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.
Just look up Dodge death wobble on internet!!!! millions of owners have this problem.hit a bump, pot hole, anything and truck steering goes into shaking.....you just about have to stop to control this>witch on ice roads can lead to uncontrollable conditions.....just take a look at this...
I had just left the Dodge dealership in my town from having my left outer tie-rod end inspected for a recall, only to get a few miles down the road and my right outer tie-rod end completely failed. Luckily I wasn't driving down the interstate when it happened but I still had to avoid an accident.
At 50 mph if the truck hits a bump on the road, it goes to a violent shake until the truck is slowed to 30mph. Very scary as the truck got thrown into the other lane. This has been happening for a year now. The dealer can't seem to fix the issue. I already spend $2500 and now it seems I need to spend another $1500.
On February 3, 2012 we were passing a logging truck in a legal passing lane when all of the sudden our truck started shaking violently. We lost all steering control and had no brakes all while shaking violently and headed into the oncoming traffic lane and over the embankment hitting trees head on. We have 2 witnesses to verify everything. The witnesses both said our tires were moving a foot, or more, in & out during this violent shaking. Our truck was totaled due to this accident.
Traveling on US93 out of kingman, AZ. Hit a patch of rough freeway and truck went into an uncontrollably death wobble. I was pulling a 12 foot haulmark motorcycle trailer when this occurred. It was a miracle we didn't crash. Got it slowed down and off the road everything appeared O.K. proceeded cautiously and now it was pulling hard to the right like something was out of line. After driving for appx 25 miles, whatever was causing it to pull to right corrected itself. Over the next 1500 miles this has occurred on three more occasions once with trailer and twice without trailer. Have new shocks and tires ordered. Have and appt with Dodge to have it checked out but have little faith in them.
- Redmond, OR, USA
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While traveling between Colorado and New Mexico along interstate 25 at raton pass, we hit a bump at about 50-60 miles an hour and the vehicle went into a violent uncontrollable shake. Steering could not be controlled, I just applied brakes until we came to a stop. I am going to take into a Dodge service dept., but I've already been told by others traveling behind us that this is a fairly common occurrence and Dodge refuses to acknowledge front end design issues. I hope this isn't true. This is a very serious issue that could easily end up with casualties or serious injuries. This issue occurred with no warning, and in an instant the vehicle goes wildly out of control. After coming to stop the vehicle shows no signs of problems and drives normally.
The contact owns a 2005 Dodge Ram 2500. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 mph over a bump in the road the steering wheel began to shake violently. The contact described the failure as the death wobble. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnosis where the upper and lower ball joints, the axle joints, and tie rod ends were replaced. The contact also replaced the wheel bearings. The failure continued to occur after the vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The VIN was not available. The approximate failure mileage was 102,000.
Having experienced the "Dodge death wobble" several times, I am already cautious when driving at highway speeds. I was crossing a bridge and hit the expansion joint on the exit side. The truck veers hard left and I cross the middle lines and am halfway into the other lane. I had the wheel turned ninety degrees past straight and the truck continued pulling left. A motorist in an oncoming car veered sharply right and we narrowly missed a head on collision. The truck started to respond to my turning right as all the other occupants asked what happened. I showed them how far I was turning right to go straight, and I let the wheel turn back to center and the truck darts hard left again. By this time I had greatly reduced my speed, so it was much more controlled. I pulled over and inspected the front end of the truck, expecting to find something broken or disconnected, but it was all there and right. I had my wife turn the wheel back and forth and it was all functioning properly. Not knowing what else to do I cautiously pulled back onto highway and it was fine. We were almost in a serious collision. I have zero confidence in this vehicle at highway speeds.
While going about 65 mph, hit a joint in the road on an overpass. The front end started shaking violently and continued to do so until the truck was slowed to about 30 mph. This isn't the first time this has happened. I've had it checked by a couple mechanics and a dealership. No one saw anything that should/would cause this to happen. After this last incident, I took the vehicle to another dealership who told me it was the steering dampener. They noticed it was leaking. I have been under the truck before and it wasn't leaking prior to this 'death wobble, ' rather, I feel that is leaking because of the violent shaking. I know of 3 other people with 2003-2006 Dodge Ram 2500's that have also experienced this. A simple search on the internet gets thousands of hits. Dodge needs to fix this problem.
Truck was maneuvering in parking lot when a noise from the front of the truck was heard. Vehicle was not steering well. Placed vehicle in park and turned off motor. Upon inspection of the front steering found the front left tie rod end sheared.
Backing out of a parking space; I heard a snap. As I turned the wheels to the left to pull forward, I heard another snap. When the pickup straightened out, I heard several popping noises and the steering caught. I rolled forward and the wheels didn't respond; the left tie rod had sheered off and the wheels were facing each other. I have the broken tie rod available for inspection. This was the new "improved" system. If this had happened on the highway, someone would be dead. The local Dodge dealership sold me the piece at cost and suggested I call Dodge. I called Dodge and they had not heard of any other instances. There was another Dodge involved in a similar scenario near gunnison, co in August. They were parking a fifth wheel camper at the time of breakage. Again, thank god, they were not driving on the road when it occurred.
Bad front end vibration {death wobble} I have had this problem with this truck for about a year and spent about $3000 on it with the {new and improved steering linkage} that came from Dodge and I still have death wobble. I talked to someone named [xxx] in customer support and she said to take it to Dodge. I just got it back from pro Chrysler Jeep in northgleen Colorado where they told me to keep a full tank of gas and 65 lbs of air in the tires and I wont have the problem. I still have the problem..this truck is a death trap when it starts shaking. I got stuck between a semi truck and a cement barrier when it went nuts and almost caused a huge crash on I70 and the tunnel. I want Dodge to do a safety recall on this truck and any others that have this problem. Information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
The contact owns a 2005 Dodge Ram 2500. The contact was traveling 10-15 mph when the steering assist failed. The contact discovered that the front passenger side tie rod detached from the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to a private mechanic who replaced the tie road assembly. The manufacturer was contacted. The vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was 187,505 and the current mileage was 188,371.
Every once in awhile my 2005 Dodge Ram 2500 front end will shake violently and just about cause me to crash while driving a various speeds. I've taken it back to the dealership and they have replaced the steering dampener several times yet it still has the problem. I started researching it on the internet and there is a lot of people complaining about the same exact thing. It is described as the shake of death or death wobble. There is no factory recall for this problem but are options for replacing front end parts for about $500-800 dollars. Someone should look into this as people may have died because of it. Especially if it happens at a high rate of speed. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
The contact owns a 2005 Dodge Ram 2500. The contact stated that while driving 75 mph, the front end of the vehicle began shaking violently and the contact crashed into a ditch. The failure reccurred every time the vehicle was driven at 65 mph or higher. The vehicle was taken to a dealer for a dignosis and the contact was awaiting the results. The manufacturer was notified, but offered no assistance. The vehicle had not been repaired. The failure mileage was 56,500 and the current mileage was 57,000.
The contact owns a 2005 Dodge Ram 2500. While driving approximately 60 mph, the contact lost control of the steering wheel. The contact turned the vehicle toward a ditch and crashed into a rock wall. No injuries were reported. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where the contact was advised that the steering assembly would have to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The VIN was not available. The approximately failure mileage was 90,000.
On 9-10-11 I was driving my Dodge Ram 2500 on the same road as I always do and the steering wheel started shaking violently and I used up 2 lanes to get it under control. It will stop when the speed is about 45mph. I have replaced all the steering linkages with new. (Dodge sells a 2009 upgraded steering system for this truck) installed new trac bar bushings, (originals were ok) installed new steering stabilizer, gear box bearing and had it aligned by the local Dodge dealer. It is now not drivable as the "death wobble" is more frequent than ever. I now have a truck I cannot drive or sell and Dodge will not listen. I have been driving for 33 years and have never experienced such a violent shaking and loss of control. Your my only hope!
While backing out of a typical driveway, the left tie rod suddenly failed (described by our mechanic as 'sheared off at the pivot connection/knuckle'.) the tie rod had been replaced, as part of "updated front tie rod kit", along with steering damper, pitman arm and all ball joints in August of 2010 (91382 miles on vehicle at that time) as the solution to severe 'death wobble.' It should also be noted that all ball joints had already suffered sever wear and required replacement in March of 2011, with about 126223 miles on the truck.
The contact owns a 2005 Dodge Ram 2500. While traveling 2 mph, the contact attempted a sharp left turn and noticed that the steering wheel seized. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the contact was informed that the front axle, tie rod and pinion seal needed to be replaced. No repairs were made to the vehicle. The current and the failure mileages were 143,000.
The contact owns a 2005 Dodge Ram 2500. The contact stated that the steering wheel had become hard to control and caused the vehicle to swerve. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the failure was located at the steering tie rod. The dealer replaced the steering tie rod and the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The manufacturer advised the contact that the vehicle was included in the recall associated with NHTSA campaign id number: 11V350000: (steering linkages: Tie rod assembly) and the contact would be reimbursed for the repair costs. The failure mileage was 75,000 and the current mileage was 126,000.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- King City, MO, USA