2004 DODGE RAM 2500 Complaints

FACTORY ALUMINUM WHEELS PRONE TO GALVANIC CORROSION. WHEELS CORRODE SEVERELY AROUND CIRCUMFERENCE OF INNER WHEEL HUB. TAKES A SLEDGE HAMMER TO BREAK WHEEL, TIRE, AND RUST FREE TO CHANGE WHEELS AT 10,000 MILE INTERVALS. WORRY IS THAT RUST WILL PROGRESS TO GRAIN BOUNDARIES OF LUGS ON REAR AXLE AND LUG AREA ON ALUMINUM WHEEL AND LEAD TO WHEEL FAILURE. FACTORY SHOULD ADDRESS ISSUE AND PROVIDE SOLUTION. NO WAY A PERSON CAN CHANGE A WHEEL ON THE HIGHWAY WITH THE FACTORY JACK AND LUG WRENCH. EVEN THE LOCK ON THE SPARE TIRE ON MY 2004 2500 RAM 4 X 4 WAS CORRODED SO SEVERELY THAT THE KEY WOULD NOT GO INTO THE LOCK KEY WAY. LUCKILY THE FLAT HAPPENED ON PAVEMENT IN FRONT OF A FRIENDS HOUSE. THE ONLY WAY WE COULD GET THE WHEEL OF WAS TO HACKSAW THE CHAIN ON THE SPARE, LOWER THE FLAT TIRE TO THE GROUND, LOOSEN THE LUG NUTS, HOLD THE BREAK AND PUT VEHICLE IN REVERSE TO BREAK THE RUST FREE AND POP THE WHEEL ONTO THE LOOSENED LUG NUTS. EVEN AFTER THE WHEEL BROKE FREE OF THE RUST AND THE VEHICLE WAS JACKED. I STILL HAD TO PLACE A LARGE PIECE OF WOOD AGAINST THE WHEEL IN THE 6 O'CLOCK POSITION AND BEAT ON THE WOOD WITH A SLEDGE TO BREAK THE WHEEL FREE OF THE HUB. ALUMINUM WHEEL WAS SEVERELY CORRODED TO INCLUDE THE INNER HUB AND SURFACE THAT FITS AGAINST THE REAR AXLE. *JB

2004 DODGE RAM 2500 HEMI STALL W/LOSS OF POWER STEERING AND BRAKES. MY TRUCK WAS BOUGHT NEW FROM HOOD RIVER DODGE, OREGON, AND HAS BEEN IN FOR REPAIR BECAUSE OF THE ENGINE DYING RIGHT AFTER ACCELERATING FROM A STOP WITH LOSS OF POWER STEERING AND BRAKING. THEY HAVE HAD IT 9 TIMES STARTING LAST APRIL AND IT HAS HAPPENED 12 TIMES. MOST OF THE TIME IN THE MIDDLE OF AN INTERSECTION AND ONE ON A NARROW INTERSTATE BRIDGE. THERE ARE NUMEROUS REPORTS ON THE WEB OF THIS HAPPENING ALL ACROSS THE COUNTRY WITH 2004 AND SOME 2005 DODGE RAM TRUCKS AND SOME DURANGOS EQUIPPED WITH THE HEMI ENGINE. DEALER HAS WORKED WITH DAIMLER CHRYSLER TECH'S AND ENGINEERS TO NO AVAIL. DEALER SAYS IT IS CHRYSLER PROBLEM AND THEY NEED TO COME UP WITH FIX. I HAVE CONTACTED THE DODGE CONSUMER LINE, 800-992-1997, 9 TIMES. THEY PROMPTED ME TO SEND IN CARD IN " OWNER'S RIGHTS UNDER STATE LEMON LAWS" BOOKLET AND I WAS CALLED ON 11/10/05 AND TOLD THEY RECEIVED THE CARD AND WOULD CONTACT ME IN 7-10 DAYS. I HAVE NOT BEEN CALLED BACK SO I CALLED 800# AGAIN AND THEY SAID IT WAS IN THE HANDS OF THERE ZONE OFFICE, [XXX] EXT [XXX], WHERE I LEFT A MESSAGE ON 12/22/05. I HAVE ALSO FILED 3 NHTSA SAFETY COMPLAINTS. WHEN I ASKED THE DAIMLER REP NAMED [XXX], ID [XXX], ON 12/22/05 TO SPEAK TO A SUPERVISOR SHE TOLD ME THAT THEY DID NOT TALK TO CUSTOMERS. WHEN I BECAME IRATE SHE PUT ME ON HOLD AND A MAN NAMED [XXX] CAME ON AND GAVE ME THE INFO ABOUT THE ZONE OFFICE, WHAT IS DAIMLER CHRYSLER AND THE NHTSA WAITING FOR PEOPLE TO BE INJURED OR KILLED BEFORE REACTING? I HAVE LEFT MESSAGES TWICE AT THE ZONE OFFICE AND THEY WILL NOT RETURN MY CALLS. *NM INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

I OWN A 2004 2500 DODGE RAM PICK-UP. WHEN THE HIGH BEAM HEADLIGHTS ARE TURNED ON, THE LOW BEAM LIGHTS AND THE DRIVING LIGHTS ARE DISABLED. THE RESULT IS A LACK OF LIGHT BEING CAST UPON THE ROADWAY. THE HIGH BEAMS ALONE ONLY CAST A HAZY BEAM THAT WHEN USED OFF HIGHWAY IS DANGEROUS BECAUSE YOU CANNOT SEE THE GROUND IN FRONT OF YOU. ON THE HIGHWAY THEY DO NO MORE THAN BLIND ONCOMING CARS AND LEAVE THE ROAD IN A SHADOW. THERE ARE MANY POSTINGS ON THIS SUBJECT ON THE WEB FORUM, "DODGERAMFORUM.COM" IF YOU USE THE LINK BELOW IT WILL TAKE YOU DIRECTLY WHERE MOST OF THE COMPLAINTS ARE. I BELIEVE IT ONLY A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE THERE IS A SERIOUS ACCIDENT BECAUSE OF THIS PROBLEM AND THAT THE DODGE COMPANY NEEDS TO HAVE A FIX FOR THIS PROBLEM AS THERE IS NOW A COMPANY CALLED "BRIGHT LIGHTS" MAKING A FIX FOR THIS. HTTP://WWW.DODGEFORUM.COM/FORUMID_106/TT.HTM. *NM

I PURCHASED A DODGE DURANGO IN NOV OF 2004 BRAND NEW WITH ONLY 42 MILES ON IT. SINCE THAT DATE I HAVE HAD IT BACK TO THE SHOP WHERE I PURCHASED IT 6 TIMES. IT WOULD NOT START AND HAD TO BE JUMP STARTED FOR OVER A MONTH, AND NOW IT JUST DECIDED THAT IF IT WANTS TO SHUT OFF NO MATTER WHERE IT IS OR HOW FAST IT IS GOING IT JUST SHUTS OFF. I HAVE RETURNED IT TO THE DEALER SHIP AND HAVE NOT GOTTEN A BIT OF HELP. I WALK A WAY WITH THE FELLING THAT I AM THE LAUGHING STOCK OF THE DEALERSHIP. *JB

DT: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE IT STALLED INTERMITTENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP MULTIPLE TIMES. HOWEVER, THE DEALERSHIP WAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. THE MANUFACTURER HAS BEEN CONTACTED.*AK

DT: THE CONTACT STATES THERE IS NHTSA RECALL CAMPAIGN 05V462000 CONCERNING THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. THIS VEHICLE HAS THE SAME PROBLEMS AS INDICATED IN THE RECALL, BUT IT IS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL DUE TO VIN. THE CONSUMER STOPPED THE VEHICLE TO REARRANGE ITEMS IN THE TRUCK BOX WHEN THE VEHICLE STARTED MOVING BACKWARDS. THE CONSUMER JUMPED FROM THE TRUCK BOX AND TRIED TO GET INSIDE THE VEHICLE TO BRING IT TO A STOP. THE CONSUMER WAS KNOCKED DOWN AND THE VEHICLE RAN OVER HIS RIGHT KNEE INJURING IT. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN TAKEN TO THE DEALER. *AK UPDATED 1/11/2006 - *NM

IMPROPER FUNCTIONING OF WINDSHIELD WIPERS. WHILE IN INTERMITTENT POSITION, THEY WILL RANDOMLY WORK AT NORMAL LOW-SPEEDS FOR A FEW CYCLES AND REVERT BACK TO THE SET SPEED. ALSO, FROM TIME TO TIME THEY DO NOT WORK WHEN THE SWITCH IS TURNED ON THE FIRST TIME (3 TIMES IN 1.5 YEARS). WHEN SWITCH IS TURNED OFF THEN BACK ON THEY WILL START TO WORK. HAPPENS MORE WHEN THE WIPERS ARE USED FOR LONG PERIODS. SO THEY CAN'T REPLICATE IT, AND IF THEY TRY A TECH HAS TO WATCH CONTINUALLY FOR HOURS AND BECAUSE IT'S A COMPLETELY RANDOM HAPPENING, THEY COULD WELL MISS IT. BASICALLY WHEN YOU AREN'T DRIVING THE TRUCK FOR HOURS IN RAIN LOOKING THROUGH/AT THE WIPERS YOU REALLY DON'T SEE IT. VEHICLE HAS BEEN IN 3 TIMES FOR THIS ISSUE. FIRST THE GROUNDS AND CONTACTS WERE CLEANED, TO NO AVAIL. THE 2ND TIME THE WIPER CONTROL WAS REPLACED, WHICH MADE IT HAPPEN LESS OFTEN, BUT STILL OCCURS. THIRD TIME WAS TODAY, WAS TOLD THEY COULD NOT FIX THE PROBLEM BECAUSE THEY COULD NOT MAKE IT HAPPEN. *NM

DT: THE CONTACT STATES WHILE VEHICLE WAS PARKED IT SLIPPED OUT OF GEAR. THE VEHICLE ROLLED OVER INTO A DITCH LINE. HE NOTICED AT TIMES WHILE DRIVING THAT THE CORRECT GEAR WAS NOT DISPLAYED ON THE GEAR SHIFT INDICATOR. VEHICLE AT DEALER TO BE REPAIRED. *AK

DT: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE STALLED. THE DEALER REPLACED A COMPUTER CHIP TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM. THE REPLACEMENT CORRECTED THE PROBLEM. CURRENTLY, WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS IDLING AT A STOP OR WHEN THE BRAKES WERE APPLIED QUICKLY, THE VEHICLE SEEMED LIKE IT WAS GOING TO STALL. THE MANUFACTURER WAS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM, BUT THEY WERE WAITING TO RECEIVE ANOTHER TYPE OF SOFTWARE TO INSTALL IN THE VEHICLE. *AK

VEHICLE JUMPS INTO REVERSE WHILE TRANSMISSION INDICATOR LIGHT INDICATES IT IS IN PARK. *NM