10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 10
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
64,688 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.

2004 Dodge Ram 1500 electrical problems

electrical problem

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2004 Dodge Ram 1500 Owner Comments (Page 2 of 5)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #61

Aug 142015

Ram 1500

  • 160,374 miles

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

Today I went to the Dodge dealership so they could diagnose an electrical problem I was having in my truck. They told me that part # 56045112ae, 56051949ad need to be replaced. Which are the ignition switch and the ignition wire harness. Problems I was having were the power windows would not go up or down without the steering wheel all the way in the up position. The motor blowers for my A/C and heat would sometimes not work. And my air bag light was on in the cluster panel. They told me that the wires were burnt, but could not tell me the source of the problem. I told them that there must be completely too much current going through those wires to cause a problem like that and they agreed. I was then told that because of the wires being in that condition the airbag could possibly go off at any time and/or cause a fire. Why is there not a recall on this issue. When doing some research on the web this is an on going problem with Dodge trucks and Jeep. Also part number 56051949ad has been discontinued so how do they expect to fix these problems. My truck also has the stalling problem when coming to a stop and accelerating.

- Yuma, AZ, USA

problem #60

Jul 012015

Ram 1500 8-cyl

  • miles
My truck is a 2004 Dodge Ram 1500, that only has 77,965 miles. In the last month it has begin shutting off while driving, with the air on. After traveling for about 10 miles a red light flashes on then the check engine light comes on. When I wait for about a couple of minutes and start my truck back up the red light goes off but the check engine light same on until the next time I drive my truck. I looked up the code for this problem and realized that it was a clogged throttle body. I feel this should not be happened on a truck with less than 100,000 miles, especially when my truck has been in two recall in less than a month apart.

- Dallas, TX, USA

problem #59

Apr 232015

Ram 1500 8-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 234,000 miles
The contact owns a 2004 Dodge Ram 1500. While driving 10 mph, the vehicle stalled and the temperature gauge and check engine warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle restarted after the brake pedal was depressed several times; however, the failure recurred approximately every 15 miles. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 234,000. Updated 09/03/15 updated 10/26/2017

- Blackwell, OK, USA

problem #58

Mar 252015

Ram 1500

  • 81,000 miles

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

My parking and tail lights stopped working., found out this is due to the design flaw of the engine fuse box as the connectors are exposed to the weather elements, thus shorted out the circuit board that sends the a negative signal to the park lamp relay at 86, . the cost of the repair is $500. Dodge is fully aware of this issue as the replacement now comes with a splash guard plate to help protect the connectors. If you google 2004 Dodge Ram parking light issue, you will see that a lot of us have this very same problem, they should honor this recall as it can be very dangerous to drive at night with out the taillights, .

- Stoughton , MA, USA

problem #57

Jan 012007

Ram 1500 8-cyl

  • 37,000 miles
Door lock will only open from inside.

- Sevierville , TN, USA

problem #56

Jan 312015

Ram 1500 4WD 8-cyl

  • 85,000 miles
Horn sounding for no apparent reason....checked online and found that numerous sites carry information about this issue. Everything from shrunken rubber horn pad to contact inside the horn. Vehicle has never been in frontal collision and bags never deployed. Removed fuse and forgot about it and should have removed relay as other circuits were still open and killed a good closed cell battery. So fuse out, horns disconnected and still looking for relay. Dodge claims no knowledge of issue....bull jive...............

- Tucson, AZ, USA

problem #55

Feb 142015

Ram 1500 4WD 8-cyl

  • 100,000 miles

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

My vehicles running lights stopped working and I was unable to be seen by other drivers behind me in a snow storm because my fuse box just corroded out and stopped working causing the parking lamps relay to fault. Now my vehicle has no running lights working anymore and Dodge did not recall this.

- Cicero, NY, USA

problem #54

Jan 072015

Ram 1500 4WD 8-cyl

  • 94,665 miles
I purchased this 2004 Dodge on January 5th 2015. I was to return on January 7th to have different tires & rims installed. On the way I stopped and filled the gas tank. Afterwards every stop sign I came to the vehicle stalled out. It started right back up but continued to stall at every stop sign. The mechanic at redding truck & auto diagnosed that the crank sensor was bad and replaced it at no charge. It ran fine until I filled the gas tank again and started having the same problems with it stalling out. So now if I fill the tank it will stall out until I drive it for several miles or until I run some of the gas out of the tank. I was told not to fill the tank which is not a fix for this problem.

- Shingletown, CA, USA

problem #53

Nov 282014

Ram 1500 8-cyl

  • 134,060 miles
The truck stalls out when stopping, turning, or just sitting at light. Have replaced egr, throttle body, PCV, and had PCM updated; but truck is still stalling. Dealer can't find any trouble codes and can't figure out what is causing the problem. Dealer has put in calls to Chrysler star, but no responses yet. From looking on line, I can see that there are many other owners with the same issue. I just know that this is a safety issue, especially when the truck stalls in the middle of a turn in traffic. I can't believe that there is not a fix or a recall on this issue. Yes, this is a slow speed issue; but it is still dangerous. Please help!

- Portsmouth, VA, USA

problem #52

Jan 072015

Ram 1500 8-cyl

  • 104,356 miles
When braking, the vehicle engine stalls as I slow down. The issue was intermittent, but now happens each time I break. I have to pull over with no power steering and restart the vehicle in P or N. sometimes, I have to wait a few minutes before it will let me restart.

- Palmdale, CA, USA

problem #51

Dec 092014

Ram 1500 4WD 8-cyl

  • 154,681 miles

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

Truck lost all power, throttle lamp blinking. Stalled on roadway, would start but would not give throttle to move the truck. Turned key off then back on a few times and would let me apply throttle for a few seconds, then back to no power. I did this a few times just to get off the roadway. There is no throttle cable so it is a computer control problem.

- Fernley, NV, USA

problem #50

Dec 082014

Ram 1500

  • 88,000 miles
I closed my driver side door and locked it with the key less entry. When I came back to the car key less entry would not open my driver side door and lock is stuck in the down position. The only way to get into the truck on the driver side is to open the back door and reach around from the inside. I have read hundreds of complaints about this, why is there no recall"?"

- Pflugerville, TX, USA

problem #49

Jan 132011

Ram 1500

  • 41,500 miles
Had just filled gas tank fifteen minutes earlier. Driving on mountain rd. Slowed for curve and engine quit, almost ran into logging truck headon. This has happened several times after fillup. Once while driving 65 mph on freeway. Slowed to let another vehicle in front of me and engine quite as soon as I touched the brakes. When I fill gas tank it usually die at first stop. Does this until I have used up some of the gas. Have asked dealer who sold the truck to me to look into this several times before I get killed. No response. I no longer drive that road just after fill up. Have checked the internet and found that several 1500 Ram owners have had the same problem. It will be like the ignition switch problem. People will have to get killed to get it fixed.

- Mendocino, CA, USA

problem #48

Oct 182014

Ram 1500 4WD 8-cyl

  • 69,500 miles
Left rear brake light was going out intermittently, the "lamp out" light was illuminating on and off as if the bulb was going between working and not working. Changed the light bulb with the recommended 3057 bulb but it didn't fix the problem. Changed the bulb holder but still didn't fix the issues. Checked the fuse but it was good. Finally went under the rear to check if the wiring harness was loose and saw the wires for the rear lamp was pinched against the frame of the vehicle and the wire for the brake lamp was cut. There was really no give to the wiring harness; it was pulled extremely tight. Vehicle has never had any issues and nothing electrical has ever been touched before. The right tail lamp is working fine but the harness for that side was not checked. All wiring is original from factory. Vehicle was bought new from a Dodge dealership and we have been the only owners. We feel this is a safety concern if the brake lamps are not working all the time.

- Saginaw, MI, USA

problem #47

Aug 052014

Ram 1500 8-cyl

  • 196,000 miles
Vehicle died opened hood to check alternator while hood was open noticed burned wire on alternator harness. Spark ignited portion of valve cover near firewall unable to put out fire vehicle burned totally.

- Lubbock, TX, USA

problem #46

Apr 012014

Ram 1500

  • 103,000 miles
I found out that I don't have a turn signal for the trailer tow on the left side it was later determined that the problem is in the fuse box. Now I can't tow a trailer until the problem is fixed. This could've caused a wreck.I'm not the only person who has this problem.

- Prairie Du Chien, WI, USA

problem #45

Jun 042013

Ram 1500

  • 139,338 miles
The contact owns a 2004 Dodge Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving 35 mph, all of the instrument panel gauges illuminated and there was a loud noise as the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who stated that the connecting rod failed. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure was reported to the manufacturer. The failure and current mileage was 139,338.

- Spooner , WI, USA

problem #44

Feb 012012

Ram 1500 8-cyl Diesel

  • 75,500 miles
I was driving at freeway speed, around 70 mph. Suddenly, I heard a noise from the rear of the truck and I noticed my speedometer went to zero. I was still moving at the same speed. The fault code identified a failure in the speed sensor in the rear differential. I was out of warranty, so I pulled the differential cover off and found what was left of the speed sensor in the bottom of the housing. I also found pieces of what was later identified as C clips from my lsd clutch assembly. The inductive portion of the speed sensor protrudes into the differential housing and was hit by the flying pieces of C clips. The carrier bearing also had a grove cut into it by these clips as they worked their way out. I am told that if I had not caught this, it would have resulted in carrier bearing failure and lock up of my rear axle. I removed all of the metal C clip pieces and removed the remaining C clips that had not yet fallen out. I don't know if there is any connection, but my left rear leaf spring cracked in half on the lower main leaf. I had to replace the spring assembly at my cost. I now have a permanent whine at low speeds and currently have 125,000 miles on my truck. I am certainly glad that I found these metal pieces when I did! there appears to be many complaints regarding this failure in my truck model, ranging from model years 2003 through 2006 Ram 1500 equipped with the 5.7 hemi. At this time, Chrysler has not acknowledged the patterned failures in these rear differentials.

- Fontana, CA, USA

problem #43

Jan 042013

Ram 1500

  • 54,000 miles
Remote unlock stopped working on drivers side door and can't unlock with key. The door will open from the inside and the passenger side is working ok. Have seen hundreds of this same complaint online.

- Concord, CA, USA

problem #42

Apr 062012

Ram 1500

  • 125,000 miles
I bought an 04 Ram 1500 5.7 hemi that had around 80K miles on it when I bought it in Oct 2010. It was awesome the first and a half I had it, only minor repairs I.e battery, idler pulley, ignition switch. I did regular maintenance on it as well as oil changes. In late March 2012 I went to put gas in my truck and it would not let me put more than 10 or 15 cents in before it would "back fill" I was trying to figure out what the problem could be with that, then in early April 2012 I was driving home after running some errands, the truck had run great all day just like normal, but about 8 miles from house I hear this "thunk" and I have no power and I had this awful shaking and rattling noise. There were not even any warning lights telling we that there was something wrong, I called someone to tow it home that night. I did thankfully have another car to drive. In the months since I have been slowly tearing the engine apart with my dad, this week we finally pulled the heads and discovered that my # 6 piston was completely disintegrated and had punched a hole in my block! my original thought was that this was just a random fluke and it was just mine, but after reading on some Dodge forums I see that it was not just mine! this is ridiculous for an engine that has no more miles than this and had been properly maintained. My parents have a 1999 Ford F150 that has almost 300K on it and has not been maintained nearly as well... as my dad puts it "it has been run hard and put up wet" this engine has run like a champ! it even still has the original battery in it! there are many more reports of this happening to this engine both in the durango with that year hemi as well as the Ram on this forum townhall-talk.edmunds.com/direct/view/.F1dd4B2/270.

- Drexel, MO, USA

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