10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
52,554 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.

2009 Dodge Ram 2500 suspension problems

suspension problem

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2009 Dodge Ram 2500 Owner Comments

problem #15

Jul 092017

Ram 2500

  • 121,000 miles

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

2009 Dodge Ram 2500 has what is described by many as "death wobble". at freeway speeds (70mph here in mi) if some even minor bumps, pot holes are run over the front end of the truck starts to shake uncontrollably. To get control of the vehicle again you must slow to below 55mph. Many times just the drivers side front tire as bouncing or wobbling, recently the entire front end. Vehicle has had both prior recalls for tie-rod ends completed. Had front shocks changed in case they were the issue no change, had tires changed in case there was an issue with any of the tires, no change. Had belle tire techs look for issue with bouncing/wobbling tires they said everything was tight and in working order. Also has another garage look at it for the same issue they did not find any issues. This problem that looks to be pretty widespread with owners of 2009 Ram 2500S makes this vehicle unsafe at highway speeds until a fix is found. I will ask dealer about bouncing/wobbling front end again but if this is on many of these trucks the problem will end up resulting in accidents should a driver not be able to slow down quickly to regain control of the steering. This problem has been happening for over a year on and off, I had avoided driving on the freeway until the last repairs where the tires were changed and the techs said everything was good with the front end. First time on the freeway at 70mph it happened again when a few small bumps were run over, the entire cab of the truck was shaking, other drivers behind and around me slowed as I am guessing they thought I was going to loose control and crash. I had to slow below 50mph before the shaking was under control and because the other drivers slowed it allowed me to get to the right and avoid an accident. So I will no longer use the truck at anything over 45mph and only use sparingly until the issue is identified and repaired.

- Warren, MI, USA

problem #14

Jul 052017

Ram 2500

  • miles
My 2009 Dodge Ram 2500 started hopping after I hit a slight bump in the road. I was going about 50mph when thus happened. I could do nothing but take my foot off the gas to slow the truck down. It literally hopped down the road, it felt like we were in a paint mixer bouncing down the road. This has happened several times before but was never as bad as this time. My wife was with me this time and could not believe what it was doing. She told me if she had been driving she would have panicked and most likely wrecked the truck. Everything in the truck was being tossed around. This issue must be corrected before someone gets hurt or worse.

- Franklin, PA, USA

problem #13

Dec 112016

Ram 2500 4WD 6-cyl Diesel

  • 89,500 miles
While driving the Dodge Ram 2500 2009 year on the highway at 60-65 mph the vehicle started shaking uncontrollably after hitting a joint in the road between the asphalt and a bridge. I was unable to steer during this time and the vehicle shook so violently that the connectors vibrated off of the battery terminal, both batteries, at which time I lost all power. This almost resulted in my driving off of a bridge. The shaking would only stop upon coming to a complete stop. This happened 3 more times at slower speeds between 40-50 mph. I eventually had to get a tow truck to get us to our destination. This happened on highway roads and always after hitting a small bumps. Mileage on vehicle is 89500.

- Duncansville, PA, USA

problem #12

Aug 122016

Ram 2500

  • 61,000 miles

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

Serious shimmy at highway speeds. Truck has 61K miles and is maintained very well.

- Simi Valley, CA, USA

problem #11

Sep 202015

Ram 2500 6-cyl Diesel

  • Automatic transmission
  • 64,000 miles
The contact owns a 2009 Dodge Ram 2500. While reversing, the tie rod fractured. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 64,000. The VIN was not available. Updated 12/03/15 updated 4/13/18; manufacturer was made aware of failure in 2012, they did not have parts to fix it. Updated 10/11/18

- Jasper , MO, USA

problem #10

Apr 152015

Ram 2500 4WD 8-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 165,000 miles
The contact owns a 2009 Dodge Ram 2500. While driving at approximately 65 mph, the vehicle lost power steering and vibrated. The contact stated that this was a recurring failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 165,000. Updated 09/18/15 the consumer stated when he hit a pot hole or dip in the road, the steering wheel would shake violently, along with the entire truck. The consumer stated he had no control over the vehicle. Updated 09/22/15....updated 10-27-15 the consumer stated he replaced the ball joints, shocks and steering dampener. It remedied the problem some, but he could still feel a light shimmy in the steering wheel which progressed for several months. The consumer wanted to participate in the buy back program. Updated 01/05/16. The consumer stated the manufacturer would not buy the vehicle back at the kelly blue book value.

- Kansas City, MO, USA

problem #9

Jun 142014

Ram 2500 4WD 6-cyl

  • 80,000 miles

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

Ball joint design on these model year trucks is horrible, the upper ball joint moves up and down while the bottom is stationary, when the top joint moves it causes to much pressure on the bottom ball joint, causing it to fail. We have now replaced the upper and lower joint in June, and again the lower joint in December. Our mechanic has seen multiple trucks with the same problem. The upper ball joint needs to be redesigned. It is a costly Venture to replace ball joints every 6 months.

- Enosburg, VT, USA

problem #8

Jan 012014

Ram 2500 6-cyl Diesel

  • miles
Recall I can not get Dodge land to repair. I have called 5 times. What can I do to get my truck repaired?

- West Columbia, SC, USA

problem #7

Apr 212014

Ram 2500

  • 85,000 miles
The contact owns a 2009 Dodge Ram 2500. The contact stated while driving 65 mph driving over a bump, the vehicle started shaking and rattling. The contact applied the brake and merged to the side of the road. The problem recurred three times. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The approximate failure mileage was 85,000.

- Greensburg, KS, USA

problem #6

Jan 062014

Ram 2500 6-cyl

  • miles
I received an important safety recall N49/NHTSA 13V-529 back in Dec time frame, I immediately contacted crown Dodge in fayetteville, nc. They told me that they are aware of the situation and are waiting on parts to arrive and to call back in two weeks. I call back two weeks later (mid Jan) they explain that they have not received any parts and was told to bring in my truck so they can order parts assigned to my VIN number which I did. After waiting several weeks I called crown Dodge on 4 March 2014 and spoke with frank in the service dept. He explains to me that the parts were ordered last week. I don't understand how it has taken crown Dodge over 2 months to order parts for this recall. [xxx] was unable to give a good explanation why it has taken so long to order parts. I explained to him that my truck has a severe death wobble problem and it is very hazardous to drive and I needed this issue fixed as soon as possible. I don't even let my wife drive the truck because I am afraid for her safety because of this issue. [xxx] could not tell me when the parts he supposedly ordered would come in. I am tired of waiting and hope you could shed some light on this problem I am having with crown Dodge of fayetteville. Thank you helping me in this matter.. information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Fayetteville, NC, USA

problem #5

Feb 192014

Ram 2500

  • miles

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

I received a safety recall notice N49/NHTSA 13V-529 for above truck in 12/13. I took truck to napleton Dodge lake park, fl. Tel. # 561-622-0101 and was told the parts had to be ordered. Since then I had numerous contacts with the dealer's parts department. The parts clerks told me Chrysler is limiting the number of repair parts needed to clear the recall. They first said the dealer could only order 2 a week. On 2/19/14 the parts clerk said Chrysler has reduced the number to one every seven day, and that I was 50th on the list and they couldn't even order my parts for 350 days. They were sorry but there was nothing they could do since Chrysler was limiting the ordering. The dealer has been polite but they blame the problem on Chrysler not having the parts. I am concerned since I do not want to drive for a year with unsafe suspension especially since I frequently tow heavy loads.

- Palm Beach Gardens , FL, USA

problem #4

Jan 312014

Ram 2500 8-cyl

  • miles
Have a safety recall N49/NHTSA 13V-529 called dealer and told that Chrysler only sending 1 part per week. I am #89 on the list. That's a year & a half out. Very dangerous. Do I have to park my truck for that long?

- Gunnison, CO, USA

problem #3

Nov 212012

Ram 2500 6-cyl Diesel

  • 32,423 miles
Was driving on interstate 64 doing 70 mph hit small bump in road after a bridge truck started shaking really bad had to slow down an pull off on side of road to make it quit shaking just about got run over big rig was right behind me seems like this happens to alot of Dodge trucks would like to see recall before someone gets killed maybe I should just get rid of the truck not real happy consumer.

- Hurricane, WV, USA

problem #2

Aug 022012

Ram 2500 4WD 6-cyl Diesel

  • 42,402 miles
Hi, I took my truck to sears to have the tires rotated and the steering checked because I had started to feel crow hopping when making slow turns. When they removed the front tires they checked to find what was creating the crow hopping as I had requested. They found that the cv joint on the drivers side was not working as it should, and upon removing it they also found that the ball joints were bad. At this point I had sears do the work because of safety concerns. They repaired the problem and so far the crow hopping seems to have gone away.I now understand that there has been a NHTSA campaign id#11V350000. I have owned this vehicle since it was new, but have never gotten a recall notice on this problem. I have contacted Dodge and talked to customer service about re-imbursment and was told that there was nothing they could do because the parts replaced where not mopar and possibly because the work was not done at Dodge. I think this is not right because I did not get a notice and I was not taking the truck until it was safe to do so.

- Lockeford,, CA, USA

problem #1

Sep 082011

Ram 2500 4WD 8-cyl

  • 47,985 miles
After backing out of my garage, at an approx. Speed of 1 mph, I turned the wheels to the left to run an errand, and the drivers side tie rod end broke. The drag link dropped and the wheel cocked to the full left. At this point I don't know if it caused any other damage. I spoke with the nearest dealer and was told that there are no recalls on this vehicle at this time. Unfortunately I need this vehicle and had to order a new tie rod end at a cost of $116. Bearing any other damage, I will also have to get an alignment, at an unknown cost at this time. Thank god that I had not been traveling at a higher rate of speed when this part decided to fail, because I am sure the outcome would not have been good.

- Mcadoo, PA, USA

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