10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
15 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
4 / 0
Average Mileage:
72,530 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.

2006 Dodge Ram 2500 steering problems

steering problem

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2006 Dodge Ram 2500 Owner Comments (Page 8 of 11)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #75

Jun 152012

Ram 2500

  • 119,000 miles

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

Was driving 45-50 mph when truck hit a rough spot in road and began violently shaking and was almost impossible to control. Had to slow down in order for shaking to stop. Steering was almost impossible while this was happening.\very scary! has happened several time since. My 19 year old daughter drives this truck! (maybe not for long).

- Kerrville, TX, USA

problem #74

May 032012

Ram 2500 4WD 6-cyl Diesel

  • 76,491 miles
I have been watching the news recently and saw the Jeep death wobble reports. I have the same experience and same problem with my 2006 Dodge Ram 2500. I almost got into two accidents on the high way and once my truck lost control due to the death wobble and turned 180 degrees on the highway facing oncoming traffic. But, luckily no one was hurt. I took the truck to see what the problem was and the mechanics said I have to pay a couple thousand to repair. However, the mechanic said he has seen many Jeep and Dodge have the same problem and said the company should have a recall because it is extremely dangerous and it is the manufactures fault. Due to hard economic times I can not afford to fix my truck and I am very scared for my safety and my families. So please help me in this terrible situation along with other Dodge Ram and Jeep owners. This is very common problem and can be seen all over the internet, youtube and the news. I look forward to hearing back from you and getting help.

- Cupertino, CA, USA

problem #73

Jul 022012

Ram 2500

  • 114,000 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Dodge Ram 2500. The contact stated that while driving 15 mph, the driver side outer tire rod fractured, causing another tie rod to bend. The manufacturer was notified and informed the contact that the vehicle was not included in NHTSA campaign id number: 11V350000 (steering:linkages:tie rod assembly). The vehicle was repaired. The failure and current mileages were 114,000.

- Montrose, CO, USA

problem #72

Apr 032012

Ram 2500

  • 60,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2006 Dodge Ram 2500. Whenever the contact turned the steering wheel during the first 10 minutes of operation, he noticed that the steering wheel hesitated to return to the proper position. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the contact was informed that the front bearings and U joints needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The current and failure mileages were 60,000.

- Canton, MI, USA

problem #71

May 032011

Ram 2500 4WD 8-cyl

  • 65,000 miles
Driving at highway speeds front steering seems loose and when I hit any bumps I have had "death wobble". a violent shake almost to the point that steering wheel ripped out of my hands. I had brought the truck to a local dealership and was told that nothing was wrong. I finally contacted Chrysler and the woman I spoke with said unless the dealership says there is something broken they will not help me. The funny part is they have a complete fix kit to solve a problem they say does not exist that will cost you around $600 just for the parts nevermind the dealers absurdly inflated labor charges. You would think when you spend $42,000 on a vehicle it should be safe and engineered right the first time and if there is a documented problem as widespread as this it should be rectified.

- Barre, MA, USA

problem #70

Apr 122012

Ram 2500 6-cyl Diesel

  • 95,800 miles
While traveling down roadway approx 45 mph, vehicle began to wobble really bad in front, felt steering was really loose or nonexistent. Pulled over and found nothing wrong, vehicle drove fine afterwards. Several days later, while driving approx 65mph on interstate, heard and felt a "pop" in the front as if I had hit something - looking back I did not see anything. If you ever hit a bird on the interstate, this is what it felt like; however there was no indications that I had hit anything, shortly after I began to experience the wobble again - immediately pulled over thinking my tire may have blown - there was no indication of anything. Today, I took my truck in the shop for the recall (L16) left tie rod; I was told it was ok after inspection and there was no problem; however, for $1383 they tell me they will replace and fix my steering gear box because it is leaking. On the 13th of April after experiencing the wobble, I crawled underneath my truck and found no such evidence of anything; after leaving the dealer and crawling under truck, I noticed where there is leakage at the steering gear box now. After searching net for replacement parts I began to see all issues with these related parts. Dodge should really look at this entire system as they could be tied together. I will repair the vehicle but I am really shocked that Dodge has not done anything about these complaints with this wobble even after repairs. I don't want to spend that much money if wobble continues after repair. Current mileage on vehicle is 96103 - I have owned this truck since new.

- Powell, TN, USA

problem #69

Jun 082007

Ram 2500

  • 23,558 miles

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

The contact owns a 2006 Dodge Ram 2500 quadcab 4X4. While the contact was driving approximately 55 mph, the vehicle began to wander out of lane without intent. In addition, there was excessive steering wheel play that caused difficultly when turning. The failure occurred whenever the vehicle was in operation. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer five times for the same failure and the steering gear was replaced twice. In July of 2010, the front end suspension was replaced and the tie rods were replaced at a different time. There was a recall associated with NHTSA campaign id number 11V350000 (steering:linkages:tie rod assembly). The contact planned to notify the dealer to verify whether the VIN was eligible under the recall. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 23,558.

- Mill Valley, CA, USA

problem #68

Mar 102012

Ram 2500 6-cyl Diesel

  • 38,000 miles
After hitting a bump at highway speed the front end of my truck violently shook until I reduced speed to around 50mph. After researching issue on line I found this issue is so common that it is now referred to as the "Dodge death wobble". when this happened to me I was unable to steer until I slowed enough to stop the violent shaking. I contacted the local Dodge dealer to see if there were any recalls for this and they told me that this was the first time that they had heard of this issue. I had the dealership look at my truck several months before and they found nothing. I had les schwab look it over and they found nothing. Several on line posts indicated similar results. To get a better idea of the extent of the issue just go to you tube and type in "Dodge death wobble" and you will see plenty of videos with the exact issue I experienced.

- Goldendale, WA, USA

problem #67

Mar 092011

Ram 2500 6-cyl Diesel

  • 62,000 miles
In early 2010 the left tie rod end sheared off at about 3-5 mph had truck towed to dealer, dealer replaced all tie rod components. On 2/10/12 it sheared off again towed to dealer again we will see what happens now because my extended service contract has expired.

- Monroe Township, NJ, USA

problem #66

Dec 192011

Ram 2500

  • 160,000 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Dodge Ram 2500. The contact was driving 5 mph when the ball stud on the driver side tie rod fractured and cut the wheel, causing instability in the steering. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic who informed the contact that the tie rod failed and needed to be replaced. The dealer was notified of the failure who stated that the VIN was not included in the recall under NHTSA campaign id number: 11V350000 (steering: Linkages: Tie rod assembly). The manufacturer was notified who offered no assistance. The failure mileage was 160,000.

- Sale Creek, TN, USA

problem #65

Dec 072011

Ram 2500 4WD 8-cyl

  • 136,740 miles

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

The truck shakes uncontrollably after hitting a pot hole or un even pavement. Aprox 55 to 75 mph. I almost went off an embankment at 65 mph. The truck would non steer or brake when it was shaking. Death wobble look at you tube Dodge truck death wobble.

- Phoenix , AZ, USA

problem #64

Jul 012009

Ram 2500 4WD 6-cyl Diesel

  • 35,000 miles
My 2006 Dodge Ram 2500 4X4 megacab is experiencing a very violent shaking in front suspension. Had a recall and dealer said it did not apply to my vehicle. Have tried alignments, new tires, new steering stabilizer dampers, even a frame brace that goes from one frame rail to the other to help stiffen front end. Every time you hit a bump it loses control and you have to come to a complete stop so it can stop shaking so violently. If you search the internet you will find hundreds more if not thousands are having the same problem as well. There are even forums on this issue. I know that there is an ongoing investigation on this issue but it covers 2008's and above. Older models are experiencing this issue as well. The public is in danger over this issue. Dodge should be made liable and held accountable. They need to fix this issue before innocent people get hurt.

- Alpine, TX, USA

problem #63

Nov 092011

Ram 2500 6-cyl Diesel

  • 95,039 miles
As wife was backing into driveway with steering wheel cranked to the left, the outer left tie rod end failed, and sheered off at the pin then lodged between the caliper and wheel breaking the wheel and bending the backing plate. This problem matches exactly an existing recall for newer model Dodge trucks (NHTSA id # 11V350000, action # PE11009). It is scary to think if this had happened at speed, reading that some people have rolled off of the road into ditches and even a river. My vehicle previously was issued a recall for steering and parts were replaced with these defective parts.

- Simi Valley, CA, USA

problem #62

Jul 012010

Ram 2500

  • 38,000 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Dodge Ram 2500. While driving approximately 55 mph, the contact lost control of the steering. The contact was able to stop the vehicle on the shoulder where the vehicle was towed to the dealer. The technician advised that the tie rod had fractured and would have to be replaced. The contact referenced NHTSA campaign id number: 11V350000 (steering:linkages:tie rod assembly)but was advised by the manufacturer that the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 38,000.

- Albrightsville, PA, USA

problem #61

Oct 272011

Ram 2500

  • 83,000 miles
At 70 mph road speed, when encountering a pot hole or bridge expansion joint, the front wheels and steering components begin to shake and wobble violently, nearly jerking the steering wheel out of my hands. Had I not had both hands on the wheel at the time, a loss of vehicle control might have occurred. While braking and trying to maintain control of the vehicle, at approximately 25 mph the violent shaking suddenly stopped. Within 2 miles after resuming a 70 mph speed the same thing happened when crossing the next bridge expansion joint. Again, when slowing to 25 mph, the shaking stopped. I have since checked several sources and found this appears to be a common problem on Ram 2500 diesel powered trucks. Several after market companies are selling products which they claim will prevent this so called "death wobble" after checking with a local Dodge heavy duty truck dealer they claim they are not aware of such a problem ever occurring. I believe that Dodge is aware of this problem, but since no one has been killed or injured yet, they are reluctant to delve into the problem for a solution, or acknowledge that it even exists.

- Seneca, MO, USA

problem #60

Oct 222011

Ram 2500 6-cyl Diesel

  • 74,000 miles
I was turning my Dodge Ram in a parking lot when the steering failed. The tie rod end separated and failed causing the steering to fail. If I would have been traveling at a higher rate of speed I could have been killed. I had absolutely no control of the trucks steering. Dodge would not correct the problem with out charging me for the repair and didn't seem to care that people could be getting killed from the defective parts in their trucks. I called two dealers and the Chrysler care line but only got the run around. I would also like to make note that there are many of these failures occurring when I did a google search I found many complaints on message boards of Dodge truck steering failures. I'm sure some people have not lived through this failure to launch a complaint about it. I would like to note that I repaired the truck myself with a replacement part from Napa. The part cost $103. If I would have taken it to the dealer I would have had to pay over $650 for the parts because Dodge has changed the replacement steering linkage for my truck. I would have had to replace the entire linkage to the 2008.5 linkage. I am sure they did this because they recognized they had a problem. After doing some research on the internet it appears that the 2008.5 linkage may have a higher failure rate than the 2006 linkage I have on my truck. Because of that I choose to keep my original style linkage and just replace the tie rod end. This is a very serious problem that Dodge needs to take responsibility for correcting!

- Elverson, PA, USA

problem #59

Jul 072011

Ram 2500 6-cyl Diesel

  • 25 miles
Truck goes into a shimmy and breaks the tie rod ends. Happened three times. Three times in for repair finally drove into canal.

- Cocoa, FL, USA

problem #58

May 152011

Ram 2500 4WD 8-cyl

  • 50,658 miles
Front end failure and not just once.I have had it fixed 3 times. There is only 53000 miles on the truck.last time the tie rod broke and the truck ended up half way in a 10ft ditch. The last time a whole new steering linkage and steering box was put on. I have replaced all of the ball joints twice. This is a stock from the dealer 2500 hd truck.

- Dyer, IN, USA

problem #57

Jul 022011

Ram 2500

  • 70,000 miles
After hitting a bump in the road going 70 mph my truck began to shake so violently it ripped the steering wheel from my hand and uncontrollably changed several lanes on I-95 before coming to a stop. I have since had it happen 3 more times at lower speeds around 55-65 mph. I have contacted Dodge with no help, I have read many accounts of others with the same problem dubbed the "death wobble". I have so far changed tires, shocks, steering dampener, and tie rods. It still has the problem and is extremely dangerous I will not let anyone ride in it, this will absolutely get someone killed eventually. Do not buy a Dodge Ram 2500.

- Stafford, VA, USA

problem #56

Jul 092007

Ram 2500

  • 33,000 miles
Violent shaking in front end...otherwise known as the "death wobble." Also has a clunk in steering wheel. Have replaced upper and lower ball joints, tie rods, and track bar. Have replaced tires, balanced, and rotate/balance ever 5000 miles. Issue still keeps occurring. Has occurred with two separate sets of tires(load E and load D)shop now saying to replace steering shaft, steering box, shocks, and steering stabilizer. Shop also says Dodge trucks are their best customers.

- Elk Grove, CA, USA

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