OR NOT HAVING AN EXTENDED WARRANTY, AND THAT THEY WOULD HAVE TO LOOK AT THE VEHICLE TO MAKE SURE I DID NOT CAUSE THE PROBLEM (HOW COULD I HAVE RIPPED THE U-JOINT). ULTIMATELY, THEY SAID, IT WOULD BE UP TO CHRYSLER IF THEY WOULD BE WILLING TO DO ANYTHING FOR ME AT ALL. WHAT A GREAT COMPANY AND CUSTOMER SERVICE HUH?? *NM

THE HEATER/AC FAN WILL CONTINUE TO OPERATE WITH THE IGNITION KEY REMOVED FROM THE LOCK. SOMETIMES THE CIRCUIT IS ENERGIZED IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE KEY IS REMOVED AND AT OTHER TIMES IT ENERGIZE'S ON ITS OWN. IF NOT IDENTIFIED IN TIME THE FAN WILL DRAIN THE VEHICLE BATTERY. THE LOCAL DODGE DEALER CLAIMS THEY ARE UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. I SUSPECT THE IGNITION LOCK/SWITCH IS PROBABLY DEFECTIVE AND IS CAUSING THIS PROBLEM. *JB

ON SATURDAY APRIL 15, 2006 WE WERE DRIVING HOME AND THE TRANSMISSION IN OUR 2002 DODGE RAM TRUCK BEGAN SLIPPING. WE HAD TO DRIVE IN LOW GEAR TO GET HOME. WE TOOK THE TRUCK TO SCHAEFER AND STROMINGER, THE DEALER WE PURCHASED THE TRUCK BRAND NEW FROM IN 2002 AND WERE TOLD "OH ITS PROBABLY JUST A SWITCH, WE'LL REPLACE IT AND ITS GOOD YOU BOUGHT THE POWER TRAIN WARRANTY...WELL THIS 2002 TRUCK ON HAS APPROXIMATELY 26,000 MILES ON IT! AFTER HAVING THE TRUCK FOR OVER A WEEK, I WAS TOLD THE WHOLE TRANSMISSION HAD TO BE REPLACED ON THIS TRUCK....A TRUCK THAT ONLY HAS 26,000 MILES ON IT. WELL NOT ONLY SCHAEFER AND STROMINGER, BUT ALSO CHRYSLER THEMSELVES DON'T HAVE ENOUGH SENSE TO GIVE ME A LOANER CAR FOR THE INCONVENIENCE OF DEALING WITH THEIR DEFECTIVE PRODUCT. THERE IS NO WAY I SHOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACING THE TRANSMISSION IN A TRUCK THAT IS HARDLY DRIVEN AND HAS NEVER, EVER HAULED ANYTHING. I HAVE SPOKEN TO A LOT OF PEOPLE ABOUT THIS, I AM FINDING OUT THAT THIS IS A PROBLEM EVERYONE IS HAVING WITH THESE TRUCKS AND SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE TO CHRYSLER TO MAKE THEM FIX THESE AT NO COST TO THE CONSUMER. I AM THOROUGHLY DISGUSTED WITH THE "OH WELL, WHAT A SHAME" ATTITUDE CHRYSLER HAS, WE CONSUMERS SPEND A LOT OF MONEY ON THESE VEHICLES AND WE ALL DESERVE NOT ONLY A BETTER PRODUCT, BUT ALSO BETTER CUSTOMER SERVICE. PLEASE TELL ME THERE IS SOMEONE OUT THERE WHO CAN MAKE THESE MANUFACTURES STAND BEHIND THE PRODUCTS THEY SELL BEFORE SOMEONE GETS SERIOUSLY HURT OR KILLED DRIVING ON OF THESE TRUCKS. *JB

I HIT A TREE DOING 45 MPH NO AIR BAGS DEPLOYED ON EITHER THE DRIVERS OR PASSENGER SIDE OF THE TRUCK. I HAD SEVERE DAMAGE TO MY FACE AND I AM FACING TWO MORE OPERATIONS IN THE NEXT YEAR. CAUSE FOR AIR BAGS NOT DEPLOYING IS UNKNOWN BUT CHRYSLER CORP HAS CHECKED THE COMPUTER AND FOUND NO CODES IN THE COMPUTER TO CAUSE THE AIR BAGS NOT TO COME OUT. THE TRUCK WAS A TOTAL LOSS. THEY HAVE NOT FOUND OUT WHY THEY DID NOT DEPLOY. *JB

WHEN DRIVING ON ROUGH PAVEMENT, THIS TRUCK JUMPS ALL OVER THE ROAD. I ALMOST WAS THROWN INTO A RETAINING WALL YESTERDAY. YOU HAVE NO CONTROL OF THE STEERING ON ROUGH SURFACES!! DANGEROUS. *JB

I HAD A 2002 DODGE RAM 1500. WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH I HEARD A LOW HUMMING NOISE. SUDDENLY THE TRUCK VEERED TO THE LEFT. I WAS NOW IN INCOMING TRAFFIC AND NARROWLY MISSED ONE CAR. I TRIED TO GET THE TRUCK BACK TO THE RIGHT. THE STEERING WHEEL HAD A LOT OF PLAY IN IT. THE TRUCK FISHTAILED BACK TO THE RIGHT ONLY TO VEER AGAIN TO THE LEFT. I HAD NO CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. I WAS HIT BY A CAR, RAN UP A LAWN, HIT A TREE AND FLIPPED THE TRUCK. BOTH MYSELF AND THE DRIVER OF THE CAR SUFFERED MINIMAL PHYSICAL INJURIES. BOTH VEHICLES WERE TOTALED. IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING THAT THERE IS A CLASS-ACTION LAWSUIT AGAINST DAIMLER CHRYSLER INVOLVING THIS SAME PROBLEM WITH THE DODGE DURANGOS. I BELIEVE THAT MY VEHICLE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM. *NM

WHEN ON THE SLIGHTEST ROUGH SURFACE, THIS TRUCK JUMPS AND BOUNCES ALL OVER THE ROAD. I LOSE ALL CONTROL OF THE TRUCK WHEN IT IS JUMPING. WORSE, THE BRAKES BOUNCE AND GRAB WHEN YOU APPLY THEM. DANGEROUS. WIDE SPREAD KNOWLEDGE OF THESE SAFETY ISSUES. NEED A RESOLUTION AND RECALL. *JB

RACK & PINION STEERING LEAKING ON LEFT SIDE. TRANSMISSION ROUGH. NO DASH LIGHTS. BLOWER MOTOR WORKS SELDOM. DANGEROUS AND EXPENSIVE REPAIRS. SEEMS LIKE THESE HAVE WIDESPREAD TRANSMISSION AND ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS. *JB

FIRST, THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION FAILED DUE TO AN OVERDRIVE BAND THAT BROKE AND THEN THE WHOLE TRANSMISSION HAD TO BE REBUILT. SECOND, I HAD THE MECHANICS CHECK THE DIFFERENTIAL FOR NORMAL SERVICING. IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE LTD SLIP COMPONENT HAD BROKEN, WHICH THEN CAUSED BEARINGS TO BREAK, WHICH THEN NEARLY DESTROYED THE AXLE HOUSING. $4500 OR MORE TO REPAIR TRANSMISSION AND TO REPLACE REAR AXLE. 77337 MILES, NO OFF ROAD USE AND GENTLE DRIVING HABITS. I CAN HAVE THE OLD AXLE I BELIEVE. 10 DAYS IN SHOP SO FAR. *NM