9.0
pretty bad- Typical Repair Cost:
- $190
- Average Mileage:
- 128,300 miles
- Total Complaints:
- 18 complaints
Most common solutions:
- not sure (15 reports)
- replace sway bar end-links and/or track bar bushings (2 reports)
- replace damper (1 reports)
I have a 2003 dodge 2500 that came down with the death wobble. I have put almost 2000 dollars in to the front end of this truck at this time and still have the death wobble. I have read a lot on this problem and to me no one has the answer. Dodge is not fixing this problem that started in the 90's and is still a problem on the new trucks. shame on you Dodge. I like my truck and hope i can fix the problem. I will never buy another dodge again and trust me i will bad mouth there trucks to everyone i can. P.S. I think i will just buy a Ford
- rshort, Reedsport, OR, US
I have had the entire front suspension/steering assembly rebuilt. I have even installed an after market steering gearbox brace, that was supposed to cure the problem. And still my truck is plagued with the famous death wobble. There also feels to be something loose and rattling in the front end, yet when the truck raised, supported with stands under the frame, I cannot find anything that comes close to causing this noise. Every component has been replaced with lifetime warranted pieces, i.e. drive axles, wheel bearings, shocks, tie rod ends, Pittman arm, sway bar links, all bushings are now polyurethane, upper and lower ball joints, brake discs, calipers, bearings and pads, etc. at a cost of over $2000. And this death wobble sometimes is too violent to do anything other than to brake hard and slow the truck to a crawl.
- Charles L., Kingsport, TN, US
I experienced this 2 times over the life of the vehicle. They both happened only a few years after I owned the vehicle. I complained to Dodge on another site, but noticed nothing had been done. I took my car in last year and they said that there was some damage to my ball joints and some other parts to the suspension. I would guess those were caused by the horrible wobble. My truck has not had that happen for a few years now but I would like others to know that it did happen with my 2003 Dodge 2500 as well and it was crazy. I would love Dodge to replace the suspension in all truck that have experienced the wobble. It will and I'm sure it has caused serious accidents. Do what's right and fix the problem. It will cost me $2600.00 dollars that I don't have to fix it.
- Trevor H., Cedar City, UT, US
Death wobble has occurred multiple times, I just learned what was really happening and was told to report it here.
- Michael G., Corbett, OR, US
The 2003 Dodge Truck 2500 4x4 has had very few problems. However, the "Death Wobble" is a major problem. I was hauling a 38 foot trailer and it almost took us off the road and down into a canyon when it started SHAKING THE TRUCK. I was doing about 50 mph and had to slow down to below 30 to get the truck under control again. This was the first time and has not been the last. I went through the front end, replaced front and rear shocks as well as the front steering damper (shock). Went through all the recalls Dodge sent me on the "Tie Rods" checks and nothing was wrong with them. I have one more to go to do along with the Air Bag problem. The whole front end hub assembly blew up and was replaced by Dodge with a used unit. I also have had several front end alignments and "No one has found anything wrong with the steering, suspension system, ball joints, control arm, bushing, shocks, tie rods, wheel bearings, etc."
- coachrosier, Tucson, AZ, US
While driving at a speed of 70 kilometers per hour, steering wheel and front end started shaking violently. Some others have called this the "ram death wobble". I narrowly avoided crashing truck and am now concerned to drive vehicle anywhere.
- Keith D., Abbotsford, BC, Canada
I had my GF and child in the truck and hit a bump on the highway and it shook violently out of control, I had to slow down to under 40 mph to gain control again. I am very unhappy that Dodge would allow these defects to continue on later models of this vehicle after so many have been brought to light in years previous.
Not only is the vehicle unsafe but to have a child in there when this happens it is totally unacceptable.
- Adam M., Halifax, PA, US
I have tried replacing the stabilizer shock and the hubs and the axle joints.
I cannot afford the aftermarket "fixes".
- Paul C., Benton, AR, US
WHILE DRIVING BACK ON INTERSTATE 76, I HIT A POT HOLE IN THE ROAD AND THEN BEGIN HAVING A VIBRATION IN THE FRONT END. I REPLACED THE FRONT WHEEL U JOINTS AND THIS DID NOT RESOLVE THE ISSUE. AT THIS POINT I'M NOT SURE WHAT ELSE TO DO.
- dtrujillo, Monte Vista, CO, US
This has happened multiple times since I bought it, starting on the DAY I bought it (used) in 2008. Made it go away for some years, don't know how. Combination of tire pressure adjustment, alignment, toe angle? Limited myself to driving less than 55 mph. Problem happens when you hit a bump just right and it sends one wheel up, and the other down. That wheel then gets bounced up, and sends the other down. It's like dribbling two basketballs, and the WHOLE FRONT END shakes violently. Since this happens at highway speeds, it happens on the highway, and the truck is completely uncontrollable during this time. The only way to make it stop is to slow down (remember, you're ON THE HIGHWAY) to 40-30 mph. Last time I came back from Queens, it happened SEVEN TIMES. It just happened again today. It is dangerous, violent, and a known problem for which Dodge has not offered a solution or recall.
- Blake R., Trumansburg, NY, US
This problem just started in the last 10,000 miles. Very dangerous. This is also a problem on my 2000 Ram 3500.
- James K., Saugerties, NY, US
I was doing about 55 on a highway. I hit a bump and the whole truck shook violently. I managed to brake and get to the side of the road. I got out and examined the tires and suspension. Noticed some slightly worn parts and replaced them once I got back home. Problem still occurs. I don't want to sell the truck to anyone and afraid to drive it myself!
- Jacob R., Rockford, TN, US
This vehicle has the death wobble, and has been in the Dodge dealership for 7 months, they have replaced nearly the entire front end and it still has the issues. They are at a loss as to what to do next. They cannot fix it.
- gcote, Huntsville, AL, US
The ram truck has a violent shimmy at 65+ mph whenever I hit a bump in the road or turn fairly sharp around a curve. The only way I can keep it from happening is driving it at 60 mph or less. It is amazing I didn't loose control of the vehicle. It has been in for recall repairs but the problem still remains.
- camkuhns, Canon City, CO, US
DODGE REALLY TREATS THEIR LOYAL CUSTOMERS LIKE S**T!
- Thomas B., SST JOHN PLT, ME, US
I started to notice the violent shaking around 80k miles whenever I would pass over a transition in the road from the highway to a bridge for instance and then it progressively got worse to the point where I would have to jerk the steering wheel or stand on the brakes to get the wheels under control. Sometimes this would cause me to swerve uncontrollably into the other lane. To date I have taken it to several "shops" if you can even call them that, and here are the results of each visit: Since I had recently put new shocks on, I took it to a 5 Star Dodge Dealership to have them take a look at it, I was told that my front drive shaft was warped and out of balance. $600 later I had a brand new Front Drive Shaft and still had the same front end shaking. The dealership claimed that they were not allowed to road test the vehicle on the highway at highway speeds due to liability issues and therefore could not attempt to duplicate the problem by making the vehicle experience the symptoms. I kept the old drive shaft and took it to another place that does custom fabrication on driveshafts, I asked them to see if it was out of true or out of balance and they told me it was still within brand new tolerances and had mo warpage or out of balance issues. I took it back to the dealership and complained, but they weren't willing to do anything for me because over 90 days had already passed by. I took it to an alignment shop and paid for their lifetime alignment. They did say that it was badly in need of an adjustment and was fixed and I should not continue to experience the problem, if I do, bring it back and continue to use the lifetime package and keep getting it realigned. This still did not fix the problem. With the problem getting worse and worse, I took it to another 5 Star dealership where they told me that my Sway Bar End Links were badly bent and in need of replacement. Not knowing that I could have purchased aftermarket parts, I told them that I would buy the parts from them, and replace them on my own since they did not require any adjustment or re-alignment. $200 later and I have new end links installed and still have an unpredictable front end. Now, I decide to go ahead and replace my front shocks. I buy some nice SkyJackers and install them myself. $60 later, I have new shocks and still a wobble that seems to worsen every day. I talk to a few friends and someone with a Fors truck tells me that it may actually be a belt separating in my tire causing the wobble. Since I knew it was about time for tires anyways, I take it to a tire shop that can get larger truck tires (I can currently run 35's with no lift kit), I asked them to have their alignment guy/suspension expert take a look at it and I give them permission to road trst it after explaining the problem. By now it is not difficult to get the front end to go crazy at all, so I took the service tech guy for a ride. We came back to the shop and he "shook it down" on the rack, told me that I needed to replace the drivers side tie rod end and that my tires were fine. They were able to get the part from Napa next door and put it on while I waited. $250 later, you guessed it, same problem. Next day, I brought it back in and asked them about the busted belt theory proposed by my Ford driving friend. The very same guy that told me my tires were fine the day before, now says "Oh yeah, that's a real common problem because you can't actually see the busted belt, you should probably go ahead and get new tires. $1300 later, I have a new set of Nitto Terra Grapplers, and still have the same wobble. I am broke at this point and only have Mondays off to take care of truck issues. Mondays are now what I call Dodge Trouble Days. The following Monday, I decide to take it to a guy named Vick, a local "shade tree" mechanic. these guys rarely rely on a computer to tell them a code and often really know their stuff, which is probably why they don't work as "Dealership Mechanics" because they actually think. Vic listens to my story, does not even need to do a road test or have me pull into the shop on the clean concrete floor. He simply crawls under thr truck and asks me to shake the truck from side to side, and then says "Yep, come down here and take a look." He proceeds to show me that I have a badly worn top track bar bushing that is allowing about 3/4 inch of side to side play in my front end. He shows me where to look while he shakes the truck from side to side so I can see the movement. He tells me without even going online or to an inventory computer (he doesn't have one) that it is a dealer only part because Chrysler/Dodge did not offer just the bushing, they only sold the entire Track Bar Assembly at a little over $300 bucks, and that I could go online and search for "2003 Dodge Ram Track Bar Bushing" and find several aftermarket manufacturers that sold the bushings for about $30 for both upper and lower as a set and install them myself or he would be glad to show me how for a very small fee. I ordered the bushings online and installed them myself. Problem solved, no more crazy truck bouncing across both lanes of the highway, and all for $30. Why in the world can't a dealership mechanic see this? Are they all crooked and oriented towards making an un-necessary sale? I have to say that after this, as well as several other Dealership Mechanic experiences, I will NEVER take any of my vehicles to a dealership mechanic again. I went back to Vic and gave him $50 for his honesty and expertise, and now he does my oil changes and regular maintenance on all of my vehicles. When and if I need to replace a part, he is more than willing to show me how to do it myself. I hope that any one else experiencing this same problem finds this information useful. If you have basic sockets and wrenches, you can do this yourself for $30. New Tires, Shocks, Front Drive Shaft, Tie Rod End, Sway Bar End Links may not be necessary in all cases. God Bless Shade Tree Mechanics!
- momosapien, Columbia/Greenville, SC, US
front end wheel bounce is severe on my 2003 dodge ram 2500 4x4 5.9 diesel. i find that @ 55mph with any uneven pavement ( bridge transition,bump,pothole,dip) that my truck is about to scare me and everybody around me .The front tires start bouncing up and down opposite from each other until i apply the brakes or get the tires out of rhythm from each other.Either way i have slowed down to 45mph in a 65mph zone.Drivers around me are two lanes over when they pass me . I am looking for the correct answer to this horrible problem. I have redone the shocks to Rancho 5000, New tires-redo on mount and balance still no luck. need answer bad and fast...
- jbeach0308, Fort Worth, TX, US
2003 Dodge Ram 2500 Diesel truck has death wobble so bad it is going to cause a serious accident to me my family or to other drivers on the road. It is horrible that Dodge won't admit something this serious until after to many people get killed or injured!
- Mark E., Philpot, KY, US