10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 5
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
52,641 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.

2008 Dodge Ram 1500 electrical problems

electrical problem

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2008 Dodge Ram 1500 Owner Comments (Page 2 of 3)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #31

Jun 052013

Ram 1500

  • 65,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2008 Dodge Ram 1500. While driving at approximately 35 to 40 mph, when the vehicle veered left or right, the steering wheel was difficult to turn and the RPM level decreased. The engine felt as if it would seize. The failure recurred numerous times. The vehicle was taken to the Dodge dealer and was not diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 65,000.

- Apollo Beach, FL, USA

problem #30

Aug 282015

Ram 1500

  • 118,000 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Dodge Ram 1500. While driving 20 mph, the turn signals, brakes, and tails lights failed. In addition, the contact stated that the wheel hubs failed causing the vehicle to shake. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the body control module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 10E040000 (wheels). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 118,000.

- Louisville, KY, USA

problem #29

Jul 292015

Ram 1500

  • miles
The key easily disengages from the "run" position and cuts off the engine, causing loss of steering and control. This can even occur if the key is accidentally bumped by your knee. This is identical to the reported affects of the NHTSA campaign number: 14V373000. My 2008 Dodge Ram 1500 is not listed in that notice. This is a very dangerous issue, and doing an internet search there are other owners that have reported the same issue.

- Baltimore, MD, USA

problem #28

Jun 052015

Ram 1500 4WD 8-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 10,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2008 Dodge Ram 1500. While driving various speeds on uneven roadways and train tracks, the vehicle would stall. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 10,000. Updated 7/21/15

- Tampa , FL, USA

problem #27

Apr 142015

Ram 1500 8-cyl

  • 30,126 miles
I just purchased this vehicle and within a week the key wouldn't go into the ignition and once in wouldn't come back out. The vehicle shuts off randomly locking the power steering and brakes. My right turn signal now doesn't go off and when I try to put it off my self the left turn signal activates! this went on back and forth a good eight times before both shut off. My front headlights (mostly right but cannot really see the left while driving) the lights shakes and bounces when I go over anything uneven. Upon coming to a sudden stop the truck pulled hard to the right causing me to swerve into the grass. This vehicle just doesn't drive right. The whole front end seems loose. I cannot drive over 50 or the rear end comes off the ground when I brake to make my turn. I'm taking it to the dealer this evening. My dealer 30 day warranty expires tomorrow. The 3 year 36000 manufacturer warranty is up since three years are gone - although the vehicle only has 31864 miles now. I cannot afford to make repairs while still financed. I'm a single mother of four and always have my four year old in the truck. It's to the point I no longer trust driving this truck.

- Glendora, NJ, USA

problem #26

Mar 042015

Ram 1500

  • 123,000 miles
Truck has had multiple incidents of stalling and shutting off with no advance warning or notice. I come to a stop or turn and the engine shuts off. Power steering is lost and even though it starts right back up when put on neutral it has started to worry me to the point where I no longer feel safe driving this vehicle for fear this may happen on the highway. I've had throttle work done and wires replaced but it continues to do the same thing and no codes appear as to what may be causing this problem. The dealer also cannot tell me the reason why this is happening.

- San Antonio, TX, USA

problem #25

Mar 252015

Ram 1500 4WD 8-cyl

  • 105,000 miles

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

My wife and 2 kids (4yr and 6yr) were driving over railroad tracks at about 25 miles per hour when suddenly the car turned off. Power steering and brakes were suddenly no longer available and my wife steered in the middle of an intersection before she came to a halt. Luckily nothing happened. She switched the transmission into P, the car started flawlessly and she parked it to call her mom to pick her up. I then got to the car and wondering what might have happened. Reading about ignition locks causing this symptom, I lightly tugged on the ignition key while idling. The car turned off easily. Knowing my wife puts whichever car key she needs on her key chain, I suspected that this may have been the problem. I tried it out and -sure enough- repeated the event. She normally drives her 2013 Jeep Wrangler which has the identical type of ignition switch. This one however does not turn off the car when one pulls on the key while the car is idling in gear. I was surprised when I did not find a lot on issues with Dodge ignition switches and would never describe this occurrence on a 7 year old car, if it hadn't been so terrifying. Never did I feel so unprotected! losing power and becoming a widower is really just one small tug away.... thought I shared.... ps: Of course I will get a new ignition switch.

- Hendersonville, NC, USA

problem #24

Jan 292015

Ram 1500

  • 158,000 miles
The contact owned a 2008 Dodge Ram 1500. While driving 40 mph, smoke was visible from the floor and vents. The contact pulled the vehicle to the side of the road and exited the vehicle. The fire was visible from the front driver side wheel area. There were no injuries reported and a police and a fire report were filed. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 158,000.

- Hampton Bays, NY, USA

problem #23

Dec 022013

Ram 1500 8-cyl

  • 50,000 miles
During the 5yr inspection was told the lt wheel hub assembly needed replaced due to bearings worn with appx 50000 miles electrical/engine; when driving going over rough surface, bump or rxr tracks the jarring can cause the truck to loose power shutting down all pwr steering and brakes this has happened on multi occasions. When trying to duplicate unable to cause shutdown.

- Louisville, KY, USA

problem #22

Sep 112014

Ram 1500

  • miles
The contact owns a 2008 Dodge Ram 1500. The contact received a notification for NHTSA campaign id number: 14V373000 (electrical system) and stated that the part needed was unavailable to perform the recall repair. The manufacturer was notified of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.

- Wausau, WI, USA

problem #21

Nov 242014

Ram 1500

  • 67,121 miles

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

Multifunction switch is malfunctioning, left turn signal activates right signal. Wipers only work when right turn signal activated.

- Elkhart, IN, USA

problem #20

Oct 312010

Ram 1500

  • miles
Back in approximately October of 2010 my daughter (18 years old) was driving my 2008 Ram 1500 pickup, when making a right turn the engine shut off. She was able to put it in neutral and restart the vehicle and proceed on her way. This happened a few more times until she told me about it. I noticed she had a small purse type device that holds her license, credit cards & change attached to the key fob. I believe the weight of this purse caused the purse to shut the ignition off. I instructed her not to put anything on the key fob and the problem has not recurred. You may want to see if there are the same complaints by other Ram owners and have Chrysler send a mailer out not to have anything attached to their key fobs.

- Bloomfield Hills, MI, USA

problem #19

Oct 052014

Ram 1500

  • 125,000 miles
I was driving with my 4 kids in the truck. Problem started with my speedometer fluctuating while on the interstate going 65mph then suddenly fell to 0 and stayed there. I then started to smell a foul smell resembling natural gas. My ABS light, E brake light and engine light came on. Took nearest exit and pulled over to see what was wrong. Turned truck off then back on and all lights went away but speedo still not working. Continued driving to get it home then the truck started surging when I would let off the gas but would go away when I pressed the gas. Decided I needed to pull over again. I proceeded to the turning lane going 35pmh when all of sudden the rear end locked up and started fishtailing and spinning till it came to a stop. Luckily cars around me swerved around me to prevent from getting hit. Rear axle is leaking fluid and really bad smell. Had to get a flat bed to pull it on and off and unloaded at my house. Thankfully myself and my kids are safe. Unfortunately my 2008 Ram 1500 quad cab does not fall under the 2009-2012 recall with the same pinion retaining nut backing out due to no loctite "adhesive" causing it to lock up. All I was told by Chrysler was to save any repair receipts in the event the recall gets expanded. My local Dodge dealer wants me to tow my truck and charge me $101.89 just to diagnose it just to tell me it's the rear pinion locking nut :/ but they were sure to let me know of the windshield wiper motor that was under recall that I should get fixed....I think this is a bit more important than a wiper motor. NHTSA campaign # 13V038000/expansion recall # 12V-474/Chrysler campaign N08 states Dodge Ram manufactured between February 2008 to June 2009 fell under the recall though my truck was manufactured July 2008 yet it doesn't apply"??"!

- Crestview, FL, USA

problem #18

May 062014

Ram 1500

  • 41,000 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Dodge Ram 1500. The contact stated that while activating the left turn signal, the right turn signal activated. The failure occurred on several occasions. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure and current mileage was 41,000.

- Blake Havasu, AZ, USA

problem #17

Mar 212013

Ram 1500

  • 75,000 miles
The wires in the wire bundles on the rear quad cab doors continue to break when opening the back doors overtime which causes the door locks, speaker, power windows, and alarm system not to function. This has now become a common problem on multiple year Dodge Ram trucks. The wire bundles should be recalled and fixed free of charge. This has happened to my vehicle twice now, and it is expensive to have the dealer fix the wires when you know they are going to break again. There should be a recall for this defect. Search youtube and find multiple videos on what causes this problem. Example videos here: 02 Dodge Ram 1500 quad cab - broken rear power locks, speaker, window motor. www.youtube.com/watch"V=nbuajveytde 2007 Dodge Ram 3500 door wiring problem www.youtube.com/watch"V=les4wjxi_M0.

- Round Rock, TX, USA

problem #16

Mar 242013

Ram 1500 8-cyl

  • 35,300 miles
Driving at a speed of 45 mph the truck--2008 Dodge Ram 1500 5.7 hemi-- died. I had no power steering. I was able to shift into neutral and stop. Very thankful I was on a country lane and not on a freeway because there was no warning and I could have been in a horrible accident. The check gauges light icon was flashing as I tried to re-start it. It would crank but not start. After waiting for 15 minutes it did start up again. The engine icon light was showing and it said that an oil change was needed. The oil change wasn't due yet for another 1000 miles, or, two weeks on my three month schedule. I get the oil changed every three months. It tried to stall from then on as I accelerated from a stop, on my way to to the dealer. The diagnostic showed a code for the egr valve, which was replaced. This was fixed four days ago and so far so good, but am very anxious when I drive now, worrying that it might happen again, especially after seeing so many posts online with others experiencing the same problem with their Dodge Ram trucks.this truck has 35,300 miles on it. This truck was serviced six weeks before this incident with: A 16 cylinder hemi tune-up; a throttle body service, fuel induction flush and fuel system treatment; transmission service with filter change; machined front and rear rotors; and tire rotation.

- Richmond, TX, USA

problem #15

Nov 022011

Ram 1500 8-cyl

  • 38,600 miles
When the wipers were turned on then off they "park" straight up. When it was brought to the dealer's attention they said the recall was already done in 2009 and they would charge to fix the wiper control module. They also charged to diagnose.

- Colfax, CA, USA

problem #14

Jun 262011

Ram 1500 8-cyl

  • 39,000 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Dodge Ram 1500. The contact stated that after parking the vehicle, the rear passenger side power window switch caught on fire. The fire department was called and was able to extinguish the fire. The origin of the fire was declared to be the electrical switch. A fire report was filed. The vehicle was driven to the dealer who advised that they would contact the manufacturer to get approval for the repairs. The dealer was still waiting on the approval to proceed with repairs. The failure mileage was 39,000. Updated 09/07/2011

- Clifton Park, NY, USA

problem #13

Jan 052011

Ram 1500

  • 52,000 miles
My 2008 Dodge Ram 1500 truck is having issues with the turn signals. My turn signals work 25% of the time and 50% of the time they do work, they activate the opposite side (wrong side) I am trying to select. I have visited many internet sites that discuss this problem, and I have found that this issue is a major safety problem that will lead to accidents. I feel this turn signal problem should lead to a Chrysler recall as it is a design defect.

- Hacienda Heights, CA, USA

problem #12

Jun 252010

Ram 1500

  • 32,000 miles
2008 Dodge ran 1500. We were leaving from a parking lot. Turned on vehicle and it revved to high rpms. Tires peeled rubber, had foot on break. Had to shut off to get it to stop. Had it checked at dealership and they found nothing. This was very scary and something was indeed wrong. We are again driving this vehicle as it is the only one we have and we sure hope this does not happen again.

- Nice, CA, USA

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