2013 RAM 3500 Complaints

Vehicle Left rear wheel detached on Interstate 94 in Washtenaw County, Michigan. Resulted in death of another motorist. Michael James Brooks was operating the Black Dodge 4 Door, 2013 vehicle, traveling westbound on I-94. The vehicle tire detached and traveled into a vehicle operated by Janice Southall. The incident resulted in a rollover collision and death of Janice Southall.

THE VEHICLE WAS PROVIDED TO THE DEALER. ON DAY THREE THE DEALER INFORMED VEHICLE OWNER THAT THE DEFECTIVE WATER PUMP, UNDER NHTSA Recall Number17V-562 IS NOT REPAIRABLE AS FCA DOES NOT HAVE THE REPLACEMENT PART AVAILABLE, DEALER STATES THAT FCA HAS 160 NEW WATER PUMPS ON HAND AND ALL OF THEM ARE DEFECTIVE. THIS SAFETY RECALL REMAINS OPEN.

THE TIE ROD END, WHICH WAS PREVIOUSLY RECALLED, BROKEN IN TO TWO PIECE AT THE ADJUSTMENT SLEEVE WHILE DRIVING.

BATTERY DRAIN. BOUGHT SEVERAL BATTERIES OVER THE PAST 4 YEARS AND EACH BATTERY WILL LAST 2 MONTHS AFTER THAT I WOULD HAVE TO START THE TRUCK UP EVERY OTHER DAY, SO THE BATTERY WOULDN' T GO DEAD. .

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 RAM 3500. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 9V021000 (STEERING) AND NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 15V541000 (STEERING) COMPLETED AT LOCAL DEALER STAR DODGE CHRYSLER JEEP RAM LOCATED AT 5101 S 1ST ST, ABILENE, TX 79605, (325) 698-2222. THE CONTACT STATED AFTER THE REPAIRS WERE COMPLETED WHILE HIS WIFE WAS DRIVING SHE EXPERIENCED THE DEATH WOBBLE AND SKIMMED THE CEMENT WALL OF A BRIDGE. THE CONTACT STATED NO WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT STATED NO ONE WAS INJURED OR SEEKED ANY MEDICAL ATTENTION. NO AIR BAGS DEPLOYED. THE CONTACT STATED HE HAD ALSO EXPERIENCED THE FAILURE WHILE DRIVING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE SAME DEALER AND WERE MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT STATED HE HAD ALL 4 TIRES CHANGED BUT CONTINUED TO EXPERIENCE THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED BUT WAS UNABLE TO SPEAK TO ANYONE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 119,175.

WHILE DRIVING ON A CITY STREET AT APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH, AN ENGINE SPRING VALVE BROKE, CAUSING CATASTROPHIC ENGINE DAMAGE. THE ENGINE IS A TOTAL LOSS AND MUST BE REPLACED. WE ARE HOPING THERE ARE OTHERS OUT THERE WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED THAT SAME FAILURE SO THAT A RECALL CAN BE ISSUED. WE ARE CURRENTLY STUCK WITH THE $15K BILL.

DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY, A 3 YEAR OLD MICHELIN DEFENDER LTX DRIVERS SIDE REAR TIRE SEPARATED AND THEN EXPLODED. BODY DAMAGE WAS $9,000 PLUS THE COST OF REPLACING ALL THE TIRES. MICHELIN AFTER 7 WEEKS RESPONDED SAYS IS WAS A CLASSIC TRAUMA TO THE TIRE FROM A POTHOLE OR ROCK SOMETIME DURING ITS LIFE. IN THE 3 YEARS I HAVE DRIVEN ON THESE TIRE THERE WAS NEVER ANY TRAUMA. THE SAME DAY I WAS AT THE TIRE SHOP, 3 OTHER VEHICLES WERE THERE FOR THE SAME ISSUE. AN INDEPENDENT TIRE SHOP AND THE BODY SHOP THAT HANDLED THE REPAIRS CONFIRMS MICHELIN TIRES DO NOT HOLD UP TO ARIZONA'S HEAT. THEY SEE MORE BLOWOUTS AND SEPARATIONS THAN WITH OTHER TIRES. HAS THE NHTSB LOOKED INTO MICHELIN TRUCK TIRES TO SEE IF THEY ARE COVERING SOMETHING UP WITH THEIR LIGHT TRUCK TIRES? IT SEEMS IF A TIRE CANNOT HOLD TOGETHER AFTER 30,000 MILES THEY NEED TO BE TAKEN OFF THE ROAD.

MY VEHICLE EXPERIENCES A PHENOMENON COMMONLY KNOWN AS 'DEATH WOBBLE'. (GOOGLE '2013 DODGE RAM 3500 DEATH WOBBLE' TO VIEW VIDEOS OF THIS ISSUE). WHEN DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEED AND ENCOUNTERING A CERTAIN CURVE RADIUS COMBINED WITH A BUMP OR DEFECT IN THE ROADWAY SURFACE, THE FRONT SUSPENSION BEGINS VIOLENTLY VIBRATING. THE STEERING WHEEL SHAKES VIOLENTLY AND THIS VIBRATION CANNOT BE STOPPED BY HOLDING THE WHEEL. APPLYING THE BRAKES TRANSMITS THE VIBRATION TO THE BRAKE PEDAL. THE ONLY REMEDY IS TO ALLOW THE VEHICLE TO SLOW DOWN BY REMOVING ANY INPUT TO THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. WHEN THE VEHICLE SPEED DROPS TO BELOW APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH, THE VIBRATION CEASES. THIS HAS HAPPENED TO ME NUMEROUS TIMES AND MAKES ME FEEL AS IF I COULD LOSE CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. IF THIS WERE TO OCCUR ON A WET OR SNOW COVERED ROADWAY, I THINK THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD MOST LIKELY SPIN OUT OF CONTROL. I HAVE BROUGHT MY VEHICLE IN TO TWO DIFFERENT DODGE DEALERS TO COMPLAIN ABOUT THIS ISSUE. THEY SAID THAT THEY WERE 'UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE ISSUE'. THIS IS NOT SURPRISING SINCE IT REQUIRES A VERY SPECIFIC COMBINATION OF VEHICLE SPEED, STEERING ANGLE, AND BUMP OR OTHER INPUT TO THE SUSPENSION SYSTEM. MY VEHICLE WAS UNDER WARRANTY COVERAGE WHEN I COMPLAINED OF THIS ISSUE TO THE DEALERS. MY VEHICLE IS NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY COVERAGE BUT THE VEHICLE STILL HAS THIS ISSUE. THE DEALERS TELL ME I HAVE TO TAKE IT UP WITH DODGE TO TRY AND GET THEM TO COVER THIS. NOT SURPRISINGLY, DODGE TELLS ME I HAVE TO TAKE IT UP WITH THE DEALERS.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 RAM 3500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT 65 MPH, WITHOUT WARNING A VIOLENT SHAKING OCCURRED WITHIN THE STEERING WHEEL. THE CONTACT MANAGED TO REGAIN CONTROL OF THE STEERING WHEEL, VEERED TO THE SHOULDER OF THE ROAD, TURNED THE VEHICLE OFF AND BACK ON WHICH THEN RESUMED BACK TO NORMAL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE THE FRONT END WAS INSPECTED AND DETERMINED THAT THE FRONT LOWER CONTROL ARMS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE DEALER, PLANET FORD-DODGE LOCATED AT 19000 EASTEX FWY, HUMBLE, TX 77338 WAS CONTACTED AND INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT NO WARRANTY WAS AVAILABLE ON THE VEHICLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 162,000.

THE DEF GAUGE DOES NOT SHOW THE CORRECT AMOUNT OF DEF FLUID THAT IS ACTUALLY IN THE TANK, IT IS ALWAYS SHOWING FULL.