Recalls
| Campaign | Manufacturer | Manufacturing date | Type | # of units affected | Date Owner notified Mfg | Recall Initiated by | Manufacturers of recalled vehicles/products | Report Recieved Date | Record Creation Date | Regulation Part Number | FMVSS Number | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| STEERING - GEAR BOX - SHAFT PITMAN | ||||||||||||||||
| 10E013000 | FABTECH MOTORSPORTS | E (Equipment) | 1500 | 05/24/2010 | MFR | CHRYSLER GROUP LLC | 05/03/2010 | 05/03/2010 | ||||||||
| Defect Summary | Fabtech is recalling certain aftermarket replacement pitman arms, p/nos. fts93001 and ft44039, installed for use on certain 2003 through 2008 dodge 2500 4wd, 3500 4wd, and 1500 4wd mega cab vehicles. the pitman arm can fracture and break away from the steering box causing total loss of steering control. | |||||||||||||||
| Consequence Summary | Steering loss could result in a vehicle crash possibly resulting in property damage, injury or death. | |||||||||||||||
| Corrective Summary | Fabtech will notify owners and authorized installers will inspect for defective pitman arm and replace if necessary free of charge. the safety recall began on may 24, 2010. owners may contact fabtech at 1-877-432-2832. | |||||||||||||||
| Notes | This recall only pertains to aftermarket fabtech replacement pitman arms and has no relation to any original equipment installed on dodge 2500, 3500, and 1500 vehicles manufactured by chrysler group, llc.owners may also contact the national highway traffic safety administration's vehicle safety hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (tty 1-800-424-9153), or go to http://www.safercar.gov . | |||||||||||||||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| STEERING | |||
| 06/21/2011 | 80500 | 1 | |
| On a road trip i was driving on a highway at 65 mph and i hit a small light decal that delineates the lines on the road and my truck began to shake violently and so severely that i nearly lost control. braking did not stop the shaking, not accelerating until it slowed to about 35 mph did stop the shaking. i pulled over immediately because i was terrified that it would happen again. since i was in the middle of nowhere i decided that i would drive again but at a slower pace. this time i drove at 55 mph and when it hit a tiny bump again it began to shake horribly again. and once again i was stressed beyond belief that i was barely able to control this truck. this continues to happen at high speeds and if there is any ruffness on the road. please recall these trucks and fix them. i paid alot of money for a truck that i thought would be good quality and now i am stuck with a piece of junk that i cannot drive faster than 35 mph for fear that i will kill myself or someone else. and i refuse to sell this lemon to some other poor soul. *tr | |||
| 06/21/2011 | 80500 | ||
| On a road trip i was driving on a highway at 65 mph and i hit a small light decal that delineates the lines on the road and my truck began to shake violently and so severely that i nearly lost control. braking did not stop the shaking, not accelerating until it slowed to about 35 mph did stop the shaking. i pulled over immediately because i was terrified that it would happen again. since i was in the middle of nowhere i decided that i would drive again but at a slower pace. this time i drove at 55 mph and when it hit a tiny bump again it began to shake horribly again. and once again i was stressed beyond belief that i was barely able to control this truck. this continues to happen at high speeds and if there is any ruffness on the road. please recall these trucks and fix them. i paid alot of money for a truck that i thought would be good quality and now i am stuck with a piece of junk that i cannot drive faster than 35 mph for fear that i will kill myself or someone else. and i refuse to sell this lemon to some other poor soul. | |||
| 05/10/2012 | 62180 | ||
| We were driving to the store and the vehicle started shaking violently and caused us to go into the other lane. i slowed down to stop, got out looked for some broken part.... did not see anything out of the ordinary. we then proceeded slowly back home and the vehicle just had a continuous vibration, but did not shake violently. i then looked it up on the computer and found others having the same problem. i would really like to know what needs to be done to avoid excess cost but be safe. | |||
| 11/03/2009 | |||
| Dodge death wobble as its called by most, violent shakes in the front end put me in a ditch. i put up with it for about a year but kept getting worse called dodge and took it to a dealer which in turn charged me $150 to tell me nothing was wrong. took corrective safety actions myself ordered new front end parts $750 from dodge fixed problem with local mechanic. they are aware of it but really do not want to address the issue if at all possible. | |||
| 01/15/2010 | |||
| While driving at 65 +speeds and hitting a bump in the road lost steering wheel control. i called dodge recall hotline and was told my vehicle was not part of the recall. i am fearful driving this truck due to this problem. this happens every time as i have to do freeway driving in order to go shopping..i contacted the dealer where i purchased it and they never answered my inquery.. | |||
| 03/08/2005 | 48193 | ||
| In 3/05 began to wobble in front end when travelling at higher speeds. assumed tire and alignment issue, tires replaced computerized wheel balance & front-end aligment. 8/05 vehicle in for tire rotation wheel balance and aligment periodically when travelling higher speeds continued wobble. 4/06 rotation and alignment done again. wobble continued periodcially at highter rates of speed, corrected self if you slowed down and resumed travel. 1/07 wheel balance, tire rotation and aligment done. in 07 wobble continued, end of 07 occured more frequently. 1/08 goodyear found steering stabalizer needed to be replaced. service performed along with new tires, wheel balance and aligment. advised this should take care of the wobble. end of 08 wobble began again. 5/09 truck in for tire rotation, wheel balance and aligment. 6/09 wobble continued truck repaired at sunrise auto all upper and lower ball joints and axle seal replaced and aligment. 9/09 truck recalled for steering linkage done at deland chrysler 9/10/09. 5/10 tire rotation wheel balance and aligment done as wobble continued periodically at higher rates of speed. 11/2/10 wobble increased truck to steve's auto and had u-joint, shocks and stabalizer links replaced. wobble continued to occur periodcially. 2/26/11 replaced shocks again with heavier duty shocks balanced tires. wobble continues. 3/9/11 replaced right front hub assemble. wobble worsening - 10/11 son-in-law was using vehicle and wobble so bad almost lost control of vehicle. took vehicle to tires plus who advised me to take it directly to chrysler dealer related to death wobble. immediately to chrysler was advised they knew exactly what i was talking about stated that chrysler re-designed steering linkage. cost $908.24 had to replace my tires as the wobble ruined tires plus another alignment. appears to have been resolved. | |||
| 08/23/2008 | 125000 | ||
| Death wobble if the truck hits a dip or bump in the road that is uneven/angle the front end starts shaking so violently the entire truck will shake. the shake is so violent that anything in the truck goes flying throughout the truck. the only way to stop the shake is to hit the brakes and bring the truck to 10-20 mph. there is no control over steering during this shaking as the steering wheel takes two hands all your strength to hold on to. there are no front end parts defective or worn which would cause this issue. the shake can occur at speeds from 30 on up. i have had my truck looked at by a mechanic and there is no cause other that a bad design. contacted the dealership i bought the truck from and they have not heard of death wobble and state they have no complaints. i have replaced ball joints which did not correct problem. shaking is also becoming more frequent to the point truck can't go on the expressway anymore. | |||
| 09/11/2010 | 110000 | ||
| Our 2003 dodge 2500 is experiencing something referred to on many websites and blogs as the death wobble!! this very scary shake occurrs when you go over 50 mph or drive on cracked or uneven roads, including paved highways!! chrysler has not stepped up and accepted the blame and refuses to acknowledge this problem as a recall. dodge dealerships and a local mechanic have done repairs but nothing fixes it. this vehicle is too dangerous to drive!! we are still making monthly payments on our truck, and can not afford to put anymore money into it!! there are many other dodge truck owners out there experience this problem! someone needs to make chrysler take responsibility. i hope your organization has the strength to make them accountable. it is only a matter of time before someone dies... if it hasn't happened already!! here is a link to a blog of other disapointed dodge truck owners https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogid=29790327&postid=1828630666049356082&page=1&token=1284427578344_aie9_bfismzar6xjkp4fe6syt4diq9yfihzyhohz7hmj5_v3gume4q-oe-uap1fln-ed4qipq0cib884eefvdbmuak4scezcjlbdawgy2t39mb3bju5zpkugcfcya4h0tqbtnodcet91b_alfxrkzvizjsvobaewpiir4pn01z2lnhyaivcumzq9bjsvyknnxir761wezlnsojlxmvdwfjlcbe8kwy2ochbqegbur7a0oyfvoewdfjkkcvvkgaymu07ym8thcgl1gzjhektbl2v9hlc28k_g1aagdxvv5ufynu2p5ytfb_ft0baauprfkpdfvvciqiztbr9kvbubukd3h4b-sy_ck7ykwlzziilltp6iqi-xotuzsyzfoxtkpqsajy_v7tottukos4nr6yn3atxpexkxxpagdqm-7dwdf70bggwm0atgyslsohrt6-qoidy2igoyyzya5zlowqas2egca3ssxtxjybi15g0wl6ipprlkgs--3fwsl4trz7jmimt3a_y9gn5mjqnxh8st9uf6kjkso05zbdm42z04o32oeetmuorfoyloc9n-b_6ikcjwigtk01naqwkw_j_lq3nbywzusljyj3qw-c30m5h8cthq8mztn7b7o2payvy402rhcbovbhzipilgtkwr6odz9jycaulqfeqdtboly3pgiy3g0ql_pahgfabyde4aaxgpjqahqz1jug46wjnblhd88g13dfbaqcqivatq33qvoqgelvtlxs39kkerup0mf5ds47y9mn8bacwedffqyglnlooiojzjtrvv6sihm2gp6ftvk4jiwkbphopm91yi1q8k4rlp | |||
| 08/29/2010 | 65100 | ||
| I have a 2003 dodge ram 2500 i have had two different incidents of the steering wheel violent shaking while on the highway. i was very scared and pulled over immediately. when i reluctantly returned to the interstate the truck drove normal. this is a huge hazard to me and other drivers on the road. this needs to be address immediately. | |||
| 09/03/2009 | 56500 | 1 | |
| There have been numerous forums and blogs reporting this same problem among various owners with different equipment specs. the one thing we all seem to have in common is this problem called death wobble. while driving my truck at highway speeds, if i hit a bump at an angle, the front end would start to shake violently. so violently that i have to let my foot of the gas and coast to a speed that puts my life in danger because i can not safely or reliably steer the truck off the road. it takes everything i've got to keep the truck in the lane i am traveling in. this has happened several times and, each time, i try to get it fixed or have a mechanic look into what is causing the violent shaking. most of the time, the mechanic (about 5 different service stations) can't duplicate the problem. i asked a senior customer service agent with chrysler what they could do. she said that goodwill assistance was declined. i asked her what she meant by that, she said that i don | |||
| 04/01/2006 | 30000 | 1 | |
| Truck shakes after hitting bump at 70 miles per hr. *tr | |||
| 04/10/2007 | 1 | 01/10/2007 | |
| Traveling down freeway at speed of 70 mph passed over overpass hit bump and truck begin shimmying uncontrollably, had to bring truck to complete stop to get shimmying to stop. this has happened many times at speeds about 55 mph hit bumps and truck begins shimmying uncontrollably, have to completely stop vehicle each time. have replaced everything in front end along w/ adjusted air pressure in tires according to service bulletin, nothing seems to work. took to dealer they stated nothing else could be done. truck still has same shimmy and cannot get anything done about it. this needs to be recalled before someone gets seriously injured. *tr | |||
| 01/01/2005 | 70000 | 4 | 11/11/2004 |
| Dt: the contact stated there was excessive play within the steering and a shimmy in the front right tire at speeds of 65 mph. the truck could strike a bump in the road and there would be complete loss of control. the vehicle has been to a dealer for inspection of this problem. the dealer discovered the right front tire was about to fall off. also, he noted that the pitman arm, tie rod, and stabilizer bar needed to be replaced. no repairs were performed due to the expense. she contacted the manufacturer, but they did not offer any cost assistance. *ak | |||
| 06/11/2005 | 66700 | 2 | |
| Vehicle was driving at 55mph when suddenly complete loss of steering occurred and brakes locked simultaniously causing vehicle to spin out of control into oncoming traffic. no accident occurred although oncoming traffic also spun out of control to avoid accident. engine never died and when vehicle stopped itself steering and brakes returned to what appeared to be normal. driver was to shaken to continue and her brother took over. he re-entered highway and slowly accelerated watching gauges to look for abnormal occurances. when vehicle reached 45mph oil pressure guage jumped all the way to top reading, complete loss of steering re-occurred, and brakes locked again causing vehicle to spin again out of control. vehicle was towed to nearest dealer where dealer said they had never heard of that happening. contacted chrysler where they said they had no record of that happening. perhaps because the people are all dead? whatever causes this sequence of events to be able to occur should be of major concern to the people at chrysler. the vehicle is under warranty but since no one seems to understand how this could happen how do i ever put my family back in this truck again much less hook up our horse trailer to it? | |||
| 02/10/2004 | 1 | ||
| I drive a 2003 ram 2500 quad cab pickup. several times while driving this vehicle at highway speeds i have come to a bump in the road, (sometimes just a repair left after construction), and nearly lost control of the vehicle. the steering wheel becomes loose feeling, and the vehicle actually looses contact with the roadway. i fear having this happen someplace where there are other vehicles in close quarters. i have taken the vehicle in to the service department where i purchased it. my service manager admits he has had this same experience in a demo vehicle he drove. he lowered the tire pressure (way below what i thought was recommended). this does help some, but it doesn't completely fix the problem. i also worry about driving on underinflated tires. this has happened numerous times, with the most recent being today.*ak | |||
| STEERING - COLUMN | |||
| 08/05/2006 | 55580 | 3 | 04/17/2003 |
| 03 2500 dodge truck will not come out of park. shift cable replaced by dealer during first service. steering column parts replaced during second service within 2 days. one day later it is stuck again. *nm | |||
| STEERING - ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM | |||
| 02/11/2007 | 50000 | 1 | 02/12/2003 |
| I have a 2003 dodge 2500 pick up, the power steering reservoir is leaking. the dealer told me that this is not a recall item. since this leak could cause a loss of power steering causing an accident,possibly serious, i felt that i should report this problem. my truck has 53xxx miles on it. i think that this is too soon for a problem of this type to be occurring. *nm | |||
| STEERING - GEAR BOX - SHAFT PITMAN | |||
| 01/01/2005 | 70000 | 4 | 11/11/2004 |
| Dt: the contact stated there was excessive play within the steering and a shimmy in the front right tire at speeds of 65 mph. the truck could strike a bump in the road and there would be complete loss of control. the vehicle has been to a dealer for inspection of this problem. the dealer discovered the right front tire was about to fall off. also, he noted that the pitman arm, tie rod, and stabilizer bar needed to be replaced. no repairs were performed due to the expense. she contacted the manufacturer, but they did not offer any cost assistance. *ak | |||
| STEERING - HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM | |||
| 07/16/2004 | 18350 | 37 | 11/28/2002 |
| Truck starts to shake violently when driving at 75 mph over, over passes and tends to loose control of steering. has happend several times. | |||
| 02/08/2004 | 5600 | 15 | 08/20/2003 |
| My 2003 dodge ram 2500 steering shudders uncontrolably when you hit a bump at highway speeds. directional control is difficultwhile this is happening. the dealership says that one other customer is having the same problem. they thought that they had fixed it by replacing the steering dampener, but he had it happen again and spun out of control.*ak | |||
| STEERING - LINKAGES | |||
| 06/01/2009 | 120000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2003 dodge 2500. the contact stated that the wiring harness failed and was repaired under warranty. on a separate occasion, the defroster and windshield wipers failed. while utilizing the driver's side turn signal, the passenger side turn signal would illuminate instead. this failure was also repaired under warranty. in addition, the contact was experiencing very hard vibrations form the front end of the vehicle. he struck a squirrel in the road and nearly lost control of the vehicle due to the vibrations. a local service dealer replaced the steering linkages in the vehicle at the contact's expense. he later received a recall notice for the suspension and excessive vibrations (steering linkages). the nhtsa campaign id number was unknown. the current and failure mileages were less than 120,000. | |||
| STEERING - LINKAGES - KNUCKLE - SPINDLE - ARM | |||
| 12/31/2004 | 54000 | 3 | 05/09/2003 |
| (1) driving on freeway at 75 mph speed limit. hit ruts in road left from semis. tires started bouncing. truck went out of control. i thought i had multiple blowouts. struggled to pull over without hitting anyone else. got truck stopped and got out and looked at tires. no damage to tires. researched symtoms on-line when home again, discovered what is being called death wobble. took truck to alignment shop today and they informed me they cannot align because all of my ball joints have way to much play and tie rod ends are worn out. further research done today on dodge owners websites and have found that many others are having death wobble issues and bad ball joints, but dodge is not replacing them because they state play is acceptable. (2) this failure is one of the most scary things i have ever encountered while driving a vehicle. twenty minutes earlier i was towing my travel trailer behind me and i think if this would have happened with the trailer on i would have not been able to control the truck. i am terrified of it happening again. (3) i have not had any parts replaced yet do to the weekend, but i will be calling a second shop on moday for a second opinion and pricing to have the parts replaced. my family means to much to me to wait for a recall from dodge on these ball joints. i do know that they just recalled durangos and dakotas for the same reason and in my opinion, they should recall full sized trucks as well. this condition could have very serious consequences up to and including death, with the vehicle going out of control at freeway speeds. *ak | |||
| STEERING - LINKAGES - ROD - RELAY - CONNECTING | |||
| 12/31/2004 | 54000 | 3 | 05/09/2003 |
| (1) driving on freeway at 75 mph speed limit. hit ruts in road left from semis. tires started bouncing. truck went out of control. i thought i had multiple blowouts. struggled to pull over without hitting anyone else. got truck stopped and got out and looked at tires. no damage to tires. researched symtoms on-line when home again, discovered what is being called death wobble. took truck to alignment shop today and they informed me they cannot align because all of my ball joints have way to much play and tie rod ends are worn out. further research done today on dodge owners websites and have found that many others are having death wobble issues and bad ball joints, but dodge is not replacing them because they state play is acceptable. (2) this failure is one of the most scary things i have ever encountered while driving a vehicle. twenty minutes earlier i was towing my travel trailer behind me and i think if this would have happened with the trailer on i would have not been able to control the truck. i am terrified of it happening again. (3) i have not had any parts replaced yet do to the weekend, but i will be calling a second shop on moday for a second opinion and pricing to have the parts replaced. my family means to much to me to wait for a recall from dodge on these ball joints. i do know that they just recalled durangos and dakotas for the same reason and in my opinion, they should recall full sized trucks as well. this condition could have very serious consequences up to and including death, with the vehicle going out of control at freeway speeds. *ak | |||
| STEERING - LINKAGES - TIE ROD ASSEMBLY | |||
| 01/01/2005 | 70000 | 4 | 11/11/2004 |
| Dt: the contact stated there was excessive play within the steering and a shimmy in the front right tire at speeds of 65 mph. the truck could strike a bump in the road and there would be complete loss of control. the vehicle has been to a dealer for inspection of this problem. the dealer discovered the right front tire was about to fall off. also, he noted that the pitman arm, tie rod, and stabilizer bar needed to be replaced. no repairs were performed due to the expense. she contacted the manufacturer, but they did not offer any cost assistance. *ak | |||
| 12/31/2004 | 54000 | 3 | 05/09/2003 |
| (1) driving on freeway at 75 mph speed limit. hit ruts in road left from semis. tires started bouncing. truck went out of control. i thought i had multiple blowouts. struggled to pull over without hitting anyone else. got truck stopped and got out and looked at tires. no damage to tires. researched symtoms on-line when home again, discovered what is being called death wobble. took truck to alignment shop today and they informed me they cannot align because all of my ball joints have way to much play and tie rod ends are worn out. further research done today on dodge owners websites and have found that many others are having death wobble issues and bad ball joints, but dodge is not replacing them because they state play is acceptable. (2) this failure is one of the most scary things i have ever encountered while driving a vehicle. twenty minutes earlier i was towing my travel trailer behind me and i think if this would have happened with the trailer on i would have not been able to control the truck. i am terrified of it happening again. (3) i have not had any parts replaced yet do to the weekend, but i will be calling a second shop on moday for a second opinion and pricing to have the parts replaced. my family means to much to me to wait for a recall from dodge on these ball joints. i do know that they just recalled durangos and dakotas for the same reason and in my opinion, they should recall full sized trucks as well. this condition could have very serious consequences up to and including death, with the vehicle going out of control at freeway speeds. *ak | |||