10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
4 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
2 / 0
Average Mileage:
66,205 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 2500 steering problems

steering problem

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2004 Dodge Ram 2500 Owner Comments (Page 5 of 7)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #54

Jan 042014

Ram 2500

  • miles

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

The contact owns a 2004 Dodge Ram 2500. The contact received NHTSA campaign number: 13V528000 (steering). The dealer was contacted and stated that the vehicle could be inspected but the part needed for the repair was not available. The manufacturer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact had not experienced a failure.

- Oregon City, OR, USA

problem #53

Jan 062014

Ram 2500 8-cyl

  • miles
Recall N62/H46 I received a recall notice in the mail about left tie rod replacement/ inspection. Chrysler has known about this recall since Nov 6th/2013. I called cherry creak Dodge- Aurora co on Jan 3rd/ was told to call back on the 6th. Called back Jan 6th they had no info was told they would call me back in 30 min.. never received a call back. I called again talked to diff person / was told they had no parts to fix problem and they would not be receiving any until end of January/ this is unacceptable, knowing that if this part breaks it could cause major (crash or death without warning ) their words. God help Chrysler.. if this should happen to anyone. This is my daily vehicle, I drive a min 65 miles per day to and from work. Now the mental uncertainty every day for another month. Will this part break ? / Chrysler should have priority parts sent to all dealers to fix this problem before they tell people to call any dealer/ then this fix needs to be done asap...not this half ass effort with those that are employed by dealerships not having a clue as to what is going on..bad bad bad !!

- Aurora, CO, USA

problem #52

Sep 092013

Ram 2500 6-cyl Diesel

  • 166,800 miles
On 3/21/12, I had my truck inspected by a Dodge dealership after getting a recall notice in the mail. It was safety recall L16 left tie rod. The dealership replaced the faulty part with a new part to remedy the recall. It was part # cbrcl160-aa. On 9/9/13, while backing up in a parking lot, the same mentioned "new" part fractured rendering my truck unable to be steered. I am concerned that the replacement part fractured just like the recall said the original part was susceptible to doing. The recall says, "the problem is...the left tie rod ball stud on your truck may fracture under certain driving conditions. This could cause a loss of directional control and/or a crash without warning." This is alarming to me as it potentially put me, my passengers, and other drivers at risk of injury or death had this happened while driving down the highway or around town. After calling Chrysler about this event, they offered me no confidence anything has been done about this occurrence or will be done. I feel my call to them was not taken seriously and the complaint I have with their part will go nowhere. This is a public safety threat in my opinion.

- Edmond, OK, USA

problem #51

May 092013

Ram 2500 6-cyl Diesel

  • 134,767 miles

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

Traveling on hwy at 55 mph when truck lost all power including power steering. No warning. Steered to side of hwy and stopped. Hwy was under construction and 50 more yards I would have been in middle of road because no shoulder with construction. Truck restarted, and I continued on because in rural area. Truck stopped again in middle of intersection in town about 2hrs later. Dealer could not look at it until next day, so I had to drive home (40 mi) and hope I made it. Brought it back next morning and told needed new lift pump and would keep it overnight. My dealer's service dept is great, and they gave me a ride home (40 mi). No option to install original pump of several hundred dollars. Had to install one in the fuel tank with cost of $1000. Several concerns. One, this seems to be an engineering defect since they now install the lift pump in the gas tank where it should have been all along. Two, they are making a nice sum to replace it and put it in the tank. Three, this is an urgent safety factor because when vehicle shuts down, there is no power steering. There are drop-offs with narrow shoulders (or no shoulder as in my case because of construction) along hwys in my area. I could very easily have gone over or down the side of one of our hills. Four, vehicle can lose power in the middle of an intersection when making a turn in front of oncoming traffic (as it did in my case). Five, there is no prior warning or way to check the potential of this happening. When this happened yesterday and I started researching, it was the first I had heard of it. My truck is serviced regularly by my dealer, and there is no test for this. It was a very scary situation on the hwy and in the middle of the intersection. The fact that I have had the truck for several yrs shows that eventually they will probably all fail and should be replaced before they do.

- Canyon Lake, TX, USA

problem #50

May 052013

Ram 2500

  • 102,000 miles
The contact owns a 2004 Dodge Ram 2500. The contact stated that the steering wheel became difficult to maneuver. The contact inspected the vehicle and noticed that the steering linkage was sheared and fractured. The contact replaced the steering box. The vehicle was previously included in and repaired under NHTSA campaign id number: 11V350000 (steering). The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 102,000.

- Bothell, WA, USA

problem #49

Apr 022007

Ram 2500 6-cyl Diesel

  • 30,000 miles
When driving over 60 miles an hour and the truck hits a bump it shakes violently. I have had to stop on the freeway to get it to stop. Have had it in three times for aligment and to have the front end checked. Seems alot of people have the same problem with there Dodge trucks.

- Tremonton, UT, USA

problem #48

Aug 132008

Ram 2500 6-cyl Diesel

  • 51,000 miles

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

Driving on interstate hit a bump the front end started wobbling bad, had to hit brakes to slow down for it to stop wobbling. Went to three shops replace the stabilizer shock no help, replace the front shocks help for a while and wobbles again, I, am afraid to drive it.

- Spring Creek, NV, USA

problem #47

Oct 162012

Ram 2500 4WD 6-cyl Diesel

  • 99,184 miles
I was driving my 2004 Dodge 2500 4X4 diesel pickup at 40-45 mph. As I was going into a curve in the road, I drove over a rough part in the road and the steering wheel started shaking violently back and forth (left and right). It was very hard to control the vehicle, I nearly crashed into a car on one side of me and a bridge railing on the other side. I thought maybe one of the front wheels was coming off the axle or I had a blowout. I slowed down and finally got the vehicle under control. I took it to a diesel repair shop immediately after this happened and they found the steering stabilizer shock leaking, the outer tie rod at the drag link and inner tie rod had some play, and both upper ball joints had some play. They replaced the steering stabilizer shock, the right inner tie rod, and the right outer tie rod. These repairs came to close to $400. They mentioned the "death wobble" problem and suggested we might add additional aftermarket parts to the front suspension to prevent this from happening again. The shop could not do the work right then or I would have had it done. I do not feel safe driving this vehicle now; it took all my driving experience and strength to get control of the vehicle, I do not think a weaker or inexperienced driver could have kept the vehicle from crashing. After looking at all the evidence of this "death wobble" problem on the internet, I cannot believe that the problem has not been solved and the vehicles recalled. People could die and or be injured and probably already have. The accident would probably be blamed on driver error with broken parts blamed on the accident instead of on the broken parts causing the accident.

- Carmichael, CA, USA

problem #46

Sep 232011

Ram 2500 8-cyl

  • 142,000 miles
I was driving down the highway at 70 mph when my truck went into what consumers are calling "the death wobble." The truck started shaking uncontrollably, making it hard to drive. It has continued to do it, and mechanics are having a difficult time finding out what is wrong. My wife and son were in the truck with me when it happened the first time, and I'm afraid for them to ride in the truck now because of it. I shouldn't have to fear driving my main source of transportation...especially when it's not a bad vehicle. I'm noticing numerous complaints regarding this issue.

- Willard, MO, USA

problem #45

Aug 012012

Ram 2500 4WD 8-cyl

  • 74,321 miles
While driving at 55mph and above, hit bump on highway and the front end started to shake violently. The truck almost went into the other lane.

- Easton, PA, USA

problem #44

Jun 012010

Ram 2500

  • 110,000 miles

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

When going over a bump in the road at approximately 50 mph, uncontrolled suspension oscillation, or "death wobble, " occurs. Once it begins, nearly all steering control is lost. The only thing that can be done at the time is to rapidly decelerate to around 30 mph. This is very dangerous for drivers of these vehicles and anyone near by. I have spent thousands of dollars replacing factory parts with high end aftermarket upgrades and it always comes back.

- Boulder, CO, USA

problem #43

Feb 292012

Ram 2500 8-cyl

  • 55,000 miles
While driving on the highway at speeds of about 55 mph and hitting any small rut or change in the road the vehicle begins to shake like crazy. I have had it at the dealer for the recall and they said it was ok. I have had it at the local truck shop and they can't figure it out. Everything looks to be tight. Dodge needs to get these trucks recalled before someone dies. Dodge knows there is a problem why in the world won they fix this. I asked the local dealer again about the death wobble and they said that they were not aware of any death wobble. Are you kidding all you have to do is google death wobble and you will see all you need to know. If I would have known about this problem store I bought this truck I would have not bought it. I am now thinking of trading it in, and let it kill someone else.

- Laurel Springs, NJ, USA

problem #42

Apr 012011

Ram 2500

  • 74,000 miles
The contact owns a 2004 Dodge Ram 2500. The contact stated that the driver side front tie rod failed while driving. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where the dealer replaced the tie rod and the steering linkage. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer denied reimbursement, stating that the recall under NHTSA campaign id number 11V350000 (steering: Linkages: Tie rod assembly) was only for aftermarket tie rods however, the tie rod on the contact's vehicle was the original manufacturer's part. The failure mileage was was 74,000 and the current mileage was not available.

- Woodland , CA, USA

problem #41

Mar 072012

Ram 2500

  • 115,000 miles
The contact owns a 2004 Dodge Ram 2500. The contact received a recall notice for NHTSA campaign id number: 11V350000 (steering:linkages:tie rod assembly) however, after speaking with the dealer she was informed that the parts for the repair would take anywhere from one week to one month before they would arrive. The contact stated that having to wait one month to have a recalled component repaired was unsatisfactory. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact had not experienced a failure. The current mileage was 115,000.

- Alcova, WY, USA

problem #40

Jul 082009

Ram 2500

  • 59,000 miles
The contact owns a 2004 Dodge Ram 2500 quad. While driving approximately 10 mph, a loud noise emitted from the front end of the vehicle and immediately the steering wheel failed to turn. The contact came to a complete stop to inspect the vehicle and noticed the steering damper detached and was on the ground. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who stated the tie rods and steering damper would need to be replaced. Two years ago, the tie rods and steering damper were replaced under the service warranty. In addition, the front and upper and lower ball joints were replaced. There was a recall related to the defect under NHTSA campaign id number 07E009000 (suspension). The vehicle was ineligible because the recall did not pertain to the original equipment. The manufacturer was notified of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 59,000.

- Darby, MT, USA

problem #39

Jan 262012

Ram 2500

  • 90,340 miles
Dodge death wobble this really should be under recall before someone gets hurt!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

- Beckley, WV, USA

problem #38

Nov 222011

Ram 2500

  • 150,000 miles
The contact owns a 2004 Dodge Ram 2500. The contact stated that while driving approximately 5-10 mph in the driveway, there was a loud grinding and popping noise outside of the vehicle. The contact inspected the vehicle and noticed the front driver's side tie rod end fractured. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. There was a recall related to the failure under NHTSA campaign id number 11V350000 (steering: Linkages: Tie rod assembly); however the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 150,000.

- Charles Town , WV, USA

problem #37

Aug 082011

Ram 2500

  • miles
2004 Dodge Ram 2500- front end/steering failure at 71,000 requiring replacement of entire steering linkage kit, damper and traction bar (as well as pitman arm) at cost of over $1,200. This was to correct the exact same steering problem I am reading about as reported by seemingly countless owners of Dodge Ram from this year. It is inconceivable to me why there has not been a formal recall and reimbursement of expenses to owners like me who paid for the recommended repair. I am the original owner and have all service repair orders. The service department at ft. Collins (co) Dodge reported that they were well aware of this problem, as is Chrysler and that it was a serious safety issue that needed to be corrected as a total loss of steering and collapse of the front end could result if it was not repaired.. parts have been replaced each of the last 3 years and failures continue with no solution from the manufacturer.

- Marlborough, MA, USA

problem #36

Nov 102011

Ram 2500

  • 78,000 miles
The death wobble as drivers of these trucks call it. The fix in 2010 was only temporary for my 2004 Dodge truck. It once again is going into the death wobble. Dodge says the parts were only warranted for 12 months and won't fix it again. Dodge apparently didn't use heavy enough parts and axles in the first place so does that mean I have to pay to have it fixed over and over and over. Someone needs to make Dodge continue to replace these parts. There are and will be many deaths over these trucks. It is no wonder the american vehicle manuf. Are struggling. Apparently the bulletin repair makes the truck safe for only 1 more year. This isn't a poor a.C or power lock problem it is related to loss of control while driving in normal everyday conditions which can result in loss of life. Please make Dodge do the right thing on this one and get to the root of the problem at their expense not mine. Just how many complaints has Dodge had concerning this. Only they know. I will never buy another Dodge Chrysler product again. I called Dodge & they acted as though they had never heard of this problem!

- Pasadena, TX, USA

problem #35

Oct 312011

Ram 2500

  • 130,000 miles
Death wobble at different speeds and bumps I have replaced some parts and nothing has changed and the more I research this problem the more I learn there are many just like me with the same issue.

- Mena, AR, USA

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