10.0
really awful- Crashes / Fires:
- 3 / 1
- Injuries / Deaths:
- 0 / 0
- Average Mileage:
- 59,841 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.
While traveling on interstate 90 in Washington state, traveling at about 60 mph I noticed a haze behind the truck through the passenger side door mirror. At the time, there were no indications by instruments or warning lights that anything was amiss with the truck. Wondering if it was coming from the truck I pulled to the shoulder to check. As soon as I stopped I smelled hot oil, so shut off the engine, released the hood latch and checked the engine compartment. Upon lifting the hood of the engine compartment I immediately noticed flames between the engine and fire wall. I retrieved a fire extinguisher from the camper the truck was hauling and attempted to extinguish the fire. Two motorists with fire extinguishers stopped to help and the combined use of three dry chemical fire extinguishers would not put the fire out and the truck and camper completely burned. When I reported this to my insurance company we discovered an error in the VIN number on my insurance policy. Out of curiosity I researched that VIN number and was surprised to see that same style truck had also burned. It's VIN is 3D7mu48C84G269656 and can be seen in the 7th photo that is uploaded to this report. Both were 2004 Dodge diesel tucks with low mileage. It seems too much of a coincidence and I wonder if there is a defect that caused this and how many other of this year, make and model have been destroyed by fire.
- Indianola, WA, USA
Steering became loose and had 1-2inches of slack before guiding the vehicle properly. Replaced with new steering unit. Transmission would not shift into low gear at busy intersection entering freeway. Started in second or third required costly rebuild. Fuel gauge reads empty required new unit in fuel tank.
- Greeley, CO, USA
The contact owns a 2004 Dodge Ram 3500. Since 2005, the contact experienced difficulty shifting the gear into park. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 15V462000 (power train) in 2006. The vehicle was taken to naples Dodge Chrysler Jeep (6381 airport pulling rd N, naples, fl 34109) where the technician informed the contact that the recall had been repaired once for a computer upgrade. Even though the recall failure recurred, there would be an out of pocket cost. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle had not been repaired. The failure mileage was 2,000.
- Naples, FL, USA
My 2004 Dodge Ram 3500 will go out of park and into reverse on its own and I was not told that this is an ongoing problem with this particular truck my truck went on its own one day over 250 feet and drove into my neighbors yard. The truck parking pawl was not completely in as I was told and this truck has the ability to do it on its own I find this unacceptable and a hazard to my health as long with my neighbors. Could you please look into this because there was not a recall sent to me or anything told to me when I purchased this from the Chrysler Dodge at the dealer I believe that people need to know what they're getting into and possible hazards that are linked to this could you please email me back with any information on this problem.
- Eugene, OR, USA
The contact owns a 2004 Dodge Ram 3500. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 05V462000 (air bags). While the vehicle was in park, it accelerated in reverse. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, but the contact did not know what component was diagnosed. The vehicle was repaired, but the remedy failed to repair the vehicle. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The approximate failure mileage was 74,900.
- Bloomington, IL, USA
I bought this truck new and I believe code E17 is the transmission does not always go into park. It stays in reverse I have had close calls with this problem. It is a real concern. The dam signal horn to alert you is to slow to respond and fails when pulling into a parking spot. Also I lost my serpentine belt which caused braking and steering dangerously difficult this was on a city street. It caused me to drive on the wrong side of the road for quite a distance. Both of these issues I have complained shortly after buying new. Dealer denied problems until recalls
- Kalama, WA, USA
I have had a vibration and "death wobble" on my truck since I purchased it. It has been to two different Chrysler dealers for a total of 5 or 6 times without resolution of the issue. The issue is two fold, one is when I hit a large bump at speeds greater than 45 mph the steering wheel shakes violently, and the other this speeds over 60 mph there is a vibration. I have spoken to Chrysler about the issues about a year or so ago. They tried to offer buy back because the issue could not be resolved, but then told me I was not qualified because I was the second owner. I also had to have the steering gear box replaced under warranty, and they replaced all the tie-rod ends ect. The issues is still the same without resolution. Now my warranty is up, and the truck still has this potential dangers issues and I have no where to go. Anytime I have the truck looked at now it cost me a lot of money. My truck has recall 13V-528 and 09E-001 which relate to these issues. The truck was inspected, but they did not fix anything.
- Kellogg, IA, USA
I was heading South on I-87 in New York state at 65 mph when a loud explosion sounding like a grenade going off occurred under the floorboards. My passenger and I thought the parts under the truck were going to explode through the floorboards under us. There was a lot of noise of exploding parts. I was barely able to cost to the side of the highway. There was a great deal of oil on the pavement, wires were hanging under the truck, fuel lines and brake lines were ripped, driveshaft damaged. I noticed then that the dashboard 4 wheel drive light had come on, the front hazard lights worked but not the rear. I believe that this was the result of one of two things...a factory defect in the transfer case clutch or a computer system glitch that caused the truck to switch into 4 wd at high speed. This was a life threatening situation and I was lucky not to be involved in a serious accident and that the parts did not burst through the bottom of the truck although they dented it.
- Danbury, CT, USA
I put my truck into park and was walking around the rear to check my mailbox and the truck started rolling forward and hit my main gate, which was closed and had a slide bolt closed. I ran around to the door to try to jump into the cab (thinking my gate had stopped the truck) when my gate crashed open (bending the heavy bolt and tearing one of the gates down and bending the other gate) and it kept moving toward a tree. Like an idiot, I ran and grabbed the grab bar and jumped into the cab and hit the brakes. If I had fallen I would have been run over by the dually wheels or if headed out the gate, could have hit a car. This is the second time it happened - originally it happened back in 2005 and I thought I had just neglected to put the truck into park, but the second time it happened I realized there was a problem with the truck and not me.
- Ocala, FL, USA
The contact owns 2004 Dodge Ram 3500. The contact stated that while driving 75 mph, the vehicle started vibrating violently and exhibited an abnormal noise. The contact immediately depressed the brake pedal and it failed to engage. The vehicle was towed to the contact's home. The failure was not diagnosed. Both the dealer and manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 137,000.
- Granger, IN, USA
Piece of crap, loss of power, drive train dont hold up to loads that it states that it could pull, clutch slips when accelerating vehicle.
- Granbury, TX, USA
Consumer states he pulled up in his back yard after driving his vehicle, put his vehicle in park cut it off. He then got out of the vehicle walked around to the rear of the truck to open the tail gate and noticed the truck was moving backward. He states he tried to catch it, but was unsuccessful, it knocked him down. He then could do no more than just lie on the ground and watch the vehicle run into his gate. He says this has happened before with his son. He says he is just fortunate that he or his son was standing iin the way of the vehicle when it begin to roll. He states that the park pawl do not engage securely, causing it to just out of park and into reverse. He states he has looked on the internet and there are other complaints of the same nature. He says this incident happened 8/27/04.
- Orange, TX, USA
- Farmingham, MA, USA