At highway speeds the truck will intermittently jerk violently until speed is reduced. This is so common the internet is referred to it as the "death wobble". It can do it multiple times in one trip and then not again for serveral others. Thankfully I was driving and not my wife. The vibration is so violent not many could control it safely.
2003 Dodge RAM 2500: jerking or lurching
6 of the 661 complaints about the 2003 Dodge RAM 2500 describe jerking or lurching.
- owner complaints
- 6
- of this car's complaints
- 1%
- typical mileage
- 100,000
- recalls
- 1
Is there a fix? There is 1 recall and 1 service bulletin for this area of the car. See below
Jerking or lurching by model year
What owners say
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.
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).
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.
I have a 2003 dodge diesel the dashboard has 4 large cracks, from one crack to another it's a matter of time before this piece flies out and hits passengers. I think this is a safety issue and dodge should consider it as being a recall. The least jerk or vibration could cause serious safety hazards. Even while cleaning the dash you have to be careful or you could get cut by the sharp cracks. Hope dodge will take care of complaints and stand by their customers, if not, I will not buy another dodge product!
The fumes from the exhaust pipe entered the cabin of the vehicle from the climate control system. The fumes were coming from the blow down pipe which comes off the crank casing of the engine. When the cooling fan was in use it blew the fumes into the climate control , thus blowing it into the cabin of the vehicle. The dealership has installed a rubber pipe on the end of the blow down pipe, that leads under the main cab of the vehicle, so now when the vehicle is at a complete stop, with the window open, the fumes are coming through the window. Also at 15,000, when the brake pedal is depressed while driving at high speeds, the vehicle jerks forward and the fails to stop immediately. This occurred because the brake rotors were warped.
Service bulletins that may apply
Related recalls
Power train: automatic transmission: lever and linkage: column shift
- What is wrong
- On certain pickup trucks equipped with diesel engines and automatic transmissions, in an attempt to exit the vehicle quickly without shutting off the engine and removing the key, the driver may inadvertently leave the automatic transmission shift control in indicated reverse.
- Risk
- This error is an unintended action that may result in a lack of transmission park pawl engagement and possibly delayed rearward movement of the vehicle.
- Remedy
- Dealers will perform a software modification to equip these vehicles with an out-of-park alarm. Owners may contact daimlerchrysler at 1‑800‑853‑1403.
Recall number 05V462000 · Recall details
Questions about the 2003 Dodge RAM 2500 jerking
Is jerking or lurching a common problem on the 2003 Dodge RAM 2500?
6 of 661 owner complaints about the 2003 Dodge RAM 2500 (1%) mention jerking or lurching. The model year with the most reports is 2003.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2003 Dodge RAM 2500?
There is 1 recall and 1 service bulletin for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2003 Dodge RAM 2500
Ball joint 63Stalling 12Power steering loss 11Headlights 8No deployment 7Brake failure 7Wipers 7Loss of power 6Steering lock-up 6Adaptive cruise 5Airbag light 5Check engine light 5Tire blowout 5Transmission failure 5
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