While traveling over 55 MPH and hit a bump the front end shimmies violently. The dodge death wobble.
2003 Dodge RAM 2500 suspension complaints
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On vacation towing a 5000 pound boat the front and started shaking violently the so-called dodge death wobble.had to turn around and go homeat a much lower speed.brought it to warwick dodge in new york for recall on tie rod assembly.they had it for 2 days they said they looked at it and did absolutely nothing.no wonder dodge had to pay billions of dollars this is how you remedy problems.I've spent thousands on front end parts every mechanic tells me something differenti've replaced ball joints stabilizer links u-joints calipersand still have same problem my wife is afraid to drive with me.
I was traveling down a highway at about 55 MPH when I hit a bump in the road. The whole truck started shaking so violently that I couldn't steer. I immediately pulled off to the shoulder and began examining the tires and suspension. I noticed some slightly worn components and replaced them once I got the truck home. Still have the same problem hundreds of dollars later. I don't want to sell the truck to anyone and afraid to drive it my self!
This has happened multiple times since I bought it, starting on the day I bought it (used) in 2008. Made it go away for some years, don't know how. Combination of tire pressure adjustment, alignment, toe angle? Limited myself to driving less than 55 MPH. Problem happens when you hit a bump just right and it sends one wheel up, and the other down. That wheel then gets bounced up, and sends the other down. It's like dribbling two basketballs, and the whole front end shakes violently. Since this happens at highway speeds, it happens on the highway, and the truck is completely uncontrollable during this time. The only way to make it stop is to slow down (remember, you're on the highway) to 40-30 MPH. Last time I came back from queens, it happened seven times. It just happened again today, 8/14/15. It is dangerous, violent, and a known problem for which dodge has not offered a solution or recall. It is colloquially known as the "dodge death wobble."
While driving at highway speeds, the steering experienced a violent resonant oscillation upon hitting a pothole in the road. The only way to control the vehicle was to slow down below 35 MPH, once the resonant oscillation occurs. I've brought the vehicle to the dealership locally, and they have replaced almost every front end component and still the problem persists. This vehicle has been in the dealership for seven months during the last two years, and it still has the issue. I cannot let my children drive it, I cannot, in good conscience, sell it. I'm at a loss as to a path forward.
While driving down the expressway in chicago in heavy, high speed traffic, the vehicle drove through a small pothole, which caused the vehicle to shake \ wobble violently from the front end and cause impossible steering. The only way to stop this shaking \ wobble was to immediately slow down to below 20 MPH crossing 2 lanes of traffic into the soft shoulder. It has been replicated multiple times from speeds of 40 MPH and up. After taking this vehicle, a 2003 dodge ram 2500 quad cab, 5.7 engine, stock with all current recalls up to date (except the air bag recall which no one has parts for), to multiple repair shops and dodge dealerships, no exact caused has been located including fca (dodge) stating there is no issue. Thousands of dollars have been spent on this in the last 3 weeks to solve the problem as it cannot be resolved yet. This is a widely known about issue in these vehicles, commonly refereed to as the "dodge death wobble" as I have found out. Fca and the federal safety agency need to do something to resolve this major issue.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 dodge ram 2500. The contact stated that the dashboard was falling apart. When the air conditioner was activated, there were particles flying out of the vents. While driving approximately 10 MPH over a bump, the steering wheel seized and something on the front end felt loose. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The technician diagnosed that the upper ball joint and stabilizer bar needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired and the dashboard was replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 60,000.
The 'bump' associated with an overpass expansion joint on highway I-515 induced 'death wobble' into the truck causing a loss of control. The loss of control almost caused an impact with other vehicles that were close. The dealer nor the manufacture will assist in correcting the issue. The dealer service manager says that install the 'upgraded' linkage package cures this most of the time (for $1,600.00). This appears to be a know safety issue that the federal safety agency and dodge are ducking. Dodge upgraded the linkage in 2009 and totally redesigned the system in 2014. The vehicle is all original and in good working order. Help.
Driving truck down freeway. Hit a bump and whole truck started to shake slowed down and shake went away.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 dodge ram 2500. While making a turn, there was an abnormal noise coming from the front end of the vehicle. The contact discovered that the ball joints were fractured. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the upper control arm and sway bar links needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 42,323. Updated 09/03/15*lj updated 9/8/2017
I'm constantly having electrical & intake/exhaust problems with this vehicle. I've replace the battery 2 times within 2 years and it still cuts off all the time. All inspections and maintenance is current. My mechanic has also constantly worked on u-joints. Please give me a list of all recalls for this vehicle.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 dodge ram 2500. The contact stated that while driving approximately 50 MPH, the front end of the vehicle started to vibrate and jerk violently. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 50,000.
First episode of the dodge ram "death wobble" in july 2013 approximately 2 weeks after replacing tie rods. Occurred one more time in early august 2013. Didn't experience again until august 2014 while on a trip in upstate new york, four occurrences in 3 days. The latest occurrence was this past saturday, twice in the same day.
Tl* the contact owns 2003 dodge ram 2500. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, the front end of the vehicle wobbled and bounced rapidly every time the vehicle drove over any dip or bump in the road. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who stated that the stabilizing bar was broken. The vehicle was repaired but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and did not offer any assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 180,000. Updated 10/02/14*lj updated 5/12/2015
While traveling on the highway and normal speeds and you hit a minor bump, wheels will shake violently with no ability for driver to recover steering. The only recourse is to let the vehicle slow down and then pull over. This is know as the death wobble and can be viewed on youtube. Dodge has denied the problem but yet you can buy an entire new steering assembly from dodge for $300. I have spent over $4000 trying to fix this issue. This has happened to me over 10 times and no longer put my family in the pickup and will no longer use it on the highway..a simple tierod recall will not fix this and there is enough people having this problem that the federal safety agency should force dodge to finally correct this design flaw, before we get killed.
Let me start by stating that I've been driving for over 33 years and have an impeccable driving record. This is what happened. I was driving on the interstate at approx. 65 MPH. I was changing lanes when I hit a few small bumps in the road. My truck immediately started shaking violently and uncontrollably. I pulled to breakdown lane while slowing the vehicle. The truck didn't stop shaking until approx. 30 MPH, though it was still shaking, I had never encountered such a loss of control before for no apparent reason. I decided to see if there was anything about this issue on the web. I was amazed at what I found. This phenomenon is dubbed 'death wobble'. Though it seems this in not an uncommon event, no-one seems to be able to pinpoint the problem that caused the violent shaking. There are lots of differing opinions. My mechanic checked out truck and I was told that other than very slight wear in drivers side upper and lower ball joints, everything was tight. I've since replaced upper and lower ball joints even though my mechanic told me they weren't bad enough to warrant replacement. I've also replaced shimmy shock on stabilizer and installed aftermarket stabilizer after researching this problem even more. We also realized previous owner had numerous new parts installed too. Seems as though he was chasing this as well. Since replacing these, this has happened 2 more times. This is extremely dangerous and I won't even go over 55 MPH on the interstate. Is dodge aware of this issue? And what about recalls? I've looked and cannot find any recalls that pertain to this problem. The suspension itself seems flawed even though I cannot pinpoint one failed component in itself. Thank you
I was driving my dodge ram 2500 and hit a series of small bumps and my front end began to shake violently. This has happened several times and no one can seem to find a problem with my suspension at all. I have tried different tires and that doesn't fix the problem either.
I had no control of the steering and the vehicle was violently shaking, I slowed down to a stop, composed myself and drove on, the steering was very hard to control but the shaking only started about 40 MPH, I took the vehicle to two shops, had ball joints, u joints, tie rods, steering, shocks, upgraded mopar steering assembly, pitman arm , all replaced, shortly thereafter I received recall notice n62/ the federal safety agency 13v‑528, the instructions stated to mail all original repair documents related to tie rod failure and I would be reimbursed, I received a phone call just simply denying any responsibility with no particular reason other than my mileage, I asked for an email outlining the reason in detail which had absolutely no content of any explanation as to why the claim was denied. I did not receive my original receipts back either.
A few months after purchasing our dodge ram 2500, we experienced our first "death wobble" incident on interstate 70 at approximately 65 MPH, and occurred 2 more times that same trip. I had the truck towed and brought to an automotive shop. The automotive shop said they could not find anything wrong with the truck but suggested replacing the steering stabilizer. I had the stabilizer replaced and it seemed okay for about 3 days. After the first incident the "death wobble" occurred on a regular basis, any small bump or transition in the roadway would cause the front axle, tires and steering to shake so violently it felt like a large earthquake in the truck. The death wobble will not stop till the truck was slowed down to a complete stop. This seemed to occur mostly at speeds between 45-70 MPH. We stopped taking the truck on major roadways as it would be likely to cause an accident at highway speeds. The truck was brought to several automotive shops including dodge and chrysler dealerships. All of the automotive shops said that this is fairly common among these trucks as dodge dealerships told me that basically I was a liar and denied that there was a problem. After doing thorough research I decided to follow the advice of the automotive shops and several specialty 4x4 shops. Every steering and suspension component was replaced including every bushing, bearing and grease fitting some parts were the upgraded mopar linkages and pittman arm and the rest of the parts were oe replacements from reputable high end manufacturers. I also had an alignment performed immediately I have saved every part that I have taken off the truck since I began this journey including receipts for all the work/parts that was performed/installed. Death wobble was gone for about 4 months and the truck was still lightly driven. By month 5 death wobble is back in full force with no explanation.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 dodge ram 2500 tdi. The contact stated that while driving 65 MPH, the vehicle started to shake violently and without warning. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who replaced the shock absorbers and steering damper. The remedy failed to repair the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 80,000 and the current mileage was 85,000. Updated 3/12/14*cn updated 03/21/14
This pickup has the terrible "death wobble" in the steering when you drive over a bump pr rib in road,starting unexpected and jerking the wheel so hard that you can not hold the wheel! I plan to buy this pu from my employer and I wanted it fixed by dodge because it has always had this terrible safety problem from the factory! To verify this,[xxx] owns it and his # is [xxx]. Thanks,[xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
After purchasing this truck from the first time owner, I begin to notice at certain times I would experience a violent shaking when going over a bump. After looking online and reading about the "death wobble" I become worried and contacted the dealer. Of course they acted like they did not know what I was talking about. But when you talk to an independent mechanic, they know exactly what you are talking about. In short, I have spent over $2700 getting the front end redone, with no help from chrysler. I find it completely irresponsible on their part to not do anything to help with this problem. Now.. Just last week I get this recall notice on the left tie rod end. I am most certain when I take it in, they will say there is nothing wrong with it.. And send me on my way. This issue and the cracked dash is all a bunch of baloney to which chrysler should have taken some serious action to help folks who bought a $50k truck in good faith that it was built good..
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 dodge ram 2500. The contact was traveling 65 MPH when the vehicle began to shake violently. The vehicle was taken to both an independent mechanic and the dealer for inspection and repair. The repairs were unknown however, the defect was remedied. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The approximate failure mileage was 102,000.
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.
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.
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!
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.
During normal driving the front end of the vehicle violently started to shake, the vehicle did not stop shaking until speed was reduced drastically. The vehicle was taken to the dealership where upon inspection, the dealership representative said there was nothing wrong with the vehicle.
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.
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