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.
Truck will go into "death wobble at or around 60 miles an hour, and wont stop until it reaches 30 to 35 mph. This is a recipe for disaster!!!! I urge anyone reading this to file formal complaints with any one who will listen!! im contacting my state rep. On this matter. Just like the corvair, unsafe at any speed.
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.
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!!
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.
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.
- Marlette, MI, USA
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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 Ram 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..
I have a 2004 Dodge Ram 2500 4X4 5.7 at highway speed of 60 to 65 mph the truck goes into a "death wobble" from any bump in the road it is almost impossible to control my truck is all stock and only has 67,000 miles on it why does Dodge not recall and fix this problem before it hurts or kills some one?
The contact owns a 2004 Dodge Ram 2500. While driving approximately 60 mph, the front end started shaking abnormally and would occur intermittently. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the technicians were unable to diagnose the failure. The contact stated repairs were made but was unaware of the exact repairs. The failure persisted and the vehicle was not further repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 70,000. The VIN was not available.
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.
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 uncontrollably. I immediately slowed down and the shake stopped. After that incident 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.
2004 Dodge Ram 2500 severe death wobble occurs 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 threw 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 paid up.
Service bulletin 22-005-06 concerning front end shimmy or the death wobble as drivers of these trucks call it. The fix in 2006 was only temporary for my 2004 Dodge truck. It once again is going into the death wobble after going over railroad tracks or any bump in the road. Dodge says the parts were only warranted for 12 months and won't fix it again. Dodge apparently didn't use heavy enough parts and axles in the first place so does that mean I have to pay to have it fixed over and over and over. Someone needs to make Dodge continue to replace these parts. There are and will be many deaths over these trucks. It is no wonder the american vehicle manuf. Are struggling. Apparently the bulletin repair makes the truck safe for only 1 more year. This isn't a poor a.C or power lock problem it is related to loss of control while driving in normal everyday conditions which can result in loss of life. Please make Dodge do the right thing on this one and get to the root of the problem at their expense not mine. Just how many complains has Dodge had concerning this. Only they know. I will never buy another Dodge Chrysler product again.
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 serviceable 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!
The contact owns a 2004 Dodge Ram 2500. The contact was driving approximately 50-55 mph when the vehicle began to vibrate and shake violently. The contact experienced difficulty in maintaining control of the vehicle and then regained control and continued normally. There was no prior warning of the failure. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where they were unable to locate the problem to determine the cause of failure. The VIN was unavailable. The failure mileage was 120,000.
I have a 2004 Dodge Ram 2500 pickup 4X4. When going about 60 mph and hit a bump in the road or a bridge, the truck shakes so violently that I have to pull over to the side of the road. We bought this truck 3 mos ago and the problem described has happened approximately 20 times. I have replaced the stabilizer shock. I have made sure everything under the front & rear end is tight.
While driving under normal conditions truck began shaking violently while traveling about 60 mph and striking bump in road. Truck began to shake so violently that items were falling from visors and items were falling from various storage locations in vehicle. I attempted to gradually slow down and problem actually became worse, until I achieved about 25-30 mph. This is commonly called the "death wobble" and to my understanding Dodge is aware of this. This has occurred on 3 occasions and has caused me to nearly loose control of truck. The first occurrence 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 occurred I assumed it was due to road condition. Recently when it has occurred again and I began investigating its cause, now realizing its the vehicle, and not the road causing the shaking. This could be deadly as vehicle becomes uncontrollable.
Clicking and shaking when in 4X4 mode. Sounded like U joints. After having it checked by a mechanic, he found both sides needed ball joints and the U joints on the axle was worn out. This was an expensive repair of over $1200. Also the tie rod ends needed replacement. He said that the weight of the diesel engine was the cause. He said that all of these front ends with the diesel engine needed to be replaced after about 70K miles. I am disappointed.
I have a 2004 Dodge Ram 2500. I have been experiencing death wobble for about 1 year now. I have spent approx. $1000 replacing balljoints (available), trackbar bushings, steering stabilizer, axle U-joints, complete 2008 Dodge steering system to include tie-rod ends, pitman arm, and linkage (available), and shocks (available) with no successful results. At this point I am at a loss of where to go next. This is my only vehicle and my wife and daughter have to use it for transportation everyday. After experiencing this for so long I worry everyday. I have researched this online and found out that many other Dodge owners are experiencing the same problems and receiving no help from the dealerships. Please review this and help us Dodge owners repair this problem before someone is killed.
My 2004 Dodge 2500 series Ram truck is experiencing the "death wobble". I am unable to go past 55 miles an hour as of today. This problem has been occurring for the last year and I have replaced every part that should have made this problem go away. When I hit a bump or pot hole or anything that will make the truck bounce at all, it violently shakes. This problem is putting everyone around me both on the road and in the truck at risk for a horrible collision. This vehicle is my only vehicle and I have no other choice but to drive it. I have read and experienced myself that there isn't a fix for this problem. All of the owners are now stuck with a vehicle they can't drive but have to pay for. This is not right by any means. Isn't there something we can do to correct this ongoing problem before someone gets killed?? come on Chrysler, step up to the plate and do what is right.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Desloge, MO, USA