10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
64,315 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.

Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2009 Dodge Ram 1500:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

problem #50

Sep 172018

Ram 1500

  • 97,000 miles
TPMS wheel valve bonnet cracking. Noticed one bonnet cracked, took to dealer and had replaced complete TPMS wheel valve assembly, noted a few months later that two other wheel valve assembly bonnets were severely cracked, ordered TPMS valve kits which contained new valve stem bonnets and replaced cracked bonnet units. The vehicle has almost 100K miles.

- New Orleans, LA, USA

problem #49

Apr 122018

Ram 1500

  • 17,800 miles
I was driving 55 mph on a 70 mph highway and my driver side front tire had a blowout I was towing a full trailer and had a hard time keeping the truck under control. I got the truck pulled over and changed the tire and upon inspection the valve stem had corroded and came apart, upon further inspection the rear passenger stem is also corroded and only half is remaining! I hate thinking what might have happened if both blew out or I was driving the speed limit with the kids in the vehicle. This is unacceptable!! my truck only has 17,800 miles on it. I am leary to drive it to the dealer! I feel this is a very dangerous issue and don't understand why there has not been a recall. It is quite expensive to replace all 4 valve stems and I think all owners with this issue should be compensated!

- Wooster, OH, USA

problem #48

Sep 222017

Ram 1500

  • 25,765 miles
TPMS valve stem failure. Had two high speed blowouts within one month. Highway speed, 65 mph.severe corrosion was found on valve stem. Total cost to repair tires and sensors, $1000.

- Egg Harbor Township, NJ, USA

problem #47

Jun 072017

Ram 1500

  • 97,000 miles
While driving there was an extremely loud grinding noise coming from the rear end. I went to an auto shop and after assessing the issue, it was determined that the pinion was bad and there was a chunk of metal broke off in the rear differential. Repairs cost over 1600$.

- Gobles, MI, USA

problem #46

Jun 012017

Ram 1500

  • 140,000 miles
Driving down the highway and drive shaft came off making me lose control of my truck before stopping on side of road bough this vehicle almost a year ago never recieved anything about a recall

- Jackson, KY, USA

problem #45

Apr 172017

Ram 1500

  • 60,000 miles
Valve stem nut cracked and came off resulting in flat tire, thankfully in garage, not on the road. Discovered nuts on two other tires were also cracked. (fourth valve stem apparently had been replaced prior to my purchasing the vehicle.)

- Tremont, IL, USA

problem #44

Sep 012016

Ram 1500

  • 78,000 miles
I was driving my truck to work one morning. I was traveling at a steady speed of 70mph in a straight stretch. All of the sudden my steering wheel started to wobble and I had the low tire pressure warning light on my dash. After no more than 2 seconds the truck pulled extremely hard to the right. I knew that I had a flat tire. After attempting to safely pull off and avoid the tractor trailer from slamming into me I was able to pull over. After inspecting the tire, I noticed that I didn't have a valve stem in my front passenger tire. I attempted to change the tire on the side of the road in the rain but broke the cheap lug wrench that is supplied with the vehicle. Apparently the dealership over torqued the lug nuts. I had to get a ride to work, being 1.5 hours late and leave my truck on the interstate all day. My father in law works for a tire and lube center. He professionally inspected it. The threads completely stripped out of the tire pressure sensor and valve stem. This is what caused it to violently eject from the wheel itself. By gods' good graces I was able to pull over that day and not crash or die due to the high speeds. I have had many other issues with the truck as well that I will file separate complaints on each issue. (transmission shift solenoid, staying in 4th gear, tipm electrical issues/no power to anything on the inside of the truck, rear power door locks not unlocking/locking with key fob or front door lock controls) this truck is a safety hazard to my families life as well as my own.

- Grayson, KY, USA

problem #43

Oct 282016

Ram 1500

  • 140,000 miles
Thank fully nothing has happened as of yet. However all four TPMS valve stem retaining nuts that were used on my model are cracked and getting worse over time. I saw that some people have had rapid decompression of their tire pressure due to cracked retaining nuts. These were reports on the complaints section here. I was inflating one of my tires and the whole vavle stem cracked off and I had to replace one of them already. I brought it up with my mechanic and he said "that's just what aluminum valve stems do" im afraid that eventually they will fail at high speed and just want to put a complaint in. A part like this should not just be expected to "do" something like that when it is a known issue.

- Newark, DE, USA

problem #42

Sep 262016

Ram 1500

  • 130,115 miles
Two tire valve stems have failed causing sudden loss of tire inflation. First failure, June 5, 2016 driver side rear tire occurred on interstate highway (70mph). Tire was damaged beyond repair before vehicle stopped. Second failure, Sept 26, 2016 passenger side rear tire occurred on state highway (55mph). Tire has not been reviewed for internal damage. Front driver side tire shows crack in valve stem retaining nut. Crack runs straight from tire to top of retaining nut. Crack appearance looks as though the retaining nut is a stamped part with a seam. Photos: 1) Sept 26 failure showing valve stem parts completely missing. 2) unfailed, but cracked retaining nut (dark line is crack) taking truck to tire shop for replacement of all valve stems. Will ask for all existing parts to be returned. Note first failure required changing tire within 4 feet of heavy vehicle traffic moving at 70 mph speed limit. Second failure required changing tire on dark roadway during rain storm. Unlike typical tire punctures with slow pressure loss, I had no ability to re-inflate and move to safer location for tire changing.

- Seymour, IN, USA

problem #41

Aug 092015

Ram 1500

  • 65,000 miles
Tire air valves are metal and split causing a blowout on I-57 at 65 mph. And as of today 09/03/2016 I have noticed the tires (all 4) are starting to loose air and 3 out of 4 valve stems are cracked causing the air to rush out of the tire as the crack gets worse, this is very much a safety hazard. At this point I have no way to scan in the paperwork from the repair shop, but I do have it.

- Tuscola, IL, USA

problem #40

May 052016

Ram 1500

  • 48,000 miles
The contact owns a 2009 Dodge Ram 1500. While driving at approximately 40 mph, the rear wheels seized and prevented the vehicle from functioning. In addition, the wheels unlocked independently. The contact mentioned an abnormal noise was heard from the rear of the vehicle while driving. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the pinion bearing was loose and the rear axle needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was serviced under NHTSA campaign number: 13V038000 (power train) before the failure occurred. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 48,000.

- Scottsburg, NY, USA

problem #39

Oct 312015

Ram 1500

  • 69,000 miles
While driving the retainer that holds the valve stem in place cracked and caused the TPMS sensor to fall into the tire causing the tire to go flat. After checking I found all the other retainers were cracked and corroded. After checking into the matter, I found that other Chrysler vehicles around that year are having the same issue. I also found that Chrysler stop using those particular TPMS sensors after only a short time. I called the dealer and they stated that there is no recall and that I needed to contact corporate. I was driving at a slow rate of speed when this happened, if I was driving on a highway I may have crashed. This is a dangerous issue that needs immediate attention.

- Clayton, NJ, USA

problem #38

Oct 292015

Ram 1500

  • 85,000 miles
On 04-02-2015 I experienced a rapid loss in pressure and a flat rear passenger side tire while driving 35 mph in rainy conditions. I found that the valve stem was missing when I went to change the tire. I brought the tire to a chain tire store and was advised that the valve stem nut had broken causing the failure. I was forced to replace both rear tires because the short distance driven to get out of traffic destroyed the flat tire. The other nuts were examined at that time and corrosion was noted but no cracks were observed. It is now 10-29-2015 and I'm noticing that one of the other valve stems is cracked on the older tires. I need to have the stem replaced before it fails catastrophically. I'm also experiencing a TPMS failure but do not know if it is related. The tire repair cost $400+ and in reading other complaints this seems to be an all too common problem. Please investigate this matter further and determine if a recall is necessary.

- Elgin, IL, USA

problem #37

Sep 122015

Ram 1500

  • 47,000 miles
While driving down the highway, I experienced a blowout on the front passenger side. The aluminum valve stem had blown out completely. I inspected the remaining three tires and all three of the other valve stems had cracked. I had to find a service garage as quick as possible to have this repaired. It seems to me that this could have been much worse, especially if all four tires would have blown at the same time.

- Xenia, OH, USA

problem #36

Jul 242013

Ram 1500

  • 345 miles
When I purchased the vehicle new I only test drove speeds up to 40 mph. I purchased the vehicle and drove it on a road trip and the tires screamed/hollowed as if I was drive off on the side of the road. I took it to the dealership and they said there was nothing found. In the city the truck is nice and quite however on the highway it hollows off and on all the way(hours) above 45 mph. I took it to the dealership several time and they claimed to have test drove it and there where no noise. I continue to drive it thinking that maybe because of the cheap tires the manufacture installed. Until 4 years later I bought top of the line replacement tires and the vehicle continued to make the same noise with the new tires, when to sears they replaced the tires and the same thing happened. There is a malfunction with something in the axle or tire rod I assume. It sounds like the noise in coming from the passenger front tire area. There is no shaking or aliment that is noticeable however, I do get regular aliments and there is always adjustments needed.

- Tamuning, GU, USA

problem #35

Jul 172015

Ram 1500

  • 63,028 miles
Driving West on state route 32 at approx. 66mph in the passing lane with 1 vehicle to my right in the right hand lane and 1 vehicle behind me in the passing lane. I accelerated my vehicle to get clear of vehicle to my right in order that I could move over into right hand lane, immediately at acceleration point I got a low air pressure warning on instrument cluster. I stopped as quickly and as safely as I could. Inspection of vehicle found left rear tire completely deflated and upon closer inspection noted that valve stem assembly was missing from tire rim it had unseated from rim and blown inside the tire causing rapid deflation. This is a serious safety hazard that needs corrected now!

- Peebles, OH, USA

problem #34

Jul 232015

Ram 1500

  • 53,811 miles
I was driving in heavy rush hour traffic at 55 mph when my left front tire rapidly went flat do to the TPMS valve stem failure causing me to take evasive action in order to avoid a multi vehicle collision. This driving on a flat tire caused extensive side wall damage to my new tire with only 6000 miles on it, $233 to replace it low cost to avoid a major accident.

- Hopkins, MN, USA

problem #33

Apr 142015

Ram 1500

  • 18,300 miles
System warning went off that we were loosing air in the tire. Within seconds, we pulled over and the tire was flat. Received roadside assistance so we could drive the truck home. Stopped at a gas station to check the air in all the tires. Couldn't put air in one of the tires because the nut holding the tire sensor rotted off. While trying to put the air in, the stem was getting pushed into the tire. The mechanic told us that's what happened to the first tire (the nut rotted off). Had we been traveling at a higher speed, this could have caused a serious accident. We feel this is a dangerous problem and should be looked in to.

- Mt. Carmel, PA, USA

problem #32

Mar 232015

Ram 1500 4WD 8-cyl

  • 81,000 miles
Driving down highway and truck started to chime for a low tire pressure. I immediately stopped and found the valve stem was inside the tire. I took the tire off the rim and found the nut that holds the tps sensor in the tire or the valve stem nut was broke. I looked at the other tires on my truck and all of the nuts on the tps sensors are cracked. This now is the second time this has happened in roughly a year. The first time it was serviced at a tire shop and now it happened again and I knew what it was right away and serviced it myself.

- Random Lake , WI, USA

problem #31

Dec 252014

Ram 1500

  • 45,000 miles
The contact owns a 2009 Dodge Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 15 mph, there was an abnormal noise and the front passenger side tire detached from the vehicle without warning. The vehicle was taken to a dealer. The technician diagnosed that the screws in the tire loosened and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 45,000.

- Arlinton, MO, USA

Read the next 20 complaints »