10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
3 / 3
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
86,878 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.

2006 Dodge Ram 2500 electrical problems

electrical problem

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2006 Dodge Ram 2500 Owner Comments (Page 1 of 7)

problem #130

Aug 202019

Ram 2500

  • 180,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2006 Dodge Ram 1500. The contact stated that after the vehicle was repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V352000 (Air Bags), the airbag warning light remained illuminated after starting the vehicle. Additionally, the contact stated that whenever the airbag light was illuminated, there were other electrical failures with the vehicle. The contact stated that the A/C and the heater would become inoperable. The contact drove the vehicle to a local dealer who diagnosed and determined that there was an electrical short underneath the driver's side airbag sensor wiring harness. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 180,000.

- Los Angeles, CA, USA

problem #129

Jul 202016

Ram 2500

  • miles
The TIPM module is bad. This part controls quite a bit of electrical current to various areas of the vehicle. It stalls when stopped at a traffic light, it is not sending the brake light information to an attached trailer (left side only), gauges inside the vehicle have stopped working (to name a few of the items being affected by this control). This part can be inspected as it is currently still on the vehicle. Safety is a concern due to either not being able to move out of the roadway, and also when pulling a trailer as no one will see turn signals or brake lights on the tow vehicle as the power isn't going to the trailer lights. I was informed of the malfunction at a trailer dealership. The problems have been getting worse over the last 4 years of ownership of this vehicle. The check engine light is currently on, even though what the computer read out gave has now been repaired. There has currently been no accident that this vehicle has been involved in.

- East Canton, OH, USA

problem #128

May 092021

Ram 2500

  • 230,000 miles
I was driving on I-75 @70mph, a loud bang happened, truck shut off, I guided it off the road. I had wires hanging I looked further and seen the front drive shaft blew apart. My mechanic said it had locked up. The transfer case, transmission, floor board of the truck was also all damaged. Also said I was lucky that the truck did not cause a serious accident. This truck is a 2006 Dodge Ram 2500 hd. Well taken care of. No given reason why this happened. My mechanic said he has seen this many times in the Dodge trucks that the front drive shaft blows apart. Total damages will be the cost of $8,000-$10,000

- Bluffton, OH, USA

problem #127

Jun 152017

Ram 2500

  • miles

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

Blinkers will turn on in opposite direction of what lever is applied. Right turn signal comes on when you turn lever to left turn. Windshield wipers run intermittently when on.

- Lupton, MI, USA

problem #126

Sep 162020

Ram 2500

  • 267,500 miles
Airbag light came on, A/C & seat heaters won't work. Cold start in morning, airbag light goes off, A/C works & seat heaters ok. Turn engine off, next start of engine, airbag light on, no A/C or seat heaters until next morning. First time this incident occurred vehicle was stationary, in store parking lot. Airbag light on during trip home. Airbag inoperable when light is on.

- Show Low, AZ, USA

problem #125

Feb 232019

Ram 2500

  • 200,000 miles
Computer controled vehicle charging system caused the passenger side battery to over charge (dash gauge indicating overcharging) and swell causing irreparable damage and explosion of the battery. This could have started an engine fire under the hood. Fortunately it didn't. vehicle was on main interstate highway when this occurred. I contacted the battery manufacturer thinking it was a bad battery, but the technician stated Dodge charging systems of this period wired the batteries in parallel incorrectly causing the aux battery to overcharge while the main battery was reading undercharged. "batteries in true parallel should be connected negative terminal to negative terminal and positive terminal to positive terminal." The Dodge Ram 2500 24V cummins I own (completely stock) has the negative terminal cable from each battery connected directly to the engine block for ground. And not connected to each other at all. Again, a properly wired parallel battery system should have the negative terminal connected to each other. According to the battery manufacturer technician, this would become a problem with current flow between the two batteries and cause unbalanced charging due to the vehicle computer reading the main battery voltage only and signaling the alternator to charge at higher volts if the main is reading low. (which happens when the engine is started... especially in cold weather). And once the main battery sensor signals the computer and the computer signals the alternator, the aux battery is charged even when it doesn't need it. And because the charge flow is restricted due to the negative cables incorrect wiring on the Dodge, the main battery only receives a small percentage of the charge. Thereby creating an continual overcharge to the aux battery until the main is slowly brought back up to full charge. Google: Dodge Ram passenger battery boiled

- Kalispell, MT, USA

problem #124

Jun 122009

Ram 2500

  • 50,000 miles

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

Pt sd from all the information just barely put 50 00 miles on each year

- El Cajon, CA, USA

problem #123

May 152017

Ram 2500

  • 90,000 miles
Beginning to have problems with interior lighting short cycling, shutting off early. Suspect the tipm is going out.

- Mineral, VA, USA

problem #122

Jan 182016

Ram 2500

  • 112,485 miles
The headlights failed due to the totally integrated power module (tipm). Research reveals that the tipm failed on many of the Dodge vehicles. This system failure is a safety hazard.

- Newcastle, CA, USA

problem #121

Mar 262017

Ram 2500

  • 76,500 miles
Both low beam headlights are inoperative. I have a daytime running light module that I installed in 2007 which still operates both low beams at a reduced power, so the bulbs are both good. Both high beams are operational. I noticed that when I had the light switch in the on position on 3/26/17 after dark and turned off the engine with the headlight switch still on, that the low beams we're not on, but the other lights were on. The daytime running light module only powers the low beams when the ignition is in the on position. In researching this issue online, I found that this is a common problem with the 2006 model since it has a tipm which controls the light and other functions. The tipm does not have replaceable relays or resetting circuit breakers for the headlights which allow the quick and easy repair or automatic reset of the headlights. Since any little glitch may cause the tipm to shut down the lights there is safety issue since both low beams may go off at anytime for no real reason. I feel there needs to be a safety recall on these vehicles to replace the tipm with a unit that has a standard design like is found on other Dodge Ram years. Please research the numerous issues with the tipm including low beams, fuel pumps turning off causing the engine to stop unexpectedly, etc. It's time that Dodge is made to replace the tipm with something reliable that does not pose safety issues. A recall is in order. If I did not have the drl module installed, I would have been without low beams when I was driving and switched on the headlights.

- Florence, AZ, USA

problem #120

Nov 162016

Ram 2500

  • 150,000 miles

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

My intermittent wipers fail, they stick on, or wipe randomly or even don't work at all. They will stop, turn off at any point during the wipe at any position, and sometimes wont turn off when switch is off. Doesn't matter what speed or driving style that this happens on.

- Corvallis, OR, USA

problem #119

Nov 162016

Ram 2500

  • 197,000 miles
Multiple repairs to the front end suspension of the vehicle, to the point that we are now paying for the repairs and the dealership denying they replaced the most recent track bar on the truck and blame the tires on the truck. I am really tired of running off into a ditch after hitting a bump in the road or steer to miss a pothole. Just fix the truck correctly and stop making excuses telling us it is our tires when it is a 4X4 and they cannot put more sturdy parts on the front end or take blame for the steering shaft and gear box when these have been recalled under the death wobble. Hub assembly had to be replaced on this truck as well. Trying to turn the vehicle into a parking spot and constantly having to back into a space. This death wobble has gone too far. As far as the electrical they cannot find why the dashboard keeps flickering and we keep blowing fuses or bulbs. It is really getting annoying with this truck and all the repairs which we have had to do this vehicle, and yet take responsibility for it.

- Conroe, TX, USA

problem #118

Jul 172016

Ram 2500

  • 160,000 miles
I have a 2006 Dodge Ram 2500 that has a couple issues. The latest is no left low beam. There is no fuse to change either. From my research, it appears that it is the tipm that will need to be replaced. This all happened after pulling my trailer. During that time, my ABS and brake light came on and. Also, I have the notorious "death wobble." I have spent over $4,000 on steering component repairs, which include 3 gear boxes and 2 power steering pumps in less than two years, tire rods, pitman arm, etc. I am taking my truck back to the shop tomorrow to have my ujoints replaced, all new shocks, and the ABS/brake sensor replaced for $1,100. I guess my next repair will be the tipm to fix the headlight issue at what I gather to be around the $1,000 mark. When will Dodge fix these issues? the "death wobble" and tipm seem to be the most common complaint.

- Bremerton, WA, USA

problem #117

Aug 072016

Ram 2500

  • 100,000 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Dodge Ram 2500. While making a turn, the trailer lights did not illuminate. The failure occurred without warning. The dealer diagnosed that the tipm malfunctioned and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

- Springtown, TX, USA

problem #116

Oct 302015

Ram 2500

  • 163,000 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Dodge Ram 2500. The contact stated that the heater and air conditioner were not working. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed that the heater box fractured and needed to be replaced at cost. The manufacturer referred the contact to NHTSA and stated that there were no failures. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was unknown. The failure mileage was 163,000.

- Sieldon, IL, USA

problem #115

Jan 072015

Ram 2500

  • 145,000 miles
I have a 2006 Ram 2500 I hooked up some trailer lights and now I have no low beam headlights. There is no codes showing on repair shops reader (I have no dealer available where I live). The internet has tons of complaints about the tipm and how it shuts down if it draws too many amps. Well you would think a fuse would be used for that and not have to replace a $1000 computer board. Right now I can only drive during daylight hours or only with the high beams. Customers should not have to pay over a $1000 to fix a faulty design. Dodge should have to create a fix or repair our vehicles.

- Petersburg, AK, USA

problem #114

Dec 312015

Ram 2500

  • miles
I have turn signals on my 2006 Dodge Ram 2500, but I do not have functioning trailer brake or signal lights through the factory installed towing package. This is the same problem no matter which trailer I am pulling. Checking for voltage states that there is low voltage due to the tpim. This occurred at 84,000. Also, while the vehicle is running the igination key can be pulled out. $1,000 is alot to repair a towing package and I do not know how long this would last.

- Graniteville, SC, USA

problem #113

Sep 012015

Ram 2500

  • 85,000 miles
I own a 2006 Dodge Ram 2500. The turn signals on the vehicle malfunction. When signaling a left turn, the right turn signal would flash, or both hazards would flash, or sometimes they would not work at all, then all of a sudden would start misfiring again. There are 85,000 miles on my truck.

- Oakley, CA, USA

problem #112

Oct 102015

Ram 2500

  • 55,000 miles
The truck will not power the left stop lamp or signal lamp on any of my trailers; however, the left signal and stop lamp on the truck work perfectly. Dodge dealer indicated that the problem was in the truck's tipm which does not have a fuse for that portion of the trailer's lighting and burned out internally. Dealership indicated that the only way to repair is to replace the tipm which costs $1026. Dealership also indicated that this is a major problem on this vehicle which they have seen before. There is nothing to indicate that the trailer lamps aren't working except to physically observe them. This tipm also controls numerous other things in the truck and info from the dealership and internet searches indicate there are many serious problems occurring due to them malfunctioning. These are defective units that should be recalled. Consumers should not have to pay over $1000 to make a simple light function, or deal with a worse problem.

- Alma, WI, USA

problem #111

Oct 142015

Ram 2500

  • 128,000 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Dodge Ram 2500. The contact stated that the turn signals on the vehicle needed to be repaired. When signaling a left turn, the right turn signal would flash. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was 128,000.

- Tyler, TX, USA

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