Bulletins


BulletinBulletin dateReplacement BulletinItem no.SummaryAdded
STEERING - HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST - HOSE, PIPING, AND CONNECTIONS
08-00406/30/2008100253462003-2008 (dr) ram truck 1500-steering shudder during parking lot or low vehicle speed maneuvers. *pe07/30/2008

Consumer Complaints


Fail datemilesoccurencesPurchase date
STEERING
06/01/201157000
 The dash board is all cracked up now do to dodge using cheap materials. i have always put up a sun shade no matter where i parke my truck and it is always in my garage when not being driven. shame on dodge chrysler products for making such a garbage truck. and the rack & pinion steering should last alot longer than it has. no wonder people buy foreign autos. they are far superior.
04/21/2011101000
 While driving came up to lights and the engine stalled had no steering and no brake put engine in park restarted and drove on this has happened numerous times in nd out of traffic. when pulling hard to the left or right the engine will begin to stall did this while truck was sitting in front yard. had a tune up done and went away for a while but now it is starting up again.
05/17/2011111400
 Tl-the contact owns a 2003 dodge ram 1500. the contact stated while driving 55 mph and there is a bump in the road the steering would pull to the right very hard and very fast. he has to jerk the steering back very quickly. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer. the manufacturer was contacted who stated there was no recall or warranty for this failure. they offered no other assistance. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 111,400...mw
11/15/20091980001
 My 2003 dodge ram has rack and pinion problems (leaks and stiffness). i have been advised the truck will be undriveable if the rack and pinion system experiences a major fluid leakage, which seems to be common for these vehicles. the design of this system is a safety hazard and should be repaired by the manufacturer. a major accident is on the horizon for this poor design. let's be proactive on this one. they still have bailout money. *tr
04/18/2009697661
 I was driving my truck when i heard a squeaking sound coming from the right front of the truck. the next day i brought it to the dealer and had it looked at. they told me the squeak was from the rack and pinion and the boots were also leaking fluid.i told them that i just had the rack and pinion fixed at 53,314 miles and now at 69,766 miles. the dealer said they would look into it and they came up with no recalls or complaints. i am not happy. i had the dealer fix the rack and pinion both times. out of pocket cost $855.77 and now $978.32. *tr
01/18/2009607681
 My 2003 dodge ram, with 60,768 miles on it, had a failure of the rack and pinion steering. luckily this did it when parked, and i noticed that king kong could not steer it. if this happened while driving, this could have been a disaster. chrysler will not stand up for this repair, and from the dodge forums, this seems to be a very common (and recurring) problem. i fixed at the local dodge dealership in west salem, wi for a cost of $1130.00 i am sadly disappointed in chrysler, making, in my opinion, a known defective product, and not offering support to the consumer. chrysler should be made liable for this issue, for the safety of many others still on the road today. thank you for your time. *tr
07/20/2006689471003/01/2003
 Dt*: the contact stated while driving 35 mph, the rear end became noisy under normal road conditions. the nature of the failure was gradually worsening. the vehicle was taken to the service dealer ten times since october 22, 2004, who determined the pinion bearings as well as side clips failed.
05/06/200492090108/31/2003
 Front end shakes when braking. tires are blad on on side due to frount end out of place. this has been in too the dealer 3 times for the front end and 2 times for the brakes.*ak
STEERING - COLUMN
05/11/200541950103/14/2005
 While driving down the road with the a/c on high, the consumer smelled smoke and saw it coming from the steering wheel column. the wires had melted and burned the ignition switch up. there were no prior problems with the vehicle. the dodge mechanic said that these particular vehicles have been known to have problems with the a/c staying on high for long periods of time. the consumer has already been in contact with the dodge manufacturer. the vehicle was not included in the recall that was a year before this vehicle. the problem has already been corrected. *jb *sc *jb
07/13/200431000107/03/2003
 While driving vehicle lost power (no throttle response). next the ignition switch went bad. *bf the vehicle's steering column was out of alignment. *nm
STEERING - LINKAGES
12/14/200538300111/13/2003
 Dt: the contact complained about a steering linkage failure. prior to the failure the contact heard a noise coming from the steering column. he took the vehicle to a service dealer, who was unable to duplicate the problem, and no repairs were made. later, while entering a curve, the contact's vehicle steering failed, resulted in the vehicle crashing into a fence. upon inspection he discovered the steering linkage lying on the ground underneath the vehicle. the vehicle was towed to a service dealer. no repairs have been made. the vehicle was a dodge, ram van, 1500.*ak
STEERING - LINKAGES - KNUCKLE - SPINDLE - ARM
04/09/200858290103/31/2003
 Tl*the contact owns a 2003 dodge ram 1500. while driving 35 mph, the hub loosened at the knuckle and the brakes failed. the contact pulled off the road and the vehicle was towed to a repair shop. a diagnostic was performed and the mechanic stated that they could not repair the failure because it was a wearable part. they further stated that the failure was caused by the lack of maintenance. the vehicle was towed from the dealer to the contact's residence because it was unable to be driven. the failure mileage was 58,290.
STEERING - LINKAGES - TIE ROD ASSEMBLY
06/20/2005106800110/30/2002
 Vehicle has 107,000 miles on it 4.7 l. head gasket blew water number 2 cylindermotor over heated. now dealership wants to charge $2600 to fix. out of 5 dodges have had 4 with bad head gaskets. 2 caravans with 2,4l and a breeze(plymouth) with a 2l. was told by a non dodge mechanic shop this is the 3rd one they have seen. has anyone else had this problem. also had right inner tie rod go out once and is doing so again. causes severe tire wear and very erattic steering. please post to this site if similar problems may force dodge to stand behind their products and show this is something common and they are just biting their tounge until our warranty has expired.
03/12/20031700102/20/2003
 Note: i had to write down florida for the state, because there is no option for puerto rico. while driving in a mountanous area with curves(asphalted road), after a curve at approximately 10-20 mph, i felt the truck lost the right side front tire, when i checked i had lost the part of the front suspension that holds the disc, caliper bearing, tire, ball joints and all other related parts. i recovered the assembly that included the above parts. i took the truck to the chrysler dealer, they told me they had to wait for a chrysler engineer to determine if it was a defect( the car was brand new and had about 1700 miles and three weeks old). the engineer arrived to puerto rico last thursday march 20 2003, and in a couple of hours (2-3 hours) determined that it was all an accident( i am a mechanical engineer). i asked for this information in writing- i still haven't received it). since the first week i had the ram, i felt a noise that really sounded like a loose part under the dash, other than that i did not feel anything abnormal in the driving characteristics, i had spoke with the salesman and asked him about the warranty procedure, to take the ram in for this noise.
STEERING - RACK AND PINION
01/25/2006230001
 2003 dodge ram 1500 quad cab, temperature 38 below. rack & pinion failed, vehicle would not turn. 23000 miles on vehicle. this has been a problem in cold climates. fix is replace unit. that's great under warranty when that runs out then its my dime, not acceptable. what happens when it gets cold next winter my warranty will be expired. next time it could cause a fatal car accident. *jb
02/23/20051
 The end of the truck locked up, preventing the driver from steering the vehicle and maintaining control. took vehicle for check up, and results showed that the rack and pinion sheared off.*ak
12/09/20031000410/24/2003
 1) bought new 03 dodge qc/laramie/hemi in oct 2003. 2) at 1000 miles my brakes began to warp 3) at 3,245 miles i brought my truck in for service; told the dealer (rockwall dodge) that my brakes were warped. they're response was (on service bill) brake pads worn out but no trouble found on test drive they told me to take my car home because nothing was wrong with it. 4) for the next 3,000 miles i drive it until i cannot handle the truck anymore. brakes make the vehicle shake violently; under towing loads the vehicle becomes unstable and uncontrollable. i take the truck back to the dealer who refuses to give me a rental for work under warranty to the brakes which now required my calipers, rotors and pads to be replaced because the warping was so severe. dealer requests i pay for a rental for the time it takes to fix the car because they do not have the parts. 4) steering gears warp which causes the need for the entire rack assembly to be replaced at 14,000 miles; more than likely from the ruined brakes. 5) brakes replaced again at 19,000 and 21,000 miles. 6) 4 total inquiries on brake issues. contacted dodge about the problem and they quote will fix the brakes until the warranty is over. after 36,000 miles the problem is no longer ours and you are out of luck. contacted dealership truck was bought from. says they do not know anything about the texas lemon law and offered to help me out of the situation first by saying i'd get an even trade for a new 04, but when i showed up in person they responded if i gave them $8,000 to trade for the new truck.