I just bought this car with a smog certificate of less than 90 days ago from today and it caught on fire while I was driving it not even going over 55 miles an hour. I seen a potential recall that would cause a fire like that for the make and model of my vehicle but when I put my vin in it says it wasn’t effected. To be clear my vehicle wasn’t leaking any fluids either.
2003 Dodge RAM 1500: fire, smoke or burning smell
8 of the 1,171 complaints about the 2003 Dodge RAM 1500 describe fire, smoke or burning smell.
- owner complaints
- 8
- of this car's complaints
- 1%
- recalls
- 0
Is there a fix? 4 service bulletins cover this area of the car. See below
Fire, smoke or burning smell by model year
What owners say
This vehicle had last been started and driven 7 hrs prior and exploded in the driveway, caught the house on fire and nearly killed my son who was near the inside wall of the house. The engine blew and then the front tires. Three explosions in all before the fire department was able to stop the fire. Luckily they were only a mile away. This was an older but well running vehicle.
Tl* the contact owned a 2003 dodge ram 1500. While the vehicle was at a stop light, smoke and flames suddenly appeared under the hood. The smoke quickly engulfed the cabin of the vehicle. The fire department was called to the scene to extinguish the flames and a fire report was filed. There were no injuries. The vehicle was towed to an undisclosed location and deemed destroyed. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The local dealer was not notified. The failure mileage was 33,000.
Started up and the ABS dash indicator light stayed on. I took the truck to my mechanics and noticed the speedometer wasn't working. My mechanics found the problem with the ABS right away. They said that a fire had occurred and the entire truck could have caught fire. The ABS controller was burnt and the wires leading from it.
Shortly after purchasing our ram new from dealer, I experienced a small slight shock when getting in and out of the driver seat coincidentally I hold onto the inside door handle to do this. We have 20" wheels, and I am only 5'4. Mentioned this to the dealer at regular maint. In their service shop. Nothing done. Now this has gone on for 5 years. After appx. 3 years (just after 3/36 warranty expired) my driver door power window/door lock switches are not working correctly. Intermittently they will work for the other doors, but not very often. Also, if driver door is open, the switches don't work at all. I am and have been out of warranty for many miles, they say it's not a known issue, I say it is now! This is unsafe, I would not be surprised to find my vehicle on fire due to the electrical problem they refuse to acknowledge.
I own a 2003 dodge ram 1500 laramie 4x2 with 17000 miles. I purchased it from my local dodge dealer with 2300 miles on it. Around 15000 miles, my vehicle engine light turned on, and a strong burning odor began to come from the cab. I thought the error was serious, and immediately scheduled an appointment with an appropriate five star dodge dealer herb gordon dodge in silver spring, md. Kevin with the orange team, at herb gordon, verified that one issue with this vehicle is the powertrain control module. Unfortunately, the burning smell cannot be identified at this time. As the vehicle is under warranty, the PCM is currently being replaced. While herb gordon has done an excellent job providing me with service, dodge has scarred me and encumbered my time. I have had to rent while my vehicle is in the shop, my truck smells really bad inside (due to the burning PCM,) and I really do not trust the safety of my vehicle. Why would a PCM go bad after 17000 miles? Is the burning smell going to cause a fire in the future? Am I at risk in this vehicle?
While driving consumer noticed smoke coming from underneath the hood. Consumer was able to maintain control of the vehicle, and drove it to the dealer for inspection. Mechanic determined that the cooling fan needed to be replaced.
While driving 60 MPH driver heard a bang coming from under the vehicle. Then , consumer noticed the vehicle was on fire. Consumer pulled the vehicle over, and called the fire department to put out the fire. Vehicle was towed to the dealer for inspection, and mechanic determined that transfer case failed.
Service bulletins that may apply
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the 2003 Dodge RAM 1500 fire or smoke
Is fire, smoke or burning smell a common problem on the 2003 Dodge RAM 1500?
8 of 1,171 owner complaints about the 2003 Dodge RAM 1500 (1%) mention fire, smoke or burning smell. The model year with the most reports is 2001.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2003 Dodge RAM 1500?
There are 0 recalls and 4 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2003 Dodge RAM 1500
Stalling 30Airbag light 29No deployment 27Premature wear 23Grinding brakes 22Engine failure 17Check engine light 15ABS 13Loss of power 13Ball joint 10Whining noise 9Knocking 8Power steering loss 8Seat belt 7Brake failure 6Headlights 6Wipers 6Door locks 5Shudder 5Pulling 5Tire blowout 5Won't start 5
VIN decoder
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