I bought this truck in Oct 07 used because I had a Ford with turbo problems and I pull a 15K camper. I thought this truck was the sh*t when i first got it, it has all the Banks goodies on it and it gets dam good fuel mileage 20+. but now I have some huge concerns.

It bounces real bad on bumps to the point that there are wear marks in the lower A arms and it had limited passing power 6speed manual with 4:10 gearing. I am looking into putting a programmer on it but whats the point it is a stick i should not need this right?

I miss my leather seats too this truck sucks for driving long distance, no was to adjust the seat to support behind the knees feels like I am falling under the steering wheel. This truck has 5K worth of Banks sh*t on it and my Chevy kicks it ass I miss my Chevy.. but that is another story. anyone want to trade. and the dash is starting to crack now too. I think the Cummins is a grate motor but to bad Dodge wrapped a pop can around it and called it a truck. 47k is what this thing goes for new I need a second job just to keep up the repairs that just pop up.

After doing some research I found that there are many more people in the same situation as me. I have been a loyal Dodge owner for over 12 years. This is my second Dodge truck. The first truck, a 1998 Ram 1500 did not have this problem the entire 3 years I owned the truck. In 2003 I purchased a new 2003 Dodge Ram 2500 Diesel. Everything was fine until the end of 2006. I noticed cracks began appearing on my dashboard. As of 2007 I have over 15 cracks, some so severe there are pieces that have broken free.

In September, 2007 I first began working with the Dodge Customer Service Assistance group, At first they were very helpful. I complained enough that, they worked with the local dealer I have been getting my truck serviced at. They actually agreed to replace the Dodge if wouild agree to make a $150 Co-pay. I readily agreed as the dealer said it would take over $1,200 to completely replace the entire Dashboard.

In November, 2007, I called to complain that I had not heard from either Dodge or the local dealer, Tim Marburger Dodge in Concord, NC. I was told that the part had to be ordered and would probably be after the first of the year.

In January, 2008, after over 5 months of waiting, I finally had reached my breaking point. I spoke with the Dodge Customer Assistance group again. Unfortunately I was very angry and did not deal with the girl very professionally. She was not very helpful and all she said was that the part was on backorder and that was all of the information she could provide. I hung up with her and spoke with the Parts Manager at Tim Marburger Dodge, who was even less helpful. He didn't even pretend to have any Customer Service experience. He gave me the same line about the part being back ordered.

I have finally decided that I will pursue replacing the dashboard myself. The only recourse that any of us have is to not only not buy another Dodge but not send any Service/Repair business their way. There are plenty of businesses that can do the same work.

I wish this story had a happy ending but I believe Dodge does not really want to replace the dashboard. I can only assume that if I had agreed to pay for the dashboard replacement they would have found one in a week.

If anyone has any good places to buy any OEM Dashboards from anyone except Dodge, I would appreciate your help.

Thanks.

The dash cracked in multiple spots. The dealership would not do anything, but sell me a new one for $1,500. $1,500 for a new dashboard? What are they thinking? With this many problems they should recall. If I spend that much, who is to say it will not happen in another two years. If I do get dumb enough to spend that much, I am piecing the old one back together and sending it back to dodge. I did have a 1990 model for 13 years and the dash never cracked. So, I can't help but think they are making truck cheaper then they have