We have previously filed a complaint for the "death wobble" or violent, uncontrollable shaking that occurs after going over uneven roads. The entire vehicle shakes and there is minimal control of steering when this happens until the vehicle has slowed down to almost a stop. The shaking of the front tires is visible on the outside of the vehicle. Today when I was entering the expressway, which has fresh patches of concrete, no pothole or rough surface, my truck starting shaking the front tires and steering wheel violently (death wobble). I hit the brakes to slow the vehicle down. The vehicle started drifting and I realized I had no steering when I tried to bring the vehicle into my lane. When I was able to bring the vehicle to a stop (remember I am on a 4 lane x-way) I found that the steering bar that goes from the pitman arm to the right tire had broken in half. This is a solid 1inch bar and I had not hit anything to cause this to break. . This could have very easily been a complaint lodged with a death occurring.the shaking is a know issue with ram 2500 trucks with this same front end design (incl 2013), and the jeeps with the same design front end are now complaining of the same shaking. I have owned this truck for 7yrs now, so I know it has not been in any accidents, over curbs, 4 wheeled or any other driving condition that could have stressed or caused the bar to broke.
2003 Dodge RAM 2500 steering complaints
Page 4 of 6: complaints 71 to 100 of 159, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 dodge ram 2500. The contact stated that while driving 5 MPH, he executed a left turn and then he heard a loud abnormal noise. Upon further investigation, he saw that the driver's side tie rod was hanging from the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to a dealer for diagnosis where the contact was informed that the tie rod would need to be replaced and realigned. He was also informed of a recall under the federal safety agency campaign number: 11v350000 (steering). The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact his VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was 203,000 and the current mileage was 204,500.
At approx. 55-60 MPH, the truck began to shake very violently. Applied brake, to attempt to get truck under control; we ended up in the ditch. Myself and my daughter were injured. Luckily, neither of us were injured bad, just bumps and bruises. I had a mechanic look at the truck; he stated there is a problem with all dodge trucks from 2002-2008. The steering gear box and front suspension are at fault. I contacted a local dodge dealer. They informed me, "dodge is not at fault and there are no need for any recalls". They did say they could fix the problem, at almost $2700. They would put a new front suspension and steering box. I feel if they will fix the problem, then they know about the problem. I have searched on the internet about the problem and there are hundreds of complaints. I am asking the ntsb to fully investigate this matter.
I was driving down the road at approximate 45mph, when I was on a bank and noticed that the truck was hard to steer, the truck had stalled. The truck started back up, thankfully I have a manual, that I did not have to pull off the road (its hard to control a 3/4 ton truck with no power steering), and could just push the clutch in to start the truck. When I got the truck started, it died on me again, started it up, and drove less than a mile, and died again. I went to the store, on my way home had the same issue, as soon as I would slow, the truck would die, thankfully it only happened once on the way home. Ran it for a little in my driveway, and revved the engine, and it die, three times. Did some research and seems the issue may be faulty fuel control actuator ( or known as mprop).
My vehicle has been having "death wobble" at 55 MPH and over and been having the issue for about a year and half and have had the entire front end steering replaced and im still having the issue. Please find a cause I've almost lost control every time it occurs! I would like to be contacted by a ram field engineer!
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 dodge ram 2500. The contact stated that while driving various speeds and depressing the brakes, the vehicle would jerk to the right. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where they advised the contact that they were unable to duplicate the failure. As a precaution, the brakes were replaced. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000. The current mileage was approximately 104,000. Updated 4/24/13 *cn the consumer stated the vehicle was repaired after replacing bushings, power steering gear box, and idler arms. Updated 06/4/2013 *js.
Front end shakes violently after hitting a bump or seam in the road traveling at any speed from 40 MPH and up. Must slow immediately and almost come to a complete stop in order to regain control of steering.this is known as the death wobble.
Any bump or uneven surface at highway or roadway speed caused the steering to shudder uncontrollably. I have replaced the steering dampener and tie rod ends and it still continues. This has caused many close calls and caused me to veer into on coming traffic more than once. Thankfully no wrecks or injuries so far.
After going over an overpass (60 MPH)and hitting the small bump at the end of it the front end began to shake and vibrate violently and it was almost impossible to steer and hard to slow down quickly. The vehicle had to be slowed to about 20 MPH before I was able to regain control. It was shaking so violently that papers on the passenger seat flew on to the floor. This happened again after crossing a bridge with the same result.
Traveling on us 58 in suffolk, va. I was forced off the road while trying to avoid an accident and hit a very large water filled pot hole. The results was my driver side front tire came off the vehicle after breaking two lug nuts. The truck slid 300 feet down the road until coming to rest in the median. A usaa repair facility replaced the driver side hub assembly. I moved to kings bay ga. And started to notice a vibration in the steering wheel. The vehicle has 35" off road tire on it so I assumed the tires need to balanced. After about three weeks of driving the real problems arose. I developed the "dodge death wobble". It is a violent shaking of the steering system that forces you to slow to below 45 miles per hour. It is so violent that a 36 year old navy diver chief, who has been to tactical driving schools for the military, has a difficult time holding it on the road. Now, I have had the dodge dealership disregard the problem, balance the tires, replace the steering dampener, and the problem still exists.
On a road trip I was driving on a highway at 65 MPH and I hit a small light decal that delineates the lines on the road and my truck began to shake violently and so severely that I nearly lost control. Braking did not stop the shaking, not accelerating until it slowed to about 35 MPH did stop the shaking. I pulled over immediately because I was terrified that it would happen again. Since I was in the middle of nowhere I decided that I would drive again but at a slower pace. This time I drove at 55 MPH and when it hit a tiny bump again it began to shake horribly again. And once again I was stressed beyond belief that I was barely able to control this truck. This continues to happen at high speeds and if there is any ruffness on the road. Please recall these trucks and fix them. I paid alot of money for a truck that I thought would be good quality and now I am stuck with a piece of junk that I cannot drive faster than 35 MPH for fear that I will kill myself or someone else. And I refuse to sell this lemon to some other poor soul.
Traveling at 65mph on interstate, hit slight bump when crossing bridge and the front end started vibrating so much couldn't hardly hold it in the road. The same has occurred 5-6 more times since the first incident. On several occasions, my wife has to come to a complete stop to get it to stop shaking....
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 dodge ram 2500. The contact stated that while driving 70 MPH, the vehicle began to shake violently and uncontrollably. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnosis but the failure was not able to be replicated. The vehicle had not been repaired. The failure mileage was 90,000 and the current mileage was 91,000. Updated 08/07/12*lj the consumer stated the same incident has occurred an additional three times. Update 08/15/2012
We were driving to the store and the vehicle started shaking violently and caused us to go into the other lane. I slowed down to stop, got out looked for some broken part.... Did not see anything out of the ordinary. We then proceeded slowly back home and the vehicle just had a continuous vibration, but did not shake violently. I then looked it up on the computer and found others having the same problem. I would really like to know what needs to be done to avoid excess cost but be safe.
While coming home from work, I hit a bump or pothole with one front wheel, & the front wheels started shaking violently back & forth. The only way I could get it to stop was to slow down. I stopped & looked under the vehicle to see if anything was visibly broken & did not see anything. I slowly sped up again. After hitting another bump, the shaking started all over again & would not stop until I slowed down. This is a very dangerous condition that will get someone killed. I am afraid to let my wife drive the truck with our children, because I don't know what is gonna happen.
Front axle shaking violently. Shakes consistently going over bridges. Shook so hard one time it broke the adjusting sleeve on the drag link leaving me with no steering and vehicle crossed into the oncoming lane and into the grass coming to a stop just before hitting the guardrail. Since this incident the ball joints and tie rods have been replaced along with the steering stabilizer. The front axle has been aligned and everything is to oem specifications and this vehicle will still shake going over bridges if your running 70mph. From the research I've done it appears there is a problem on these dodge trucks if they are 4x4 with a straight front axle and short wheel base. I have seen kits on the internet that claim to fix the "death wobble" and the geometry of the "fix" is different than oem. I hope that you will investigate this issue and I would be more than happy to take you for a ride in my vehicle or let anyone inspect it.
We bought a 2003 dodge ram 2500 in november of 2011. Since we have bought it we have spent $3500 in repairs in regards to the "death wobble" and it still isn't fixed. I drive it down a road and as soon as you get it up to 50-55 MPH and hit a small bump it violently wobbles uncontrollably. The wobble has caused several parts to break or crack including our most recent purchase, the radiator. This isn't the first truck to report this and isn't going to be the last until dodge man's up and admits they made a mistake. This is an apparent mistake of more than just broke down parts and worn parts. There is something extremely wrong with the manufacturing of these vehicles and is it going to take a death for someone to do something about it? Chrysler is quoted "the safety of our customers comes first" and I would love for the man who made that statement take this truck for a drive and experience the "death wobble' for himself and let me know how safe he feels after that. We have owned many vehicles in the past, none of which has remotely caused this many problems so to say there's no issue or problem with this is extremely bold. We are looking into furthering our investigation in this matter and also looking into what a attorney would do if they were us.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 dodge ram 2500. The contact was driving 35 MPH and attempting a right turn when the driver side tie rod fractured, causing minimal control of the steering function. The contact was unable to maintain control of the vehicle and proceeded to crash into a ditch. The contact was uninjured and the vehicle was towed from the ditch and to the contact's residence. The contact stated that he replaced the driver side outer tie rod end. The dealer was contacted and advised that the vehicle be brought to their facility for adequate inspection. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the repair performed by the contact was ruled as substantial. The dealer informed the contact of the federal safety agency campaign id number: 11v350000 (steering: linkages: tie rod assembly) and advised the contact that he would receive a reimbursement for the repair costs. The manufacturer was contact who refused reimbursement. The failure mileage was 170,000 and the current mileage was 171,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 dodge ram 2500. While rotating the front tires the contact noticed that the passenger side outer tie rod was loose. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostics. The technicians stated that the passenger side tie rod end would have to be replaced. The contac referenced the federal safety agency campaign id number: 11v350000 (steering:linkages:tie rod assembly) but was advised by the manufacturer that although the vehicle was included in the recall, the recall would not cover the repair of the tie rod end. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 105,000.
The vehicle without warning shakes violently and the only way to stop it is to slow down. I hit the brakes a couple of times and that only made it worse and controlling the vehicle in a safe manner was impossible. The only way to stop the shaking is to take foot off of accelerator pedal and ride it out, this creates another major problem. The vehicles behind you do not know what is happening and someone almost rear ended me because my brake lights did not go on. He passed me and honked his horn at me and gave me the "finger" self explanatory. This is a major problem and dodge will not admit it to anyone.
While driving my 2003 dodge ram 2500 down the highway and I will hit small bump, and the truck will violently shake and I am unable to steer the truck. The "death wobble" makes it impossible for me to steer during the shaking and the only way to regain control of the truck is to try to brake and not crash. This first started on 12-23-11 and has happened about 6 times since then. The death wobble occurs at speeds as slow as 40 MPH. It is extremely dangerous due to my inability to steer when the truck shakes so violently. I have researched this and there are more people with this same problem and there appears to be no fix. The tires shake side to side and the inside of the cab of the pickup is vibrating violently.
I drive to work on a highway 5 days a week and started to have lots of vibration and it only occurred at higher speeds and would clunk. Turns out both u-joints for the rear drive-shaft had started to fail and were allowing unwanted movement. After replacing the u-joints the truck was fine for a few weeks then I heard squealing of metal on metal contact and there was a slight wobble. Took it to a shop and they said the hub bearings were shot and were moving so much as to allow the wheel to move. After replacing the bearings the truck was fine for about a month then the wobble was back and the tie-rods for the steering linkage were bad, so replaced the steering linkage with dodges new setup since it was hard to find the original one that came on mine since there is a recall on it. With the new steering linkage I got it aligned and it was good for a week and drove straight and no problems. Then I hit a pothole at 55mph while going to work and I got massive wobble in the steering so much so that the steering wheel was trying to go back and forth and I had to fight to keep it on the road and slow down enough to pull it over. I limped the truck to a shop and there was now lots of play in the steering and I could move the wheel 3+ inches before getting the wheel to move. The shop replaced the steering gearbox since the input shaft would move but the output would hardly move at all. Had it aligned again and it still can not be driven over 35+MPH or it gets massive wobble. Everything checks out with the steering components and tires since everything is almost new to try and solve this recurring problem, and I have spent $4578 in parts and labor to try and solve this never ending problem. The latest problem is that the HVAC does not work. It seems the doors controlling the temp are not working since the AC works sporadically,the defrost heats my feet, and windows stay foggy.
Traveling at highway speeds, upon hitting a bump or groove in highway the truck began a violent shake in the front end. The shaking would not stop until the truck slowed down. This has happened multiple times and the shaking is violent enough to possibly cause a crash. Through internet research I have seen this issue commonly called the "death wobble".
Dodge death wobble as its called by most, violent shakes in the front end put me in a ditch. I put up with it for about a year but kept getting worse called dodge and took it to a dealer which in turn charged me $150 to tell me nothing was wrong. Took corrective safety actions myself ordered new front end parts $750 from dodge fixed problem with local mechanic. They are aware of it but really do not want to address the issue if at all possible.
While driving at 65 +speeds and hitting a bump in the road lost steering wheel control. I called dodge recall hotline and was told my vehicle was not part of the recall. I am fearful driving this truck due to this problem. This happens every time as I have to do freeway driving in order to go shopping..I contacted the dealer where I purchased it and they never answered my inquiry..
Well have you heard of the "death wobble!!!?????" google this and it will tell you exactly! My husbands truck hops at 70 MPH on the freeway almost causing a huge accident! Why the hell after all the complaints nothing has been done with this issue! Thousands of people are talking about this online!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
In 3/05 began to wobble in front end when traveling at higher speeds. Assumed tire and alignment issue, tires replaced computerized wheel balance & front-end alignment. 8/05 vehicle in for tire rotation wheel balance and alignment periodically when traveling higher speeds continued wobble. 4/06 rotation and alignment done again. Wobble continued periodically at higher rates of speed, corrected self if you slowed down and resumed travel. 1/07 wheel balance, tire rotation and alignment done. In 07 wobble continued, end of 07 occurred more frequently. 1/08 goodyear found steering stabilizer needed to be replaced. Service performed along with new tires, wheel balance and alignment. Advised this should take care of the wobble. End of 08 wobble began again. 5/09 truck in for tire rotation, wheel balance and alignment. 6/09 wobble continued truck repaired at sunrise auto all upper and lower ball joints and axle seal replaced and alignment. 9/09 truck recalled for steering linkage done at deland chrysler 9/10/09. 5/10 tire rotation wheel balance and alignment done as wobble continued periodically at higher rates of speed. 11/2/10 wobble increased truck to steve's auto and had u-joint, shocks and stabilizer links replaced. Wobble continued to occur periodically. 2/26/11 replaced shocks again with heavier duty shocks balanced tires. Wobble continues. 3/9/11 replaced right front hub assemble. Wobble worsening - 10/11 son-in-law was using vehicle and wobble so bad almost lost control of vehicle. Took vehicle to tires plus who advised me to take it directly to chrysler dealer related to "death wobble". Immediately to chrysler was advised they knew exactly what I was talking about stated that chrysler re-designed steering linkage. Cost $908.24 had to replace my tires as the wobble ruined tires plus another alignment. Appears to have been resolved.
I have a 2003 dodge ram 2500,as of this evening I had all the major steering components replaced, at a cost of nearly $2500.00 to solve what is commonly known as the dodge death wobble, the first expansion joint in the road, after I pick my truck up, caused my truck to shake violently, and nearly out of control again. This is not the first time this has happened, dodge wont admit that there is a problem and keeps selling me replacement parts without any resolve. The violent shaking continues. I can not even contemplate selling this vehicle because my conscience wont allow me to put another persons safety in jeopardy please help us!!! Dodge won't!!!!!!!
After purchasing my 03 ram 2500 in june of 2010 I have had continuous problem with the front end shaking violently while driving at speed over 65mph and hitting the smallest bump in the road. I've brought it back to the dealer several times to just be told there is nothing wrong with the truck. They replaced the ball joints in nov of 2010 after I insisted that something has to be wrong with the front end, but this didn't help. I replace the steering damper and tie rod ends and it didn't help. I ve looked at the forums online and found that I am not the only one with this problem. So what can I do with a truck I owe money on that I need to travel cause of my job but don't feel safe in it? Who do I contact?
"death wobble" if the truck hits a dip or bump in the road that is uneven/angle the front end starts shaking so violently the entire truck will shake. The shake is so violent that anything in the truck goes flying throughout the truck. The only way to stop the shake is to hit the brakes and bring the truck to 10-20 MPH. There is no control over steering during this shaking as the steering wheel takes two hands all your strength to hold on to. There are no front end parts defective or worn which would cause this issue. The shake can occur at speeds from 30 on up. I have had my truck looked at by a mechanic and there is no cause other that a bad design. Contacted the dealership I bought the truck from and they have not heard of "death wobble" and state they have no complaints. I have replaced ball joints which did not correct problem. Shaking is also becoming more frequent to the point truck can't go on the expressway anymore.
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