2001 Dodge RAM 1500 suspension problems

Filed Jun 6, 2018 · Steering, Suspension · 96,000 miles · PA

The fabricated attachment points that hold the control arms, track bar, damper and springs to the front axle rust to the point of being unsafe. I have replaced my front axle once, and will have to do so again shortly. Fortunately this problem was detected before the axle fell out of the truck, and that is what would have happened! The manufacturer simply did not protect these critical parts from corrosion.

Filed Jul 5, 2016 · Suspension · 120,000 miles · FL

Tl* the contact owns a 2001 dodge ram 1500. While driving 55 MPH, the rear pinion nut and driveshaft detached from the vehicle causing the rear wheels to lock. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence and was inspected by an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the pinion, driveshaft, and rear of the vehicle needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 120,000.

Filed Jul 15, 2015 · Body, Brakes · NY

2001 dodge ram. Consumer writes in regards to vehicle steering wheel vibration, brake line replacement and front frame problems. *smd updated 07/27/15.....updated 11/19/15 *bf updated 01/12/16*lj updated 11/08/2017

Filed Jul 10, 2015 · Steering, Suspension · 37,000 miles · NY

Tl* the contact owns a 2001 dodge ram 1500. While driving at approximately 60 MPH, the front of the vehicle shook. The contact stated that it was difficult to steer and control the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the upper and lower control locks and pull joints were rusted and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 37,000...updated 10-06-15 *bf

Filed Feb 12, 2013 · Steering, Suspension · 110,373 miles · MN

Just purchase my 2001 dodge ram the day before, took it for a drive to neighboring town. Was going 45 MPH and the road was somewhat bumpy, the vehicle began to shake violently and very bouncy. The town was 10 miles away. Arrived, turned vehicle off and went into market for approximately 20 minutes. Drove back home with the same thing happening(violent shaking and very, very bouncy) all the way back. Very scary and definitely not right. Steering was difficult due to the bounce and shake. Interestingly my father drove this vehicle 300 miles to bring it to me the previous day with no incident of the shaking or bouncing. A friend told me about the "death wobble" and after looking it up on the internet, I cannot believe this issue has not been resolved, either by a recall or dodge! Not even a concrete fix for the problem? I am a single mother without a large sum of money to purchase a vehicle, let alone fix major repairs. I need a safe vehicle for myself and my children. I feel like I have been scammed by the dealer, dodge, the previous owner, and the federal safety agency. This is not an isolated problem in my vehicle!

Filed Mar 8, 2012 · Suspension · 50 miles · TX

When we purchased this truck new in aransas pass tx & it rode like the springs were soft & bounced all over . It got worse at higher speeds. We had the springs checked & were told that they were good & this truck just rides this way. It started wearing the tires real bad and we had them replaced.then we had to have them replaced again ( only getting 13,000 miles on them before they were almost worn out) so we took it in again ( 3rd time ) to get tires with under 76,000 miles on it. We went to firestone in corpus christi texas & got new tires again but they could not do the alignment because the ball joints are real bad. We had no idea that it had a problem because we were told its normal for it to ride that way. So it has been the ball joints all along and it is getting more dangerous every day- bounces and feels like it may turn over. It really scares me. Ii found over many complaints about ball joints being bad on this vehicle from the beginning & dodge replaced them at under 25,000 miles till the 3rd year.then way too many to count have had to replace the ball joints between 36,000 and 80,000 miles. Also we have never gotten any recalls on this vehicle and we lived at the same address. There are many recalls I see that we did not get notice of . This truck is and has always been dangerous. We have had it for a long time but cant drive it much because of the bouncing and swaying. We have felt from the beginning that it is dangerous and could cause a bad accident. But we were told it just rides like that because of the vehicle and the tow package. So in 2004 we bought another vehicle to use because this one feels scary. So we have put an average of only about 6500 miles a year because we are afraid of it. Plus it is on the 4th set of tires and has always worn them out really fast. It still rides the same way it did from the 1st day we got it. Scary.

Filed Aug 24, 2011 · Brakes, Suspension · 60,000 miles · PA

On my 2001 dodge 1500, there is a ton of rust on the underside parts. The frame and body aren't bad, but the things that attach are failing. The brake lines went, and the emergency brake all went at the same time, almost resulting in a wreck. The straps that hold the gas tank in place rusted out. The sheet metal attachment for the front axle is the latest. I's almost rusted out, and would have caused the front axle to detach if not replaced. ($$$$) yes, the truck is 10 years old and I live in nw pa where we use salt. Critical parts need to be protected from rust or made from stainless. This truck could have killed someone, probably me!

Filed Aug 24, 2010 · Steering, Suspension · 80,000 miles · CT

I own a 2001 dodge ram 1500 quad cab 4x4. When you hit a bump or pot hole at 50mph or faster the whole truck shakes violently so bad that you barely have control of the vehicle. It does not stop until you can slow the truck down..which is almost impossible. It happened to me 3 or 4 times on a major highway had to slam on the brakes to slow it down causing people around me to almost get in to accidents trying not to slam into me because in had no control of the truck. I have put in upper and lower ball joints,trac bar .steering column..nothing has fixed the problem and dodge wants to know nothing.someone is going to get hurt or killed if this nproblem isn't fixed by dodge. There are all kinds of complaints on the internet and also from mechanics and people I have talked to. Everyone who owns a dodge truck can tell you about the "death wobble". I have done a lot of research and have found out it could have something to do with front end alignment. Thats next for me to try.

Filed Jul 12, 2010 · Suspension · 110,000 miles · VA

I purchased a 2001 dodge ram 1500 4x4 pickup in april, 2009. Approximately 6 months after ownership, I was driving north on interstate 95 near richmond va, at about 70 miles per hour when the vehicle began to shake violently. I came to a stop, and took a state route the remainder of the trip, after looking under the vehicle for some obvious defect. I could see nothing. A few days later, I took the vehicle to an ase certified repair shop. They noticed slight play in the left front u joint, so I had both replaced, knowing that could not have possibly caused what I experienced. I drove the vehicle about another 6 months and had the same incident occur. I took the vehicle back to the repair shop and asked them to inspect the suspension, explaining the violent shaking that occurred. They could find nothing wrong. Everything was fine until 2 weeks ago. Again, while driving on i95, at about 70, out of nowhere, without warning, the vehicle shook violently. It shook my body so hard it blurred my vision. The AC vent covers snapped out , my coffee up bounced out of a tightly squeezed holder, and my dash board top cracked into about 15 pieces. It was absolutely dangerous and violent. I came to a stop. Only then did the shaking stop. I looked under the vehicle and all round for something obviously wrong, but saw nothing. That evening, I googled dodge truck violently shaking and learned about the "death wobble". If the authorities would read the internet, and reports on this issue, it would be overwhelming that there is a serious design flaw in this vehicle. There is no doubt in my mind that there has been a death from this problem, as all 3 times it happened to me, only luck allowed me to exit the travel lanes , get in the break down lane and come to a stop. A slight change in the traffic pattern would have caused a high speed accident, as it is nearly impossible to control the vehicle it is shaking so violently. Please investigate this problem.

Filed Jun 18, 2010 · Steering, Suspension · 46,000 miles · PA

From aug 08 to present at speeds of 40 MPH and up my 2001 dodge ram 1500 4x4 when hitting a bump the front end develops the "death wobble" have had to two different dodge dealers and have paid to have all ball joints, tie rod ends, steering box etc replaced and problem is still there now I start looking online and I see I am one of many out there with this problem. Something needs to be done to have dodge come up with an actual fix for this it is very dangerous and I have personally had this happen on the pa turnpike and numerous other roads and been very close to some deadly accidents with it. I have actually bought another vehicle and truck is sitting in my yard. The answer I get from dodge is trade it in if it is such a problem but I refuse to put another family in that position. So I sit here listening to my money in the yard waste away.