I have recently exerienced what I would describe as a "wandering front end" on my '98 ram. I had a local dealer look at the problem. They spent 0.60 hrs diagnosing a "slightly worn lower column shaft". They were quick to point out that this may not fix the problem and that perhaps I should continue driving the vehicle in hope that the symptoms would become more evident. I declined any repair. I later went "on-line" and was surprised to find a technical service bulletin on the subject. (tsb 19-10-97 - "steering wander") in addition, I found an entire web site dedicated to this phenomena. (key search, dodge ram) the stories are very similar to what I am experiencing and some are much worse - scary! I e-mailed daimler chrysler and asked if they were considering any sort of corrective action. Their answer was no. Ts
1998 Dodge RAM 2500 steering complaints
Page 2 of 2: complaints 11 to 24 of 24, newest first, as owners wrote them.
A clunking noise in the steering while driving. Dealer notified and informed that they are unable to correct the problem. Ph
While driving the vehicle the 5th gear was inoperable. Ts
When driving on highway and upon exiting off ramp at 70 MPH vehicle suddenly experienced loss of all steering. Steering wheel would not return and vehicle was pulling to right. Consumer has contacted dealer. *ak when turning a corner steering will not return stick to the right and makes a squealing noise due to bad steering gear box. Dampner shock is leaking from seal. The consumer states that the vehicle was no longer safe to drive.
Both tie rods replaced, front end was loose and made a loud noise, upper and intermediate steering column was replaced.
Steering column has a clunking noise and can be felt through the steering wheel. Headlights will go off when high beam is applied then turned off.
Consumer stated that while driving and making a turn steering wheel locked up. Dealer replaced steering gear box with a newer model. *ak
People in service dept. At dealership told me that my gear box and tie rod needed to be replaced due to an oversized tire (approx. 2 inches taller than factory tire) also due to the fact of using a lower gear to pull a trailer. The truck is an automatic.
There is a loss of power steering when applying brakes at speeds lower than 20 MPH which could cause loss of vehicle control. Dealer claims this is normal feature, and no solution is available.
I have had the steering damper replaced several times. It is unknown to me why this happens and the dealer has no answer either. All the components on this vehicle are "heavy-duty". Braking is becoming more of a problem as the brakes wear down. The truck only has 21,000 miles on it. The power door locks I have no idea about they just stopped working one day, but, they do work w/ the remote entry. I also noticed the horn actuator is hard to activate due to the hard "leather" for the airbag cover. The driver's door keeps getting missaligned, I have never heard of a vehicle having this much of a problem like it.
Was leaving shopping center when driver blacked out. Vehicle hit light pole off center. Neither air bag deployed. The steering wheel had disconnected & fell off. Vehicle was taken to dealer to have it checked. The driver suffered trauma to torso. *ak.
Sway bar bolts that hold sway bar fell out, and almost caused an accident. Went to dealer and got it fixed. But then all four bolts that hold the sway bar fell out again, causing an accident. Also, worn gear in the steering box caused a loss of steering. Dealer cannot determine the problem. Problem still exists. *ak
Application of brakes causes vehicle to sharply veer to the right.
Steering gear box mounting bolts were stripped during assembly causing the unit to be very loose on the frame, which could have fallen off and caused loss of steering.
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