10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
68,972 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.

2001 Dodge Ram 1500 drivetrain problems

drivetrain problem

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2001 Dodge Ram 1500 Owner Comments

problem #20

Mar 262023

Ram 1500

  • miles

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

The headlights no matter what bulbs I buy are extremely dim making it unsafe to drive at night. Now truck will not start for some unknown reason. It tries to turn over but will not crank. The mileage flashes NO BUS. I was literally only getting at best 8 miles per gallon.

- Conroe, TX, USA

problem #19

Jul 012021

Ram 1500

  • miles
There have been three times now in the last two years, six-eight months of which I never drove the vehicle due to being repaired. I was driving at about 60-70mph. At which time there were no odd or sudden noises, no warning at all when the trucks acceleration goes way up till I let of the gas pedal, go to pull over while two of the three times, my drive shaft is bouncing between the road and underneath the truck which could have bounced up into another vehicle's windshield, radiator or whatever and could have actually hurt or even killed someone. Thank God nothing like that ever happened. After inspecting the problem, in which all three cases, the transfer case has broken off part of the tailshaft of the transmission and once, even broke part of the transfer case to. After trying to look up the problem on line, the exact same problem seems to have happened to several people from several different states and even one same instance from the same small town that I'm in. All the same instances that I've seen have been from the same type of vehicle from the years of 1995-2001. It just seems like a wide spread problem to

- Taylorsville, KY, USA

problem #18

Jul 012018

Ram 1500

  • 400,000 miles
The contact owns a 2001 Dodge Ram 1500. The contact stated that the gear shifter was very loose and moved a lot when the vehicle was in motion. Also, the gear indicator displayed different gears even though the vehicle was in the drive position. The dealer and manufacturer were not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was 400,000. The VIN was unknown.

- Tucson, AZ, USA

problem #17

May 222015

Ram 1500

  • 185,000 miles

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

My truck has 185000 miles on it and started sounding like the back brakes were grinding. On the way to the mechanic the back tires locked up and broke the drive shaft off. Lucky for me I was only going 40 miles an hour.

- Pineville, LA, USA

problem #16

Sep 262014

Ram 1500 4WD 8-cyl

  • 217,900 miles
Driving down the highway at approximately 70 miles per hour, I heard a horrible rattling noise. Vehicle started to shake violently, I was able to pull over to the side of the road. Upon inspection the rear driveline pinion yoke was loose with the nut holding by one thread.. I installed a new nut and inspected for further damage.

- Genesee, ID, USA

problem #15

Jan 132013

Ram 1500 8-cyl

  • miles
Power train North star Dodge, Chrysler auto dealer san pedro san antonio, Texas -power train grapevine Dodge, Chrysler auto dealer, grapevine, Texas- power train.

- San Antonio, TX, USA

problem #14

Dec 072004

Ram 1500

  • miles

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

Since Dec of 2004 I have had my transmission replaced 3 times on this vehicle, the last time I was on a highway when it "blew" and was told by several ppl that I was very "lucky" it didn't catch fire, L know of many others who have owned these trucks and have had similar transmission problems!! I also have had my spare tire cable break while the truck was on a roadway, and my spare tire when rolling down the road behind me, by the grace of god...no cars were coming, in addition, I have a severely cracked dash, I am having to have the heater core replaced...smoke coming out of the vents...when the core is replaced, the dash will have to be replaced also, due to the condition of the dash!! Dodge needs to do something about these vehicles!

- Gastonia, NC, USA

problem #13

Jul 102013

Ram 1500 8-cyl

  • miles
The contact owns a 2001 Dodge Ram 1500. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign id number: 13V038000 (power train)several months ago and stated that the dealer informed him that the parts needed to complete the service were not available. The manufacturer was notified. The contact had not experienced a failure.

- North Aurora, IL, USA

problem #12

Jul 222012

Ram 1500

  • miles
The dashboard get destroy to easly and the debries flies to the face making drive insecure because the plastic parts were hiting the face. The powers train gets very easly damage by rocks and debris on the street making it to vulnerable to get destroy (and that happen to me). The charging regulator gets brokes for nothing anytime and you need to be changing the computer or ading an external one and solder it to the principal cables that goes to the alternator, and relays.

- Washington, DC, USA

problem #11

Oct 142009

Ram 1500

  • 50,000 miles
The contact owns a 2001 Dodge Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving 45 mph, the transmission failed. The contact heard a loud noise and the vehicle began to decelerate on its own. The vehicle was towed to a dealer for inspection who diagnose that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 50,000. The VIN was unavailable.

- Milledgeville, GA, USA

problem #10

Nov 232010

Ram 1500

  • 144,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2001 Dodge Ram 1500 sport(na). While driving 40 mph, the transmission shifted into a lower gear and the shaft on the rear end split and disconnected; it began dragging on the ground. The contact inspected and noticed that a big nut was hooked underneath four other bolts which was loose from the tread. He re-hooked the nut to gather in order to have the drive shaft stay intact. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer had been notified. The failure mileage was approximately 144,000.

- Denver, CO, USA

problem #9

Jul 132009

Ram 1500

  • 90,740 miles
Dodge Ram 1500 4X4 rear axle tub brock at the pig.

- Plantation, FL, USA

problem #8

May 232008

Ram 1500 4WD 8-cyl

  • 55,500 miles
2001 Dodge quad cab pickup has failing wiring in steering column which makes truck die while driving. Which in turn there is no power brakes or steering and no electrical functions that makes the truck run. Dead on the road literally. Who knows at what speeds this problem may occur. Luckily, it happened to me while going slow and I was able to stop the truck. No known human deaths yet that I have heard of from this. If the problem is not fixed with wiring harness there will be deaths, I'm pretty sure due to this problem. I would like to do my best to keep my family and other families safe. This needs to be dealt with before someone does die unnecessarily in an accident that can be avoided by replacing the problem part of the pickup. The bearing clutch, rear carrier bearing, axle seals, rotors, power steering pump, pinion carrier bearings were all replaced. Also, the right turn signal and headlights failed. The center seat console bolting system fell out of the truck, the plastic dashboard panel and housing around the instrument panel was cracked in four places. The gasket on the water pump was leaking. The gasket, water and timing chain were replaced. The clutch failed, due to the wrong year transmission being installed in the vehicle. A 2000 transmission was installed in the vehicle, instead of a 2001. Updated 10/15/14

- Redmond, OR, USA

problem #7

Oct 162005

Ram 1500 4WD 8-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 61,300 miles
The consumer owns a 2001 Dodge Ram 1500 quad cab. Upon deceleration the consumer heard a roaring sound coming from the rear end of the vehicle. When he accelerated the roaring sound went away. When the consumer let off of the accelerator the second time he heard an explosion sound, and the rear end locked. Upon inspection it was determined that the nut on the pinion gear had come aloose and caused the rear end to come apart. The drive shaft punctured the quad cab's interior floorboard. The service dealer referred him to the manufacturer's customer service department. The manufacturer stated this was a mechanical failure and not a defect within the vehicle. (11/22/05) components affected are: Rear differential assembly, transmission, transfer case and driveshaft.

- Spring Grove, VA, USA

problem #6

Dec 272004

Ram 1500

  • miles
2001 Dodge Ram 1500 engine quit then the vehicle caught on fire.** answer required***. the fire originated at the rear of the vehicle and worked it's way up. While the consumer was exiting the vehicle the fire singed the consumer's pants, shoe laces and some of the hairs on his legs. The fire marshall said the fire probably started a result of a problem with the transmission.

- Unknown, DC, USA

problem #5

Jul 152003

Ram 1500

  • Automatic transmission
  • 45,000 miles
Transmission problems started in Sept. Of 2002 - upshift and downshift w/O reason, check engine light comes on - O/D light comes on, trans downshifts and stays there - can't take it off unless you pull to side of road and actually shut off ignition and recycle it. Complete overhaul of trans in late Dec. 2002 / Jan. 2003. End of Jan. 2003 - more of the same. Jul 2003, both front universals went out while vacationing in Canada. Dealer most accomodating in smiths falls, Ontario - but still cost $300 plus. Trans. Problems again (Nov. 2003) dealer has it for 3 days so far and have no answers....what to do"?"

- Effort, PA, USA

problem #4

Jun 152003

Ram 1500

  • Automatic transmission
  • 40,000 miles
My boyfriend bought a 2001 Dodge Ram in November of last year. After having the truck only four months the transmission had to be completly replaced. Two days ago we noticed a problem with the shocks. He brought it to the dealership and they told him all of the shocks need replacing, as well as other things such as the axel and what not. This is only seven months after buying the thing. The people at the dealership are rude and very unhelpful. They honestly could care less about the inconvenience they have caused us.

- Dover, NH, USA

problem #3

Aug 152003

Ram 1500

  • Automatic transmission
  • 52,000 miles
The transmission is not shifting properly. Went to my mechanic after the check engine light came on. Electronic testing indicated two problems: (1) tune up was needed; (2) sensors in transmission indicated problem. When I bought the truck at anderson Dodge in bloomfield hills, Michigan, I was not informed of the 7-year/70,000 mile warranty on the power train. I found this out only after contacting the Chrysler (Dodge) web site that I had the 7/70,000 warranty. This was to late as I had already taken the truck to multistate transmission in waterford, Michigan (on M-59)((huron street)). The dealership only informed me that I had a 3 year/36 month or 36,000 mile warranty (bumper to bumper) warranty on the vehicle, whichever came first. Much to my surprise, when trying to contact Chrysler (Dodge) on the computer, did I find out that I actually had the 7/70000 warranty. It was to late to take it to a dealership as multistate transmission on M-59 (huron street) in waterford, Michigan already had the truck and dropped the trans for repairs. Results; rebuild the trans due to torque converter and sensors. Problem was that there was a seal inside the transmission that was defective according to multistate. I have also had conversations via the internet with chris, sr. Customer service representative and he was not very helpful. He even asked for my phone number(s) where I could be contacted and he has not contacted me as of this writing. I continue to try to contact him but he fails to return an answer for the messages that I have sent him. I have the copies of all conversations via the internet and can send to you if so needed. I even had a union secretary friend of mine who stated that the customer service reps were members of the union, which she is a secretary to see if she could help. She informed me that if I had taken the truck to a Chrysler (Dodge) dealership, that they would have possibly paid for half of the repairs.

- Waterford, MI, USA

problem #2

Nov 152003

Ram 1500

  • Automatic transmission
  • 38,000 miles
My transmission consisitently acted up from about 15,000 mile to the present. At 38,000 miles after numerous trips to the dealership the tranny finally stopped completely. Now 11 months and 20,000 miles later it is going out again and chrylsler says they will only pay for part of it this time leaving me with about 2,800 in repairs.

- Charlotte, NC, USA

problem #1

Dec 052002

(reported on)

Ram 1500

  • miles
When driving at speeds of 50 mph and higher, the entire vehcile vibrates. The manufacture and dealer cannot fix problem due to this being the characteristic of the vehicle. Consumer afraid to drive vehicle.

- Geneva, NY, USA

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