10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
76,665 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

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.

2003 Dodge Ram 2500 lights problems

lights problem

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2003 Dodge Ram 2500 Owner Comments

problem #11

Apr 042023

Ram 2500

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

After driving in heavy rain. During the following day started having electrical issues the parking lights would stay on even when the switch was turned off the driver's side headlight would also come on. and the parking lights would either turn off or flash when the high beams were turned on this happened with front and back parking lights the only way to fully get them to stay off was to pull the relay or disconnect the battery. The problem is with the power distribution center and front control module the poor design allows them to corrode damaging the copper tracing and causing shorts in the system this is a common problem as there are several online forums dedicated to these problems with a lot of people having the same issues so I'm not sure why there hasn't been a recall for this since it is a major safety problem when it affects lights, windshield wipers and several other things that could cause accidents. my brother's truck is also having sign's of the pdc and fcm being bad. and at over $1000 to replace both for a manufacturing defect it's not right that dodge customer's should have to pay that bill. I'll be attaching a picture of another board but the damage is the same and in the same spot

- Anna, IL, USA

problem #10

Oct 032014

Ram 2500

  • 142,311 miles
While searching for a fix for my dash which just cracked I found several reports of after the dash cracked where electrical issues arise. As in headlights not working at all or when switching to hi beam. I also saw a video on this issue from a news broadcast and when Chrysler was questioned about this there was never any response while the public was requesting a recall. From what I can find out just in the hour I was looking this up this would apply to just about every Dodge Ram made between 1996 and 2006. My truck is garage kept and I keep it in excellent condition so for this to happen due to sitting in the sun it's entire life I might understand but there is no way this should have happened to mine. My father was a mechanic for Chrysler for over 20 years and this is just plain cheap made products. Which from what I can find out could and most likely will lead to some safety issue with the vehicle. Since I can not find anything more out with regards to what the NHTSA is doing only monitoring the issue?? the broadcast I saw was from 2012, I would think something would have become of this by now for sure after seeing that video. Yet at that time the news channel stated your doing nothing.

- Cochranville, PA, USA

problem #9

Oct 152005

Ram 2500

  • 40,000 miles
The contact owns a 2003 Dodge Ram 2500. The contact stated that she noticed that the back up lights would not illuminate and the trailer brakes failed to function. The contact mentioned that it was found that the fuses were blown. The problem persisted. The vehicle was taken to a dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 40,000.

- Kapac, MI, USA

problem #8

Oct 232008

Ram 2500 8-cyl

  • 100,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The dashboard is cracking and caving in on itself as a result the lights go on and off while driving. Several other electrical problems are hapening.

- Willis, TX, USA

problem #7

Sep 302010

Ram 2500

  • miles
When I turn signal to left makes right signal comes on, when you turn right signal on makes left signal comes on. The lamp out light keeps coming on and going off when you turn the left signal on then off again. I checked none of the lamps are out. Has been took to dealer twice and had the wiring harness in the steering column fixed, it quit for a while and then starts the same thing again.the dealer claims using the tilt on the steering wheel is the cause of the problem. I think the problem is in the turn signal arm because it affects the signals and the wipers. I have talked to other Dodge owners who are experiencing the same problems. I feel there should be a recall on it because it could turn into a safety issue.

- Morehead, KY, USA

problem #6

Jun 302010

Ram 2500

  • 170,000 miles
The contact owns a 2003 Dodge Ram 2500. While driving approximately 65 mph, all of the exterior lights failed except for the front passenger headlight. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the contact was informed that the power distribution center had completely corroded away. The vehicle was not repaired and the failure persisted. The failure and current mileage was 170,000.

- Ford City, PA, USA

problem #5

Aug 102010

Ram 2500

  • 75,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The opposite turn indicator light on the rear of the truck will come on when the turn signal stalk is operated, ie. Left signal when turning right. Near accidents because drivers behind the vehicle are anticipating a turn indicated by the lights.

- Wilmington, NC, USA

problem #4

Oct 192009

Ram 2500

  • 200,000 miles
Poor reliability of electrical control and distribution system causes numerous and sometimes intermittent failures of exterior safety-related lighting such as headlamps (low beam and high beam), taillamps, turn signals, brake lamps, and trailer lamps. Problems seem to be exacerbated if vehicle is not operated for a few weeks. Dealer is quoting repair cost in excess of $2000 for replacement of the power distribution center, which is reportedly not a serviceable unit. This high repair cost will undoubtedly cause owners to "take their chances" and continue operating vehicles in an unsafe condition because the repair is so costly and the problems are intermittent. Some users have reported needing to complete this repair more than once over the vehicle lifetime, which further confirms there is an inherent reliability problem with this vehicle's electrical system. Other users report similar issues with windshield wipers reportedly due to the same unit failure. Because Dodge Ram pickup trucks have at least ten different model categories and multiple model years for reporting in the NHTSA online reporting structure, the complaints are spread out and the concentration of problems endemic to this vehicle may not be readily apparent to ODI investigators. Complaints may be reported under "1500", "2500", "3500", "Ram", "Ram 1500", "Ram 2500", "Ram 3500", "Ram quad cab", "Ram pickup", "Dodge truck",..., all due to the same module failure. Complaints are also spread out among many different complaint categories, further diluting the recognition that there is one fundamental root cause of a dozen or more different failure modes.

- Rochester, MI, USA

problem #3

Apr 042009

Ram 2500

  • 116,000 miles
My turn signal stalk doesn't signal properly when actuated. I push up for a right signal, sometimes I get a right signal sometimes I get the total opposite (left signal). This is dangerous. Also on the same lever my wipers don't always turn on properly or the high beams don't activate or don't turn off. However, I strongly feel this is a Chrysler issue because having to do some research on a tdr discussion board it has been realized that there is too much stress on the wiring harness that terminates at the multifunction switch. When the steering wheel is tilted down this harness separates from the switch due to no slack causing it to become erratic, then if you tilt the wheel up it makes a full connection and works properly. There needs to be a recall before this causes an accident!!!

- Twin Lakes, WI, USA

problem #2

Sep 072007

Ram 2500 6-cyl Diesel

  • Automatic transmission
  • miles
The contact owns a 2003 Dodge Ram. The contact parked the vehicle in her driveway. She exited the vehicle and left the driver side door open. She then heard a loud pop and noticed that the vehicle was moving. She was unable to enter and stop the vehicle. The contact was struck several times by the driver side door. She was pinned between a metal post and the door of the vehicle. The contact was able to free herself and sustained injuries to her midriff, back, and head. The powertrain, speed, and failure mileage were unknown. The current mileage was 46,900. Updated 01/17/08 the dealer stated the right brake lamp is inoperable. The consumer has provided all medical documentation and repair invoices pertaining to the incident. Updated 01/17/08

- Purdy, MO, USA

problem #1

Dec 212006

Ram 2500 4WD 6-cyl Diesel

  • Manual transmission
  • 1 miles
- the contact stated that when starting his vehicle, his headlights would not turn on. The contact has to wait for his intake heater to turn on in order for his headlights to work. The contact has experienced this incident since he bought his vehicle and his dealership states that there isn't anything wrong with the vehicle. The contact also is experiencing his headlights turning off and his fog lights turning on. The contact states that he has been on turbodieselregister.com and sees that other consumers are having the same issues.

- Hudson, NC, USA

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