2003 DODGE RAM 3500 Complaints

DIESEL FUMES ARE COMING THROUGH THE CAB OF THE VEHICLE. ALSO, THERE IS A BURNING OIL SMELL . *AK

2003 DODGE RAM 3500. 76000 MILE. REAR AXLE SEAL LEAKING ONTO RIGHT REAR EMERGENCY BRAKE PADS. LOSS OF REAR END FLUID. HAD THE TRANSMISSION AND REAR END SERVICED AT LOCAL DODGE DEALER AT 30,000 AND 60,000 MILES. THEY STATED BOTH TIMES THE REAR END WAS LOW ON FLUID. BUT COULD NOT FIGURE OUT WHERE THE FLUID WENT TO. DURING A RECENT BRAKE PAD REPLACEMENT THE TECHNICIAN REMOVED THE RIGHT REAR WHEEL TO TURN THE DISK, AND FOUND THE PROBLEM. THE LOCAL DEALER STATED THEY HAD THE SEALS BUT WHEN THEY ARRIVED THEY WERE THE WRONG SIZE. SEVERAL PHONE CALLS LATER THE TECHNICIAN WAS ABLE TO LOCATED THE CORRECT SIZE BUT THEY COULD NOT BE DELIVERED UNTIL THE NEXT DAY. ALSO THERE HAS BEEN A CLICKING NOISE COMMING FROM THE RIGHT FRONT OF THE TRUCK FOR SOME TIME. I ASSUMED IT WAS THE SHOCK. BUT AGAIN THE TECHNICIAN DOING THE BRAKE JOB FOUND THE UPPER A ARM BALL JOINT WAS WARN TO THE POINT OF ALLOWING SIDE TO SIDE MOVEMENT OF THE TIRE. THE LEFT (OR DRIVERS SIDE SEEMED TO BE GOOD.) BUT SINCE MY TRUCK WOULD BE DOWN AGAIN I HAVE DECIDED TO REPLACE BOTH A ARM BALL JOINTS. MY BUSINESS DEPENDS ON ME BEING ABLE TO TRAVEL 200 OR 300 MILES A DAY, SO MAINTENANCE IS A MUST. BUT IT SEEMS A WHOLE BUNCH OF STUFF IS GOING WRONG JUST AFTER MY WARRANTY EXPIRES.*AK

POOR FUEL MILEAGE IN COMPARISON TO SEVERAL OTHER DODGE'S OF THE SAME YEAR. *PH WHILE PULLING A TRAILER AT 63 MPH THE VEHILCE HAD A LOW OF 6.85 MPG. ON AVERAGE THE VEHICLE GOT 7.5-8.0 MPG LOADED AND 12-14 MPG EMPTY. THE DEALER REFLASHED THE COMPUTER. THE VEHICLE WAS RETURNED TO THE CONSUMER BUT NOW IT WAS MISSING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO ANOTHER DEALER. THE TRUCK WAS LEFT THERE FOR A WEEK BUT THEY WERE UNABLE TO DETERMINED THE PROBLEM. THE VEHICLE WAS ERETURNED TO THE CONSUMER. THE DEALER CONTACTED THE COSUMER TO BRING THE VEHICLE BACK TO THE DEALER TO PERFORM SERVICE SUGGESTED BY THE MANUFACTURER. ON THE WAY TO THE DEALER THE TRUCK STARTED BLOWING TRANSMISION FLUID THROUGH THE RADIATOR OVERFLOW. THE DEALER HAD TO REBUILD THE TRANSMISSION, REPLACE THE RADIATOR AND TRANSMISSION COOLER. THE U-JOINT AT THE REAR AXLE SNAPPED WHICH CAUSED THE DRIVE SHAFT TO COLLAPSE ONTO THE HIGHWAY. THE FUEL LIFT PUMP FAILED WHICH CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO STALL WHILE DRIVING. TRANSMISSION COOLER LINE LEAKED.

CONSUMER WILL PROVIDE PICTURES, AND WILL PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION ON U JOINT AND FRONT AXLE. *AK

TIE ROD ENDS WORE OUT, MAKING IT DIFFICULT TO STEER VEHICLE. *AK THE STABILIZER BAR AND WHEEL BEARING ALSO FAILED. *JB

THE TRANSMISSION KEEPS SLIPPING INTO NEUTRAL WHILE DRIVING AND SOMETIMES UPON PULLING OUT. THE TRUCK IS 10 WEEKS OLD AND HAS BEEN IN THE SHOP FOR THIS CONDITION 4 TIMES, WITH THE MALFUNCTION LIGHT ON 3 OF THOSE TRIPS, ONCE IT WENT IN ON A ROLLBACK BECAUSE IT WOULD NOT MOVE AT ALL. IT HAS ALSO DOWNSHIFTED INTO A LOWER GEAR, BARKED THE TIRES AND SLUNG US FORWARD SO HARD IT ALMOST SNAPPED OUR NECKS TWICE NOW. THIS HAS BEEN REPORTED ALSO. THEY NOW SAY SINCE I AM REQUESTING A FULL REFUND FOR THE TRUCK THAT THERE IS NO MECHANICAL PROBLEMS OR DAMAGE ONLY A SOFTWARE PROBLEM WITH THE COMPUTER. THEY SAY MICHIGAN IS AWARE OF IT, BUT THERE HAS NOT BEEN A PROGRAM WRITTEN TO CORRECT IT YET, BUT THEY WILL NOTIFY ME WHEN THERE IS. THE VEHICLE IS NOT SAFE TO DRIVE, YOU CAN'T MERGE INTO TRAFFIC FOR FEAR OF IT NOT MOVING, YOU ARE AFRAID OF IT DOWNSHIFTING, BUT THEY ASSURE ME IT IS SAFE TO DRIVE, AND THE REP WON'T CALL ME BACK LIKE HE WAS SUPPOSED TO. THEY ARE TRYING TO IGNORE ME COMPLETELY SINCE I ASKED FOR A REFUND UNDER THE TENNESSEE LEMON LAW, OF WHICH THE 4 UNSUCCESSFUL REPAIR ATTEMPTS HAVE BEEN MADE, WITH NOTIFICATION BY CERTIFIED LETTER TO THE DEALER AFTER THE 3RD ATTEMPT. THEY SAY NOW THEY CAN'T DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM, WHEN BEFORE I ASKED FOR A REFUND THEY COULD.*AK

WHILE VEHICLE WAS IN PARK AND TRANSMISSION SLIPPED OUT OF GEAR, AND VEHICLE ROLLED INTO A LAKE. DEALERSHIP WAS NOTIFIED, BUT DID NOT RESOLVE THE PROBLEM. *AK

INTERMITTENTLY WHEN THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL IS DEPRESSED VEHICLE FAILS TO ACCELERATE AND STAYS IN THE IDLE POSITION. WHEN THIS OCCURS THE CONSUMER COASTS VEHICLE FORWARD FOR A FEW SECONDS THAN RESTARTS THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE IS CURRENTLY AT THE DEALERSHIP. *AK

WHILE DRIVING AT 50 MPH SUDDENLY STEERING WHEEL BECAME HARD TO TURN AND LOCKED UP. THIS WAS CAUSED BY THE STEERING GEAR BOX BEING TIGHTENED TOO TIGHT AT TIME OF MANUFACTURING, PER DEALERSHIP. THE DEALERSHIP REPLACED THE PART. *AK *NLM

PROBLEMS WITH TIRE EQUIPMENT ON 2003 DODGE DIESEL 3500 TRUCK.*MR THE VEHICLE WAS DELIVERED TO THE CONSUMER'S TEN POUNDS BELOW THE MINIMUM PRESSURE FOR A SAFE RIDE. THE CONSUMER'S TEST DROVE ONE 3500, BUT DIDN'T LIKE THE ROUGHNESS OF THE RIDE. THE SECOND 3500, THE VEHICLE IN QUESTION RODE MUCH SMOOTHER. THEY HAD THE VEHICLE SERVICED AT THE DEALERSHIP TO INSURE IT WAS READY FOR A LONG TRIP. AFTER BEING DRIVEN 3000 MILES, THE VEHICLE HANDLED VERY BAD ON WET AND MUDDY ROADS. CONSUMER HAD THE TIRES CHECKED AND REALIZED IT RODE SMOOTH AT FIRST BECAUSE IT WAS 10 POUNDS UNDER PRESSURE. WHEN INFLATED TO THE PROPER PRESSURE (55) IT RODE ROUGH EVEN AT 40 MPH OR LESS. *PH