2005 DODGE RAM 1500 Complaints

REAR END LOCKED UP WITHOUT ANY NOISE OR PROBLEMS AND DRIVESHAFT CAME OUT WHEN THAT HAPPEN. GOT IT STOPPED BEFORE WRECKING. ....UPDATED 01/12/15*BF *TR UPDATED 6/3/2015 *JS

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 DODGE RAM 1500. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH, THE POWER STEERING FAILED. AS A RESULT, THE VEHICLE CRASHED INTO A CONCRETE EMBANKMENT AND ROLLED OVER SEVERAL TIMES. THE VEHICLE BURST INTO FLAMES, WHICH WERE EXTINGUISHED BY THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED AND INDICATED THAT A FRACTURED REAR AXLE CAUSED THE FAILURE. THE CRASH CAUSED A FATALITY. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A SALVAGE FACILITY. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE VIN AND FAILURE MILEAGE WERE UNKNOWN. ..UPDATED 09-09-14 *BF

ON JUNE 7 2014 WE WE'RE DRIVING TO A LANDSCAPE BUSINESS TO PURCHASE SOME LANDSCAPE STONES AND ABOUT 100 FEET BEFORE THE ENTRANCE OF THE BUSINESS MY DRIVESHAFT FELL OFF MY TRUCK CAUSING MY REAR WHEELS TO COMPLETELY LOCK UP AND NEARLY CAUSING A CATASTROPHIC HEAD ON COLLISION AFTER THE NORTHBOUND VEHICLE HAD TO SWERVE TO MISS MY TRUCK AND ALMOST HIT A SOUTHBOUND VEHICLE HEAD ON. I HAD THE TRUCK TOWED TO A NEARBY AUTO FACILITY WHERE IT WAS LOOKED AT AND CONFIRMED THAT MY COMPLETE REAR DIFFERENTIAL WAS COMPLETELY DESTROYED CAUSING MY VEHICLE TO A COMPLETE STOP ONCE THE DRIVESHAFT FELL OFF. IT COST ME NEARLY $2000 TO GET IT REPAIRED. I ALSO CONTACTED CHRYSLER VIA EMAIL AND EXPLAINED TO THEM WHAT HAD HAPPENED AND THEIR RESPONSE WAS THAT THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO AND I WAS OUT OF WARRANTY. THE TECHNICIAN AT THE AUTO FACILITY THAT REPAIRED MY TRUCK TOLD ME THAT HE REMEMBERED SOMETHING ABOUT A RECALL FOR THAT ON THE DODGE TRUCKS. I THEN DID SOME RESEARCH AND DISCOVERED THAT ON THE NEWER MODELS THERE WAS A RECALL BUT NOT ON MINE BUT EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED TO THE TRUCKS ON RECALL (REAR END DIFFERENTIAL LOCKUP) IS WHAT HAPPENED TO MINE. IT COULD HAVE VERY EASILY KILLED SOMEBODY IF THE SOUTHBOUND VEHICLE HADN'T REACTED SO QUICKLY. MY TRUCK ONLY HAS 66000 MILES ON IT WHICH IS AN AVERAGE OF ONLY ABOUT 6000 MILES A YEAR.[XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR ...UPDATED 01/07/15 *BF UPDATED 6/11/2015 *JS

WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AT 60 MPH THE BACK WHEELS SUDDENLY AND WITHOUT WARNING LOCKED UP FOR AN INSTANT. I IMMEDIATELY BRAKED TO REDUCE SPEED AND TRY TO GET TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. IN ORDER TO AVOID BEING HIT IN THE REAR BY OTHER VEHICLES, I NEEDED TO ACCELERATE TO 60 MPH AND THE WHEELS LOCKED AGAIN. I WAS ABLE TO GET TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. I HAVE CALLED DODGE ABOUT THIS ISSUE. *JS

I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE TURNPIKE AND I HEARD A WHINING SOUND AS I WAS PASSING A SEMI TRUCK. I THOUGHT IT CAME FROM THE SEMI. HOWEVER I HEARD IT AGAIN AS I APPLIED THE BRAKES ONLY IT WAS LOUDER. THEN I HEARD A LOUD BANG THE REAR WHEELS LOCKED UP AND SOMETHING WAS DRAGGING ON THE GROUND AS I MANAGED TO PULLED OVER ONTO THE SHOULDER OF THE ROAD. I LOOKED UNDER THE TRUCK AND THE DRIVE SHAFT HAD RIPPED AWAY FROM THE FROM THE REAR AXLE. IT WAS A COMPLETE FAILURE FROM THE PINION GEAR. THE YOKE WAS STILL ATTACHED TO THE DRIVE SHAFT. ,,UPDATED 01/07/15 *BF *TR UPDATED 06/11/2015 *JS

I WAS GETTING OFF THE HIGHWAY I HEARD SOME LOUD NOISES AND MY DRIVE SHAFT CAME APART FROM REAR END AND THEN MY REAR END LOCKED UP ON ME RESULTING IN ME BEING STRANDED ON SIDE OF ROAD WE MY SON. HAD TO CALL FOR A TOW TRUCK. *TR

ON JUNE 7 2014 WE WE'RE DRIVING TO A LANDSCAPE BUSINESS TO BUY SOME LANDSCAPE STONES. ABOUT 100 FEET BEFORE THE ENTRANCE TO THE BUSINESS I HEARD A NOISE COMING FROM THE REAR OF MY TRUCK AND AS I WAS TURNING INTO THE ENTRANCE APPROACH OF THE BUSINESS MY DRIVESHAFT FELL OFF TRUCK COMPLETELY LOCKING UP MY REAR WHEELS AND COMPLETELY STOPPING MY VEHICLE WHICH ALMOST CAUSED A CATASTROPHIC HEAD ON COLLISION.MY TRUCK WAS BLOCKING PART OF THE ROAD AND THE NORTHBOUND VEHICLE HAD TO AT THE LAST MINUTE SWERVE INTO THE SOUTHBOUND LANE TO PREVENT FROM HITTING MY TRUCK AT APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH AND JUST MISSED HITTING A SOUTHBOUND VEHICLE HEAD ON. SOMEBODY IMMEDIATELY STOPPED AND THREW MY DRIVESHAFT INTO THE BED OF MY TRUCK AND TOLD ME TO ENGAGE THE 4 WHEEL DRIVE AND HIT THE GAS BARELY MOVING MY TRUCK BECAUSE THE REAR WHEELS DIDN'T TURN. I THEN HAD TO HAVE THE TRUCK TOWED TO A NEARBY AUTO FACILITY. THEY CALLED ME THE NEXT DAY WITH A DIAGNOSIS OF WHAT HAPPENED AND AN ESTIMATE. THEY TOLD ME THAT REAR END DIFFERENTIAL COMPLETELY LOCKED UP PREVENTING MY REAR TIRES FROM NOT TURNING AT ALL. IT ENDED UP COSTING ME ALMOST $2000. THE AUTOMOTIVE TECHNICIAN TOLD ME TO CHECK AND SEE IF THERE ARE ANY RECALLS FOR THIS BECAUSE HE THOUGHT THAT HE HAD READ SOMETHING ABOUT REAR END DIFFERENTIAL LOCKUPS ON DODGE RAMS. SO I DID SOME RESEARCH AND DID FIND THAT THERE WERE CERTAIN YEARS THAT DID HAVE RECALLS BUT NOT FOR THE 2005. I DID AT THAT TIME CONTACT CHRYSLER VIA EMAIL AND EXPLAINED WHAT HAD HAPPENED AND THEIR RESPONSE WAS THAT I WAS OUT OF WARRANTY. MY TRUCK HAS ONLY 66000 MILES ON IT WHICH IS AN AVERAGE OF ABOUT 6500 MILES A YEAR WHICH IS EXTREMELY LOW FOR A ALMOST 10 YEAR OLD VEHICLE. *TR

DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AND THE REAR AXLE LOCKED UP WHICH CAUSED US TO SKID SIDEWAYS OFF THE ROAD. HAD TO BE TOWED. ALSO CAUSED BALD SPOTS ON BOTH REAR TIRES DUE TO SKIDDING SEVERAL FEET. *TR

DRIVING DOWN HIGHWAY GOT OFF THE EXPRESS WAY STARTED DOWN THE ROAD AT 50 MPH WHEN WE HEARD AND FELT A LOUD BANG MY TRUCKS REAR END SLID BACK AND FORTH LIKE I HAD THE REAR BRAKES ON. I SLID OFF THE ROAD CAME TO A STOP GOT OUT TO SEE WHAT HAPPENED. MY REAR DIFFERENTIAL AND THE DRIVE SHAFT SEPARATED. NOT BROKEN U JOINTS. MY REAR DIFFERENTIAL LOCKED UP AND MY DRIVE SHAFT RIPPED RIGHT OUT OF IT. ...UPDATED 01/07/15 *BF *TR UPDATED 06/2/2015 *JS

THE DRIVESHAFT CAME LOOSE FROM THE REAREND. IT WAS PRECEDED BY A SLIGHT WHIRRING NOISE WHICH APPEARED TO BE COMING FROM THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE. THE WHIRRING NOISE WAS ONLY PRESENT FOR A SHORT PERIOD AND WAS ONLY HEARD ON DECELERATION. UPON ACCELERATION, THERE WAS NO NOISE. IMMEDIATELY BEFORE THE DRIVESHAFT LET LOOSE, THERE WAS A LOUDER WHIRRING NOISE, SOME JERKING, AND THEN THE LACK OF CONNECTION BETWEEN THE TRANSMISSION AND REAREND. *TR THE DIFFERENTIAL WAS LOCKED UP AND THE WHEELS WOULD NOT MOVE FORWARD. THE SPEED WHEN THIS HAPPENED WAS APPROXIMATELY 20 MPH. THE REPAIR HAS NOT BEEN DONE AS OF 7/2/2014. IF ANYONE FROM THE NHTSA WOULD LIKE TO INSPECT THE VEHICLE DUE TO THE RECENT INVESTIGATION INTO THIS MODEL AND PROBLEM, THEY ARE WELCOME TO DO SO. *TR