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.
First episode of the Dodge Ram "death wobble" in July 2013 approximately 2 weeks after replacing tie rods. Occurred one more time in early August 2013. Didn't experience again until August 2014 while on a trip in upstate New York, four occurrences in 3 days. The latest occurrence was this past Saturday, twice in the same day.
The contact owns 2003 Dodge Ram 2500. The contact stated while driving 55 mph, the front end of the vehicle wobbled and bounced rapidly every time the vehicle drove over any dip or bump in the road. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who stated that the stabilizing bar was broken. The vehicle was repaired but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and did not offer any assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 180,000. Updated 10/02/14 updated 5/12/2015
While traveling on the highway and normal speeds and you hit a minor bump, wheels will shake violently with no ability for driver to recover steering. The only recourse is to let the vehicle slow down and then pull over. This is know as the death wobble and can be viewed on youtube. Dodge has denied the problem but yet you can buy an entire new steering assembly from Dodge for $300. I have spent over $4000 trying to fix this issue. This has happened to me over 10 times and no longer put my family in the pickup and will no longer use it on the highway..a simple tierod recall will not fix this and there is enough people having this problem that the NHTSA should force Dodge to finally correct this design flaw, before we get killed.
Let me start by stating that I've been driving for over 33 years and have an impeccable driving record. This is what happened. I was driving on the interstate at approx. 65 mph. I was changing lanes when I hit a few small bumps in the road. My truck immediately started shaking violently and uncontrollably. I pulled to breakdown lane while slowing the vehicle. The truck didn't stop shaking until approx. 30 mph, though it was still shaking, I had never encountered such a loss of control before for no apparent reason. I decided to see if there was anything about this issue on the web. I was amazed at what I found. This phenomenon is dubbed 'death wobble'. though it seems this in not an uncommon event, no-one seems to be able to pinpoint the problem that caused the violent shaking. There are lots of differing opinions. My mechanic checked out truck and I was told that other than very slight wear in drivers side upper and lower ball joints, everything was tight. I've since replaced upper and lower ball joints even though my mechanic told me they weren't bad enough to warrant replacement. I've also replaced shimmy shock on stabilizer and installed aftermarket stabilizer after researching this problem even more. We also realized previous owner had numerous new parts installed too. Seems as though he was chasing this as well. Since replacing these, this has happened 2 more times. This is extremely dangerous and I won't even go over 55 mph on the interstate. Is Dodge aware of this issue" and what about recalls" I've looked and cannot find any recalls that pertain to this problem. The suspension itself seems flawed even though I cannot pinpoint one failed component in itself. Thank you
I was driving my Dodge Ram 2500 and hit a series of small bumps and my front end began to shake violently. This has happened several times and no one can seem to find a problem with my suspension at all. I have tried different tires and that doesn't fix the problem either.
- Galveston, TX, USA
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I had no control of the steering and the vehicle was violently shaking, I slowed down to a stop, composed myself and drove on, the steering was very hard to control but the shaking only started about 40 mph, I took the vehicle to two shops, had ball joints, U joints, tie rods, steering, shocks, upgraded mopar steering assembly, pitman arm, all replaced, shortly thereafter I received recall notice N62/ NHTSA 13V-528, the instructions stated to mail all original repair documents related to tie rod failure and I would be reimbursed, I received a phone call just simply denying any responsibility with no particular reason other than my mileage, I asked for an email outlining the reason in detail which had absolutely no content of any explanation as to why the claim was denied. I did not receive my original receipts back either.
A few months after purchasing our Dodge Ram 2500, we experienced our first "death wobble" incident on interstate 70 at approximately 65 mph, and occurred 2 more times that same trip. I had the truck towed and brought to an automotive shop. The automotive shop said they could not find anything wrong with the truck but suggested replacing the steering stabilizer. I had the stabilizer replaced and it seemed okay for about 3 days. After the first incident the "death wobble" occurred on a regular basis, any small bump or transition in the roadway would cause the front axle, tires and steering to shake so violently it felt like a large earthquake in the truck. The death wobble will not stop till the truck was slowed down to a complete stop. This seemed to occur mostly at speeds between 45-70 mph. We stopped taking the truck on major roadways as it would be likely to cause an accident at highway speeds. The truck was brought to several automotive shops including Dodge and Chrysler dealerships. All of the automotive shops said that this is fairly common among these trucks as Dodge dealerships told me that basically I was a liar and denied that there was a problem. After doing thorough research I decided to follow the advice of the automotive shops and several specialty 4X4 shops. Every steering and suspension component was replaced including every bushing, bearing and grease fitting some parts were the upgraded mopar linkages and pittman arm and the rest of the parts were oe replacements from reputable high end manufacturers. I also had an alignment performed immediately I have saved every part that I have taken off the truck since I began this journey including receipts for all the work/parts that was performed/installed. Death wobble was gone for about 4 months and the truck was still lightly driven. By month 5 death wobble is back in full force with no explanation.
The contact owns a 2003 Dodge Ram 2500 tdi. The contact stated that while driving 65 mph, the vehicle started to shake violently and without warning. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who replaced the shock absorbers and steering damper. The remedy failed to repair the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 80,000 and the current mileage was 85,000. Updated 3/12/14 updated 03/21/14
This pickup has the terrible "death wobble" in the steering when you drive over a bump pr rib in road, starting unexpected and jerking the wheel so hard that you can not hold the wheel! I plan to buy this pu from my employer and I wanted it fixed by Dodge because it has always had this terrible safety problem from the factory! to verify this, [xxx] owns it and his # is [xxx]. thanks, [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
After purchasing this truck from the first time owner, I begin to notice at certain times I would experience a violent shaking when going over a bump. After looking online and reading about the "death wobble" I become worried and contacted the dealer. Of course they acted like they did not know what I was talking about. But when you talk to an independent mechanic, they know exactly what you are talking about. In short, I have spent over $2700 getting the front end redone, with no help from Chrysler. I find it completely irresponsible on their part to not do anything to help with this problem. Now.. just last week I get this recall notice on the left tie rod end. I am most certain when I take it in, they will say there is nothing wrong with it.. and send me on my way. This issue and the cracked dash is all a bunch of baloney to which Chrysler should have taken some serious action to help folks who bought a $50K truck in good faith that it was built good..
The contact owns a 2003 Dodge Ram 2500. The contact was traveling 65 mph when the vehicle began to shake violently. The vehicle was taken to both an independent mechanic and the dealer for inspection and repair. The repairs were unknown however, the defect was remedied. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The approximate failure mileage was 102,000.
We have previously filed a complaint for the "death wobble" or violent, uncontrollable shaking that occurs after going over uneven roads. The entire vehicle shakes and there is minimal control of steering when this happens until the vehicle has slowed down to almost a stop. The shaking of the front tires is visible on the outside of the vehicle. Today when I was entering the expressway, which has fresh patches of concrete, no pothole or rough surface, my truck starting shaking the front tires and steering wheel violently (death wobble). I hit the brakes to slow the vehicle down. The vehicle started drifting and I realized I had no steering when I tried to bring the vehicle into my lane. When I was able to bring the vehicle to a stop (remember I am on a 4 lane X-way) I found that the steering bar that goes from the pitman arm to the right tire had broken in half. This is a solid 1inch bar and I had not hit anything to cause this to break.. this could have very easily been a complaint lodged with a death occurring.the shaking is a know issue with Ram 2500 trucks with this same front end design (incl 2013), and the Jeep with the same design front end are now complaining of the same shaking. I have owned this truck for 7yrs now, so I know it has not been in any accidents, over curbs, 4 wheeled or any other driving condition that could have stressed or caused the bar to broke.
At approx. 55-60 mph, the truck began to shake very violently. Applied brake, to attempt to get truck under control; we ended up in the ditch. Myself and my daughter were injured. Luckily, neither of us were injured bad, just bumps and bruises. I had a mechanic look at the truck; he stated there is a problem with all Dodge trucks from 2002-2008. The steering gear box and front suspension are at fault. I contacted a local Dodge dealer. They informed me, "Dodge is not at fault and there are no need for any recalls". they did say they could fix the problem, at almost $2700. They would put a new front suspension and steering box. I feel if they will fix the problem, then they know about the problem. I have searched on the internet about the problem and there are hundreds of complaints. I am asking the ntsb to fully investigate this matter.
My vehicle has been having "death wobble" at 55 mph and over and been having the issue for about a year and half and have had the entire front end steering replaced and im still having the issue. Please find a cause I've almost lost control every time it occurs! I would like to be contacted by a Ram field engineer!
Front end shakes violently after hitting a bump or seam in the road traveling at any speed from 40 mph and up. Must slow immediately and almost come to a complete stop in order to regain control of steering.this is known as the death wobble.
During normal driving the front end of the vehicle violently started to shake, the vehicle did not stop shaking until speed was reduced drastically. The vehicle was taken to the dealership where upon inspection, the dealership representative said there was nothing wrong with the vehicle.
After going over an overpass (60 mph)and hitting the small bump at the end of it the front end began to shake and vibrate violently and it was almost impossible to steer and hard to slow down quickly. The vehicle had to be slowed to about 20 mph before I was able to regain control. It was shaking so violently that papers on the passenger seat flew on to the floor. This happened again after crossing a bridge with the same result.
Traveling on us 58 in suffolk, va. I was forced off the road while trying to avoid an accident and hit a very large water filled pot hole. The results was my driver side front tire came off the vehicle after breaking two lug nuts. The truck slid 300 feet down the road until coming to rest in the median. A usaa repair facility replaced the driver side hub assembly. I moved to kings bay ga. And started to notice a vibration in the steering wheel. The vehicle has 35" off road tire on it so I assumed the tires need to balanced. After about three weeks of driving the real problems arose. I developed the "Dodge death wobble". it is a violent shaking of the steering system that forces you to slow to below 45 miles per hour. It is so violent that a 36 year old navy diver chief, who has been to tactical driving schools for the military, has a difficult time holding it on the road. Now, I have had the Dodge dealership disregard the problem, balance the tires, replace the steering dampener, and the problem still exists.
On a road trip I was driving on a highway at 65 mph and I hit a small light decal that delineates the lines on the road and my truck began to shake violently and so severely that I nearly lost control. Braking did not stop the shaking, not accelerating until it slowed to about 35 mph did stop the shaking. I pulled over immediately because I was terrified that it would happen again. Since I was in the middle of nowhere I decided that I would drive again but at a slower pace. This time I drove at 55 mph and when it hit a tiny bump again it began to shake horribly again. And once again I was stressed beyond belief that I was barely able to control this truck. This continues to happen at high speeds and if there is any ruffness on the road. Please recall these trucks and fix them. I paid alot of money for a truck that I thought would be good quality and now I am stuck with a piece of junk that I cannot drive faster than 35 mph for fear that I will kill myself or someone else. And I refuse to sell this lemon to some other poor soul.
Traveling at 65mph on interstate, hit slight bump when crossing bridge and the front end started vibrating so much couldn't hardly hold it in the road. The same has occurred 5-6 more times since the first incident. On several occasions, my wife has to come to a complete stop to get it to stop shaking....
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Learwater, FL, USA