This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
Valve stem nut split and fell off tires. Tire partially deflated. Went to put air in tire, nut fell off. Went to add air to additional tire, threads on valve stem broke off. First valve stem failed approximately 1 year ago while driving. Replaced all stems. Serious safety concern. Poor quality.
I recently had the drivers side front hub fail on my truck. Having heard a grinding noise, I took the truck home and lifted the front to inspect it. After inspecting the wheels and brakes, I removed both and found that the bearings had failed on the drivers side. These hubs are sealed units that have to be replaced. I replaced both sides to be safe. My truck has anti-lock brakes in the front also so these units cost me almost $500 with new pads. Chrysler told me that they had not fount any design problems with the hubs but as this is a critical unit that does not get serviced, it should not fail so soon. Had I driven much further the unit could have broken completely causing the entire wheel to fall off. This could have caused a serious if not fatal accident.
On my 2009 Dodge Ram truck the low tire pressure valve sensors are secured to the wheel with a retaining nut. The valve stem on the low tire pressure sensor has threads that go threw the wheels and then secure with that retaining nut. The retaining nut was made out of ether aluminum or inferior metal. During last years extreme cold weather moisture got between the treads and the retaining nut. The retaining nut on the low tire pressure sensor on the left front wheel of my 2009 Dodge Ram cracked from the moisture and cold weather. When the nut cracked the low pressure sensor fell off inside of the tire, which cause the left front tire to start to go flat. After the low tire pressure sensor fell off it was driven threw the tire before I could apply the brakes. That accelerated the tire going flat and loss of control of the vehicle. My vehicle spun around causing damage to the rear bumper and rear tailgate when it hit a guardrail.. the nuts can not be visually inspected for defects. Dodge has since redesigned the low tire pressure sensor to eliminate the defected nut design. The new low tire pressure sensor does not have an retaining nut. They are held in the wheel the same way a regular valve stem is held in. After the accident I went to the nearest repair shop and found out the other three low tire pressure sensors nuts were also defected. I had regular tire valve installed so I could continue my trip. I contacted Dodge twice about this problem. Both times they dismissed my concerns. M
- Philippi, WV, USA
Good morning, my incident is specifically related to the TPMS (tire pressure monitoring system). On the above stated date, I had just left work at approximately 8:30am. I was driving southbound on a state highway and had just accelerated to approximately 40 mph when my TPMS light flashed and a catastrophic malfunction occurred with the valve stem on the from passenger side tire. I was barely able to avoid collision as I attempted to control my vehicle and safely come to a stop on the shoulder after my front tire immediately and instantly became flattened. Upon exiting my vehicle, I started to investigate the reason for the sudden flat tire. To my surprise, my valve stem was completely gone. I was able to have my vehicle towed to a local garage where they removed my tire from its rim revealing pieces of the sensor on the inside of the tire. The metal that the valve stem is made out of appears to be some type of cheap soft metal that has obviously become corroded and brittle. It appeared that the metal suffered some type of oxidation, possibly from road salt here in the northeast. I immediately had the garage staff remove my other tires and found the same results on the other 3 tires. When the valve was removed, I placed all 3 in between 2 fingers and gently squeezed causing 2 of the 3 to crumble into metal fragments. This is very unsafe to vehicle consumers and also a costly repair. I have replaced all 4 of my valve stems with traditional rubber stems until a safer alternative has been developed.
I have been having trouble with the valve stems on the truck.one cracked while driving resulting in quick tire deflation the other yesterday, while having a tire repaired the valve stem broke while trying to inflate the tire.I was told by professionals that this is common with Dodge because they use cheap metals in their valve stems.the stem which are part of the tire pressure monitoring system are just corroding away due to salt or road conditions. I`M filing this complaint to see if maybe Dodge can do something about this problem.the part itself is about $ $60 [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
- Johnston, RI, USA
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The left rear tire suddenly went flat driving on interstate 35W at 70 miles per hour. The driver was able to keep the pickup truck under control until stopping along side the freeway. The schrader tire stem had lost its outer locking devise and the monitor was inside the tire. After removing the tire the monitor style stem was located in the tire and what we found was very disturbing. The threads which hold the stem in place were totally filled in with corrosion......no thread left to hold the stem in place. This may explain why cars are suddenly losing control and going into oncoming traffic. I had just had my tires rotated about 400 miles ago or the flat could have happened with a front tire which would have been much worse. I now need to remove the other three tires and have them inspected at a cost of another $101 each wheel or remove the monitors and to back to the safe and proven rubber stems. This is very serious.
About a month ago I was driving home from work and my right front tire gave out. It ruined the tire so I brought it to a tire place to be replaced. After inspection, the mechanic explained that the nut came off the stem and that is why the tire gave out. When I went home I checked the other tire stems and much to my surprise two out of the other three tire valve stem nuts are broken. I'm crossing my fingers that nothing happens before I get them fixed. This is a serious problem and I can not believe they have not had a recall.
We were on a highway going speed limit of 70 mph and our truck notification said low tire pressure. We pulled over and looked and the tires looked ok. We pulled back out and went less than half a mile and the tire went completely flat. The valve stem cover nut had spilt and broke off. The whole piece fell inside the tire, causing it to go flat. We had the tire looked at and the valve stem cover nuts and stem threads are all corroded. We put the spare tire on and then again today (April 25, 2014) it said low tire pressure again. Once again a valve stem cover nut split and broke off due to corrosion. We don't have another spare and we were quoted a price of $75 to $90 to replace each of the valve stem pieces. The other two tires on the truck have splits in the valve stem cover nuts and all have corrosion too. So now I've gotta replace these on all four tires and replace one whole tire..
Front passenger tire to deflated in less 10 seconds while traling at highway speeds. Tire was less than 1year old and had under 1500 miles on it. Upon inspection there were no puntures/leaks, however the valve stem was severly cracked and fell into the tire upon removal of the wheel. This is the second instance of this happening in less than a year on the truck.
Traveling East bound on state route 17 in Illinois. After 40miles into trip, noticed in side mirror that drivers side seemed to be down in the rear compared to last time I checked. Vehicle behind me was accelerating as to catch up to me. At the same time felt slight vibration and looking at dash saw low tire warning light come on. Continued to next intersection and turned left, stopped and inspected tire, found that the valve stem was missing from the rim of wheel. Change to spare tire and noticed that it sounded like the metal valve stem was in flat tire and rim. 4-9-14 took my vehicle to my dealer and was advised the tire was shot because of side wall damage, note distance traveled 50ft. Tires were new 15000 miles prior to this occurrence. Dealer checked three other valve stems and found cracks in retaining nuts? stems are aluminum. All stems replaced along with 1 new tire. Cost of mounting and balance and breaking down three other tires and replacement of new rubber style valve stems. Total$ $376.97. Labor $42.50 parts $310.52 shops supplies 2.13 sales taxes $21.82. A relative of mine owns same truck and took to dealer and found his stems were cracked on his truck also. This was as of todays date 4-10-14. Dodge needs to stand behind their product and notice the thousand's of others with same equipment. These tires actually blow out, accidents will most likely happen. Please advise Dodge that others have complained and these people need to be paid in full for the troubles this has caused. Thank you for passing this along, this is a valuable site for the gouged consumer. G M could get a new customer here.
My brother and I bought identical Dodge Ram 1500 crew cab pick ups new in 2009. They both have aluminum 20 inch wheels. On 04-08-14 my brother was driving at highway speed when his low air warning light came on and his driver side rear tire went immediately flat. He was able to pull off the road safely. (note: He and I both are very experienced drivers as former law enforcement). Inspecting the wheel and tire indicated that the aluminum valve stem had broken apart and depleted the air immediately. Further inspection revealed that 2 other valve stems on his vehicle were cracked. He had all replaced with new rubber (air sensor) valve stems. The dealership indicated that this is not uncommon with the aluminum valve stems. I had my vehicle inspected and the passenger side rear is cracked and scheduled to be replaced at the dealership at $80 per valve stem. Even as an experienced driver the immediate loss of air pressure in a tire is extremely dangerous. I contacted Chrysler customer service and they advised that they have had several reports of this happening. But, at this time there has been no recall issued. I was told to save my repair receipt for possible reimbursement if a recall should come out. The cost is a concern but not as important as the safety side of this issue. My question is--why is the valve stem breaking apart not an immediate safety recall??
The contact owns a 2009 Dodge Ram 1500. The contact stated that the valve stems were corroded and became fractured from the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the technician verified the failure and stated that all four valve stems needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was 15,000 and the current mileage was 20,300.
My concern is valve stem failure. The valve stems on my truck have air pressure sensors on them and are bolted in the valve stem hole in the rim. The nut that holds the valve stem in place failed on the highway and caused a instant deflation of the tire in heavy traffic. This is not the first time this has happened. I have had problems with the valve stem nut cracking before. The first time I took it to the local Dodge dealer due to a constant tire leak they told me it was a bad valve stem. The valve stem cost $50 and $80 to install. The second time was on a scheduled tire rotation and the tech noticed the nut had corrosion and was cracked. He replaced it with a new nut. The third time was the blow out I described first, which also ruined the tire. On inspection of the forth tire the nut is also cracked.
Noticed low tire pressure while driving. Drove about 10 mile with indication. Parked in drive way. When I unscrewed the valve stem cab the valve stem went almost completely into the tire. The tire went flat immediately. I found that the locking nut was corroded and almost completely gone. I had the tire repaired and was told that the sensor had to be replaced because the sensor and locking nut are all one unit at a cost of $70. Yesterday I check the pressure in all 4 tires and found the locking nut on the front tire broken missing about 1/3 of the metal.
The contact owns a 2009 Dodge Ram 1500. The contact stated that the valve core on the passenger's front and rear tires failed. The vehicle was taken to a private mechanic where the failure was confirmed. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted about the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 28,000.
The TPMS valve core has corroded and cracked causing a slow loss in tire pressure. This condition has the potential to cause rapid tire deflation and creates the substantial risk of injury should the tire air valve fail. Chrysler is well aware of the situation and has already implemented a design change as they know the air valves are defective. The replacement is $75 out of pocket per tire at my local shop. The service manager and several online forums are plagued with complaints regarding this condition which affects a large portion of vehicles produced by Chrysler. A large oil and gas company (eqt) has ordered all employees operating affected vehicles to have the air valves changed regardless of condition. I, in conjunction with others whom I personally know who have been affected by this defect feel that the item should be recalled as it posses the risk of serious potential injury should the air valve fail at highway speeds.
The contact owns a 2009 Dodge Ram 1500. The contact stated that while traveling approximately 74 mph, the vehicle suddenly veered to the left. Upon inspection, it was found that the passenger's side front tire was flat. The vehicle was taken to a private mechanic where it was determined that the sleeve for the TPMS sensor had failed. The vehicle was repaired. The contact also stated that both sleeves for the rear TPMS sensors failed at a later date. The manufacturer was contacted about the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.
The contact owns a 2009 Dodge Ram 1500. The contact stated that while parked, he noticed that the rear passenger's side tire was flat. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnosis. The technician stated the locking nuts on all four tires was corroded and causing the valve stems to fracture. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 35,000.
The contact owns a 2009 Dodge Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving 65 mph, the tire became flat suddenly. The vehicle was taken to an independent tire shop where it was advised that the collar eroded, causing the valve stem to puncture the tire. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The approximate failure mileage was 50,000.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Carver, MA, USA