Investigations
| NHTSA ID | Manufacturer | Date open | Date close | Subject | Recall campaign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | ||||||
| PE04039 | CHRYSLER GROUP LLC | 04/13/2004 | 08/26/2004 | FALSE PARK | ||
| There have been 50 complaints to odi and daimlerchrysler alleging incidents of reverse powered rollaway in subject vehicles that were parked with the engine running and the parking brake disengaged.the incidents are alleged to have resulted in 42 crashes and 3 injuries. according to daimlerchrysler, incident vehicle inspections have not identified any misadjusted or broken parts.a typical incident is believed to involve the following set of conditions:(1) with the vehicle on a relatively level surface, an attempted shift into park inadvertently places the transmission in a position between the reverse and park gear detents; (2) the driver exits the vehicle with the key in the ignition, the engine running, and the parking brake disengaged; and (3) after some delay, the vehicle begins traveling rearward.in prior investigations of other daimlerchrysler products, reverse motion was found to result from a gradual pressurization of the reverse circuit (hydraulic reverse). daimlerchrysler attributes the incidents to operator error in using a system that functioned as designed.according to daimlerchrysler, the alleged defect cannot occur if the driver:(1) shifts fully into park as indicated by end of shifter travel slam, the forward throw of the shift lever, and/or the illumination of the park indication in the prndl display; (2) removes the key from the ignition; (3) turns the engine off; or (4) engages the parking brake. the subject vehicles are equipped with:(1) daimlerchrysler's re-specific transmissions that have been the subject of two previous odi reverse powered rollaway investigations (ea96-006 & ea01-017); and (2) a column mounted shift mechanism with an electronic gear position indicator (prndl) that is located in the dash display directly forward of the steering wheel.two peer populations of dodge ram pickup trucks were analyzed for comparison with the subject vehicles:(1) my 2001-02 ram 2500/3500 pickup trucks equipped with similar transmissions, but a different shifter with a mechanical prndl; and (2) my 2003-04 ram 1500 pickup trucks equipped with the same shifter as the subject vehicles but different transmissions.the complaint rate in the subject vehicles is significantly higher than in the two peer populations.this investigation has been upgraded to an engineering analysis. | ||||||
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION - GEAR POSITION INDICATION (PRNDL) | ||||||
| PE04039 | CHRYSLER GROUP LLC | 04/13/2004 | 08/26/2004 | FALSE PARK | ||
| There have been 50 complaints to odi and daimlerchrysler alleging incidents of reverse powered rollaway in subject vehicles that were parked with the engine running and the parking brake disengaged.the incidents are alleged to have resulted in 42 crashes and 3 injuries. according to daimlerchrysler, incident vehicle inspections have not identified any misadjusted or broken parts.a typical incident is believed to involve the following set of conditions:(1) with the vehicle on a relatively level surface, an attempted shift into park inadvertently places the transmission in a position between the reverse and park gear detents; (2) the driver exits the vehicle with the key in the ignition, the engine running, and the parking brake disengaged; and (3) after some delay, the vehicle begins traveling rearward.in prior investigations of other daimlerchrysler products, reverse motion was found to result from a gradual pressurization of the reverse circuit (hydraulic reverse). daimlerchrysler attributes the incidents to operator error in using a system that functioned as designed.according to daimlerchrysler, the alleged defect cannot occur if the driver:(1) shifts fully into park as indicated by end of shifter travel slam, the forward throw of the shift lever, and/or the illumination of the park indication in the prndl display; (2) removes the key from the ignition; (3) turns the engine off; or (4) engages the parking brake. the subject vehicles are equipped with:(1) daimlerchrysler's re-specific transmissions that have been the subject of two previous odi reverse powered rollaway investigations (ea96-006 & ea01-017); and (2) a column mounted shift mechanism with an electronic gear position indicator (prndl) that is located in the dash display directly forward of the steering wheel.two peer populations of dodge ram pickup trucks were analyzed for comparison with the subject vehicles:(1) my 2001-02 ram 2500/3500 pickup trucks equipped with similar transmissions, but a different shifter with a mechanical prndl; and (2) my 2003-04 ram 1500 pickup trucks equipped with the same shifter as the subject vehicles but different transmissions.the complaint rate in the subject vehicles is significantly higher than in the two peer populations.this investigation has been upgraded to an engineering analysis. | ||||||
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION - LEVER AND LINKAGE - COLUMN SHIFT | ||||||
| PE04039 | CHRYSLER GROUP LLC | 04/13/2004 | 08/26/2004 | FALSE PARK | ||
| There have been 50 complaints to odi and daimlerchrysler alleging incidents of reverse powered rollaway in subject vehicles that were parked with the engine running and the parking brake disengaged.the incidents are alleged to have resulted in 42 crashes and 3 injuries. according to daimlerchrysler, incident vehicle inspections have not identified any misadjusted or broken parts.a typical incident is believed to involve the following set of conditions:(1) with the vehicle on a relatively level surface, an attempted shift into park inadvertently places the transmission in a position between the reverse and park gear detents; (2) the driver exits the vehicle with the key in the ignition, the engine running, and the parking brake disengaged; and (3) after some delay, the vehicle begins traveling rearward.in prior investigations of other daimlerchrysler products, reverse motion was found to result from a gradual pressurization of the reverse circuit (hydraulic reverse). daimlerchrysler attributes the incidents to operator error in using a system that functioned as designed.according to daimlerchrysler, the alleged defect cannot occur if the driver:(1) shifts fully into park as indicated by end of shifter travel slam, the forward throw of the shift lever, and/or the illumination of the park indication in the prndl display; (2) removes the key from the ignition; (3) turns the engine off; or (4) engages the parking brake. the subject vehicles are equipped with:(1) daimlerchrysler's re-specific transmissions that have been the subject of two previous odi reverse powered rollaway investigations (ea96-006 & ea01-017); and (2) a column mounted shift mechanism with an electronic gear position indicator (prndl) that is located in the dash display directly forward of the steering wheel.two peer populations of dodge ram pickup trucks were analyzed for comparison with the subject vehicles:(1) my 2001-02 ram 2500/3500 pickup trucks equipped with similar transmissions, but a different shifter with a mechanical prndl; and (2) my 2003-04 ram 1500 pickup trucks equipped with the same shifter as the subject vehicles but different transmissions.the complaint rate in the subject vehicles is significantly higher than in the two peer populations.this investigation has been upgraded to an engineering analysis. | ||||||
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION - LEVER AND LINKAGE - FLOOR SHIFT | ||||||
| PE04039 | CHRYSLER GROUP LLC | 04/13/2004 | 08/26/2004 | FALSE PARK | ||
| There have been 50 complaints to odi and daimlerchrysler alleging incidents of reverse powered rollaway in subject vehicles that were parked with the engine running and the parking brake disengaged.the incidents are alleged to have resulted in 42 crashes and 3 injuries. according to daimlerchrysler, incident vehicle inspections have not identified any misadjusted or broken parts.a typical incident is believed to involve the following set of conditions:(1) with the vehicle on a relatively level surface, an attempted shift into park inadvertently places the transmission in a position between the reverse and park gear detents; (2) the driver exits the vehicle with the key in the ignition, the engine running, and the parking brake disengaged; and (3) after some delay, the vehicle begins traveling rearward.in prior investigations of other daimlerchrysler products, reverse motion was found to result from a gradual pressurization of the reverse circuit (hydraulic reverse). daimlerchrysler attributes the incidents to operator error in using a system that functioned as designed.according to daimlerchrysler, the alleged defect cannot occur if the driver:(1) shifts fully into park as indicated by end of shifter travel slam, the forward throw of the shift lever, and/or the illumination of the park indication in the prndl display; (2) removes the key from the ignition; (3) turns the engine off; or (4) engages the parking brake. the subject vehicles are equipped with:(1) daimlerchrysler's re-specific transmissions that have been the subject of two previous odi reverse powered rollaway investigations (ea96-006 & ea01-017); and (2) a column mounted shift mechanism with an electronic gear position indicator (prndl) that is located in the dash display directly forward of the steering wheel.two peer populations of dodge ram pickup trucks were analyzed for comparison with the subject vehicles:(1) my 2001-02 ram 2500/3500 pickup trucks equipped with similar transmissions, but a different shifter with a mechanical prndl; and (2) my 2003-04 ram 1500 pickup trucks equipped with the same shifter as the subject vehicles but different transmissions.the complaint rate in the subject vehicles is significantly higher than in the two peer populations.this investigation has been upgraded to an engineering analysis. | ||||||
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION - PARK/NEUTRAL START SWITCH | ||||||
| PE04039 | CHRYSLER GROUP LLC | 04/13/2004 | 08/26/2004 | FALSE PARK | ||
| There have been 50 complaints to odi and daimlerchrysler alleging incidents of reverse powered rollaway in subject vehicles that were parked with the engine running and the parking brake disengaged.the incidents are alleged to have resulted in 42 crashes and 3 injuries. according to daimlerchrysler, incident vehicle inspections have not identified any misadjusted or broken parts.a typical incident is believed to involve the following set of conditions:(1) with the vehicle on a relatively level surface, an attempted shift into park inadvertently places the transmission in a position between the reverse and park gear detents; (2) the driver exits the vehicle with the key in the ignition, the engine running, and the parking brake disengaged; and (3) after some delay, the vehicle begins traveling rearward.in prior investigations of other daimlerchrysler products, reverse motion was found to result from a gradual pressurization of the reverse circuit (hydraulic reverse). daimlerchrysler attributes the incidents to operator error in using a system that functioned as designed.according to daimlerchrysler, the alleged defect cannot occur if the driver:(1) shifts fully into park as indicated by end of shifter travel slam, the forward throw of the shift lever, and/or the illumination of the park indication in the prndl display; (2) removes the key from the ignition; (3) turns the engine off; or (4) engages the parking brake. the subject vehicles are equipped with:(1) daimlerchrysler's re-specific transmissions that have been the subject of two previous odi reverse powered rollaway investigations (ea96-006 & ea01-017); and (2) a column mounted shift mechanism with an electronic gear position indicator (prndl) that is located in the dash display directly forward of the steering wheel.two peer populations of dodge ram pickup trucks were analyzed for comparison with the subject vehicles:(1) my 2001-02 ram 2500/3500 pickup trucks equipped with similar transmissions, but a different shifter with a mechanical prndl; and (2) my 2003-04 ram 1500 pickup trucks equipped with the same shifter as the subject vehicles but different transmissions.the complaint rate in the subject vehicles is significantly higher than in the two peer populations.this investigation has been upgraded to an engineering analysis. | ||||||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| POWER TRAIN | |||
| 04/09/2012 | 108000 | ||
| While driving at 70 mph on freeway, transfer case exploded and fell out on roadway along with part of the drive shaft rendering vehicle completely undriveable. | |||
| 01/01/2011 | 48000 | ||
| My differential has went out twice in my 2004 dodge ram 2500 diesel truck. the first time it went out at 48k miles (may 2008) (covered by warranty) and the second time at 137k miles. both times the failure begain with a winding sound from the differential,then followed by differemential slip. if not corrected right away the differential will begin rattling before coming apart. the potential harm is that the differential can lock up when going down the road. the repair action is to replace all bearings and gears in the differetntial $1800). i do not tow anything with this heavy duty truck. i have kept up with the recommended manufacturer maintenance schedules. i have reported this to dodge and they do not recognize the problem as common. i have only 1k miles on the 2nd rebuilt differential and i already have to take it in for winding and slipping of the differential. i have it scheduled for 28 jan 2011 to have it looked at again. | |||
| 04/15/2004 | 11625 | 1 | |
| 2004 3/4 ton diesel truck involved in rollback accident which killed consumer's wife.***no answer required***.*mr the vehicle was placed in park with the engine running, the consumer exited the vehicle in which he thought his wife was going to join him, however a few minutes later, the consumer noticed his wife was not by his side and the vehicle was rolling in reverse and his wife was laying in front of the truck. the police investigation revealed that the truck was defective, in that the gear shifter indicated that when the truck is in park for 15-20 seconds it suddenly and without notice drops into reverse. *jb | |||
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | |||
| 08/21/2006 | 91997 | 1 | 09/26/2003 |
| Dt*: the contact stated a nhtsa recall 05v462000 regarding powertrain: automatic transmission was performed but did not correct the problem. an out-of-park alarm was installed but the alarm sounded when the engine idled and the door was opened. | |||
| 01/01/1901 | 3 | ||
| Ltr re defective shift lever for 2004 dodge 2500 quad cab, concerned that a safety recall service notice for an out of park alarm system for 2003-2005 attempts to fix transmission or shift lever problem in his vehicle. *kb the consumer stated he placed the gear into park with the motor running, the consumer returned to the front of the vehicle, when all of a sudden the vehicle started to roll backwards. the consumer attempted to stop the vehicle, but slid off due to ice and the door knocked him to the ground, while the vehicle continued to roll backwards. the consumer requested that the recall be completed on his vehicle, however he stated the manufacturer refused to install the necessary equipment to complete the recall. the seat belt didn't retract fully. *jb | |||
| 02/10/2006 | 45265 | 3 | 04/30/2004 |
| 2004 dodge ram 2500 diesel pickup truck came out of park and went into reverse while running and started across parking lot with no one in the vehicle. vehicle almost ran me over when it went into reverse. i had gotten out to move a cart. dealership contacted, appointment scheduled to repair problem. vehicle had popped out of park twice (2) before with engine off. dealership was advised of both incidents and advised there were no recalls/safety bulletins. *jb | |||
| 01/01/1901 | 1 | ||
| 2004 dodge 2500 gear shifted out of park and into reverse and the vehicle ran into a pallet of tile.*mr the truck was running when this happened. the vehicle right rear fender was damaged. *nm | |||
| 06/27/2005 | 4 | ||
| Dt: contact stated her husband drove a pickup for beaver valley supply co. inc. while the truck was idling it jumped from park into reverse. it just shook terribly. while contact's husband was driving he parked the vehicle, left it idling, and left his wife in the truck. the truck jumped into reverse while idlining, resulting in a crash into a neighbor's fence. contact talked to the dealer. they checked the truck, and it didn't show anything was wrong with it.*ak | |||
| 12/01/2004 | 5000 | 2 | 08/03/2004 |
| The first time was in december 04 my truck went out of park while running and backed into a wall. march 22 it backed into a rock wall and damaged the side. *jb | |||
| 02/15/2005 | 11394 | 2 | 04/01/2004 |
| On two occasions the truck was left running in park. it automatically came out of park and into reverse. the first time it just back up down the street and i ran and caught it. the second time it back out of driveway, catching the door on a fence post and tearing the driver's side door off the truck.*ak | |||
| 10/05/2004 | 1 | 04/01/2004 | |
| The truck was parked when it suddenly began to roll backwards. *nm the driver attempted to get in the truck while it was moving but the door knocked him down and the truck ran over his right leg and arm. the driver sustained massive bruises and later developed an infection. the manufacturer was notified about the incident. *nm *jb | |||
| 09/22/2004 | 45000 | 1 | 07/11/2004 |
| While the vehicle was running in park, the vehicle slipped out of the park. *jb the vehicle rolled backwards and crossed the highway and hit two poles causing major damage. *tc | |||
| 08/10/2004 | 12500 | 2 | 12/10/2003 |
| Dear sirs i have a 2004 dodge desiel pickup 3 ton bought new last december. current mileage is 13,000. it has gone from park to reverse twice. last time had to cut it out of the cedar trees. i had got out and went around to the mail box on the other side. on the way back pickup took off... dodge company says that i should turn off the engine and set the emergency brake whenever i leave the truck. i live on a ranch with a half a dozen gates to get out and open. it just doesn't make sense to turn on and off a desiel that many times aday. if you could provide me with any suggestions, would be truly appreciated...thank you. sincerely hazelle calcote. *ak | |||
| 01/01/2004 | 2 | ||
| While the vehicle was running but in the parked position, it automatically slipped into reverse. this incident has happened twice. the consumer had to run and jam the brakes to stop the vehicle. the consumer took the vehicle to the dealer, who stated there was nothing wrong. *ak *jb | |||
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION - GEAR POSITION INDICATION (PRNDL) | |||
| 08/26/2005 | 7000 | 2 | |
| Dt: there is a problem with the indicator light on the dash and a problem with the gear shifter. the consumer states that when putting the vehicle into gear the indicator light does not always show the correct gear. before the consumer put the vehicle into park with the motor running, and when the consumer exited the vehicle, it did not move at first, then it rolled backward. this caused property damage. this incident occurred on 8-26-05, and similar incidents happened at least five times. when the consumer took the vehicle to the dealership they could not find the cause of the problem. *ak | |||
| 09/21/2004 | 10000 | 1 | |
| I pulled up to a local gas station and placed the shift lever in the park position as indicated by the shift indicator leaving the vehicle running as i went in to get an air chuck. i was inside maybe a minute and came out to find my truck had gone into reverse and backed out into a busy street and crashed into a tree a little ways down. the vehicle was still running and the indicator still read park but the truck was clearly in reverse. the rear bumper was pushed in as well as the right rear fender and back edge of the truck box.*ak | |||
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION - LEVER AND LINKAGE - COLUMN SHIFT | |||
| 08/26/2005 | 45000 | 3 | 04/01/2004 |
| Dt: the contact's truck jumped out of park into reverse on its own. he talked to the dealer, and the dealer told him to call daimler chrysler. they claimed they would have to see what the problem was. this was the third time this happened. the last time it happened was on 8-26-05 and the truck almost ran over him. on 8-31-05 the dealer was suppose to tear down the transmission and fix it. had 20,000 miles left on warranty. it was 70,000 miles power train warranty, and daimler/chrysler were not sure if the repair work will be covered under the warranty. *ak | |||
| 11/15/2004 | 5293 | 1 | |
| Vehicle slipped out of the park gear to reverse gear. this caused the vehicle to roll back into a wall. dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem. *ak | |||
| 09/21/2004 | 10000 | 1 | |
| I pulled up to a local gas station and placed the shift lever in the park position as indicated by the shift indicator leaving the vehicle running as i went in to get an air chuck. i was inside maybe a minute and came out to find my truck had gone into reverse and backed out into a busy street and crashed into a tree a little ways down. the vehicle was still running and the indicator still read park but the truck was clearly in reverse. the rear bumper was pushed in as well as the right rear fender and back edge of the truck box.*ak | |||
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION - PARK/NEUTRAL START SWITCH | |||
| 12/08/2004 | 3856 | 1 | 09/17/2004 |
| Vehicle is a 2004 dodge ram 2500 with automatic transmission and a diesel engine. i exited the vehicle to check an issue with home construction. put the vehicle in neutral on a flat street in phoenix opened the door and walked approximately 20 feet. a coworker yelled at me as my truck took off in reverse , wasn't rolling. while going backwards the door hit palates of roof tile and bent the door back. the truck eventually rolled into a home and stopped. the gear was still in neutral. called dodge, was told there was no problem with truck and there was nothing to correct. a year later, there was a recall for this same problem. called dodge to make a claim, and was told that this vehicle was not included in the recall due to the vin although my truck and options match the recall description. i want my vehicle fixed, and the insurance company reimbursed for the repairs $3000. think the recall needs to be expanded and not be based solely on vin numbers, but the description of the vehicle and associated options listed in the recall.*ak | |||
| POWER TRAIN - DRIVELINE - CENTER SUPPORT BEARING | |||
| 12/13/2004 | 400 | 2 | 03/13/2004 |
| My wife and i bought a 2004 dodge 2500 hemi quad cab pick-up last march. we took is back to the dealership every month last year except july which was the month we got married. the problem was a high pitched whine coming from what was later discovered to be the center bearing. this whine would start at 20 mph and would continue longer the colder is was. it would also continue into higher speeds the colder it was. the dealership tried many things to fix it including replacing the center bearing twice. nothing worked for more than a day. in december one of the service managers said the center bearing was vibrating so hard,i couldn't keep my hand on it. he also reported that dodge was aware of the problem and was not able to come up with a solution. at this time my wife and i proceeded to enforce the lemon law in december. we finally took delivery of an identical replacement truck about 3-4 weeks ago. initially the truck ran fine. then this last sunday, monday and tuesday the new truck started making the exact same noise and the previous lemon. do you have any further information on this problem? | |||
| POWER TRAIN - TRANSFER CASE (4-WHEEL DRIVE) | |||
| 07/19/2004 | 300 | 10 | |
| While driving at any speed the 4-wheel drive engaged. as a result, turning became difficult.*ak | |||