Dodge dashes cracking popping flying across the truck hitting driver or passenger in vehicle while in motion or stopped at a simple red light. Very dangerous in my opinion and I have seen and read thousands of instances just like mine! On dodge forum type in (dash/defective dash) you tell me! Dodge claims there's nothing wrong with them however they are willing to replace the problem dash with one of the same type(will crack again) for only 1000-1300 bucks. I had about a 4" by 3" piece of plastic fly up and hit my hand on the steering wheel, lucky I was stopped at a red light. There are no oem stock replacements for the do it yourself period they make caps which cause rattles in trucks we have all paid 30-50 thousand dollars for! I want to add as well when pieces fly off the dash it also exposes all your electrical system within the top of the dash as we all know in the texas sun could obviously cause damage or worse to vehicle or person/s in vehicle!
2003 Dodge RAM 2500 body complaints
Page 5 of 6: complaints 101 to 130 of 146, newest first, as owners wrote them.
I'm a 3 time dodge owner currently have a 2003 ram 2500 slt hemi, 2004 ram 1500 short bed, 2005 durango hemi. Each one has problems. What I don't understand is how the federal safety agency and dodge don't see the safety danger involved. The 2003 has the most serious safety issues. A dash that is cracking so bad that pieces are now starting to fall out. If an accident were to occur this is a projectile hazard . I have taken pictures of the dash. I hope know one gets injured from projectile fragments of the dash. The more serious issue with the 2003 is the flapper door on the actuator motor that changes the air flow from vent to floor or defrost. Dodge does not see this as a safety issue. I don't see the difference between the defrost to the windshield not working and a windshield wiper recall; they both affect your view. We don't drive the pickup if ice and snow are in the forecast. I could not believe all the complaints about this issue and nothing is being done. Lets wait until one of these 2 issues injuries someone seriously or even sadder yet someone is killed!!!!! There is always a lawyer waiting. I would think any problem that affects your site or view for driving would be most dangerous.
Today as I was entering my dodge ram 2500 truck on the driving side, I used the handle provided to climb up to the driving seat. When half the way up to the seat the plastic handle broke causing me to loose my grip and crash down to the pavement. Currently I am in pain because of the fall, it appear that the handle is made by defective plastic.
Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6) (2003 dodge ram 2500 slt 4x4 w/ 64,186 miles) the truck has developed a three inch crack across the center of the dash. The crack starts at the front of the dash and works back towards the passenger compartment. Numerous complaints have been reported on multiple websites and/or forums regarding this issue. It is highly probable that fragments could become detached for the dash in the event of an accident and cause bodily harm to the occupants of the vehicle. Any assistance safecar.gov can provide regarding this matter would be greatly appreciated. Chrysler complaint reference number [xxx].
2003 dodge ram 2500 cracked dash. Dash appears to have cracked in temperature extremes. First crack occurred during summer in intense heat. 2nd and 3rd cracks occurred on cold nights.
Vehicle was parallel parked at the side of the road. Upon entering the truck, I used the grab handle on the a pillar as I've always done. This time the grab handle suddenly broke free from the pillar causing me to loose my balance and fall backward out onto the roadway.
2003 dodge ram 2500. Dash has two large cracks in it. Truck only has 70,000 miles on it.
Dash board is cracked in several places,and is in the beginning stages of forming large holes in the dash. In the event of a crash these cracked pieces could easily become airborne "missiles" flying around the cab. When these pieces break off they are very sharp and leave very sharp edges on the dashthis is a well known issue that dodge refuses to correct on the 03 model trucks. They had the same issue with earlier model trucks (98-02) and have sense started replacing those dashboards at no cost to owners.
The dash on my 2003 dodge ram is cracked in several places. In the event of a collision this could be dangerous, having pieces of plastic flying around the cab of the truck.
Dash has excessive cracks. Could cause safety issue if the truck was ever wrecked.
Badly cracking dashboard on 2003 dodge ram 2500. I purchased the truck used in sept 2008 and it had a small hairline crack at that time. In july of 2009 I noticed that the crack has spread, as well as two others developing.
The front dash panel in my 03 dodge 2500 is cracked im worried about pieces flying off if im ever in a crash. I have a two year old to worry about and that should be the last thing I have to worry about.
The hard plastic dash of my 03 dodge ram has cracked in the center. Hard plastic pieces flying in the cab resulting from a collision may cause additional injuries to driver and or passengers.
I own a 2003 dodge ram 2500 pick-up. Sitting at a stop light and the dashboard popped and cracked right in front of me. I know this doesn't sound like a safety recall issue but if you look at it this way it does. The vehicle is equipped with a passenger side airbag. When the dashboard cracks and falls apart it leaves jagged edges which may be sent into the passengers face in the event of a front end collision with airbag deployment.
2003 dodge ram 2500. Dash has recently developed a series of long cracks along the top. This has been an ongoing problem with dodge trucks and could be a major safety concern as some trucks have developed large holes on the dash tops.
2003 dodge ram 2500. Dash is starting to crack in several places. I take very good care of my truck. It is always garaged when not in use.
2003 dodge ram 2500 cracked dash.
On 9/20/2008 I noticed some small cracks in my dash. After about a week the dash had several cracks and the small ones were now large cracks going from the front of the dash all the way to the windshield. I feel this is a safety hazard as the dash gets worse pieces can fall in to the electronics in the dash and effect the operation of the vehicle. I have seen this same thing happen to the 2nd generation dodge rams from 94-02. Dodge has accepted liability for those dashes cracking, well this is the very same plastic used in those trucks. I don't think dodge wants to have to replace all of these dashes for the reason of reputation and cost to the company. I don't think you can really put a price of safety. These car makers need to take responsibility for the vehicles they make, not just until the warranty runs out. That kind of thinking tells me that the car maker does no care about how long their vehicles last just that they can't wait for the warranty runs out so they can tell the customer....sorry, wish we could help. I am really disgusted in the fact that the us car makers have no pride in what they build. They wonder why the foreign cars and trucks basically sell themselves. I really hope we can resolve this issue. If chrysler does not step up to the plate and fix these problems I will never buy another chrysler product.
2003 dodge ram. The plastic mode door is broken and the vehicle will only blow out the vents. This is not a real big deal until its raining outside and you can't defrost the windows at hwy speeds.
2003 dodge ram 2500 cracked dash.
Cracked dash that may be safety issue during airbag deployment.
Cracked dashboard on my 2003 dodge ram pick-up. Began one year ago, 2008 and now have two cracks on top from windshield towards the middle of the vehicle and passenger side. Per the complaint forums the cracks are from defective plastic material during the manufacturing process and will get worse to the point there will be jagged edges and a safety concern to passenger and driver.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 dodge ram 2500. The contact noticed that the paint began to chip abnormally near the drip rail. He took the vehicle to the dealer and they repaired the vehicle under warranty. Several years after the repair, the failure became progressively worse because the paint began chipping from various parts of the exterior of the vehicle. He took the vehicle back to the dealer, but they would not make any repairs because the vehicle exceeded its warranty. The manufacturer did not assist. The failure mileage was 22,000 and current mileage was 67,000.
My dashboard is very brittle, cracking bad and is continually getting worse. During our last cold weather, I turned on my heater and a piece of the plastic windshield defroster vent popped up and hit my windshield and fell into the vent. It does this when I turn on my A/C in hot weather when I can hear plastic pieces falling down into the dash. If that flying piece of plastic would have hit me or one of my family members, it could have caused an injury especially if it hit one of us in the eye. I have read in many online forums of other dodge ram owners experiencing the same issue but dodge will not fix the problem. One of the posts stated the dashboards are made of cheap plastic which is not uv rated. If my vehicle is involved in a traffic collision, the brittle dashboard could shatter like potato chips and fly through-out the cabin and cause injury to the occupants! I can hear the dash cracking often and more pieces falling down into the vents which could cause damage to the fans or other components. Even after cleaning the interior of my vehicle on a regular basis with uv protectants, the dashboard is still deteriorating each week and is recently getting worse. We the customers have paid a lot of money for these vehicles, yet dodge wont even replace a dangerous, brittle dashboard to make it safer for us? Poor quality plastic is being used inside the dodge rams which cause the dashboards to become brittle and dangerous. It is also cracking bad around the passenger side airbag area which could also cause the dashboard to explode if the airbag deploys.
The dashboard in my 2003 dodge 2500ram hd is breaking up into pieces which are now coming off; wonder if the passenger side air bag in danger of engaging.
My dash board is cracking and coming apart. It is the first truck that I have had this to happen to. I put a cover over it to help to protect it from further damage. Is there a recall on this.
2003 dodge ram 2500 cracked dashboard. Vehicle has 31k miles. Power windows malfunctioning, airconditioning blower malfunctioning. Dodge dealer will attempt to replace at owners cost. Check engine light on for power steering sensor problem. Sensor will have to be replaced.
I purchased a new 2003 dodge ram in early 2003. Within a year, the dash top cracked and started to cave in. I found out from the dealership that the dash was made from an inferior plastic material and even if I allowed them to do a warranty replacement, the dash would likely crack again and that it would be better for me to wait until chrysler came out with a better oem dash replacement. I have done a lot of research since this time and have discovered that this is a very widespread problem that chrysler has refused to do anything about until recently. I see where some people (on the www) are now reporting that they are getting some offers from chrysler to replace their dashes with a newly improved dash at no cost to the customer. I have recently contacted my local dodge dealership (big o dodge of greenville , sc, 864 288 5000) as well as chrysler (800 992 1997) and was told that the only dash issue that chrysler would acknowledge was on the 98-02 model year trucks. After I made references to all of the internet research as well as to my initial discussion with the dealership regarding their recommendation for me to wait for a better dash to be manufactured (while the vehicle was still in the warranty period) I was placed on hold and the chrysler rep contacted the local dealership and arranged for me to have my dash replaced at a discount, but not at chrysler expense as it should be since this problem with the cracked dash stems from an acknowledged manufacturing flaw from day 1 as I reported to the dealer while the vehicle was still "new". My research has also LED me to believe this is also a safety issue due to electrical component damage caused by the falling dash pieces cutting into electrical components causing people to loose their lighting at night, causing shorts and even smoke from melting wires which cause smoke to temporarily blind drivers as they try to pull over for safety. I want the dealership / chrysler to acknowledge this as a recall or tsb and agree.
On or about 10/25/2008 we noticed a crack in the dashboard of our 2003 dodge ram pickup. The crack was approximately 8 inches long and was beginning to crack at different angles. On 10/28/2008 we contacted chrysler customer assistance and were assigned a reference number: 18023982. We were advised to take our problem to a local dealer. We visited scott gould, service manager at venice dodge in venice, florida. Scott did not even look at our problem. He informed us that he knew where the dashes were cracking ,was aware of the problem but could do nothing without approval from chrysler. We called the customer assistance center 1‑800‑992‑1997 and spoke to a suzy who refused to share her last name. Suzy talked to scott and then called us back and informed us that we could have our dash replaced for 250$. I asked her why we had to pay to replace the defective part. She informed us that there was no recall on the defective dashes because it was not considered a safety defect. On 11/18/2008 we had the defective dash replaced at venice dodge. I have requested the old cracked dash but they have not yet honored that request. The dash material appears to be a hard plastic approximately 3/16 in thick. The visible cracks appeared jagged and sharp. Sharp enough that upon impact they could puncture an air bag or an individual causing injury, serious harm and/or death. The problem with the dashes is not an isolated one. It is extremely widespread. Let this not be the protective netting at the hockey arena. It's time for chrysler to own up and recall their defective part before something bad really happens if it hasn't already.
2003 dodge ram 2500hd - dash is cracking all over, could lead to future electrical problems if not fixed in time.
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