2003 DODGE RAM 1500 Complaints

The contact owns a 2003 Dodge Ram 1500. The contact stated that the vehicle was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V312000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be repaired; however, the contact was informed that the part to do the recall repair was on back order. The contact stated that the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles(DMV) had placed a hold on the registration of the vehicle, preventing the contact from being able to operate the vehicle on public roadways. The contact stated that the manufacturer had failed to provide the remedy within a reasonable amount of time. The contact had not experienced a failure.

The contact owns a 2003 Dodge Ram 1500. The contact stated that while the vehicle was being driven by a friend at 45 MPH, the rear axle detached. The driver was stranded by the roadside. The vehicle was towed to the driver's residence. There were no warning lights illuminated. An unknown local dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 300,000.

The contact owns a 2003 Dodge Ram 1500. The contact stated that the steering wheel and the front wheels were uncontrollable. While driving from Georgia to Memphis, there was an unknown object loose by the wheel. The ball joint suspension was replaced by an independent mechanic. The low tire pressure warning light was illuminated. The contact was unable to control the vehicle and had the vehicle towed to an unstated location. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 180,000.

Rear fenders are rusted such that wiring harness falls off from underside if fenders and rubs on tires. Middle of frame rusted through on right and left side and dealer's floor lift went about half-way through both sides when the technician. tried to raise truck to check wiring under truck. The lift only crunched about halfway through near the middle of the frame. That was the point when the technician noticed the truck was lifting unevenly and making a crunching sound when he started trying to lift it. He left the truck as it was - with two wheels on the floor and two wheels about an inch off the floor He hollered for th shop supervisor to look at, who came and got me in the waiting room to show me what happened. The dealership could not repair the frame, but said there was a welding shop a couple of miles away down a back road in Zachow, WI where I could safely drive to if I went really slow. I don't know when the frame started rusting or the date the dealer's hydraulic lift broke through the frame. The truck's rear fenders were starting to significantly rust when it was about 3-4 years old. It was purchased new. I don't know how badly the frame had rusted at that time. I'm fairly certain the truck had less that 100,000 miles on it when the dealer found that the frame was rusted through. It's 22 years old now and was bought new in 2003. It has 147,000 miles on it today. Assuming that the miles/year were roughly the same at 6,682, and the tail lights started acting "funny" (the reason we brought the truck to the dealership),happened the year after we bought our new 2013 Lund boat (2014), that would put the mileage on the truck at 73,502. This type of dangerous deterioration should not happen with a low-mileage vehicle like ours.

A few years ago, while driving down a rural road, I saw a tire rolling behind my truck. I stopped to remove it from the road and it turned out to be my spare tire.. The cross brace that is connected to the support cable rusted and folded to allow the tire to drop free. I replaced the cross brace and added heavy duty straps to be a backup support so as to assure this incident would not happen again. Last month my friend's son was injured due to an accident involving what appears to be a Pick-Up truck spare tire lost on a state highway. The tire size and a rusted cross brace led the responding police officer to conclude that it came from a Pick-up truck. Perhaps, pick up truck manufacturers should inspect and install a secondary/back up safety strap?

The frame/chasis rusted through and dealer could not raise truck because lift went through frame. If it had not been noticed at dealership, we and others could have been killed if the frame had broken through on the highway. The dealership and repair shop can confirm. The box and other body components are severely rusted. The body around the gas filler cap is so rusty that I have to hold the gas dispenser just so as to prevent gas leakage from the filler apparatus going into the gas tank. The gas tank fell off the truck twice and the truck was towed into the dealer to be fixed. The truck has less than 150,000 miles, and was purchased new. The incidents occurred between 2004 and 2020 - approx. No police reports or injuries, but no help from dealer.

The contact owns a 2003 Dodge Ram 1500. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, there was an abnormal thump, prompting the contact to look through the review mirror, where he observed that the spare tire was on the roadway. After a visual inspection, the contact observed that the spare tire hoist cable had detached, allowing the spare tire to fall from the spare tire compartment. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 99,600. The VIN was not available.

The contact owns a 2003 Dodge Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving at slow speeds, the driveshaft detached. Due to the failure, the gear oil and rear differential fluid leaked out of the vehicle. The contact was able to temporarily repair the driveshaft. The dealer and the manufacturer were notified of the failure but offered no assistance. Additionally, the VIN was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V312000 (Air Bags) however, the contact was informed that due to a crack in the dashboard, he would be charged for the repair. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 230,000.

UNKNOWN Everything will stop operating as I'm driving and after coming to a stop will start Right back up. I had one repair shop tell me that it has something to do with the fuel but the problem continue, the second repair shop said it was a brain box issue, if this was safety issue or problem can I get reimbursed.

The driveshaft to pinion gear at the differential comes loose during normal driving. I have replaced the bit numerous times, but it keeps coming loose. There is a recall on same truck but different years. The exact problem the other Rams have is exact issue with mine. When it comes loose, the car grinds to a halt.