2008 DODGE RAM 3500 Complaints

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 DODGE RAM 3500. WHILE DRIVING OVER ROUGH TERRAIN AT APPROXIMATELY 70 MPH, THE STEERING WHEEL FELT LOOSE AND THERE WAS A LOSS OF STEERING IN THE FRONT END OF THE VEHICLE. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE TIE ROD WAS FAULTY AND THE FRONT END TIE ROD NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 115,000. UPDATED 09/10/15*LJ UPDATED 10/27/2017*CN

DIVING AT 60 MILES TOWING A FIFTH WHEEL CAMPER TRUCK LOST ALL POWER OVERHEAD CONSOLE READ SEE DEALER NOW. PROBLEM WAS DIESEL PARTICULATE FILTER WAS TOTALLY CLOGGED. AFTER BEING TOWED TO DEALER WAS TOLD THE COST WOULD BE $5000.00 EGR VALVE AND DPF NEEDED REPLACED. EMISSIONS SYSTEM WAS CLEANED AT 68,000 MILES. OVERHEAD CONSOLE NEVER SAID ANYTHING ABOUT REGENERATION MODE OR WORKED AT ALL REPORTING ANY EMISSIONS PROBLEM. HAD TRUCK TO NUMEROUS DEALERS WANTED COMPUTER UPDATED TOLD EVERYTHING WAS FINE.

DRIVE DOWN THE FREEWAY AT ABOUT 80 MPH AND HIT A BUMP IN THE ROAD. THE STEERING BEGAN TO SHAKE VERY VIOLENTLY. I HAD TO SLOW THE TRUCK TO ALMOST A COMPLETE STOP BEFORE THE STEERING WOULD STOP SHAKING. THIS COULD HAVE CAUSED A MAJOR ACCIDENT.

WHILE TRAVELING SOUTH ON HIGHWAY 31 IN GALLATIN, TENNESSEE AT APPROXIMATELY 10 MILES PER HOUR, THE RIGHT STEERING ARM BROKE RENDERING MY TRUCK UNCONTROLLABLE. THIS WAS AFTER HAVING RECEIVED TWO RECALL NOTICES ON THE STEERING ARM AND TAKING IT TO THE DEALERSHIP TWICE AND EACH TIME BEING TOLD THAT THOSE ARMS WERE NOT ON THE RECALL.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 DODGE RAM 3500. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH, THE VEHICLE SHOOK VIOLENTLY AND THE EXHAUST SYSTEM FAILURE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. IN ADDITION, THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE CENTER CONSOLE MONITOR COMBUSTION ABLE AND NEED TO BE SERVICED WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURES. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 41,000. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 DODGE RAM 3500. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 13V529000 (STEERING). THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT TWO AUTHORIZED DEALERS WERE CONTACTED AND THEY STATED THAT THE PARTS WERE NOT AVAILABLE FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME. THE DEALER DID NOT PROVIDE A SPECIFIC DATE WHEN THE PARTS WOULD BECOME AVAILABLE. THE MANUFACTURER COULD NOT PROVIDE AN ESTIMATED DATE FOR WHEN THE VEHICLE WOULD RECEIVE THE RECALL REPAIRS. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE.

DRIVING DOWN ROAD AT 55MPH ROAD CURVED TO THE LEFT AND THE FRONT END STARTED SHAKING SO VIOLENTLY THAT THE SIDE POCKETS AND THE DASH EMPTIED ONTO THE FLOOR AND DIDN'T STOP UNTIL I GOT DOWN TO APPROXIMATELY 20 MPH. *TR

THERE IS A RECALL ON THE TIE ROD. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A CHRYSLER DEALERSHIP IN KISSIMME FL IN 2014 ON TWO DIFFERENT OCCASIONS. WE WERE TOLD BY THE DEALERSHIP BOTH TIMES THAT THE TIE ROD WAS NOT BAD AND THEY WOULD NOT CHANGE IT OUT. ON 2/21/15, I WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 10 MPH WHEN THE TIE ROD FRACTURED AND I LOST COMPLETE STEERING AND WAS SHOT LEFT OF CENTER. FORTUNATELY, THERE WAS NO ONCOMING TRAFFIC AND I WAS ABLE TO PULL OFF THE SIDE OF THE ROAD WITHOUT CRASHING INTO ANYTHING OR ANYONE. I WAS LESS THAN 1/4 MILE FROM THE MAIN ROAD, AND I SHUTTER TO THINK WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED IF I WOULD HAVE BEEN ON THAT 4 LANE HIGHWAY. THIS COULD HAVE BEEN PREVENTED IF THE DEALERSHIP WOULD HAVE DONE ITS JOB WITH THE RECALL. *TR

WHILE TRAVELING IN HEAVY RAIN, THE WIPERS STARTED TO OPERATE IN INTERMITTENT MODE, EVEN THOUGH THE SWITCH WAS SET TO CONTINUES OPERATION. MINUTES LATER, THEY SEEMED TO QUIT ALTOGETHER. USING WINDOW WASH WOULD GET ME THE NORMAL FOUR SWIPE FUNCTION, SO I HAD TO CONTINUE UNDER THIS PATTERN. AS I CONTINUED, THE WIPER FUNCTION WOULD OCCASIONALLY RETURN TO FULL, OR INTERMITTENT FUNCTION WITHOUT REGARD TO SWITCH POSITION (EXCEPT OFF). THE NEXT DAY WAS DRY, AND THE WIPERS OPERATED NORMALLY, AND LOCAL DEALER COULD NOT FIND A PROBLEM. IN THE NEXT RAIN, THE PROBLEM RETURNED AFTER ABOUT TWENTY MINUTES OF USE. I RETURNED TO THE DEALER, BUT RAIN HAD STOPPED, AND SO DID THE PROBLEM. IT HAS NOW BEEN ABOUT THREE YEARS OF DEALING WITH THIS ISSUE, AND STILL I GET NOTHING BUT FRUSTRATED SHRUGS. THIS PROBLEM CAN ARISE WITHIN MINUTES OF RAIN, OR THIRTY PLUS MINUTES, BUT DOES NOT HAPPEN IF I RUN THE WIPERS WITHOUT RAIN. I DID ONE EXPERIMENT WHEN THE TRUCK HAD BEEN PARKED OUTDOORS AND IT STARTED TO RAIN. WITHOUT MOVING, I STARTED THE WIPERS AND LET THEM RUN. THEY OPERATED NORMALLY FOR MORE THEN AN HOUR BEFORE THE PROBLEM STARTED, SO I BELIEVE AIRFLOW IS GETTING WATER SOME PLACE THAT IS CAUSING THE PROBLEM. AFTER INFORMING THE DEALER, THEY WANT TO DO A VERY EXPENSIVE TRIAL AND ERROR, NOW THAT THE TRUCK IS OUT OF WARRANTY. *TR

APPROXIMATELY 3 MONTHS (AND 2637 MILES OF HIGHWAY DRIVING) AFTER HAVING SAFETY RECALL N62 / NHTSA 13V-528 WORK ACCOMPLISHED BY LANDERS MCLARTY DEALERSHIP IN HUNTSVILLE ALABAMA, THE DRAG LINK DISCONNECTED DISCONNECTED FROM THE RIGHT TIE ROD AT APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH. THIS RESULTED IN A COMPLETE LOSS OF STEERING AND CAUSED MY VEHICLE TO CROSS OPPOSING TRAFFIC LANES AND ENTER A DITCH BEFORE I COULD STOP THE VEHICLE. THE RECALL REPAIRS WERE NOT CONDUCTED PER DEALER SERVICE INSTRUCTIONS. LANDERS MCLARTY DODGE SERVICE MANAGER HAD PROVIDED ME AN E-MAIL INDICATING "I HAVE TALKED TO ALL 3 OF THE TECHNICIANS THAT PERFORM THIS RECALL, AND THEY ALL STATED THAT THEY USE AN IMPACT GUN TO ACTUALLY INSTALL THAT NUT, DUE TO THE TEFLON THAT IS ON THE INSIDE OF IT TO KEEP IT FROM BACKING OFF AFTER IT IS INSTALLED. IT IS VERY TOUGH AND IS VERY TIME CONSUMING TO INSTALL WITH HAND TOOLS." THE DEALER SERVICE INSTRUCTION STATE AT STEP #16. CONNECT THE DRAG LINK TO THE RIGHT TIE ROD END (FIGURE 8). TIGHTEN THE NEW DRAG LINK RETAINING NUT TO 96 FT. LBS. (130 NM). THE ASSOCIATED FIGURE 8 CLEARLY INDICATES THE USE OF A TORQUE WRENCH AND IS LABELED AS SUCH. BEING AN ENGINEER AND FAMILIAR WITH LOCK NUTS AND BOLTED JOINT DESIGN, I BELIEVE THE USE OF AN IMPACT GUN FOR INSTALLATION COULD RESULT IN A BROKEN/CRACKED NUT, OR LOSS OF THE TEFLON LOCKING FEATURE DUE TO HEATING OR MECHANICAL ABUSE DURING INSTALLATION. LANDERS MCLARTY SHOULD RE-ACCOMPLISH RECALL WORK FOR ALL VEHICLES THAT USED IMPACT GUN TO ACCOMPLISH THE REPAIR. *TR