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 - LINKAGES - TIE ROD ASSEMBLY | ||||||||||||||||
| 11V350000 | CHRYSLER GROUP LLC | V (Vehicle) | 242780 | 10/03/2011 | ODI | CHRYSLER GROUP LLC | 07/06/2011 | 07/11/2011 | ||||||||
| Defect Summary | Chrysler is recalling certain model year 2008-2011 dodge ram 2500/3500 4x4, manufactured from february 14, 2008, through march 28, 2011; model year 2008-2011 dodge ram 3500 cab chassis 4x2, manufactured from february 14, 2008, through march 28, 2011; and model year 2008 dodge ram 1500 mega cab 4x4, manufactured from february 14, 2008, through august 15, 2008, because the left tie rod ball stud may fracture. this condition tends to occur during low speed parking lot type maneuvers when the customer is making a tight turn. additionally, model year 2003-2008 dodge ram 2500/3500 vehicles may have received the affected tie rod assembly as a replacement part during normal service. | |||||||||||||||
| Consequence Summary | This condition could result in the potential loss of directional stability in the left hand front wheel, increasing the risk of a crash. | |||||||||||||||
| Corrective Summary | Dealers will inspect the tie rod ends for relative orientation and replace the left outer tie rod as required and perform a front end toe alignment as needed. this service will be performed free of charge. the safety recall began on october 3, 2011. owners may contact chrysler at 1-800-853-1403. | |||||||||||||||
| Notes | Chrysler safety recall no. l16.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 . | |||||||||||||||
Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| STEERING - LINKAGES - TIE ROD ASSEMBLY | |||||
| SB19-001-11 REVA | 08/09/2011 | 10041904 | Dodge: bulletin providing alignment procedures for tie rod ball stud housing for the right and left. model yrs for cab chassis (reg and mega pickups and 4x4) 2003-2011. *pe | 11/16/2011 | |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| STEERING | |||
| 08/13/2008 | 51000 | 1 | |
| Driving on interstate hit a bump the front end started wobbling bad , had to hit brakes to slow down for it to stop wobbling. went to three shops replace the stabilizer shock no help,replace the front shocks help for a while and wobbles again , i ,am afraid to drive it. *tr | |||
| 08/13/2008 | 51000 | ||
| Driving on interstate hit a bump the front end started wobbling bad , had to hit brakes to slow down for it to stop wobblng. went to three shops replace the stabilizer shock no help,replace the front shocks help for a while and wobbles again , i ,am afraid to drive it. | |||
| 10/16/2012 | 99184 | 1 | |
| I was driving my 2004 dodge 2500 4x4 diesel pickup at 40-45 mph. as i was going into a curve in the road, i drove over a rough part in the road and the steering wheel started shaking violently back and forth (left and right). it was very hard to control the vehicle, i nearly crashed into a car on one side of me and a bridge railing on the other side. i thought maybe one of the front wheels was coming off the axle or i had a blowout. i slowed down and finally got the vehicle under control. i took it to a diesel repair shop immediately after this happened and they found the steering stabilizer shock leaking, the outer tie rod at the drag link and inner tie rod had some play, and both upper ball joints had some play. they replaced the steering stabilizer shock, the right inner tie rod, and the right outer tie rod. these repairs came to close to $400. they mentioned the death wobble problem and suggested we might add additional aftermarket parts to the front suspension to prevent this from happening again. the shop could not do the work right then or i would have had it done. i do not feel safe driving this vehicle now; it took all my driving experience and strength to get control of the vehicle, i do not think a weaker or inexperienced driver could have kept the vehicle from crashing. after looking at all the evidence of this death wobble problem on the internet, i cannot believe that the problem has not been solved and the vehicles recalled. people could die and or be injured and probably already have. the accident would probably be blamed on driver error with broken parts blamed on the accident instead of on the broken parts causing the accident. *tr | |||
| 10/16/2012 | 99184 | ||
| I was driving my 2004 dodge 2500 4x4 diesel pickup at 40-45 mph. as i was going into a curve in the road, i drove over a rough part in the road and the steering wheel started shaking violently back and forth (left and right). it was very hard to control the vehicle, i nearly crashed into a car on one side of me and a bridge railing on the other side. i thought maybe one of the front wheels was coming off the axle or i had a blowout. i slowed down and finally got the vehicle under control. i took it to a diesel repair shop immediately after this happened and they found the steering stabilizer shock leaking, the outer tie rod at the drag link and inner tie rod had some play, and both upper ball joints had some play. they replaced the steering stabilizer shock, the right inner tie rod, and the right outer tie rod. these repairs came to close to $400. they mentioned the death wobble problem and suggested we might add additional aftermarket parts to the front suspension to prevent this from happening again. the shop could not do the work right then or i would have had it done. i do not feel safe driving this vehicle now; it took all my driving experience and strength to get control of the vehicle, i do not think a weaker or inexperienced driver could have kept the vehicle from crashing. after looking at all the evidence of this death wobble problem on the internet, i cannot believe that the problem has not been solved and the vehicles recalled. people could die and or be injured and probably already have. the accident would probably be blamed on driver error with broken parts blamed on the accident instead of on the broken parts causing the accident. | |||
| 09/23/2011 | 142000 | 1 | |
| I was driving down the highway at 70 mph when my truck went into what consumers are calling the death wobble. the truck started shaking uncontrollably, making it hard to drive. it has continued to do it, and mechanics are having a difficult time finding out what is wrong. my wife and son were in the truck with me when it happened the first time, and i'm afraid for them to ride in the truck now because of it. i shouldn't have to fear driving my main source of transportation...especially when it's not a bad vehicle. i'm noticing numerous complaints regarding this issue. *tr | |||
| 09/23/2011 | 142000 | ||
| I was driving down the highway at 70 mph when my truck went into what consumers are calling the death wobble. the truck started shaking uncontrollably, making it hard to drive. it has continued to do it, and mechanics are having a difficult time finding out what is wrong. my wife and son were in the truck with me when it happened the first time, and i'm afraid for them to ride in the truck now because of it. i shouldn't have to fear driving my main source of transportation...especially when it's not a bad vehicle. i'm noticing numerous complaints regarding this issue. | |||
| 08/01/2012 | 74321 | 1 | |
| While driving at 55mph and above,hit bump on highway and the front end started to shake violently. the truck almost went into the other lane. *tr | |||
| 08/01/2012 | 74321 | ||
| While driving at 55mph and above,hit bump on highway and the front end started to shake violently. the truck almost went into the other lane. | |||
| 06/01/2010 | 110000 | ||
| When going over a bump in the road at approximately 50 mph, uncontrolled suspension oscillation, or death wobble, occurs. once it begins, nearly all steering control is lost. the only thing that can be done at the time is to rapidly decelerate to around 30 mph. this is very dangerous for drivers of these vehicles and anyone near by. i have spent thousands of dollars replacing factory parts with high end aftermarket upgrades and it always comes back. | |||
| 02/29/2012 | 55000 | ||
| While driving on the highway at speeds of about 55 mph and hitting any small rut or change in the road the vehicle begins to shake like crazy . i have had it at the dealer for the recall and they said it was ok . i have had it at the local truck shop and they can't figure it out . everything looks to be tight . dodge needs to get these trucks recalled before someone dies . dodge knows there is a problem why in the world won they fix this . i asked the local dealer again about the death wobble and they said that they were not aware of any death wobble . are you kidding all you have to do is google death wobble and you will see all you need to know . if i would have known about this problem store i bought this truck i would have not bought it . i am now thinking of trading it in , and let it kill someone else . | |||
| 04/01/2011 | 74000 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2004 dodge ram 2500. the contact stated that the driver side front tie rod failed while driving. the vehicle was towed to the dealer where the dealer replaced the tie rod and the steering linkage. the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer denied reimbursement, stating that the recall under nhtsa campaign id number 11v350000 (steering: linkages: tie rod assembly) was only for aftermarket tie rods however, the tie rod on the contact's vehicle was the original manufacturer's part. the failure mileage was was 74,000 and the current mileage was not available. | |||
| 03/07/2012 | 115000 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2004 dodge ram 2500. the contact received a recall notice for nhtsa campaign id number: 11v350000 (steering:linkages:tie rod assembly) however, after speaking with the dealer she was informed that the parts for the repair would take anywhere from one week to one month before they would arrive. the contact stated that having to wait one month to have a recalled component repaired was unsatisfactory. the vehicle was not repaired. the contact had not experienced a failure. the current mileage was 115,000. | |||
| 03/07/2012 | 115000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2004 dodge ram 2500. the contact received a recall notice for nhtsa campaign id number: 11v350000 (steering:linkages:tie rod assembly) however, after speaking with the dealer she was informed that the parts for the repair would take anywhere from one week to one month before they would arrive. the contact stated that having to wait one month to have a recalled component repaired was unsatisfactory. the vehicle was not repaired. the contact had not experienced a failure. the current mileage was 115,000. kmj | |||
| 03/07/2012 | 115000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2004 dodge ram 2500. the contact received a recall notice for nhtsa campaign id number: 11v350000, however after speaking with her dealership she was informed that the parts for the repair would take 1 week to a month before the dealership would receive them. the contact feels this is unsatisfactory. the current and failure mileages are 115000. bml | |||
| 06/01/2008 | 70000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2004 dodge ram 25000. the contact stated at the directional signals and the windshield wiper failed. when the right directional signals was activated, the left directional would flash and the windshield wiper would not clear the windshield. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where the dealer advised the contact that the 2500 dodge ram was not included in nhtsa campaign id number: 11v350000 (steering: linkages: tie rod assembly). the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 70,000 and the current mileage was 136,000. kmj | |||
| 06/01/2008 | 70000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2004 dodge ram 25000. the contact stated the vehicle directional signals, and windshield wiper failed. the when right directional signals was on, it indicated that the left directional was on, and the windshield wiper does not clear the windshield. the vehicle was taken to the dealer. the dealer advised that the 2500 dodge ram was not included in nhtsa campaign id number: 11v350000 steering: linkages: tie rod assembly. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 70,000 and the current mileage was 136,000. li | |||
| 11/22/2011 | 150000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2004 dodge ram 2500. the contact stated that while driving approximately 5-10 mph in the driveway, there was a loud grinding and popping noise outside of the vehicle. the contact inspected the vehicle and noticed the front driver's side tie rod end fractured. the vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. there was a recall related to the failure under nhtsa campaign id number 11v350000 (steering: linkages: tie rod assembly); however the vin was not included. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 150,000. sm. | |||
| 11/22/2011 | 150000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2004 dodge ram 2500. the contact stated while driving approximately 5-10 mph in the driveway, there was a loud grinding and popping noise outside of the vehicle. the contact inspected the vehicle and noticed the front driver's side tie rod end fractured. the vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. there was a recall related to the defect under nhtsa campaign id number 11v350000 (steering: linkages: tie rod assembly); however the vin was not included. the manufacturer was made aware of the problem. the approximate failure mileage was 150,000. js | |||
| 08/30/2011 | 95000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2004 dodge ram 2500. the contact stated that while reversing at approximately 5 mph, a loud popping noise was heard and he lost control of the steering. upon examining the vehicle, the contact noticed that the steering linkage was detached from the steering box. the vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer where the contact was informed that the steering linkage disconnected from the steering box. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileages were 95,000. kmj | |||
| 08/30/2011 | 3 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2004 dodge ram 2500. the contact stated that while reversing at approximately 5 mph, a loud popping noise was heard and he lost control of the steering. upon examining the vehicle, the contact noticed that the steering linkage was detached from the steering box. the vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer, where the contact was informed that the steering linkage disconnected from the steering box. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileages were 95,000. sm. | |||
| 07/27/2011 | 102000 | ||
| Oil seal on pitman shaft on steering box gave way suddenly spraying engine with oil and causing loss of power steering. upon inspection, it was noted that the bearing on the pitman shaft had failed. this must be a common problem as even the dealer couldn't find a steering box!! | |||
| 08/01/2011 | 20000 | ||
| Death shake has almost caused 4 accidents for me. i have been trying to get my truck fixed since 2005 dodge has yet to offer any help. any time i hit any small bump, pot hole, break in the road going over 50mph the truck enters a violent shake. i have to pull over to the side of the road and slow down to stop the shake. this is extremely dangerous in any type of traffic. the dodge dealerships have not offered any assistance other than telling me to spend thousands to replace parts that might not even fix the issue. | |||
| 05/13/2011 | 124000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2004 dodge ram 2500. while driving 20 mph, the contact stated that the steering wheel became difficult to move. the dealer nor manufacturer were notified. the failure was not diagnosed; however, the contact repaired the gear box. the current and failure mileage was 124,000. rvk | |||
| 08/01/2011 | 20000 | ||
| Death shake has almost caused 4 accidents for me. i have been trying to get my truck fixed since 2005 dodge has yet to offer any help. any time i hit any small bump, pot hole, break in the road going over 50mph the truck enters a violent shake. i have to pull over to the side of the road and slow down to stop the shake. this is extremely dangerous in any type of traffic. the dodge dealerships have not offered any assistance other than telling me to spend thousands to replace parts that might not even fix the issue. | |||
| 05/13/2011 | 124000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2004 dodge ram 2500. while driving 20 mph, the contact stated that the steering wheel became difficult to move. the dealer nor manufacturer were notified. the failure was not diagnosed; however, the contact repaired the gear box. the current and failure mileage was 124,000. rvk | |||
| 08/01/2011 | 20000 | ||
| Death shake has almost caused 4 accidents for me. i have been trying to get my truck fixed since 2005 dodge has yet to offer any help. any time i hit any small bump, pot hole, break in the road going over 50mph the truck enters a violent shake. i have to pull over to the side of the road and slow down to stop the shake. this is extremely dangerous in any type of traffic. the dodge dealerships have not offered any assistance other than telling me to spend thousands to replace parts that might not even fix the issue. | |||
| 05/13/2011 | 124000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2004 dodge ram 2500. while driving 20 mph, the contact stated that the steering wheel became difficult to move. the dealer or manufacturer had not been notified nor was the vehicle inspected. the contact repaired the gear box. the current and failure mileages were 124,000. bw | |||
| 11/01/2009 | 71875 | ||
| 2004 dodge ram 2500- front end/steering failure at 71,000 requiring replacement of entire steering linkage kit, damper and traction bar (as well as pitman arm) at cost of over $1,200. this was to correct the exact same steering problem i am reading about as reported by seemingly countless owners of dodge rams from this year. it is inconceivable to me why there has not been a formal recall and reimbursement of expenses to owners like me who paid for the recommended repair. i am the original owner and have all service repair orders. the service department at ft. collins (co) dodge reported that they were well aware of this problem, as is chrysler and that it was a serious safety issue that needed to be corrected as a total loss of steering and collapse of the front end could result if it was not repaired.. | |||
| 01/09/2011 | 128000 | ||
| When the vehicle was approx 4yrs old it began the death wobble while on the highway. for the next two years, it seemed to occur only while towing a horse trailer . the vehicle would hit an uneven area, especially on overpasses, and the entire front end of the truck would bounce from side to side becoming unstearable. stopping on the side of the road was the only way to stop the bouncing. as time went on the wobble occured more frequently and then without towing a trailer. i have replaced the bushings in the track bar with no appreciable improvement. i am now looking into steering stablilizers and heavy duty track bars. this is definitely a manufacturers defect. dodge should be paying for this fix regardless of age of vehicle. | |||
| 11/12/2010 | 100000 | ||
| I was driving my 2004 dodge ram 2500 on the freeway at about 55 mph when the wheel hit a pot hole. at that moment the steering wheel began to shake uncontrolably. i immediately slowed down and the shake stopped. after that inncodent i really started to pay attention and it does it from 55 mph and up. i have tried to have the issue corrected but nothing seems to fix the problem. it is very unsafe to drive my vehicle. | |||
| 11/10/2004 | 102321 | ||
| 2004 dodge ram 2500 severe death wobble accures when you pass 40 mph and hit even a small bump it has been so bad at times that i have injured my neck i have replaced tires stock size, shocks, bearings,rotors,ball joints,bushings my wife is afraid to drive this truck and hates to even ride in it now she says its a major accident waiting to happen it has throwed us across the lanes just the other day i just missed the guard rails by inches if the roads are snow covered forget driving it unless your life insurance is payed up | |||
| 06/10/2008 | 56000 | ||
| 2004.5 ram qc 4x4 diesel. extremely loose steering/front end after less than 60,000 miles. no full-on death wobble, but came close when hitting bumps. research indicated this is a known issue on these trucks due to the design of the aam 9.25 axle. ball joints are too small for the weight of the truck and only the bottom 2 joints bear the weight. the upper 2 ball joints bear no weight and are not ball joints, but more like pins that allow vertical movement when turning (because of the poor geometry design of the axle). due to this arrangement, there are no adjustments of any kind for wear and any wear on the lower joints results in looseness. this in turn causes more stress on the upper joints and they fail quickly. i refuse to pay the ridiculous price at the dealer for poor quality design and parts that will fail soon again. i purchased very expensive ball joints that have been designed to help overcome the inadequacies of this low quality axle. also had to replace all tire rod ends, link arms, trackbar and steering damper. steering box was also worn severely due to the front end parts wallowing around constantly. i added a steering brace to help. wheel bearings also shot, but they are not servicable on this axle. entire hub has to be replaced with non serviceable bearings pre-installed. very expensive to do at $300 each instead of the usual $40 or so per wheel!!! disgusted with dealerships that are clueless about this axle. they all want to just blame it on tire balance, alignment or driving habits. even the certified mechanics in their garage are clueless as well. as many of these trucks that are experiencing this problem you;d think someone at dodge would know this by now. had i known about this axle at the time of purchase i would not have bought this truck! | |||
| 04/05/2010 | 30000 | ||
| While driving under normal conditions truck began shaking viloently while traveling about 60 mph and striking bump in road. truck began to shake so viloently that items were falling from visors and items were falling from various storage locations in vehicle. i attmepted to gradually slow down and problem actually became worse, until i achevied about 25-30 mph. this is commonly called the death wobble and to my understanding dodge is aware of this . this has occured on 3 occasions and has caused me to nearly loose control of truck. the first occurance was so severe i actually called 911 center and asked them to come and check highway, due what i had thought was a to buckle in the pavement. the truck at that time had 30k miles or so. after this occured i assumed it was due to road condition. recently when it has occured again and i began investigating its cause,now realizing its the vehicle, and not the raod casuing the shaking. this could be deadly as vehicle becomes uncontrolable. | |||
| 01/21/2010 | 44000 | 3 | |
| Dodge death wobble. i have a 2004 dodge ram 2500 that has the death wobble. i see not many have been reported, but everyone ends up with it at one point. read message boards. they all talk about their experiences. i have to pay 300 bucks to replace parts that are recommended to possibly solve the problem. it is not deadly if handled correctly, but it causes you to have to stop immediately. i had to stop 3 times on the pa turnpike over the weekend. just got back from dealer. only suggested to try changing the steering dampener. that is not the issue though. *tr | |||
| 05/05/2008 | 35000 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2004 dodge ram 2500. while driving 60 mph he struck a pothole, and then the front end of the vehicle began to shimmy. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for inspection. the technician replaced all four tires. after the repair the failure resurfaced. the technician recommended the replacement of the tie rods, ball joints and steering damper. no repairs were made. the failure mileage was 27,000. the current mileage was 35,000. | |||
| 09/19/2009 | 43125 | 1 | |
| When driving my 2004 dodge ram 2500 and i hit a bump in the road the truck shakes uncontrollably. this is has happened before and i took it to the dealer who says there is nothing wrong with it. we have replaced all parts in front end that might have been bad and it still continues to happen, this truck only has 40,000 miles on it. we have a friend with a 2005 that has the same problem. *tr | |||
| 07/17/2009 | 105475 | 1 | |
| We own a 2004 dodge ram 2500, they had a recall on it was h46, which was a steering linkage, we took it our dealer and they said that it was ok, but the steering shaft was about to fall out. failure is imminent, they said vehicle is unsafe for the road, i tried to buy the lower shaft, but i can't get it without buying the upper shaft, because of a design change. why would they change the design if there wasn't a problem, we ask this question to chrysler and they couldn't or wouldn't answer our question. we drive this vehicle daily and could not feel any play or difference in the wheel. if not for the recall h46 we could have had an accident. why do these companies wait until somebody get seriously hurt or die before they decide to take action with a problem they know they have. why we are sending this to you because they redesigned apart and no explanation why. *tr | |||
| 05/25/2008 | 47000 | 1 | |
| Steering column has clicking noise. dodge said it needs to be replaced. the truck only has 47k miles. (already had to replace computer because truck would shut off while going down the highway). i'm concerned i will just lose steering. this truck has been nothing but trouble. *tr | |||
| 03/03/2008 | 25000 | 3 | 01/05/2006 |
| I have had several problems with the front end of my 2004 dodge ram 2500 3/4 ton four wheel drive ranging from poor ride (shaking and shimmying), tire wear, and several gearboxes being replaced. i originally took it in with 35,000 miles on it to the dealership and they told me the problem was due to the tires being out of balance and that the tire were wore wrong causing the shimmy feeling. now, two years later the tires on the right side are destroyed, so i took it back to the dealer and they told me it needed an alignment. i took it to local tire company to have new tires and an alignment done and they informed me that the upper and lower ball joints the need to be replaced along with one tie rod at 52,000 miles, costing $1,500 for the work on the front end and $900 for tires. for a vechicle that has never been abused or seriously taken off-road this is ridiculous. *tr | |||
| 06/03/2007 | 55000 | 10 | 06/06/2004 |
| When truck is at highway speeds - 65mph and above, and hits a bump, pot-hole, or other in the road, it develops a severe shimmy/shake (aka death wobble) in which the truck becomes out of control and has to be brought to almost a complete stop in order for the driver to regain control. *tr | |||
| 05/10/2007 | 39500 | 4 | 06/01/2004 |
| I too have recently experienced the violent shaking/shimmy or death wobblewith the 2004 ram 2500, the first time at 75-80 mph and could do nothing to stop the problem,. i figured i was going too fast and hit a bump at a weird angle. then, it happened again at 60-65 mph with the same results. you have to just hang on and slow the truck down and hope people get out of the way. the third time it was the final one. i took the truck to the dealership, and they replace the steering damper, that was accomplished with no help. the problem actually got worse and occurred again at much lower speed. i will be replacing the inner and outer right tie rods, and will try again once they arrived. until then i would be confined to city driving. dodge needed to wake up and see that this was an extreme safety problem that must be looked into before someone gets killed. *ak | |||
| 04/24/2007 | 60000 | 2 | 04/13/2004 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2004 dodge ram 2500. while driving approximately 75 mph under normal driving conditions the vehicle began to vibrate violently. the contact was able to reach his destination, but had to drive approximately 55 mph to prevent the vibration. the vehicle was currently being inspected by the dealer. the current and failure mileages were 60,000.*ak the consumer stated the vehicle is company property and assigned to him. the dealer to the consumer the steering stabilizer had worn out. updated 07/06/07. *jb | |||
| 07/22/2005 | 4000 | 1 | 09/27/2004 |
| Vehicle is in for a third time for same violent shaking at 65mph as reported to this site before. this vehicle is bound for a fatal head-on! i have found numerous complaints of the same problem nationwide on the internet. dodge bought back 32 vehicles from the state of maine for the same reason. is anyone at the nhtsa looking into this? i have video of the problem showing a violent high speed wobble and bounce of the front-end. the video was taken from a second vehicle as i traveled at about 70 mph. | |||
| 10/01/2004 | 4000 | 5 | 09/27/2004 |
| At less than 4000 miles on my '04 dodge ram 2500 i experienced violent shaking in the front-end at about 70-75 mph. i had to slow to about 35 to recover. this occured on a poor stretch of interstate therefor i avoided this stretch for sometime. at about 13000 miles i experienced the same problem and had to come to a complete stop to recover. this occured three more times on that trip and each time the onset occured at a slower speed. the shake is so violent that there is no steering control and slowing to abruptly enhanced the problem. i have seen several similar complaints on the internet yet only five reported to the nhtsa. there are currently three other pickups with the same problems being serviced at the same dealership i took mine to. i was told by the mechanic that they haven't tracked the problem and dodge has been of no help. i currently have 600 miles on it since the repair and the problem is back. this problem without a doubt will cause a fatal crash. i am currently restricted to town driving until this problem is solved. note: the date noted below for the date and mileage of occurence is only an estimate. | |||
| STEERING - GEAR BOX (OTHER THAN RACK AND PINION) | |||
| 01/01/1901 | 1 | ||
| 2004 dodge ram 2500 steering box leak. consumer states that service technician and service manager noticed that there was a significant leak at the top and bottom seal. mechanic determined that the steering box needed to be replaced. *kb | |||
| STEERING - LINKAGES - TIE ROD ASSEMBLY | |||
| 05/05/2008 | 35000 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2004 dodge ram 2500. while driving 60 mph he struck a pothole, and then the front end of the vehicle began to shimmy. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for inspection. the technician replaced all four tires. after the repair the failure resurfaced. the technician recommended the replacement of the tie rods, ball joints and steering damper. no repairs were made. the failure mileage was 27,000. the current mileage was 35,000. | |||
| 12/10/2006 | 3 | ||
| Tl*- the contact stated that the 2004 dodge ram 2500 had a recall listed in the local newspaper for front wheel hub and bearing unit replacement. the contact stated the recall in the newspaper was for year 2006 dodge ram. he had repairs done for lower ball joints, tie rod ends replaced, wheel bearings replaced for the right front wheel, and a wheel alignment. the contact felt that this vehicle should be part of the recall due to the repairs he had done for the front end of his vehicle. the current mileage was 96318.*ak updated 03/30/07. *jb | |||