1998 DODGE RAM 2500 Complaints

DRIVING ON HWY880 NORTH BOUND JUST PAST 238 JUNCTION PULLING MY BOAT. MY BOAT WEIGHS APPROX 7000#. I HAD JUST MERGED ONTO THE HIGHWAY AND I WAS GOING ABOUT 50MPH WHEN I NOTICED A SEVERE VIBRATION. THE VIBRATION GOT WORSE AND ALL OF A SUDDEN A HUGE PIECE OF TREAD SEPARATED FROM THE REAR DRIVERS SIDE TIRE. I CAN SAY THIS BECAUSE I SAW IT FLY PAST ME IN THE LANE TO MY LEFT. FOLLOWING THE TREAD SEPARATION THE TIRE EXPLODED AND MY TRUCK STARTED TO FISHTAIL. I WAS ABLE TO SIGNAL AND MAKE MY WAY TO THE RIGHT HAND SHOULDER. THE TIRE HAD 3/4 OF THE TREAD MISSING AND HAD A HUGE HOLE IN THE SIDEWALL. I WAS ABLE TO REMOVE TIRE AND REPLACE WITH SPARE. WHEN THE TREAD DETACHED IT DID SOME DAMAGE TO THE REAR QUARTER PANEL. THE 2 SIDEBODY SUPPORT RODS IN THE WHEEL WELL WHERE COMPLETELY TORN FREE. ALSO THE WHEEL WELL TRIM WAS COMPLETELY TORN LOOSE. THE METAL BEHIND THE TIRE IN WHEEL WELL WAS CRUSHED UP AGAINST THE UNDERSIDE OF THE BED. I BROUGHT TIRE BACK TO 4WHEEL PARTS AND WAS TOLD IT WAS JUST A BLOWOUT AND THAT THEY CAN BE PRETTY NASTY SOMETIMES. I PURCHASED ANOTHER TIRE FROM THE SAME MANUFACTURER. MOVE FORWARD ONE YEAR TO 5/4/13 I HAVE ANOTHER TREAD SEPARATION WHILE TRAVELING ON HIGHWAY. THIS TIME IT IS THE RIGHT REAR TIRE. SPEED IS APPROX. 60MPH TIRE STARTS TO VIBRATE BADLY. I IMMEDIATELY START TO MOVE TO SHOULDER FROM NUMBER 3 LANE WHEN TREAD SEPARATES FROM TIRE I SEE IT PASS ME IN RIGHT LANE. THIS TIME THE TIRE DOES NOT BURST. I REPLACE TIRE WITH SPARE. THERE IS EXPENSIVE DAMAGE TO WHEEL WELL AREA. CRUSHED METAL, BENT AND DETACHED SUPPORT MEMBERS AND THE TREAD WHEN IT DETACHED FLEW UP A LONG THE PASSENGER SIDE OF VEHICLE AND LEFT DEEP SCRATCHES IN PAINT AND BLACK TIRE MARKS. RETURNED TO 4WHEELPARTS AND WAS TOLD TO CONTACT COOPER TIRE. I AM CURRENTLY WAITING FOR COMPLAINT PACKAGE FROM THEM. PURCHASED A NEW SET OF 4 TIRES FROM 4WHEEL PARTS. THEY GAVE ME CREDIT FOR 2 DEFECTIVE TIRES AND MADE ME PAY FOR OTHER 2. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1998 DODGE RAM 2500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE DASHBOARD EXHIBITED SEVERAL FRAGMENTED PIECES. IN ADDITION, THE FAULTY HORN SWITCH WAS NO LONGER BEING PRODUCED AS AN INDIVIDUAL PART AND WAS CURRENTLY BEING MANUFACTURED AS ONE ASSEMBLY PART WITH THE COMBINATION OF THE HORN SWITCH AND FRONTAL AIR BAG. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE PART WAS MORE COSTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. AN AUTHORIZED DEALER AND THE MANUFACTURER WERE NOTIFIED OF THE PROBLEM. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 70,000.

DASH HAS BECOME BRITTLE AND IS DEVELOPING CRACKS THROUGHOUT THE PART. IT IS FALLING APART. *TR

WHILE TURNING LEFT AT ANY SPEED HAVE A SERIOUS SHUDDER. TRUCK HAS NEW WHEEL BEARINGS TIE ROD ENDS ROTORS AND CALIPERS DONE AT DODGE DEALERSHIP. THE SHUDDER IS HEARD AND FELT IN FLOOR BOARD NOTHING IN BRAKE PEDAL OR STEERING WHEEL. SHUDDER IS LESS AUDIBLE WHEN PUT INTO NEUTRAL AND COASTING WHILE TURNING LEFT. *TR

I AM AMAZED THERE ARE NO REPORTS ON 1998 1/2 - 2001 MODEL DODGE PICKUPS WITH THE CUMMINS DIESEL ENGINE AS THE BOSCH VP44 MAIN (INJECTOR) FUEL PUMP HAS A FAILURE RATE OF 100%. I'VE HAD 3 FAIL SO FAR & FOR DIESEL MECHANICS IT'S COMMON KNOWLEDGE THAT IT'S NOT A MATTER OF IF THE THE VP44 PUMP WILL FAIL, IT'S JUST A MATTER OF WHEN. THE LAST TIME A PUMP DIED ON ME WAS WHEN I WAS GOING DOWN THE INTERSTATE @ 70 MPH & THE ENGINE JUST SHUT OFF. I KNEW IMMEDIATELY IT WAS ANOTHER FUEL PUMP FAILURE, BUT OTHER DRIVERS MAY NOT REALIZE WHAT WENT WRONG & I'D BE SURPRISED IF THERE HAVEN'T BEEN ANY WRECKS DUE TO VP44 PUMP FAILURE, WHICH GIVES YOU NO ADVANCE WARNING - IT JUST QUITS. IN 2002 DODGE/CUMMINS CHARGED THE FUEL SYSTEM ON THE DIESEL ENGINE FOR DODGE PICKUPS (INCLUDING A DIFFERENT FUEL PUMP), BUT ALL 1998 1/2 THRU 2001 MODELS CAME WITH THE SAME BOSCH VP44 MAIN INJECTOR PUMP. *TT

ON A 1998 DODGE RAM 2500 THREE OF THE FIVE STOCK GOODYEAR WRANGLER RT/S 245/75 R16 TIRES HAVE BEEN VOLUNTARILY REPLACED BY THE MANUFACTURER FOR SIDEWALL SEPARATION. THE FOURTH TIRE BLEW ONE WEEK AGO WHILE TOWING A LIGHT BOAT (2000LBS) AT APPROXIMATELY 65MPH. I WAS ABLE TO MAINTAIN CONTROL, BUT I HAD MY WIFE AND TWO CHILDREN ABOARD AND AM UPSET THAT THE SAME PROBLEM HAS OCCURRED REPEATEDLY DUE TO AN ADMITTED MANUFACTURER ERROR. THE TIRES HAVE LESS THAN 45,000 MILES ON THEM AND THE REPLACEMENTS ARE SHOWING MINUTE SIGNS OF SIDEWALL SEPARATION WITH LESS THAN 10,000 MILES. TO REPLACE THESE TIRES WOULD COST APPROXIMATELY $800, $1000 WITH THE SPARE. I FEEL ENDANGERED BY THE REPUTATION OF THE TIRES AND TRULY FEEL THAT THE PRODUCT THAT I HAVE PAID FOR HAS FALLEN WOEFULLY SHORT OF EXPECTATION, WHILE OPERATED UNDER VERY LIGHT WORKLOADS AND VERY LOW MILEAGE. I FEEL IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY FOR GOODYEAR TO PROVIDE A SAFE AND QUALITY PRODUCT THAT MEETS THE DEMANDS OF A LOAD RANGE E TIRE. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1998 DODGE RAM 2500. WHILE THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH, THE ABS WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL AND REMAINED ILLUMINATED UNTIL THE ENGINE WAS TURNED OFF. THE FAILURE OCCURRED WHENEVER THE VEHICLE WAS IN OPERATION. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO STATED THE ABS CONTROL MODULE WIRING HARNESS CONNECTOR EXHIBITED SEVERE CORROSION. THERE WAS A MANUFACTURER VOLUNTARY RECALL RELATED TO THE SIMILAR DEFECT ASSOCIATED WITH THE BATTERY TRAY AND ABS WIRING HARNESS CONNECTOR. THE VIN WAS INELIGIBLE FOR THE RECALL. THE VEHICLE WAS CURRENTLY BEING REPAIRED AT THE OWNER'S EXPENSE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 89,000. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE.

UPON REMOVAL OF DASHBOARD TO REPLACE HEATER AND EVAPORATOR CORES WHILE REMOVING THE DASHBOARD IT CRUMBLED INTO DUST THE DASH HAD NO VISIBLE CRACKS UNTIL VIEW FROM BELOW SEEING ABOUT 200+ CRACKS FROM DASHBOARD BECOMING BRITTLE FROM BEING IMPROPERLY MADE, THIS OCCURS WITH ALL DODGE RAM DASHBOARDS FROM YEARS 94-98.5 AND YET NO RECALL HAS BEEN MADE, HAD THIS DASH SHATTERED WHILE DRIVING OR IN A CRASH I COULD HAVE HAD LOTS OF SHARP PLASTIC CUTS FROM THE SHATTERED DASHBOARD BUT IT SEEMS THAT THE NHTSA DOESN'T RESPOND TO THE AMOUNT OF PEOPLE SUBMITTING THE SAME PROBLEM. COST TO REPLACE DASH IS $600 FROM DEALER WITH THE SAME DASHBOARD THAT WILL LAST APPROX 3 YEARS ACCORDING TO DEALERSHIP. *KB

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1998 DODGE RAM 2500. THE CONTACT STATED THE ENTIRE LENGTH OF THE DASHBOARD HAD NUMEROUS HAIRLINE CRACKS. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE DEFECT. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 200,000.

EVENT: PULLED UP IN FRONT OF BARN TO GET A LOAD OF HAY. MOVED GEAR SELECTOR LEVER TO REVERSE TO BACK UP TO BUILDING, BUT WHEN ACCELERATOR WAS PRESSED, VEHICLE MOVED FORWARD. FAILURE: INTERNAL PARTS IN STEERING COLUMN HAD BECOME DISCONNECTED FROM EACH OTHER, THE RESULT BEING THAT MOVEMENT OF THE GEAR SELECTOR LEVER DID NOT AFFECT THE LEVER AT THE END OF THE STEERING COLUMN THAT IS CONNECTED TO THE TRANSMISSION CONTROL ROD. THE ONLY WAY THAT THE VEHICLE COULD BE PLACED IN PARK, STARTED, OR PUT INTO A GEAR POSITION WAS TO RAISE THE HOOD AND MOVE THE TRANSMISSION CONTROL ROD BY HAND. SOLUTION: SINCE THE STEERING COLUMN IS A WELDED ASSEMBLY AND IS NOT SERVICEABLE, IT WAS REPLACED. THE OLD ASSEMBLY IS AVAILABLE FOR INSPECTION. THE ASSEMBLY PART NUMBER IS P55351175 RELATED COMPLAINT: SIMILAR TO COMPLAINT ODI ID 892310 WHICH WAS ENTERED AS A PROBLEM WITH COMPONENT : POWERTRAIN: AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION: P/N START SWITCH. MY PROBLEM WOULD HAVE MANIFESTED ITSELF IN THE SAME WAY IF I HAD PLACED THE SHIFT LEVER INTO PARK POSITION AND HAD GOTTEN OUT OF THE VEHICLE WITHOUT SETTING THE BRAKE. *TR