7.9
pretty bad- Typical Repair Cost:
- $270
- Average Mileage:
- 85,800 miles
- Total Complaints:
- 15 complaints
Most common solutions:
- not sure (7 reports)
- replaced fuse box (3 reports)
- part was finally redesigned by Dodge (1 reports)
- replace power distribution and front control modules (1 reports)
- solder a wire across corroded copper trace in fuse box (1 reports)
- soldered the broken trace (1 reports)
This problem may be covered under warranty. Ask your Dodge dealer.
I know this is a little old for some folks, but for anyone else reading this, and if you're handy you can save few bucks. The circuit board gets water on it and corrodes. If you're willing to take the fuse box out and split it, you can take the board out. Usually on the bottom of the board, you can easily see exactly where the corrosion has broken the trace. Scrape it clean with a small screw driver, then add some solder to the broken trace. I then covered the solder with nail polish. It's a pain, but the "repair" seems to last about a year each time I do it (can now do whole "repair" in under 30 minutes), and the repair costs about 10 cents, compared to $1000...
- compdave, Maxville, ON, canada
The the replace lamp would come on and chime. When I check all the exterior lamp, they were all on. Finally a co-worker told me my right brake light was out. I replaced the light and it lasted a day. I think there is a short in the socket board assy. Cannot find a replacement board assy.
- cardessi, Plano, TX, US
Here is how I fixed it.
1. Remove the fuse box, not as hard as it looks.
2. Take the screws out and dismantle the layers on the bottom. Pay attention to the order of the layers.
3. On one of the layers you will find the copper trace on the layer is corroded away from road salt.
4. Trace the starting point and ending point of the corroded copper trace and solder a piece of wire across the damaged area. Wah-lah. Did this 5 years ago, no problems since. Cost a 3 inch piece of wire.
- kjomara, Sanbornton, NH, US
As you can see I have a 02 ram1500 pick up.Been working on cars,trucks etc my hole life NEVER had to replace a fuse box!!! UNREAL!!! Dealer wants 1000 bucks for new 1!! Never new this was a issue with dodges will NEVER BUY 1 AGAIN!!! EVER. Going to try and run hot wire wish me luck!! LOL
- John D., Cohoes, NY, US
At 53 years of age I have owned and my friends have owned hundreds of cars and trucks and I have never seen a fuse box go out.Such Crap.Add the engine blowing up,the Blend Door(to allow heat to the driver side) breaking,Air compressor and on and on.Ford here I come.
- Thomas L., Midlothian, IL, US
The factory way of connecting the rear lights with a plug , when it (not if) gets corroded may cause you to replace your whole fuse box! What a faulty set up!!!
- Aaron L., Waterford, MI, US
I CANT BELIEVE AN 8 YEAR OLD DODGE TRUCK HAS TO HAVE A FUSE BOX REPLACED,I HAVE A 79 AND A 69 FORD THAT HAVE THE ORIGNALS FUSE BOXES IN TACKED INSIDE THE CAB WERE THAT STUFF BELONGS OUT OF THE WEATHER TO AVOID HAVIN TO SPEND 650.00 DOLLARS TO FIX A TAILIGHT PROBLEM,THE DEALERSHIP HAD TWO IN STOCK, WHAT DOES THAT TELL YOU, DODGE SHOULD STEP UP TO THE PLATE AND HELP OUT THE CUSTOMER IN THIS CASE TO INCOURAGE THEM TO BUY NEW ,NO MORE FOR ME ILL STICK TO MY OLD FORDS... NEVER AGAIN.
- Steve M., Welland, ON, Canada
tail lights not working: this is an easy repair cost about 100.00
- desantis, Canton, OH, US
Naturally, we checked the fuse and connections when we noticed that we had no tail lights or front parking lights. Made an appointment with the dealer and nearly fainted when they wanted nearly $1000.00 to fix 4 lights! This is the second Dodge Truck that we have owned recently, and both have been total money pits! Our 1999 Ram Cargo Van with only 80,000 miles simply dissolved it's frame in our driveway this summer, and had to be towed away for scrap, as no shop or dealer would even look at trying to repair it. Now we have another Dodge that has cost nearly as much as our house, and we can no longer take it out after dark!! We will look for a reasonable way to wire up some light, and will certainly never invest in another Chrysler Product again!
Update from Jun 26, 2010: We were never able to get an acceptable fix from the dealer, so we simply ran a fused hot wire to the back, and tapped into the light circuit. Installed a nice little lighted switch on the dash, and we now have our lights working fine for less than $10.00 total cost.
- newfordfan, Ashtabula, OH, US
I flagged this as a "pain in the ass" because I had to replace the tail lights about 4-5 times before Dodge repaired the part. At the time, I was servicing at the dealer I bought from - it was inconvenient and they would not loan a car so each repair came with a rental, or a borrow, or a cab to get around which they scratched their heads and asked why the little light bulbs kept failing. In the end it was a bad circuit design from Dodge, they replaced it and from 25000-85000 miles it has been fine. But not before I spent around $500 in alternate transportation due to bad dodge design.
- nomoredodge, Carmichael, CA, US
The tail lights (both brake and turn signals) burn out much more frequently than on any other vehicle I have ever owned. My three friends who all have Dodge Rams have the same problem. When you go to replace the bulb, the first thing you notice is the charred, burnt base of the blown bulb. Bulb grease on the base of the bulb seems to prolong the life of the bulbs, but they still need replacement at least twice a year.
- Kyle L., Huntington Beach, CA, US
no running lights - turn on head lights and no running lights come on. looked into the cheaper fixes but determined it is related to the fuse box and took to dealer. They stated that the fuse box needed to be replaced and that it would run around $1,000.00 to replace - EXCUSE ME??? not a item that is supposed to wear out and how is this not a Dodge issue? Told me sorry dish out the cash or pick it up - well we picked it up - @#$(@#*&% - so now we have a truck that can not be driven at night for fear of getting a ticket - Dodge wont budge and if you search this issue you can see that it is a VERY COMMON issue - WAKE THE HELL UP DODGE - piss off your customer base so they never want to own another one of your products - makes good business sense - DUH!!!!! This is a work truck and thwy are trying to sell it but now this is a bigger problem cause no one wants to buy a vehicle that needs a large repair - at least not for the price we need to get for it. Between this and issues i have with a Neon i am calling them and chewing them out - Have sworn off dealers before - now i am swearing off a manufacturer - sad since i was a die hard Mopar fanatic - have had quiet a few go through my stable but the ones i have now are the last of them. Need to find me a good horse!!!!
- ohgreat, Berkey, OH, US
Dodge Dealership told me both Power Distribution Module and Front Control Module have internal shorts. One costs $269 and the other $234. Do some research and you will find quite a few problems due to moisture getting into these modules and causing corrosion, eventually causing short circuits in various electrical systems. Dodge knows there is a problem, but refuses to acknowledge it. They are making far to much money off replacement parts to put out a recall on the parts. Screw worrying about replacing a fuse when you can plop down $600 to replace a couple modules. This is my first Dodge vehicle and after 2 recalls on other electrical problems, replacing an engine due to oil sludging up and not circulating properly, and now needing a $600 repair that is clearly due to faulty design and workmanship, this 6 1/2 year old vehicle would be best suited to have a few sticks of dynamite located in various places in and under it, then stand back and detonate. I understand now why after Daimler invested in improving the image of Chrysler products, and now gave up on them. Good luck General Motors as you waste you time and money going down the same dead end road. I hope the people at Chrysler rot in Hell for their practices in ripping people off. Never again Chrysler, never again! Screw me once, shame on you. Screw me twice, shame on me. It won't happen again.
- coxpa, Prosperity, PA, US
All lights work except tail lights/not fuse or switch. Need an answer of how to fix the tail lights without spending a ton of money
- amitchell, Indianapolis, IN, US
I discovered in 2014 that I had no tail lights. All fuses were good. After much research, I stumbled across a work around to fix the problem which of course was the integrated control module. I ran a jumper wire from pin 15 on the side module to the tail light relay on the fuse box. They have worked ever since.
Every issue that I've had that could be dangerous to safe driving has been the result of a faulty design in the integrated control module. I realize this truck is quite old and has a lot of miles, but I know Chrysler has been aware of these problems a long time and not enough customers have complained to get their attention. With the cost of automobiles and the outrageous cost of labor to fix vehicles these days, they should do a better job in standing behind their products. I am very curious and I will not pay thousands of dollars to fix a problem with a vehicle.
I can't afford it and I wouldn't do it even if I could. Overall, this truck has been a workhorse, but dealing with problems such as this shouldn't have to happen. If the module had just a plastic cover over the bottom of it, this would never be a problem. People that do not research these issues will just take their vehicle to the dealer and pay a tremendous cost that they shouldn't have to bear for new parts that might break again and force these customers to pay twice.
I've read so many stories of how Chrysler has charged their customers an amazing amount of money and grief to fix something that should have been labeled as a design flaw. Even with all this, I still enjoy the truck and it does a great job when I need to haul something.
- James M., Petersburg, US