Investigations
| NHTSA ID | Manufacturer | Date open | Date close | Subject | Recall campaign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| STEERING | ||||||
| PE99069 | CHRYSLER GROUP LLC | 11/08/1999 | 03/27/2000 | OVERSENSITIVE STEERING | ||
| Odi has received 14 consumer complaints concerning steering control concerns.complainants typically alleged that the steering is loose, oversensitive, or has excessive play.they further alleged that this phenomena contributes to the vehicle wondering back and forth and being difficult to maintain in its lane.the majority of the complaints are on vehicles which are equipped with the v-10 or diesel engine.a preliminary evaluation will be conducted to assess the safety aspects of this matter. | ||||||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| STEERING | |||
| 07/06/2006 | 60000 | ||
| The steering in this vehicle is terrible when braking,the dashboard is craked and broken very bad in several places dodge wants to do nothing about these problems.when i apply the brakes the vehicle pulls very hard,this is not an allignment i have had that done changed the rotors the whole 9 yards still the same problem.the dash started out as a little crack now it is broken in several places.this is ridiculous.i will never purchase another dodge they dont stand behind there vehicles. | |||
| 01/20/2008 | 1 | 08/10/2005 | |
| Vp44 fuel pump dies without any notice leaving passengers and driver stranded at highway speeds loss of steering control because of no power assist! track bars that fail because of poor engineering causing loss of steering control ! track bars fail within 1-2 years of use! at a cost os 3-500$ each! *tr | |||
| 04/10/1999 | 1 | 03/06/1999 | |
| 1999 dodge truck, 2500, 4x4, quad cab, with cummins diesel. complaint: vehicle wondering back and forth and being difficult to maintain in its lane. i've had steering problems since purchase of this vehicle. no one seems to know what is causing the steering problem. *jb | |||
| 12/10/2004 | 26296 | 2 | 03/20/1999 |
| I have a 1999 dodge ram 2500 4 x 4 quad cab with the v-10 manual transmission. since i purchased it new in march 1999, i have twice replaced the rr track bar ($200 part, not including labor) and the steering intermediate shaft ($89 part, not including labor). this truck wanders all over the road and a heavy clunk is felt in the steering wheel. the dealer mechanics keep telling me that's typical of this vehicle, but there is no recall. why? i have also noticed an abundance of coolant loss at each oil change since about 10,000 miles...up to 1 gallon per 3000 miles. the radiator pressure checked ok. dealer mechanics and chat rooms have told me this is another typical problem with this truck. apparently the antifreeze blows through the headgasket and into the exhaust system where it evaporates. still no recalls. why are automanufacturers getting away with this?*ak | |||
| 01/01/2001 | 32000 | 03/06/2001 | |
| 1999 dodge ram 1500 quad cab truck - when a bump or rough patch in the road is hit, the front end begins to shake violently. wheel hop occurs and the vehicle must be pulled off the road and stopped completely before the steering returns to normal - happens almost everytime on the same bumps or patches on the same roads. the problem is so bad the truck is basically undrivable and is a very dangerous concern - only 74,000 miles on the truck and have replaced most all the frontend parts as well as brake rotors, etc. still occurs. seems daimler chrysler has known of this issue for some time, but has done nothing to resolve the issue. i am aware of serveral wrecks due to this issue and there is even a website that address the issues apparently many ppl are having - http://www.dodgetrucksteeringproblems.com/ chrysler has done nothing to offer assistance and the dealer refuses to resolve the issues without havingto pay them allot of money and still it does not get resolved. | |||
| 11/24/1999 | 4 | 07/01/1999 | |
| When the vehicle steering is turned during takeoff front/back motion,from a parked posistion, the steering drags really bad. condition gets worse as the tempature drops. very difficult to get out of a parking lot while steering drags. *ak | |||
| 02/01/1999 | |||
| Although steering did not fail. it is horrible to keep control of vehicle. the steering has a constant binding you must overcome when turning in either direction. you end up over compensating and are in a constant zig-zag especially at highway speeds. this has been a problem with ram 2500's so my dealer tells me. chrysler says it is normal characteristic of this vehicle. i have never driven anything that steers as bad as this in my whole life. *ak | |||
| STEERING - COLUMN | |||
| 12/20/2002 | 86031 | 2 | 03/26/1999 |
| 3/7/2007. 1999 dodge ram. contact states that a chrysler dealer told him not to use the tilt wheel because it will break the wires in the steering column again. **cc the consumer also stated t he seat belts are inoperative. *jb | |||
| STEERING - GEAR BOX (OTHER THAN RACK AND PINION) | |||
| 01/01/2000 | 90000 | ||
| Power steering is loose and vehicle wanders at 65 mph, constant leak in power steering gear box. *nlm | |||
| 04/02/2002 | 09/01/2000 | ||
| Wrecked prior to sale to me. never reported to me. numerous service bullitons on this equipment, not reported to the owner. no safety defect listed. *ak | |||
| 04/01/1999 | |||
| This truck is unsafe!! two weeks after purchase, steering pulled hard to the left when loaded/towing. now truck pulls hard to the right when braking (loaded or not), but will occassionally pull left. driver is never sure which direction truck will pull. dealership has made numerous repairs to the steering, suspension, and brakes; including but not limited to steering gear box, ball joints, calipers, suspension arms, alignment, tire pressure, tire rotation, tire size. district service manager has stated these trucks have very sensitive suspensions and the pulling is normal. this is a 3/4 ton 4-wheel drive work truck and it has a sensitive suspension? *ak | |||
| 04/27/2000 | 2 | 08/01/1999 | |
| No summary listed for above vehicle. *ak | |||
| 06/01/1999 | |||
| This is my second truck from dodge. the first truck they replaced the steering box 4-5 times and tried many other things like alignment, tire pressure, tire rotation etc, to try to correct a severe wondering problem and they could not fix this. chrysler offered me a new truck to replace this one and i reluctantly agreed. i finally took delivery after numerous paperwork problems and it turned out that this truck has the same problem along with several problems. i have had the truck to back to the dealer numerous times for the front end and they tried front end alignments, tire rotations, more tow on the front end, new steering boxes, replaced the brakes & turned the rotors at 8,000 miles, repainted about half the truck etc. when i first test drove the vehicle i told the salesperson (joe zappia) at wilsons that there was a front end problem with the vehicle and he assured me that it would be taken care of before delivery. i took delivery of the vehicle and i drove the truck down the street and realized that the truck was never fixed. i drove back to the dealership and spoke to the service manager on duty and he told me that they never told him that ther was a front end problem. so from that day on in january 1999 i have been very lucky to keep my truck in my own lane going down the road! | |||
| 06/02/1999 | 05/01/1999 | ||
| Steering loose at center, truck darts and weaves, steering drags while turning to the right. dealer statement on repair ticket states manufacturer is aware of problem and cannot be repaired by the dealer. *ak | |||
| 06/02/1999 | 05/01/1999 | ||
| Steering loose at center, truck darts and weaves, steering drags while turning to the right. dealer statement on repair ticket states manufacture is aware of problem and cannot be repaired by the dealer. | |||
| 12/01/1998 | 2 | ||
| Steering loose , many items have been replaced, in arbitration now. *ak | |||
| STEERING - HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM | |||
| 11/16/2000 | 1 | ||
| Vehicle is experiencing problems with the power steering, it locks up while driving and loses power steering while sitting still and without foot on brake, dealer has replaced the power steering pump twice, power steering gear box, installed a vacuum booster, and installed power steering lines, however vehicle still experiences problems. fuel leveling unit was replaced and the sending unit was also replaced, dealer also replaced the instrument cluster due to a faulty fuel gauge. consumer felt pulsation in brakes, dealer found rear drums warped and rotors out of round. *slc | |||
| STEERING - LINKAGES - ARM - IDLER AND ATTACHMENT | |||
| 06/15/2002 | 45000 | ||
| 199 doge ram ext cab 4x4, diesel - ball joints and front bushings wearing out and need to be replaced with less than 48,000 miles on vehicle | |||
| STEERING - RACK AND PINION | |||
| 04/17/2000 | 1 | 05/01/1999 | |
| Binding and slip-stick operation from new - @10,000 mi hard binding @20mph non-repeatable; dealer rep indicated stiff steering normal; independent alignment service reported non-adjustable internal binding; suspect factory misassembly or incorrectly manufactured internal component. *ak | |||
| STEERING - WHEEL AND HANDLE BAR | |||
| 05/01/2000 | 02/01/1999 | ||
| Steering has a considerable amount of play when in center position. the truck drifts from left to right making it hard and laborious to control. the dealership and chrysler motors have had many chances to solve this issue but instead pass the problem back to me for resolution. *ak (dot number: vnw81xl060 tiresize: 265/75r16) | |||
| 07/17/1999 | 3 | 07/01/1999 | |
| 1. auto transmission drops out of drive to neutral when start from washboard road surface or hit bump while driving. dealer (ed moses dodge) says that chrysler recommends driving in 2nd gear. this info is not in the owners manual. 2. steering will not center - always pulls r or l. 2 attempts by dealer to repair have failed. unstable on washboard road. | |||
| 20 | |||
| Steering column is loose. this causes the vehicle to veer out of control suddenly without warning, and the shifter does not slide into the gear properly. dealer has been contacted.*ak | |||