2003 DODGE RAM 3500 Complaints

FAILURE OF 2003 DODGE RAM 3500 WITH HO DIESEL ENGINE AND MANUAL 6 SPEED TRANSMISSION - ENGINE TURNS OVER BUT FAILS TO START. BEEN TO CROWN IN NITRO AND COURTS IN HURRICANE A TOTAL OF 7 TIMES. DEALERSHIPS FAIL TO FIX. HAVE SPENT APPROX. $2500 AND STILL NOT FIXED. CAN STALL AT INTERSECTION OR RAILROAD CROSSING CAUSING GRAVE INJURY OR DEATH; NEED HELP TO GET PROBLEM FIXED BY RECALL PROCESS. ALL CHRYSLER-DODGE SAYS "I APOLOGIZE". CHRYSLER-DODGE KNOWS OF PROBLEM B/C WILL FIX ON AS NEED BASIS IF UNDER WARRANTY; TOLD BY CROWN, NITRO THAT WE WERE LUCKY FUEL PUMP LASTED AS LONG HAS IT HAD WHEN REPLACED (WE HAD TO PAY) OVER A YEAR AGO. HAS CAUSED COMPOUNDED PROBLEMS WITH INJECTORS. MOSTLY LIKELY HAS CAUSED HIGH PRESSURE PUMP THEN INJECTORS TO FAIL AS THESE PARTS USE THE LUBRICATING PROPERTIES OF DIESEL FUEL AS THE LUBRICANT FOR THESE PARTS. *TR

2003 DODGE RAM 3500 PICK UP TRUCK ... THE DASHBOARD IS SEVERELY CRACKING. THE DASHBOARD STARTING CRACKING IN NOV 2009 STARTING OFF AS A SMALL CRACK. NOW IN MARCH 2010 THE DASHBOARD IS CRACKING EVERYWHERE. WAS TOLD BY A DEALERSHIP IN 2009 THE DASH WAS $500. NOW DEALERSHIP IN MARCH 2010 SAYING DASH N/A IN THE USA. SPOKE W/ DODGE CORP LODGED A COMPLAINT. TOLD BY DEALERSHIP APRIL 2010 THAT NEW DASH IS AROUND $1800 BECAUSE NEW DASHBOARD AND DUCT WORK AREA NEEDED (THAT A NEW SYSTEM OF DASH/DUCT ARE NOW BEING USED.) THIS INDICATES THAT THERE IS A PROBLEM ON THE DASHES THAT DODGE CORP IS A WARE OF - BUT NOT ENOUGH CONCERN TO ISSUE RECALL. THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM WITH ALL RAMS FROM '98 TO '03 - THERE ARE COMPLAINTS LISTED ON THE INTERNET AND ON THE NEWS (CHANNEL 6 NEWS, ORLANDO, FL 2007 AND WLBT3, MS 5/2008). THE CRACKING DASHBOARD CAN ACT AS SHRAPNEL IN AN ACCIDENT CAUSING SERIOUS INJURY. THE EXPOSED WIRES IN THE SUNLIGHT CAN CAUSE MALFUNCTIONS WHILE DRIVING WHICH CAN LEAD TO AN ACCIDENT. *TR

WAS DRIVING ABOUT 70 MPH AND THE TRANSMISSION AND TRANSFER CASE FELL OFF THE TRUCK. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 DODGE RAM 3500 PICKUP. WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH THE STEERING WHEEL FAILED AND THE FRONT END BEGAN TO VIBRATE VIOLENTLY WHICH OVER CORRECTED ITSELF AND CRASHED INTO A DITCH. THE CONTACT WAS TRYING TO STOP THE VEHICLE BY PULLING THE STEERING WHEEL TO THE LEFT AND IT FAILED TO WORK. THE DEALER ADVISED THE CONTACT THAT THERE WAS A SAFETY RECALL; HOWEVER, HE WOULD HAVE TO PAY TO HAVE THE VEHICLE REPAIRED. THE DEALER ALSO STATED THAT THEY WOULD SELL HIM THE PARTS NEEDED TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 143,000. UPDATED 11/16/10. *LJ

I HAVE A 2003 DODGE RAM 3500 W/CUMMINS DIESEL. A YEAR AGO (2008) THE DASHBOARD DEVELOPED A SMALL CRACK IN THE DASHBOARD. THINKING THAT IT WAS JUST A STRESS CRACK AND COMES WITH AGE I DID NOT THINK ANYMORE ABOUT IT UNTIL AS OF LATE, THE ENTIRE DASH IS SHATTERING AND COLLAPSING ONTO ITSELF. THIS IS DROPPING SHARDS OF PLASTIC INTO AREAS NOT INTENDED TO HAVE PLASTIC DROPPED INTO IT. I THOUGHT THAT THIS WAS AN ISOLATED CASE UNTIL I STARTED RESEARCHING THE PROBLEM AND FOUND THAT THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM WITH DODGE RAM TRUCKS. DODGE HAS EVIDENTLY REFUSED TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THEIR QUALITY CONTROL. *TR

GOODYEAR TIRE, WRANGLER SR/A, LT235/80R17E, MANUFACTURER 1503, BSW. TIRE SIDEWALL HAS EXTREME CRACKS ON BOTH SIDEWALLS FOR A DISTANCE OF 1 1/2 INCHES UP FROM THE RIM OF THE TIRE, THIS PROBLEM IS KNOWN AS THE" GOODYEAR SMILE". THE TIRES(7), ARE MOUNTED ON MY 2003 DODGE RAM P/U (DRW) 3500 AS OEM TIRES. THIS CRACKING IS SO EXTREME THAT I CAN ACTUALLY PUSH MY FINGER NAIL INTO THE CRACKS BY ABOUT 2/16TH'S OF AN INCH. GOODYEAR TIRE STORE DEALERS HAVE TOLD ME THAT THIS IS AN OZONE DEFECT AND NOT A MATERIAL DEFECT, THIS TRUCK HAS BEEN GARAGED ALL ITS LIFE WHEN NOT IN USE. I HAVE OBSERVED MANY OTHER TRUCKS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM MANUFACTURED BY THE SAME COMPANY. IN FACT, THE (5) GOODYEAR TIRES LT235/85R16E THAT WERE INSTALLED AS OEM TIRES ON MY 2004 HITCHHIKER (NUWA) 5TH WHEEL TRAILER WERE REPLACED BY GOODYEAR FOR CRACKING BETWEEN THE RIBS LENGTH WAYS. I STILL HAVE 7/32NDS OF TIRE TREAD LEFT ON THESE TIRES. THE CRACKING IS A MANUFACTURING DEFECT AND THEY DO HAVE TO BE REPLACED BEFORE I CAN TOW MY TRAILER AGAIN AS I AM AFRAID THAT ONE OR MORE OF THEM WILL BLOW WHILE ON THE ROAD. *TR

I HAVE THE DEATH WOBBLE IN MY FRONT END. HIT A BUMP AT 55 MPH + AND THE FRONT END SHAKES SO BAD YOUR FORCED TO ALMOST COME TO A STOP. THE DEALER STATED MY DRAG LINK /TIE ROD ASSEMBLY,STEERING GEARS AND PITTMAN ARM ARE BAD. I HAVE NEVER PULLED CARRIED AN RV,NEVER DRIVEN OFF ROAD AND KEEP MY VEHICLES MAINTAINED PER THE MANUFACTURE. SPECS. WHY ARE THESE PARTS DEFECTIVE AT 99K MILES. CHECK THE DODGE FORUMS AND YOU'LL FIND A GREAT MANY OTHER OWNERS IN MY POSITION WITH WAY LESS MILES. THIS IS A DEFECT,PLAIN AND SIMPLE. *TR

THE ALTERNATOR BRACKET IS CRACKED. IT COULD BREAK CAUSING THE ALTERNATOR TO FALL INTO THE ENGINE FAN ASSEMBLY. IF SOMEBODY WAS WORKING ON THE ENGINE AT THE TIME OF COMPLETE FAILURE,SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH WILL OCCUR. SAME GOES FOR DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD AND THE FAILURE COULD CAUSE AN ACCIDENT. DODGE IS WELL AWARE OF THIS/HAS TSB'S YET WON'T PAY FOR THE BRACKET. *TR

THE DASH ON MY 2003 DODGE RAM 3500 HAS MULTIPLE CRACKS THAT HAVE OCCURRED FROM NORMAL DRIVING NO WRECKS OR ACCIDENTS. I FEEL THAT THE PIECES OF HARD PLASTIC COULD BECOME LETHAL PROJECTILES IN AN ACCIDENT. *TR

THE DEATH WOBBLE HAS HAPPEN SEVERAL TIMES- THE LAST TIME WAS AUG 2ND, 2009 ON THE FREEWAY GOING 75MPH PASSING A SEMI TRAILER, WE HIT A BUMP IN THE ROAD THE TRUCK BEGAN TO SHAKE VIOLENTLY, MY HUSBAND WAS TRYING TO CONTROL THIS SHAKE WHILE GOING 75MPH- IT WOULD NOT STOP UNTIL WE SLOWED DOWN AND PULLED OFF TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. WE ALMOST CAUSE AN ACCIDENT BUT THANKS TO MY HUSBAND EXCELLENT DRIVING SKILLS HE WAS ABLE TO AVOID AN ACCIDENT. WE HAVE REPLACE TIERODS, BALL JOINTS, STEERING BOX, TIRES, SHOCKS, AND MORE. I AM AFRAID TO GET BACK INTO THIS TRUCK. *TR