2001 DODGE RAM 3500 Complaints

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE TOWING A TRAILER ON A CLEAR DAY TRAVELING ON A DRY PAVED HIGHWAY, THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO BOUNCING. THE ROAD WAS SMOOTH AND WITHOUT POTHOLES. THE VEHICLE WAS PULLED ONTO THE SHOULDER OF THE ROAD IMMEDIATELY. UPON INSPECTION THE TRAILER HITCH ASSEMBLY OF THE TRUCK WAS OBSERVED TO BE FRACTURED. THE SERVICE DEALER AND THE MANUFACTURER WERE NOTIFIED.

ON ANY CUMMINS POWERED DODGE TRUCK BUILT AFTER 1998 1/2 THE THROTTLE POSITIONING SENSOR IS MALFUNCTIONING SHUTTING DOWN THE MOTOR WITHOUT WARNING CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO SLOW VERY RAPIDLY AND TO TOTALLY LOSES POWER. WHEN THIS OCCURS THE DRIVER IS WITHOUT POWER UNTIL THE SENSOR DECIDES TO WORK AGAIN. TWO WEEKS AGO THIS PROBLEM OCCURRED CAUSING A ACCIDENT IN RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC, DRIVER WAS RUN OVER BY SEMI TRUCK IN RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC. SHOULD SOMEONE BE TOWING A CAMPER OR TRAILER UP HILL AND THIS TAKES PLACE THE VEHICLE COULD STOP SUDDENLY ALLOWING THE VEHICLE TO BE REAR ENDED VIOLENTLY OR THOSE WITHOUT MUCH TOWING EXPERIENCE TO LOSE CONTROL OF VEHICLE. THIS PROBLEM OCCURS REGARDLESS OF SPEED OR TOWING. I AM COMMERCIAL DRIVER AND HAVE HAD THIS HAPPEN APPROXIMATELY 30 TIMES IN ALL KINDS OF WEATHER AND TRAFFIC. CHYRSLER/DODGE REFUSES TO ALLOW ME TO SPEAK WITH A REP AND CUMMINS HAS DISCONTINUED PUTTING THIS PART ON MOTORS. SOMEONE IS GOING TO GET KILLED IF SOMETHING IS NOT DONE SOON.. I PERSONALLY KNOW APPROXIMATELY 50 TRUCK WITH THIS PROBLEM AND COST TO FIX IS 1400$ WHEN PARTS STORES SELL SENSORS FOR 200$. I WANT TO SPEAK WITH SOMEONE ABOUT THIS PROBLEM AS I AM A RETIRED TRUCK DRIVER AND SEE A VERY DANGEROUS PROBLEM HERE IF IT HAPPENS TO A INEXPERIENCED DRIVER. *JB

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE AT 55-70 MPH THE VEHICLE STALLED SUDDENLY WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE RESTARTED, BUT WOULD NOT ACCELERATE ENOUGH TO DRIVE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP WHERE THEY DETERMINED THE FUEL TRANSFER PUMP FAILED. THE FUEL INJECTOR PUMP ALSO FAILED DUE TO THE FUEL TRANSFER PUMP FAILURE.

MY COMPLAINT CONCERNS MY VEHICLE. THE REASON IM WRITING IS IN HOPES THAT WE CAN GET A SAFETY ISSUE ADDRESSED, AND CORRECTED. THERE HAS BEEN A REPEATED TREND OVER SEVERAL YEARS NOW CONCERNING THE LIFT PUMP (FUEL TRANSFER PUMP) UTILIZED IN THE 2500/3500 CUMMINS DIESEL APPLICATION. I AM A MEMBER OF THE FAILED LIFT PUMP CLUB AND HAVE EXPERIENCED THIS LIFT PUMP FAILURE ON MY 2001 3500 DODGE CTD 2 TIMES. THIS FAILURE CAUSES THE TRUCK TO LOOSE POWER AND SOMETIMES DIE IN BOTH CASES MOUNTAINOUS 2-LANE ROADS WITH NO PULLOUTS. THIS CAN BE LIFE THREATENING IF THE TRUCK OWNER IS ON THE HIGHWAY TOWING A LOADED TRAILER OR AS I WAS IN THE MOUNTAINS. I AM NOT ALONE IN THIS CONCERN, THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF 1998.5 - 2002, 24 VALVE CUMMINS TURBO DIESEL OWNERS THAT ARE CONCERNED AND HAVE COMPLAINED TO DODGE ABOUT THIS PROBLEM WITH NO RESOLUTION. THIS CAN BE DOCUMENTED BY GOING TO THE TURBO DIESEL REGISTER ON THE WEB. HTTP://WWW.TURBODIESELREGISTER.COM/...15&PAGENUMBER=2. *NM

THE FUEL TRANSFER PUMP DID NOT HAVE ENOUGH PRESSURE TO PROPERLY SEND ENOUGH FUEL TO THE DIESEL INJECTION PUMP WHICH FAILED AT 74,365 MILE ON THE 2001 DODGE 3500 PICKUP. THIS CREATED A LOSS OF POWER OR ACCELERATION AT THE DESIRED TIME OR LEVEL NEEDED. THIS COULD HAVE CAUSE AN ACCIDENT DUE TO LACK OF POWER. THE DEALER CLAIMS THE INJECTOR PUMP FAILED DUE TO AFTER MARKET CHIP INSTALLED BY ORIGINAL OWNER. BUT THE SELLING DODGE DEALER OF THIS USED VEHICLE DID NOT REPLACE WITH FACTORY CHIP WHEN SOLD TO ME LAST OCTOBER. VEHICLE HAD ABOUT 22,000 MILES THEN. THEY DID REPLACE THE TRANSFER PUMP UNDER WARRANTY. BUT CHARGE ME $2576.79 FOR THE REPLACEMENT OF THE INJECTION PUMP. WE FEEL THAT THE TRANSFER PUMP WAS THE CAUSE FOR FAILURE AND THE INJECTION PUMP SHOULD HAVE ALSO BEEN UNDER WARRANTY. *JB

MARCH 27, 2006, HUSBAND WAS RAN OFF ROAD BY UNKNOWN VEHICLE. HE WAS GOING ABOUT 40 MPH AND MADE IMPACT WITH A TREE AT ABOUT THIS SPEED. HE HIT THE CURB WENT AIRBORNE, ACCORDING TO EYEWITNESS, MY HUSBAND DOES NOT REMEMBER, AND HIT THE TREE, CAUSING MAJOR DAMAGE TO HIS WORK VEHICLE. THE DRIVERS SIDE AIRBAG NEVER DEPLOYED. MY HUSBAND FRACTURED THE C-5 VERTEBRAE IN HIS NECK, HIS RIGHT HAND IS WEAK AND NUMB, AND ALSO HE HAD BRUISING TO HIS BRAIN WHICH CAUSES MEMORY LAPSES AND OTHER PROBLEMS. *JB

BALL JOINTS ON THE FRONT END OF THE DODGE 3500 ARE DRY AND WEAR QUICKLY CAUSING STEERING TO BE DIFFICULT. *NM

MY DAUGHTER LOST HER LEFT ARM WHEN IT WENT THROUGH THE DRIVER'S SIDE WINDOW DURING A VEHICLE CRASH. SHE WAS DRIVING A 2001 DODGE RAM 3500 DUALLY. THE AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY AND THE FRONT AXLE CAME OFF. I SUSPECT A VEHICLE DEFECT IN THE AXLE AND AIRBAGS. I WANT TO KNOW WHY VEHICLES DON'T HAVE SAFETY GLASS IN THE SIDE WINDOWS; HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE LOST LIMBS IN THIS MANNER; AND, HOW MANY 3500 DODGE RAM VEHICLES HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN ROLLOVERS SIMILAR TO THIS. *JB

MY HUSBAND NOTICED A PROBLEM WITH THE STEERING, TOOK TO DEALER FOR SERVICE, TOLD ME IT NEEDED TRACK BAR AND PISTON, I QUESTIONED THE COST HE THEN TOLD ME ONLY NEEDED A FRONT END ALIGNMENT, WENT TO REPAIR FACILITY RECOMMENDED BY DEALER, SPECIALIST WOULDN'T DO WORK BALL JOINTS WERE BAD. TOOK IT BACK TO DEALER THEY REFUSED TO WORK ON THE VEHICLE. TOOK TRUCK TO ANOTHER DODGE DEALER, BALL JOINTS WERE SO BAD THEY WERE DANGEROUS, TRACK BAR, INNER TIE ROD, AND THE HUB BEARINGS CRUMBLED WHEN THEY WERE REMOVED. THIS VEHICLE HAS AN EXTENDED WARRANTY, THAT IS ONLY COVERING THE BALL JOINTS. THE VEHICLE IS A 2001 DODGE 3500 4X4 DUALLY, THAT HAS NEVER BEEN OFF PAVED ROADS IT IS NOT ABUSED AND ONLY HAS 49000 MILES ON IT AND CHRYSLER WILL NOT HELP I FEEL THIS IS A PROBLEM WITH MANUFACTURING QUALITY. *JB

DT: CONSUMER STATED THE BRAKE PADS SPIT OUT OF THE DRIVER'S SIDE FRONT WHEEL. BOTH FRONT WHEELS WERE CHECKED, AND THE BRAKE PADS WERE COMPLETELY DISSOLVED. THEY DUG DEEP HOLES IN THE ROTORS. AT THE SAME TIME AS THIS HAPPENED THE BRAKE LINE THAT WENT TO THE REAR WHEELS HAD HEAVY CORROSION AND THEY BLEW OUT AT THAT POINT. OTHER HEAVY CORROSION ON OTHER BRAKE LINES CAME OUT OF THE ABS CONTROL UNIT. THE BRAKES WERE NOT WORN OUT, BUT THEY TOTALLY DISSOLVED. VEHICLE WAS NOT USED FOR HEAVY TOWING, AND IT HAS NOT BEEN USED IN THE WATER.*AK