2005 DODGE RAM 2500 Complaints

DRIVER DOOR LOCK IS STUCK DOWN IN LOCK POSITION. POWER DOOR LOCKS AND KEY WILL NOT OPEN DOOR. DOOR WILL OPEN FROM INSIDE DOOR LATCH. HAVE BEEN MANY COMPLAINTS ON THIS ISSUE ON THE FORUMS. *TR

I JUST PURCHASED MY USED 2005 DODGE RAM 2500 AND DECIDED TO TAKE IT ON A 1500 MILE ROUND TRIP TO TEST IT OUT. AT SPEEDS OVER 55 MPH, I EXPERIENCED THE DEATH WOBBLE WHENEVER I WOULD HIT UNEVEN PAVEMENT. MY CONSERVATIVE ESTIMATE IS THAT IT HAPPENED NO LESS THAN 50 TIMES DURING THE TRIP. IT WAS VERY SCARY AND DANGEROUS AS MANY TIMES I WAS TRAVELING 70 MPH WITH SEMIS RIGHT BESIDE ME. THE DODGE DEALER QUOTED ME OVER $1200 TO REPLACE THE STEERING DAMPENER AS WELL AS THE BALL JOINTS, WITH NO GUARANTEE THAT IT WOULD EVEN FIX THE PROBLEM. THIS COULD HAVE VERY EASILY CAUSED A DEATH IF SOMEONE LESS EXPERIENCED THAN MYSELF WAS DRIVING. I AM VERY SURPRISED THAT DODGE HAS NOT INTERVENED WITH THIS OBVIOUS DESIGN FLAW AS IT COULD VERY WELL CAUSE SERIOUS INJURY INCLUDING DEATH. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 DODGE RAM 2500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 15 MPH, THE FRONT DRIVER'S SIDE TIE ROD FRACTURED. THE VEHICLE WAS THEN TOWED TO THE CONTACT'S RESIDENCE AND THE CONTACT REPAIRED THE VEHICLE HIMSELF. THE FRACTURED TIE ROD WAS THEN TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER AND NO ASSISTANCE WAS PROVIDED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 215,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN.

DRIVER DOOR POWER LOCK ACTUATOR FAILED, RESULTING IN DISABLING THE OUTSIDE DOOR HANDLE AND THE ONLY KEY CYLINDER ON THE VEHICLE. AS A RESULT, THE KEYS WERE LOCKED IN THE TRUCK WITH THE MOTOR RUNNING, AND THERE WAS NO WAY TO ENTER THE VEHICLE WITH A SPARE KEY SINCE THERE IS NO LOCK CYLINDER ON THE PASSENGER SIDE DOOR ON THIS TRUCK. NOTE THAT LOCKING THE KEYS IN THE TRUCK WITH THE MOTOR RUNNING WHEN EXPERIENCING THIS FAILURE IS VIRTUALLY INEVITABLE WITH THIS TRUCK, SINCE IT AUTOMATICALLY LOCKS THE DOORS WHEN YOU REACH 10 MPH AND THE OTHER THREE DOORS STAY LOCKED WHEN YOU EXIT FROM THE DRIVER DOOR. I HAD TO CALL AAA TO OPEN THE TRUCK SINCE THERE WAS NO WAY TO GET IN EVEN WITH A SPARE KEY, SINCE THIS FAILURE DISABLES THE ONLY DOOR LOCK ON THE TRUCK. I BELIEVE THIS IS A SAFETY CONCERN SINCE BEING LOCKED OUT OF YOUR RUNNING VEHICLE IN THE WINTER COULD BE A SAFETY HAZARD, ESPECIALLY IF YOU ARE OUT OF CELLPHONE RANGE OR YOUR CELLPHONE IS LOCKED IN THE VEHICLE, AS MINE WAS. *TR

AT CRUISING HIGHWAY SPEEDS, IF A POTHOLE IS HIT THE TRUCK WILL GO INTO A VIOLENT "DEATH WOBBLE" UNTIL BROUGHT TO A STOP. *TR

DEALER HAD MY TRUCK TWICE SINCE THE RECALL. HE TOLD ME THAT THERE WAS A TIE-ROD ASSEMBLY, STEERING LINKAGE AND FRONT END NEEDED. I ONLY HAVE 49,000 MILES ON IT AND THERE'S A RECALL FOR THESE DEFECTS WITH CHRYSLER ID 11V350000 - THEY OLD ME THAT IT WOULD COST ME $3,000 THE FIRST TIME AND THEN I CAME BACK TO GET PARTS AND NOW THEY ARE TELLING ME THEY WILL GIVE ME A BREAK ON PARTS - THIS IS FRAUD IF THERE'S A RECALL PLUS THEY SHOULD HAVE FIXED IT THE FIRST TIME FOR FREE - IT WAS TOTALLY UNDER WARRANTY AT BOTH TIMES. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 DODGE RAM 2500. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 80 MPH OVER A ROAD BUMP, THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO WOBBLE. THE CONTACT APPLIED THE BRAKES AND REGAINED CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A LOCAL MECHANIC FOR A DIAGNOSTIC TEST. THE MECHANIC NOTICE WEAR IN THE TIE RODS BUT ADVISED THE CONTACT THAT THE WOBBLE WAS NOT CAUSED BY THE TIE ROD AND THAT THE VEHICLE WAS SAFE TO DRIVE. THE CONTACT TRIED TO ORDER TIE ROD PARTS TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE BUT THE PARTS NEEDED WERE UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THE PITMAN ARM CONNECTING TO THE SPINDLE ALSO NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 139,000. UPDATED 02/15/12*LJ UPDATED 02/17/12

WHILE DRIVING ON MY WAY HOME FROM THE GROCERY STORE I GOT A REAL STRONG DIESEL SMELL COMING INTO THE CABIN, I WAS HALF A BLOCK AWAY SO I KEPT DRIVING GOT INTO MY DRIVEWAY AND POPPED THE HOOD TO FIND INJECTOR LINE #4 LEAKING LIKE CRAZY TURNED THE TRUCK OFF AND THE NEXT DAY I WENT TO THE DEALER AND BOUGHT TWO NEW INJECTOR LINE, REPLACED THE BAD ONE AND KEPT ONE FOR SPARE, ANOTHER 8 MONTHS LATER THE SAME LINE WENT OUT AGAIN, SO I REPLACED IT WITH THE SPARE I HAD IN THE TRUCK I WENT BACK TO THE DEALER AND BOUGHT ANOTHER TWO, MY 3RD ONE WENT OUT A WEEK BEFORE HALLOWEEN WHILE SHOPPING FOR MY 2 YEAR OLD SONS COSTUME I WAS ON THE FREEWAY GOING BACK HOME WITH MY WIFE, MY SON, AND MY DAD I GOT THE SAME SMELL INTO THE CABIN AND THIS TIME I GOT SOME SMOKE INTO THE CABIN ALSO I FREAKED OUT AND GOT OFF THE FREEWAY AND PUT MY WIFE, SON AND DAD INTO A TAXI AND SENT THEM HOME AND I REPLACED A 3RD INJECTOR LINE, THIS HAS TO STOP BEFORE SOMEBODY GETS HURT, DODGE HAS TO STEP UP AND DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT OR I HAVE A FEELING THEY WILL PAY ALOT OF MOBEY IF SOMETHING BAD HAPPENS. *TR

TRAVELING ABOUT 65 MPH ON I-10 HITTING A SMALL BUMP IN THE ROAD CAUSED MY 2005 DODGE RAM 2500HD 4X4 DIESEL TO SHAKE SO VIOLENTLY I THOUGHT MY BREAK CALIPER HAD BROKEN FREE OF ITS MOUNT. HITTING THE BREAKS ONLY PROLONGED THE VIOLENT SHAKING. I HAD TAKEN IT TO MY LOCAL DODGE DEALER AND WAS TOLD MY DRIVE SHAFT HAD TO BE REPLACED. I HAD IT REPLACED AND THE SHAKING REPEATED. I TOOK IT BACK TO THE DEALER AND WAS TOLD THAT IT WAS A BROKEN CORD IN ONE OF MY TIRES AND THAT I NEEDED NEW TIRES. THOSE WERE REPLACED WITH MICHELINS. AGAIN THE SHAKING ACCRUED. AT THIS POINT I LOST FAITH IN MY LOCAL DODGE DEALER. I TOOK MY TRUCK TO A LOCAL MECHANIC AND HE TOLD ME THAT THIS WAS A COMMON OCCURRENCE AND I HAD TO PURCHASE A DODGE UPGRADE KIT TO FIX THE PROBLEM. 4,000 DOLLARS LATER MY TRUCK WAS FIXED AND I HAVE NOT HAD ANY ISSUES IN 10,000 MILES. WHEN I ASKED MY LOCAL DODGE DEALER ABOUT A RECALL OR WARRANTY WORK, I WAS TOLD THAT IT IS NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR AND THAT THERE WERE NO SAFETY CONCERNS WITH THIS ISSUE. ON AN AVERAGE DAY WITH AN AVERAGE DRIVER SOMEONE IS GOING TO BE KILLED IF DODGE DOES NOT ISSUE AN ACROSS THE BOARD RECALL. THE CAUSE OF THIS PROBLEM, KNOWN AS THE DODGE DEATH WOBBLE, IS DUE TO THE FACT THAT LESSER GRADE PARTS WERE USED TO SUPPORT A STEERING THAT REQUIRES MORE SUPPORT. CASE IN POINT; THE DODGE UPGRADE KIT COMES WITH COMPONENTS THAT ARE OF A HIGHER QUALITY, SIZE AND WEIGHT TO BETTER SUPPORT THE STEERING SYSTEM. *KB

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 DODGE RAM 2500 DIESEL. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 5 MPH WHEN THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED TO 30 MPH WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT FORCEFULLY APPLIED THE BRAKES AND SHIFTED INTO PARK BUT THE VEHICLE DID NOT RESPOND AND CONTINUED TO ACCELERATE. SUDDENLY, THE VEHICLE JUMPED OVER AND CRASHED INTO A DITCH, FLIPPED AND CAUGHT ON FIRE. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED INJURIES TO THE LOWER BACK, SHOULDERS AND HEAD. THE CONTACT WAS TRANSPORTED TO THE HOSPITAL VIA AMBULANCE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC AND AN INVESTIGATOR WAS SENT BY THE MANUFACTURER TO INSPECT THE FAILURE. THE INVESTIGATOR WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE DUE TO THE SEVERITY OF THE FIRE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 100,000. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE.