Shifter slips out of gear unexpectedly at times (eg. drive to neutral) while driving and without cause. Unable to place it in park at times as well. We attempted to fix the problem, but a necessary part (gearshift cable) is discontinued and cannot be located anywhere. The truck is not safe and cannot pass a safety inspection and cannot be repaired.
Dodge RAM 1500 slipping problems
52 of the 12,420 owner complaints about the Dodge RAM 1500 describe transmission slipping, most of them for the 1997 model year.
- owner complaints
- 52
- worst model year
- 1997
- typical repair cost reported
- $1,500
- typical mileage
- 68,500
Is there a fix? There are 6 recalls for this area of the car. See below
By model year
Often reported together
Transmission failure 5Stalling 5Hesitation 2Knocking 2Check engine light 2Grinding brakes 2Warning lights 1Won't shift 1
What owners say
Noise from rear end. Garage found chunks of metal inside, passenger side carrier retainer loose, c clips loose, pinion retainer loose. Clutches slipping. Vehicle in.motion grinding noise..
Waiting on solution for recall for slipping out of gear, was told by company to use emergency brake. Now emergency brake cable has stretched so much, it has a major sag issue.
The vehicle may slip out of gear, due to the transmission locking pin getting stuck open. ( no incidents have occured yet ) there is a open recall now for some time. The federal safety agency recall number 17v‑821 manufacturer # t79
My extremely low-mileage ram is experiencing electrical and sensor issues of a truck tens of thousands of miles higher. The key fob will not lock or unlock the doors but the lights will flash. The esp/bas light remains on along with the slipping light plus the airbag light. They all remain on. The driver side door panel will not lock or unlock the doors. The panel will not open or close the 2 rear windows, but, the 2 front windows will open and close. All lights remain on while in motion or parked. I did notice the column shifter was extremely loose and was not as tight as normal. Vehicle has just over 65,000 miles on it. And is 8 years old possibly related issues are that the truck was recently taken in for wheel sensor replacements and low idle causing stalling.
Tl* the contact owns a 2010 ram 1500. While driving at various speeds, the gears slipped without warning when in position and when driving over unleveled land. The instrument panel flickered. In addition, the vehicle stalled multiple times and, while coasting, the contact was able to place the vehicle in neutral to be restarted. A dealer diagnosed that the win module needed to be replaced. The dealer had the vehicle for weeks. The manufacturer was not notified. The contact was uncertain if the dealer would to provide a newly designed part or if the same part would be replaced. The VIN was not available. The approximate failure mileage was 37,000.
I took my truck to the dealership in elkhart indiana for the recall. They kept it for a week and then said the part was on back order and they did an inspection and told me it was okay to drive. The next morning I reported to them that there was a vibration in the steering wheel and they told me to bring it in so they could see. On the way back, my drive shaft detached in very heavy traffic. Luckily there was a side road I immediately turned to. The vehicle was towed back to the dealership and I am awaiting a response. I feel as if this dealership either did not inspect or did not care that my pinion nut was loose. This could have cause a fatality because after my drive shaft detached, it was bouncing end over end in heavy traffic. Updated 9/28/15 *ln upon completion of the re-work, I noticed slipping in the rear. I immediately returned the truck once again and found them very unwilling to listen and accusatory that I had done something to cause the damage. The result was that they had put the wrong differential fluid in the rear end. Upon completion, the truck performed normally. Updated 10/13/15
Tl* the contact owns a 1999 dodge ram 1500. While driving 60 MPH, the gears slipped without warning. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 130,000.
I had put my 2012 ram 1500 into park and walked up the sidewalk, happened to look out and it was moving and I ran to get into it trying to stop it from hitting or crashing into something. I didn't get to it in time and I got pinned between the vehicle and the house causing me to break my tailbone and pelvis in two places. The vehicle was in park and had slipped out of gear. The repair shop said this is like the 4th one he has fixed do to it popping out of gear.
While I was driving, my truck made a odd sound and then came to a screeching halt. To my surprise, the rear driveshaft had disconnected and fell out of my 2002 dodge ram 1500 truck. After having it towed and inspected by a mechanic, it was discovered the nut came off of the pinion gear. The axle and companion gear slipping out of the pinion gear and the yolk came completely off. The mechanic was as concern and surprised as I was, considering this type of thing should not happen to a vehicle. I contacted chrysler via their customer service website and advised them of my situation. Sadly, I received a response stating there was no information regarding my issue. I conducted my own research about the possible defect, and found the federal safety agency details regarding this problem with dodge ram trucks. Currently, they are only reviewing 2008-2014 models. Considering my 2002 dodge ram 1500 has incurred the same problem, chrysler should recall all of their 2000 series for this defective part. I consider myself and others very lucky. If the driveshaft would have disconnected 10 minutes earlier while I was driving 70 MPH on the interstate. The incident could have been much worse. I'm fortunate, I had reached my exit and was driving 45 MPH with no vehicle behind me when my truck came apart and stopped.
Related recalls
Power train: automatic transmission: lever and linkage: column shift
- What is wrong
- Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2016-2017 Ram 3500 Cab Chassis with a Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) of less than 10,000 lbs, 2011-2017 Ram 3500, 4500 and 5500 Cab Chassis vehicles, 2009-2017 Ram 1500 and 2010-2017 Ram 2500 and 3500 pickup trucks, all equipped with a column shifter. Pushing the brake pedal for prolonged periods when the vehicle is running and in PARK may cause the Brake Transmission Shift Interlock (BTSI) pin to stick in the open position. With the pin in the open position, the transmission can be shifted out of PARK into any gear without pushing the brake pedal or having the key in the ignition.
- Risk
- Being able to shift the transmission without pushing the brake pedal and/or without a key in the ignition can increase the risk of an unintended vehicle rollaway that may result in personal injury or a crash.
- Remedy
- Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will update the vehicle software, inspect the BTSI, and, as necessary, replace it, free of charge. The recall began February 26, 2018. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1‑800‑853‑1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is T79.
Recall number 17V821000 · Recall details
Power train: driveline: differential unit
- What is wrong
- Chrysler Group LLC (Chrysler) is recalling certain model year 2005 Dodge Ram 1500 trucks manufactured January 28, 2004, to August 3, 2005. In the affected vehicles, the rear axle pinion nut may loosen due to an undersized spline on the pinion gear.
- Risk
- If the pinion nut loosens, the rear axle may seize, and/or the driveshaft may detach resulting in a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will install a retention feature to the pinion nut, free of charge. The recall began on June 26, 2015, 2015. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1‑800‑853‑1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is P77.
Recall number 14V796000 · Recall details
Power train: driveline: differential unit
- What is wrong
- Chrysler is recalling certain model year 2009-2012 Ram 1500 trucks manufactured from February 27, 2008, through June 30, 2009, and from December 1, 2009, through October 20, 2011; model year 2009-2011 Dodge Dakota trucks manufactured from February 27, 2007, through June 30, 2009, and from December 1, 2009, through September 30, 2011; model year 2009 Chrysler Aspen trucks manufactured from January 3, 2008, through December 18, 2008; and model year 2009 Dodge Durango trucks manufactured from January 3, 2008, through December 18, 2008. The rear axle pinion nut may loosen due to an undersized pinion spline that can allow relative motion between the nut and companion flange.
- Risk
- If the rear axle pinion nut loosens, the axle can lock up and cause a loss of vehicle control and/or a vehicle crash with little warning.
- Remedy
- On November 7, 2013 Chrysler notified owners that dealers would install a pinion nut retainer, free of charge. In July 2015, and under a consent order with the federal safety agency, the company agreed to offer owners three options for remedying their vehicles: perform the original remedy, offer to repurchase the vehicle at the fair market value plus 10%, or offer an additional incentive offer towards the purchase of a new Dodge, Jeep, Chrysler, or Fiat vehicle. Chrysler will notify owners of the new recall options in a letter expected to be mailed on August 31, 2015. Owners may contact Chrysler at 1‑800‑247‑9753. Chrysler's recall campaign number is N08.
Recall number 13V038000 · Recall details
Power train: driveline: differential unit
- What is wrong
- Chrysler is recalling certain model year 2009-2010, Ram 1500 and Dodge Dakota trucks, manufactured from July 1, 2009, through November 30, 2009, because the rear axle pinion nut may loosen due to a lack of adhesive.
- Risk
- If the rear axle pinion nut loosens, the axle can lock up and cause a loss of vehicle control and/or a vehicle crash with little warning.
- Remedy
- Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will install a pinion nut retainer, free of charge. The recall began on June 17, 2013. Owners may contact Chrysler at 1‑800‑247‑9753.
Recall number 12V474000 · Recall details
Power train: transfer case (4-wheel drive)
- What is wrong
- On certain 4-wheel drive pickup trucks, the totally integrated power module (tipm) may contain incorrect transfer case calibration set points, potentially resulting in inadvertent transfer case default to neutral.
- Risk
- If this occurs and the parking brake is not applied, the vehicle may roll away and cause a crash without warning.
- Remedy
- Dealers will reprogram the tipm with new software that prevents the potential for this condition. The recall began on november 7, 2005. Owners may contact daimlerchrysler at 1‑800‑853‑1403.
Recall number 05V461000 · Recall details
Power train: automatic transmission
- What is wrong
- On certain pickup trucks, the transfer case to transmission attaching fasteners may not be tightened correctly. This could cause the transmission adapter or transfer case housing to crack and leak fluid.
- Risk
- Continued operation can result in propeller shaft separation and damage to fuel system components, which could lead to a fuel leak. Fluid and/or fuel leakage in the presence of an ignition source can cause an underbody fire.
- Remedy
- Dealers will retighten the transfer case to transmission fasteners. Owner notification began on december 22, 2003. Owners should contact daimlerchrysler at 1‑800‑992‑1997.
Recall number 03V503000 · Recall details
Questions about the Dodge RAM 1500 slipping
Which Dodge RAM 1500 years have transmission slipping problems?
The model years with the most reports are 1997 (6 complaints), 1998 (6 complaints) and 1999 (6 complaints).
How much does it cost to fix transmission slipping on the Dodge RAM 1500?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $1,500 (median of 5 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
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