While the vehicle was sitting in the driveway not running, the back of the headlight caught on fire. There wasn't any incedents (e.i. any collision, repairs) prior to the indecent. It is available for inspection. No dealership report yet, but have an appointment with local dealership Tuesday to get an itemized estimate for the repairs.
Dodge RAM 1500 fire or smoke problems
189 of the 12,420 owner complaints about the Dodge RAM 1500 describe fire, smoke or burning smell, most of them for the 2001 model year.
- owner complaints
- 189
- worst model year
- 2001
- typical repair cost reported
- $2,000
- typical mileage
- 83,000
Is there a fix? There is 1 recall for this area of the car. See below
By model year
Often reported together
Headlights 13Overheating 12ABS 11Stalling 7Check engine light 6Warning lights 4Power steering loss 4Fuel smell 4
What owners say
The truck was sitting at home in the driveway (untouched) for 3 days. Suddenly smoke began to appear from under the hood and within minutes, the engine compartment burst into flames. Because of the fire, smoke and water damage, the vehicle was considered a total loss by the insurance company. The fire marshal advised that the fire started in the vicinity of the passenger side starter battery. It is thought the fire originated from the battery or the grid heater relay that is very near the passenger side battery. The fire also damaged a nearby RV that experienced smoke and heat damage. It was a very intense fire. There were no open recalls on this vehicle and no recent maintenance work performed.
Fuse box caught on fire while driving
The contact owns a 2012 Ram 1500. The contact stated when the vehicle was turned off and in park, he accidentally bumped the gear shit lever and the vehicle slipped out of park (P) without the brake pedal being depressed. The contact researched online and related the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 17V821000 (Power Train). The contact stated that he had attempted to set numerous appointments with a local dealer but was unable to set an appointment for the vehicle. Additionally, while driving approximately 55 MPH the contact stated that he began to smell a burning plastic odor. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact observed that smoke was being emitted from the defroster vents on the top of the dash board. The contact stated that he pulled off of the roadway and shut the vehicle off. The contact stated as he exited the vehicle he observed pieces of burning melted plastic were dripping from under the dash and onto the vehicle floor carpets. The contact stated he called the fire department. The fire department arrived and extinguished the flames with a chemical fire extinguisher. The contact stated that the dash board and the right front passenger side were burned by the flames. There was extensive damage to the dashboard. The contact stated that the police also arrived but was not sure if a report had been written. The vehicle was towed to an impound lot. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The contact stated that prior to the fire the contact had been smelling a burnt plastic smell when using the heater/defroster. The failure mileage was approximately 95,700. The VIN was not available.
2008 RAM 1500 4 door p/up truck. Factory radio/ . Noise coming from CD player when radio was playing . Saturday morning , radio off . Radio screen lights up like the inside of a bread toaster . Orange Lines appear on the screen. and get hot to the touch . looks like melting wires . I Pulled over and disconnected the battery negative . looked for a Radio fuse in the fuse panel . but was unsuccessful . There was a Burning smell coming from the radio or dashboard still hot to the touch after unsuccessfully locating a Radio Fuse Anywhere . I reconnect the battery negative and noticed the same problem is occurring and then disconnected the negative and Call for assistance . Please help.
Engine compartment caught fire while driving. Could not put out fire vehicle was total loss.
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.
unknown, Is all I know that I was checking the code on my truck and left truck on all night went out to start truck and battery was dead I got a jump from a friend and it started fine. I let it run for @20-30 minutes then I and my wife went to Realo drug store about 3/4 of a mile from home to get her meds. We pulled up and waiting and got the meds payed for and my wife said there is smoke coming from under the hood. The truck stopped running and I tried to start it back and it did not start. Started smoking more and more I told my wife to get out of the truck and she did the pharmacist came out and help push the truck away from the store. Started flaming up and I drove it to a safe place and finally got out of the truck wife was ok but I had smoke halation and had to go on rescue squad to ER they said along with smoke halation I had a burnt nose ,forehead and burnt throat. Please check about this. Thank you
The vehicle's fuel pump continues to run even when the vehicle is turned off causing the overheating of electrical wiring and draining the battery, it's a serious issue and a fire hazard that will set the fuel tank on fire, I filed a complaint back in June and no action has been taken.
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.
Related recalls
Electrical system: ignition: switch
- What is wrong
- Chrysler Group LLC (Chrysler) is recalling certain model year 2006-2007 Dodge Ram 1500, 2500, 3500, Dakota, and 2006 Mitsubishi Raider vehicles manufactured July 1, 2005, to July 31, 2006 with manual transmissions. The return springs in the clutch ignition interlock switch may break.
- Risk
- Broken springs can result in a no-start condition, or cause unintended movement when the ignition is cranked, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
- Remedy
- Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the clutch ignition interlock switch, free of charge. The recall began on March 27, 2015. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1‑800‑853‑1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is P80.
Recall number 14V795000 · Recall details
Questions about the Dodge RAM 1500 fire or smoke
Which Dodge RAM 1500 years have fire, smoke or burning smell problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2001 (24 complaints), 2004 (21 complaints) and 1999 (14 complaints).
How much does it cost to fix fire, smoke or burning smell on the Dodge RAM 1500?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $2,000 (median of 10 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
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