2003 DODGE RAM 2500 Complaints

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 DODGE RAM 2500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 50 MPH, THE FRONT END OF THE VEHICLE STARTED TO VIBRATE AND JERK VIOLENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 50,000.

CRACKED DASH. LIKE SO MANY OTHER 2003 DODGE RAM 2500 OWNERS, MY VEHICLE HAS DEVELOPED CRACKS ALONG THE DASH FOR NO APPARENT REASON EVEN THOUGH THE VEHICLE IS WELL CARED FOR AND MAINTAINED IN PRISTINE CONDITION. THE FIRST HAIRLINE CRACK APPEARED IN 2010 AT THE CENTER OF THE DASH BEGINNING ON THE WINDSHIELD SIDE. OVER TIME THE CRACK HAS PROGRESSED TOWARDS THE INSTRUMENT PANEL TO THE POINT THAT THE DASH HAS COMPLETELY SPLIT IN HALF. TO DATE, TWO ADDITIONAL CRACKS HAVE DEVELOPED, ONE SIX INCHES TO THE LEFT OF THE CENTER CRACK AND ANOTHER OVER THE PASSENGER AIRBAG SECTION. WITH SO MANY COMPLAINTS OF CRACKED DASHES, PARTICULARLY WITH THE 2003 MODEL YEAR, IT'S APPARENT THAT A MANUFACTURING FLAW EXISTS AND CHRYSLER SHOULD ACKNOWLEDGE THIS FACT AND EFFECT REPLACEMENT OF THE DEFECTIVE DASHES. IS A CRACKED DASH A SAFETY ISSUE? ABSOLUTELY, CONSIDERING THE ADDITIONAL INJURIES THAT CAN BE INFLICTED ON VEHICLE OCCUPANTS IN THE EVENT OF A COLLISION AND THE DEPLOYMENT OF AIR BAGS. SINCE CHRYSLER HAS SET A PRECEDENT BY ACKNOWLEDGING THAT A PROBLEM EXISTED WITH CRACKED DASHES ON DODGE RAM MODEL YEARS PRIOR TO 2003 (1998-2002), AND HAS AGREED TO REPLACE THE CRACKED DASHES ON THE PREVIOUS MODEL YEARS, THEN WHY NOT DO THE SAME FOR THE 2003 MODEL YEAR THAT SEEMS TO HAVE THE MOST COMPLAINTS/ISSUES? SO WHAT IF THE CRACKS APPEARED AFTER THE WARRANTY HAS EXPIRED ON THESE VEHICLES; IT'S A MATTER OF INTEGRITY. GIVEN THAT CHRYSLER IS FULLY AWARE OF THIS MANUFACTURER DEFECT, THEY SHOULD ADMIT ACCOUNTABILITY AND DO THE RIGHT THING BY RECALLING THESE VEHICLES AND PROVIDING THE NECESSARY REPLACEMENT OF THE DEFECTIVE DASHES. *TR

WHILE SEARCHING FOR A FIX FOR MY DASH WHICH JUST CRACKED I FOUND SEVERAL REPORTS OF AFTER THE DASH CRACKED WHERE ELECTRICAL ISSUES ARISE. AS IN HEADLIGHTS NOT WORKING AT ALL OR WHEN SWITCHING TO HI BEAM. I ALSO SAW A VIDEO ON THIS ISSUE FROM A NEWS BROADCAST AND WHEN CHRYSLER WAS QUESTIONED ABOUT THIS THERE WAS NEVER ANY RESPONSE WHILE THE PUBLIC WAS REQUESTING A RECALL. FROM WHAT I CAN FIND OUT JUST IN THE HOUR I WAS LOOKING THIS UP THIS WOULD APPLY TO JUST ABOUT EVERY DODGE RAM MADE BETWEEN 1996 AND 2006. MY TRUCK IS GARAGE KEPT AND I KEEP IT IN EXCELLENT CONDITION SO FOR THIS TO HAPPEN DUE TO SITTING IN THE SUN IT'S ENTIRE LIFE I MIGHT UNDERSTAND BUT THERE IS NO WAY THIS SHOULD HAVE HAPPENED TO MINE. MY FATHER WAS A MECHANIC FOR CHRYSLER FOR OVER 20 YEARS AND THIS IS JUST PLAIN CHEAP MADE PRODUCTS. WHICH FROM WHAT I CAN FIND OUT COULD AND MOST LIKELY WILL LEAD TO SOME SAFETY ISSUE WITH THE VEHICLE. SINCE I CAN NOT FIND ANYTHING MORE OUT WITH REGARDS TO WHAT THE NHTSA IS DOING ONLY MONITORING THE ISSUE?? THE BROADCAST I SAW WAS FROM 2012, I WOULD THINK SOMETHING WOULD HAVE BECOME OF THIS BY NOW FOR SURE AFTER SEEING THAT VIDEO. YET AT THAT TIME THE NEWS CHANNEL STATED YOUR DOING NOTHING. *TR

DODGE IS REFUSING TO COVER RECALL NOTICE N62/NHTSA 13V-528. I PRESENTED ORIGINAL RECEIPTS AND DOCUMENTATION AS REQUESTED SINCE I ALREADY HAD TO PAY TO REPAIR THE "TIE ROD BALL STUD". I RECEIVED A PHONE CALL INFORMING ME THAT THEY WOULD NOT COVER THE RECALL SINCE I HAD THE TRUCK REPAIRED WITH "AFTER MARKET PARTS". I DO NOT AGREE WITH THIS. I SHOULD BE COMPENSATED DUE TO THE RECALL. THE PARTS FAILED AND I REPLACED THEM LAST DECEMBER. I THEN GET NOTICE THAT THE PARTS WERE BAD. WHY WOULD I PUT THE SAME PARTS BACK ON IF THEY FAILED IN THE FIRST PLACE? I PUT "BETTER" AFTER MARKET PARTS ON . NO WHERE ON THE RECALL DOES IT SAY THAT I AM SUPPOSED TO HAVE USED "MOPAR" PARTS. PLEASE LOOK IN TO THIS. I FEEL THEY ARE AVOIDING RESPONSIBILITY. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 DODGE RAM 2500. THE CONTACT RECEIVED A RECALL NOTIFICATION FOR NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 13V528000 (STEERING) AND STATED THAT THE PART NEEDED WAS UNAVAILABLE TO PERFORM THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE.

FIRST EPISODE OF THE DODGE RAM "DEATH WOBBLE" IN JULY 2013 APPROXIMATELY 2 WEEKS AFTER REPLACING TIE RODS. OCCURRED ONE MORE TIME IN EARLY AUGUST 2013. DIDN'T EXPERIENCE AGAIN UNTIL AUGUST 2014 WHILE ON A TRIP IN UPSTATE NEW YORK, FOUR OCCURRENCES IN 3 DAYS. THE LATEST OCCURRENCE WAS THIS PAST SATURDAY, TWICE IN THE SAME DAY. *TR

THE DASH ON MY 03 RAM 2500 5.9 DIESEL HAS LITERALLY HAS FALLEN IN ON ITSELF. VERY LARGE SECTIONS OF THE DASH HAVE BROKEN OFF AND HAVE BECOME A SAFETY CONCERN. FOR EXAMPLE, IF AN ACCIDENT WERE TO OCCUR CAUSING THE AIRBAG TO DEPLOY, PIECES OF PROJECTILE SHRAPNEL WOULD BE THROWN ALL OVER THE CAB OF THE TRUCK. I'VE BEEN IN CONTACT WITH DODGE, AND NOTHING WILL BE DONE ABOUT THIS ISSUE BECAUSE THE TRUCK IS "OUT-OF-WARRANTY" AND IS CONSIDERED "NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR". THE PARTICULAR CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE I SPOKE TO COPPED AN ATTITUDE WITH ME AND REFUSED TO CONNECT ME TO A SUPERVISOR, CITING THAT IT "IS NOT A SUPERVISOR ISSUE". I DO NOT KNOW WHERE TO GO FROM HERE. DOES AN ACCIDENT HAVE TO OCCUR IN WHICH PEOPLE ARE MAIMED BY PIECES OF THE DASH IN ORDER FOR DODGE TO DO ANYTHING? I REALLY WOULD HATE TO SEE MY WIFE WITH PIECES OF PLASTIC STICKING OUT OF HER FACE AND SKULL BECAUSE THIS PROBLEM WAS NOT HANDLED IN AN APPROPRIATE MANNER. *TR

THE FRONT PASSENGER WINDOW CANNOT BE CONTROLLED BY THE PASSENGER SITTING IN SAID SET AND CAN ONLY BE CONTROLLED BY THE DRIVERS MAIN PANEL. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE IN THE EVENT THE DRIVER IS INCAPACITATED AND THE PASSENGER MUST ESCAPE THROUGH THE PASSENGER WINDOW. MY OTHER CONCERN IS THAT THERE MUST BE A CIRCUIT MALFUNCTION IN THE CONTROL MODULE WHICH COULD BURN AND START A FIRE IN THE DRIVERS DOOR. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 DODGE RAM 2500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT SHE NOTICED THAT THE BACK UP LIGHTS WOULD NOT ILLUMINATE AND THE TRAILER BRAKES FAILED TO FUNCTION. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT IT WAS FOUND THAT THE FUSES WERE BLOWN. THE PROBLEM PERSISTED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 40,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS 2003 DODGE RAM 2500. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 55 MPH, THE FRONT END OF THE VEHICLE WOBBLED AND BOUNCED RAPIDLY EVERY TIME THE VEHICLE DROVE OVER ANY DIP OR BUMP IN THE ROAD. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO STATED THAT THE STABILIZING BAR WAS BROKEN. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND DID NOT OFFER ANY ASSISTANCE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 180,000. UPDATED 10/02/14*LJ UPDATED 5/12/2015 *JS