6.9

fairly significant
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
9,000 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.

1996 Dodge Ram 2500 lights problems

lights problem

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1996 Dodge Ram 2500 Owner Comments

problem #8

Mar 242007

Ram 2500 4WD 10-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 72,000 miles

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

I drive quite a bit during the night time with my vehicle. There seems to be a very serious issuse with the wiring over heating at the headlight switch. I have replaced 5... going to be 6 headlight switches. There is a dangerous amount of head being put out at the switch itself. So much that it actually melts the pigtail at the light switch connection. The light switch itself is destroyed. Its bad especcially when driving down the road and your headlamps, marker lights and dash light all go out. If I do not have a replacment part in my truck at the time, I have to find a spot in between switch position just to get my lights operational to "limp" my truck home. My choice of positions when the switch fails is headlamps with out markers and no dash lights or fog lamps markers and dash lights. Being Dodge has such terrible headlamps I use fog lights to drive when this happenes. Believe it or not he fog lights are better than the driving lights. I recently saw a recall for Dodge durangos with a under dash electrical problem. I would think that this wiring/headlamp switch problem should be a recall! thank you.

- Duluth, MN, USA

problem #7

Jul 112005

Ram 2500 8-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • miles
Consumer states: The headlight switch keeps burning up in his 1996 Dodge Ram truck. It is burning the wire harness that goes to the headlight switch. It could go out at any time. He had it replaced about 3-4 months ago and it is out again. He has talked to the dealer and they have made a special wire harness to splice into the wiring on the truck. They have had a lot of problems with this same thing. The dealer said Chrysler was aware of the problem. He can be going down the road, and the lights will just go out. You can park it for a while, when you come back to start the car and switch on the headlights the headlights will not work. The last time he had it replaced, the wiring had melted the insulation.

- Monroe, NC, USA

problem #6

Feb 012001

Ram 2500

  • Automatic transmission
  • miles
Headlights don't work when steering wheel is in a downward driving position. If steering wheel is pushed all the way up headlights come on. Consumer received a recall 00V135000/ manufacturer's recall 875. When vehicle was taken into dealer's repair shop, dealer wasn't sure if recall was for that specific problem. Dealer didn't fix it under recall.

- Waldron, MI, USA

problem #5

May 092000

Ram 2500 Diesel

  • miles

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

During failure all of the warning lights flash the transmission goes haywire and the tachometer goes haywire. This truck has been at three different shops, we have changed out the transmission relay, the headlight lamp, serviced the transmisison and still cannot find the cause. In addition, we have replace a radio which has shorted out and the fuel indicator doesn't work. Both of which failed before the truck was three years old, unfortuneately just out of warranty.

- Tomball, TX, USA

problem #4

Apr 192000

Ram 2500

  • miles
Headlamp switch and connector melted, amperage overload, reinstalled relay assembly and headlamp switch, notified by dealer that there is no recall on this, yet they are aware of the problem because they have redesigned the relay assembly

- Apple Valley, CA, USA

problem #3

Nov 241999

Ram 2500 Diesel

  • miles
The headlights went out when I changed to high beams. I pulled off and cycle the switch and they came on. This happened several times. I continued to drive with just the low beams. The dealer said the "multi-function switch" had failed and replaced it. I think it is only fortunate that an accident did not occur.

- Sun City, AZ, USA

problem #2

Nov 151998

Ram 2500

  • miles
Spent $1200 to rebuild entire front end of car due to excessive clunking and looseness after only 40,000 miles of lite street use. Factory installed componants obvoiusly inferior quality or defective. Dailmer Chrysler was willing to assist in the costs of the repair until the bills came in. Daimler Chrysler walked away from the issue. Rear window water leak - suggest other owners to look on passenger side for water ponding adjacent to sill plate at rear of seat. Rear factory sliding window defective. Must replace with alternate selection. Headliner will not fit properly on alternate selection - beware. Dodge Ram owners beware. This owner jumping ship from Dodge/Chrysler products. Only owned this vehical for 11 months.

- Danvers, MA, USA

problem #1

Sep 241998

Ram 2500

  • Automatic transmission
  • miles
While driving with the signal lights on, they may go off, also experience problems with high beams and the low beams.

- Billings, MT, USA

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