10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
3 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
106,988 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.

2003 Dodge Ram 2500 engine problems

engine problem

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2003 Dodge Ram 2500 Owner Comments

problem #8

Jan 302021

Ram 2500

  • 135,000 miles

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

On a 35mph street, truck suddenly bucking as if it was going to stall, and the RPM's were erratic. I put it in N pulled over and shut it off. It restarted with no issues. I drove about 9 miles, pulled into my driveway and was coasting up it, when suddenly the truck accelerated. I depressed the brake, nothing. I slammed it in park and shut it off. It happened a few times while idling, or moving at a slow rate. I was stopped at a light when it suddenly accelerated into a 50mph, 4 lane main thoroughfare. I stepped on parking brake, turned it off and thanked god that I was unharmed. I started back up, put it in D, depressed the gas pedal (light turned green) and it would not accelerate. I took my foot off the gas, then it bucked a few times and accelerated on it's own. I depressed the brake pedal, but it kept revving up and accelerating. Again, I depressed the emergency brake and shut it off. It just happened again as I was coming up my Suburban 35mph street. I got to approximately 20mph when it wouldn't accelerate further. I bucked and choked, RPM's jumping up and down the last 100 yards. I turned into my driveway at an idling rate and it took off like a shot. I pressed the brake and it still kept accelerating. If I hadn't turned the wheel, I would have driven through my garage. This is not an isolated incident. I suffer from idiopathic cardiomyopathy and ckd, these incidents have caused me to be unable to breathe as my heart was beating so fast. This must be addressed immediately!

- Sicklerville, NJ, USA

problem #7

Jul 042016

Ram 2500

  • 140,000 miles
Sudden loss of braking while approaching intersection; the brake pedal just went to the floor when applying approximately two hundred feet before intersection; applied emergency brake to effectively stop'speed was below 30 mph when approaching intersection and brake loss occurred; truck has also had four "death wobble" experiences even with pittman arm and associated parts replacement; two experiences of sudden acceleration (possible jammed open throttle) of the turbo, leading to loss of control; sudden accelerations occurred shortly after cruise control usage and traveling less than 30 mph; while stationary, vehicle has experienced wiring harness short and fire on firewall while connected to trailer. Pictures attached were taken within 12 hours of sudden loss of brakes.

- Centerville, TX, USA

problem #6

Feb 132016

Ram 2500

  • 223,000 miles
I was letting my 2003 Dodge Ram 2500 cummins warm up in the driveway when RPM suddenly jump to 3000 for a couple of seconds after that I left to go to work I was driving down a city street going 30 miles an hour after the transmission shifted into 3rd gear the truck automatically accelerated as if I was pushing full throttle and then let off when I hit the brakes, then I had no throttle response I pulled over shut the truck off started it back up and then had throttle response again the check engine light was now on. On my way to autozone to get my codes read it did it one more time where it accelerated by itself I hit the brakes and it stopped accelerating and after that I lost throttle control as in a "dead pedal". this is a huge safety concern if you're coming up to a stop sign or stop light as the truck may accelerate on its own into a bystander or another automobile. I think recall action needs to be taken place

- Anoka, MN, USA

problem #5

Jun 302012

Ram 2500

  • 168,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2003 Dodge Ram. The contact stated that while driving 55 mph and attempting to brake, the vehicle hesitated to come to a full stop. The contact released the brake pedal and the vehicle accelerated independently. The electronic throttle control warning light was also illuminated. The vehicle was inspected by a mechanic who advised that the failure was related to the electronic control throttle. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue however no further assistance was provided. The VIN was unavailable. The current and the failure mileage was 168,000.

- Cincinnati, OH, USA

problem #4

Jan 202012

Ram 2500

  • 178,000 miles
The contact owns a 2003 Dodge Ram 2500 quad cab. The contact stated that the vehicle was hooked to another vehicle in order to jump start the vehicle when the vehicle unexpectedly accelerated in revere and crashed into a building. The crash caused no injuries and the police were not contacted. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer and the manufacturer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired and the VIN was unavailable. The failure mileage was 178,000 and the current mileage was 178,500.

- Towanda, KS, USA

problem #3

Nov 222010

Ram 2500

  • miles
Traveling home from work on I-65 near elizabethtown, ky when all of a sudden my vehicle went to 90 mph within seconds. I first tried to hit the brake to take off the cruise, that did nothing, I then pushed in the clutch and the engine screamed and the speakers blew, still going 90 mph I manually turned off the cruise and that slowed it down. There is a recall, but Dodge/Chrysler will not honor because the ECM needs replaced not reprogrammed. Dodge wants $3,473 from me to fix. My truck according to Dodge had the recall done, but obviously the problem is not fixed. I don't want to die or kill someone if my truck goes out of control again. I don't think it should matter if it needs reprogrammed or replaced. A recall is a recall and admits to a problem. This recall refers to vehicle speed control recall#69118 called Chrysler 18007638422 spoke to brian BO52 and local dealer swope Dodge in E-town they ran a test to find the problem which is the ECM needed "replaced". this would not need replaced if the speed control worked properly. Thank you

- Upton, KY, USA

problem #2

Aug 062003

Ram 2500 4WD 6-cyl Diesel

  • Manual transmission
  • 10,000 miles
I've had this since the Dodge C02 recall a while back. Happens maybe once a week, maybe twice, but not often enough to reproduce at the dealer. Here's the deal: You are accustomed to applying a certain amount of throttle to the vehicle during launch to maintain rpms. The engine runs up to 2000-3000 RPM when you expect it to be around 1200. The computer seems to be fueling up for launch, but does not when the rpms come up. After 5 seconds or so, it will suddenly "realize" that it made the mistake and starts to fuel, when you then have to push the pedal down quite a bit to maintain the rpms. I have had several close calls. Chrysler tech group can not reproduce problem so they are refusing to fix it. This problem will eventually result in an injury, as it is getting more severe as time goes on. Other users are reporting the same problem. For details please see the following thread www.turbodieselregister.com/forums/showthread.php?S=&threadid=84164.

- Bloomington, IL, USA

problem #1

Nov 062003

(reported on)

Ram 2500

  • 1,900 miles
When vehicle is in park and while idling it shifts into reverse. Also, vehicle accelerates on high. Then, it begins moving backwards and stops, once it comes into contact with an object.

- Boulder, CO, USA

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