2003 DODGE RAM 2500 Complaints

WE WERE DRIVING WHEN YOU HIT ABOUT 60 AND HIT A BUMP THE TRUCK SHAKES SO VIOLENTLY AND THE ONLY WAY TO STOP IT IS TO SLOW DOWN TO 20 OR SLOWER. HAPPENS WHEN YOU ARE GOING 50 OR MORE AND HIT A BUMP OR WHERE THE ROADS CONNECT. *TR

2003 DODGE RAM 2500 CRACKED DASHBOARD. VEHICLE HAS 31K MILES. POWER WINDOWS MALFUNCTIONING, AIRCONDITIONING BLOWER MALFUNCTIONING. DODGE DEALER WILL ATTEMPT TO REPLACE AT OWNERS COST. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ON FOR POWER STEERING SENSOR PROBLEM. SENSOR WILL HAVE TO BE REPLACED. *TR

THE SWITCH ON THE CLIMATE CONTROL PANEL CANNOT CHANGE THE AIR FROM THE FLOOR TO THE VENTS OR DEFROST. THE DOOR IN THE AIR BOX DOES NOT MOVE. *TR

I PURCHASED A NEW 2003 DODGE RAM IN EARLY 2003. WITHIN A YEAR, THE DASH TOP CRACKED AND STARTED TO CAVE IN. I FOUND OUT FROM THE DEALERSHIP THAT THE DASH WAS MADE FROM AN INFERIOR PLASTIC MATERIAL AND EVEN IF I ALLOWED THEM TO DO A WARRANTY REPLACEMENT, THE DASH WOULD LIKELY CRACK AGAIN AND THAT IT WOULD BE BETTER FOR ME TO WAIT UNTIL CHRYSLER CAME OUT WITH A BETTER OEM DASH REPLACEMENT. I HAVE DONE A LOT OF RESEARCH SINCE THIS TIME AND HAVE DISCOVERED THAT THIS IS A VERY WIDESPREAD PROBLEM THAT CHRYSLER HAS REFUSED TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT UNTIL RECENTLY. I SEE WHERE SOME PEOPLE (ON THE WWW) ARE NOW REPORTING THAT THEY ARE GETTING SOME OFFERS FROM CHRYSLER TO REPLACE THEIR DASHES WITH A NEWLY IMPROVED DASH AT NO COST TO THE CUSTOMER. I HAVE RECENTLY CONTACTED MY LOCAL DODGE DEALERSHIP (BIG O DODGE OF GREENVILLE , SC, 864 288 5000) AS WELL AS CHRYSLER (800 992 1997) AND WAS TOLD THAT THE ONLY DASH ISSUE THAT CHRYSLER WOULD ACKNOWLEDGE WAS ON THE 98-02 MODEL YEAR TRUCKS. AFTER I MADE REFERENCES TO ALL OF THE INTERNET RESEARCH AS WELL AS TO MY INITIAL DISCUSSION WITH THE DEALERSHIP REGARDING THEIR RECOMMENDATION FOR ME TO WAIT FOR A BETTER DASH TO BE MANUFACTURED (WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS STILL IN THE WARRANTY PERIOD) I WAS PLACED ON HOLD AND THE CHRYSLER REP CONTACTED THE LOCAL DEALERSHIP AND ARRANGED FOR ME TO HAVE MY DASH REPLACED AT A DISCOUNT, BUT NOT AT CHRYSLER EXPENSE AS IT SHOULD BE SINCE THIS PROBLEM WITH THE CRACKED DASH STEMS FROM AN ACKNOWLEDGED MANUFACTURING FLAW FROM DAY 1 AS I REPORTED TO THE DEALER WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS STILL "NEW". MY RESEARCH HAS ALSO LED ME TO BELIEVE THIS IS ALSO A SAFETY ISSUE DUE TO ELECTRICAL COMPONENT DAMAGE CAUSED BY THE FALLING DASH PIECES CUTTING INTO ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS CAUSING PEOPLE TO LOOSE THEIR LIGHTING AT NIGHT, CAUSING SHORTS AND EVEN SMOKE FROM MELTING WIRES WHICH CAUSE SMOKE TO TEMPORARILY BLIND DRIVERS AS THEY TRY TO PULL OVER FOR SAFETY. I WANT THE DEALERSHIP / CHRYSLER TO ACKNOWLEDGE THIS AS A RECALL OR TSB AND AGREE. *TR

THE HEATER/ DEFROSTER DOES NOT FUNCTION PROPERLY. IT RESULTS IN NO HEAT BY MY LOWER EXTREMITIES AND POOR DEFROSTING OF WINDSHIELD. I CONTACTED THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY INFORMED ME THAT I WAS NOT THE ONLY 2003 DODGE RAM 2500 TO HAVE THIS ISSUE. I TOOK IT TO ANOTHER MECHANIC AND HE CONFIRMED THAT I WAS NOT THE FIRST WITH THIS ISSUE. I COUNT TEN INCLUDING MYSELF. I WENT TO THE MANUFACTURE AND GOT A COPY OF A SERVICE BULLETIN DETAILING THIS ISSUE, BUT NO FORMAL RECALL WAS EVER ISSUED. CHRYSLER REFUSES TO DO ANYTHING BECAUSE THEY DO NOT CONSIDER THIS A SAFETY ISSUE. I PERSONALLY CONSIDER POOR VISIBILITY FROM ONE'S WINDSHIELD DUE TO FAULTY DEFROSTER A SAFETY ISSUE. NO ONE HAS HAD A CRASH TO MY KNOWLEDGE, BUT IF A COP CAN WRITE A CITATION FOR A MINOR CHIP, COULD THEY NOT DO THE SAME FOR A FOGGY WINDSHIELD? *TR

ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS. DO NOT HAVE ANY FRONT TURN SIGNALS. LEFT HEADLIGHT WORKS ON BRIGHT LIGHTS ONLY, RIGHT HEADLIGHT WORKS ON DIM ONLY. NO LEFT REAR TURN SIGNAL OR, BRAKE LIGHT. WHEN USING TURN SIGNAL LEFT HEADLIGHT FLASHES. HAVE CHECKED FUSES. HAVE REPLACED MULTIFUNCTION TURN SIGNAL NO GOOD. HAVE REPLACED EVERY BULB ON TRUCK. STILL DOES NOT WORK. *TR

ON OR ABOUT 10/25/2008 WE NOTICED A CRACK IN THE DASHBOARD OF OUR 2003 DODGE RAM PICKUP. THE CRACK WAS APPROXIMATELY 8 INCHES LONG AND WAS BEGINNING TO CRACK AT DIFFERENT ANGLES. ON 10/28/2008 WE CONTACTED CHRYSLER CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE AND WERE ASSIGNED A REFERENCE NUMBER: 18023982. WE WERE ADVISED TO TAKE OUR PROBLEM TO A LOCAL DEALER. WE VISITED SCOTT GOULD, SERVICE MANAGER AT VENICE DODGE IN VENICE, FLORIDA. SCOTT DID NOT EVEN LOOK AT OUR PROBLEM. HE INFORMED US THAT HE KNEW WHERE THE DASHES WERE CRACKING ,WAS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM BUT COULD DO NOTHING WITHOUT APPROVAL FROM CHRYSLER. WE CALLED THE CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE CENTER 1-800-992-1997 AND SPOKE TO A SUZY WHO REFUSED TO SHARE HER LAST NAME. SUZY TALKED TO SCOTT AND THEN CALLED US BACK AND INFORMED US THAT WE COULD HAVE OUR DASH REPLACED FOR 250$. I ASKED HER WHY WE HAD TO PAY TO REPLACE THE DEFECTIVE PART. SHE INFORMED US THAT THERE WAS NO RECALL ON THE DEFECTIVE DASHES BECAUSE IT WAS NOT CONSIDERED A SAFETY DEFECT. ON 11/18/2008 WE HAD THE DEFECTIVE DASH REPLACED AT VENICE DODGE. I HAVE REQUESTED THE OLD CRACKED DASH BUT THEY HAVE NOT YET HONORED THAT REQUEST. THE DASH MATERIAL APPEARS TO BE A HARD PLASTIC APPROXIMATELY 3/16 IN THICK. THE VISIBLE CRACKS APPEARED JAGGED AND SHARP. SHARP ENOUGH THAT UPON IMPACT THEY COULD PUNCTURE AN AIR BAG OR AN INDIVIDUAL CAUSING INJURY, SERIOUS HARM AND/OR DEATH. THE PROBLEM WITH THE DASHES IS NOT AN ISOLATED ONE. IT IS EXTREMELY WIDESPREAD. LET THIS NOT BE THE PROTECTIVE NETTING AT THE HOCKEY ARENA. IT'S TIME FOR CHRYSLER TO OWN UP AND RECALL THEIR DEFECTIVE PART BEFORE SOMETHING BAD REALLY HAPPENS IF IT HASN'T ALREADY. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 DODGE RAM 2500. THE CONTACT HEARD A SQUEAKING NOISE WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS STARTED. AFTER SHIFTING INTO DRIVE, THE VEHICLE BEGAN VIBRATING. THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN TO THE DEALER FOR A ROUTINE OIL CHANGE AND THE CONTACT NOTIFIED THEM OF THE FAILURES. THE MECHANIC STATED THAT THE UPPER AND LOWER BALL JOINTS WERE DEFECTIVE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. IMMEDIATELY AFTER LEAVING THE DEALER, THE DRIVESHAFT FELL OUT OF THE VEHICLE AND WAS REPLACED BY A LOCAL MECHANIC. THE UPPER AND LOWER BALL JOINTS HAVE NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 55,000 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 49,000.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 DODGE RAM 2500. WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH IN THE RAIN, THE WINDOWS FOGGED UP. THE DEFOGGER SWITCH AND AIR CONDITIONER WOULD NOT SWITCH OVER TO DEFROST THE WINDOWS. THE CONTACT WENT TO THE DEALER AND THEY STATED THAT IT WAS A DAMPER DOOR IN THE AIR VENT, WHICH TELLS THE AIR WHETHER TO FLOW TOWARDS THE DOOR OR THE FLOOR. IF THE DOOR BREAKS, THERE IS NOWHERE FOR THE AIR TO FLOW. TSB NUMBER 24-004-03 WAS REFERENCED. THE DEALER STATED THAT THIS WAS AN ELECTRICAL FAILURE, WHICH ONLY COVERED 12,000 MILES; THEREFORE, THE CONTACT HAS TO PAY FOR THE REPAIRS. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 45,130. UPDATED 11/12/08. *LJ UPDATED 11/14/08. *JB

2003 DODGE RAM 2500HD - DASH IS CRACKING ALL OVER, COULD LEAD TO FUTURE ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS IF NOT FIXED IN TIME. *TR