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.
The contact owns a 2003 Dodge Ram 2500. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving at 3 mph, the tie rod detached from the vehicle and the steering wheel was loose. As a result, the vehicle crashed into the curb. The air bags did not deploy. There were no reported injuries and no police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to planet Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram Fiat of flagstaff (5190 N test dr, flagstaff, AZ 86004 (928) 433-6787) where it was diagnosed that the tie rod kit needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact mentioned that a tie rod kit was installed prior to the failure. The manufacturer was contacted and stated the alignment and installation would be at the owners expense. The failure mileage was 199,600.
The contact owns a 2003 Dodge Ram 2500. The contact stated while driving 45 mph, suddenly the left tie rod snapped causing the vehicle to veer off of the road into a bush. The contact did not sustain any injuries. The vehicle was taken to dealer who stated the tie rod, tire, rim, springs, rack and pinion would need to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was repaired, including the NHTSA campaign number: 13V528000 (steering). The failure mileage was 62,432. Updated 08/28/14 updated 09/4/2014
The contact owns a 2003 Dodge Ram 2500. The contact was driving 3 mph when the driver side tire rod detached from the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and the manufacturer was contacted. The failure was diagnosed as a fractured tire rod end. The manufacturer advised that the VIN was not included in the recall under NHTSA campaign id number:11V350000 (steering:linkages:tie rod assembly). The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileages were 84,000.
The contact owns a 2003 Dodge Ram. The contact stated while driving less than 5 mph, the front suspension fractured. The contact inspected the vehicle and discovered that the passenger side tire rod was fractured. The contact purchased a new tire rod and replaced the tire rod himself. The contact stated that the vehicle was unsafe to drive because the tire rod had been replaced three times prior to the most recent failure. The contact believed the failure to be a manufacturing defect. The failure mileage was 151,452.
The contact stated there was excessive play within the steering and a shimmy in the front right tire at speeds of 65 mph. The truck could strike a bump in the road and there would be complete loss of control. The vehicle has been to a dealer for inspection of this problem. The dealer discovered the right front tire was about to fall off. Also, he noted that the pitman arm, tie rod, and stabilizer bar needed to be replaced. No repairs were performed due to the expense. She contacted the manufacturer, but they did not offer any cost assistance.
- Eubank, KY, USA
Search CarComplaints.com for these popular complaint phrases...
The consumer stated that the tie rod on the front driver's side broke on the 2003 Dodge Ram 3500 while driving 20 mph. The driver did not notice anything different about the driving before this happened. The steering was gone and the truck wasundriveable. The consumer had to call a tow truck to pick up the truck and take it to a dealer. The dealer said that was the first tie rod that broke. There were no injuries. The consumer was going to have it repaired. The dealer said that is was not under warranty. The dealer was not going to help with any expenses. The manufacturer has not been contacted at this point.
Uncontrolled wobble of front wheels on 2003 Dodge Ram heavy duty truck due to worn ball joints and steering components, I'm told these are the same ball joints used on the durango.
(1) driving on freeway at 75 mph speed limit. Hit ruts in road left from semis. Tires started bouncing. Truck went out of control. I thought I had multiple blowouts. Struggled to pull over without hitting anyone else. Got truck stopped and got out and looked at tires. No damage to tires. Researched symtoms on-line when home again, discovered what is being called "death wobble". took truck to alignment shop today and they informed me they cannot align because all of my ball joints have way to much play and tie rod ends are worn out. Further research done today on Dodge owners websites and have found that many others are having "death wobble" issues and bad ball joints, but Dodge is not replacing them because they state play is acceptable. (2) this failure is one of the most scary things I have ever encountered while driving a vehicle. Twenty minutes earlier I was towing my travel trailer behind me and I think if this would have happened with the trailer on I would have not been able to control the truck. I am terrified of it happening again. (3) I have not had any parts replaced yet do to the weekend, but I will be calling a second shop on moday for a second opinion and pricing to have the parts replaced. My family means to much to me to wait for a recall from Dodge on these ball joints. I do know that they just recalled durangos and dakotas for the same reason and in my opinion, they should recall full sized trucks as well. This condition could have very serious consequences up to and including death, with the vehicle going out of control at freeway speeds.
I had sears align tires on my Dodge. They described problems with ball joint, tie rod and bearing on my 2003 Dodge. Chrysler will not replace parts that are showing excessive wear on this 1.5 year old truck as they did not diagnose problem before warranty expiration.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Flagstaff, AZ, USA