Death wobble at different speeds and bumps I have replaced some parts and nothing has changed and the more I research this problem the more I learn there are many just like me with the same issue.
2004 Dodge RAM 2500 suspension complaints
Page 3 of 5: complaints 41 to 70 of 106, newest first, as owners wrote them.
@ roughly 30,000 mi I hit a pothole on the freeway (I-80) at highway speed. Immediately got a severe front end shimmy/bounce. Had to slow to about 30mph to get it to stop. I took it to the dodge dealer ([xxx] in reno) who said it wasn't covered by (50,000 mi) warranty and wanted $2300 to fix it. Took it to a 4 wheel drive specialist who replaced the track bar. About 10,000 miles later it did it again. This time they replaced the upper and lower ball joints. Recently (70,000 mi) it happened again so I took it back. They checked and tightened everything & rebalanced tires and wheel and said they could find nothing wrong. Two days later I got a violent freeway shimmy and it did it again today. I could have easily lost control of the vehicle and been in a serious wreck in either instance. This is dangerous and dodge doesn't seem to give a [xxx]. I need the truck but I am afraid to drive it. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
Truck will go into "death wobble at or around 60 miles an hour, and wont stop until it reaches 30 to 35 MPH. This is a recipe for disaster!!!! I urge anyone reading this to file formal complaints with any one who will listen!! Im contacting my state rep. On this matter. Just like the corvair, unsafe at any speed.
When I was driving back from a trip I hit a rough patch in the highway and the truck immediately started violently shaking from side to side as though it were bouncing from one front tire to the other in the front end. As I slowed down to pull over the shaking eventually stopped. We checked the car and there seemed to be nothing wrong, but the truck seemed to do the shaking to smaller and smaller bumps on the road and the passenger side tire started to show a marked amount more wear than the others. We replaced the shocks, the outer tire rod, stabalizer shocks, tires and the shaking went away for about a year before it came back. This is very dangerous as the car is very hard to control when it happens and you have to break immediately. When I was called in for a recall, for a seperate issue, by dodge I tried to talk to the men in the service department about it and they pretended to no nothing about the "death wobble" that I have read about all over the internet and when discussing it with a friend found out he had the same experience with it. It is definately a defect or design flaw in these dodge trucks, and while I was hoping that dodge would step up and do a recall, the very least I would have hoped for was an explanation of what I can do to fix it from the dealer rather than a denial of there being a problem at all. I cannot afford to replace this truck and cannot afford to replace the complete front end suspension every year. Someone needs to make dodge step up and investigate this problem so that people like myself can fix the problem and know that we will have a safe truck to haul with.
Death shake has almost caused 4 accidents for me. I have been trying to get my truck fixed since 2005 dodge has yet to offer any help. Any time I hit any small bump, pot hole, break in the road going over 50mph the truck enters a violent shake. I have to pull over to the side of the road and slow down to stop the shake. This is extremely dangerous in any type of traffic. The dodge dealerships have not offered any assistance other than telling me to spend thousands to replace parts that might not even fix the issue.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 dodge ram 2500. The contact stated that while driving over bumpy road surfaces, the front tires would shake excessively. In order to regain control of the vehicle, the contact would have to come to a complete stop. The dealer did not offer any assistance and the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 240,000 and the current mileage was 250,000. The VIN was unavailable.
I have a 2004 dodge ram 2500 4x4 5.7 at highway speed of 60 to 65 MPH the truck goes into a "death wobble" from any bump in the road it is almost impossible to control my truck is all stock and only has 67,000 miles on it why does dodge not recall and fix this problem before it hurts or kills some one?
My 2004 dodge ram 2500 has a violent shake in the front end when traveling at speeds of 55mph or more when hitting a bump or pothole. When the violent shaking begins, the vehicle is uncontrollable until the vehicle is slowed down considerably. I have taken the vehicle to two mechanics who have not been able to correct the problem. They have changed the steering damper and the shocks, and checked the whole front end. They could find no problems, and it is still happening. According to research on the internet, many other dodge owners are having the same problem and have been for years. Dodge needs to do something about this before someone gets injured or killed. Any help with this matter would be greatly appreciated.
When the vehicle was approx 4yrs old it began the death wobble while on the highway. For the next two years, it seemed to occur only while towing a horse trailer . The vehicle would hit an uneven area, especially on overpasses, and the entire front end of the truck would bounce from side to side becoming unstearable. Stopping on the side of the road was the only way to stop the bouncing. As time went on the wobble occured more frequently and then without towing a trailer. I have replaced the bushings in the track bar with no appreciable improvement. I am now looking into steering stablilizers and heavy duty track bars. This is definitely a manufacturers defect. Dodge should be paying for this fix regardless of age of vehicle.
Uncontrollable front tires bouncing when my truck is driven over 55 miles and hits a bump. I have to slow down to stop the bouncing. This has been a problem since I bought the truck years ago and happens as a regular occurrence. The problem occurs every time I hit a bump at 55. I have replaced shocks had ties rotated, but the problem has not been fixed.
I was driving my 2004 dodge ram 2500 on the freeway at about 55 MPH when the wheel hit a pot hole. At that moment the steering wheel began to shake uncontrollably. I immediately slowed down and the shake stopped. After that incident I really started to pay attention and it does it from 55 MPH and up. I have tried to have the issue corrected but nothing seems to fix the problem. It is very unsafe to drive my vehicle.
2004 dodge ram 2500 severe death wobble occurs when you pass 40 MPH and hit even a small bump it has been so bad at times that I have injured my neck I have replaced tires stock size, shocks, bearings,rotors,ball joints,bushings my wife is afraid to drive this truck and hates to even ride in it now she says its a major accident waiting to happen it has threw us across the lanes just the other day I just missed the guard rails by inches if the roads are snow covered forget driving it unless your life insurance is paid up.
Service bulletin 22-005-06 concerning front end shimmy or the death wobble as drivers of these trucks call it. The fix in 2006 was only temporary for my 2004 dodge truck. It once again is going into the death wobble after going over railroad tracks or any bump in the road. Dodge says the parts were only warranted for 12 months and won't fix it again. Dodge apparently didn't use heavy enough parts and axles in the first place so does that mean I have to pay to have it fixed over and over and over. Someone needs to make dodge continue to replace these parts . There are and will be many deaths over these trucks . It is no wonder the american vehicle manuf. Are struggling. Apparently the bulletin repair makes the truck safe for only 1 more year . This isn't a poor a.c or power lock problem it is related to loss of control while driving in normal everyday conditions which can result in loss of life. Please make dodge do the right thing on this one and get to the root of the problem at their expense not mine. Just how many complains has dodge had concerning this. Only they know. I will never buy another dodge chrysler product again.
2004.5 ram qc 4x4 diesel. Extremely loose steering/front end after less than 60,000 miles. No full-on death wobble, but came close when hitting bumps. Research indicated this is a known issue on these trucks due to the design of the aam 9.25 axle. Ball joints are too small for the weight of the truck and only the bottom 2 joints bear the weight. The upper 2 ball joints bear no weight and are not ball joints, but more like pins that allow vertical movement when turning (because of the poor geometry design of the axle). Due to this arrangement, there are no adjustments of any kind for wear and any wear on the lower joints results in looseness. This in turn causes more stress on the upper joints and they fail quickly. I refuse to pay the ridiculous price at the dealer for poor quality design and parts that will fail soon again. I purchased very expensive ball joints that have been designed to help overcome the inadequacies of this low quality axle. Also had to replace all tire rod ends, link arms, trackbar and steering damper. Steering box was also worn severely due to the front end parts wallowing around constantly. I added a steering brace to help. Wheel bearings also shot, but they are not serviceable on this axle. Entire hub has to be replaced with non serviceable bearings pre-installed. Very expensive to do at $300 each instead of the usual $40 or so per wheel!!! Disgusted with dealerships that are clueless about this axle. They all want to just blame it on tire balance, alignment or driving habits. Even the "certified mechanics" in their garage are clueless as well. As many of these trucks that are experiencing this problem you'd think someone at dodge would know this by now. Had I known about this axle at the time of purchase I would not have bought this truck!
I have a 2004 dodge ram 2500 pickup 4x4. When going about 60 MPH and hit a bump in the road or a bridge, the truck shakes so violently that I have to pull over to the side of the road. We bought this truck 3 mos ago and the problem described has happened approximately 20 times. I have replaced the stabilizer shock. I have made sure everything under the front & rear end is tight.
While driving under normal conditions truck began shaking violently while traveling about 60 MPH and striking bump in road. Truck began to shake so violently that items were falling from visors and items were falling from various storage locations in vehicle. I attempted to gradually slow down and problem actually became worse, until I achieved about 25-30 MPH. This is commonly called the "death wobble" and to my understanding dodge is aware of this . This has occurred on 3 occasions and has caused me to nearly loose control of truck. The first occurrence was so severe I actually called 911 center and asked them to come and check highway, due what I had thought was a to buckle in the pavement. The truck at that time had 30k miles or so. After this occurred I assumed it was due to road condition. Recently when it has occurred again and I began investigating its cause,now realizing its the vehicle, and not the road causing the shaking. This could be deadly as vehicle becomes uncontrollable.
Clicking and shaking when in 4x4 mode. Sounded like u joints. After having it checked by a mechanic, he found both sides needed ball joints and the u joints on the axle was worn out. This was an expensive repair of over $1200. Also the tie rod ends needed replacement. He said that the weight of the diesel engine was the cause. He said that all of these front ends with the diesel engine needed to be replaced after about 70k miles. I am disappointed.
My 2004 dodge ram 2500 experienced violent shaking after hitting a bump on the freeway at approx 60 MPH. I had to slow to about 30 MPH before the shaking stopped. This is the 6th time this has happened. I thought it could be shocks and had them replaced about 1000 miles ago, but the problem remains. I have read several other complaints that described the exact situation I experienced. It is a front end problem that dodge needs to address.
I have a 2004 dodge ram 2500. I have been experiencing death wobble for about 1 year now. I have spent approx. $1000 replacing balljoints (available), trackbar bushings, steering stabilizer, axle u-joints, complete 2008 dodge steering system to include tie-rod ends, pitman arm, and linkage (available), and shocks (available) with no successful results. At this point I am at a loss of where to go next. This is my only vehicle and my wife and daughter have to use it for transportation everyday. After experiencing this for so long I worry everyday. I have researched this online and found out that many other dodge owners are experiencing the same problems and receiving no help from the dealerships. Please review this and help us dodge owners repair this problem before someone is killed.
My dodge ram 2500 04 jumps alot on the highway uncontrollably and once you hit a small bump on the highway your all over the road I've done the alignment on it changed tires and changed the whole suspension like mechanics told me to but nothing seems to help I've herd it also might be the stabilizer bar also known as the sway bar but I don't think its that I think the truck is a defect and should be recalled not even the certified ase dodge mechanic know what it is when I first got the truck it was never like that but I was coming back from minnesota and I was going 100 MPH and hit a bump and that's when it all started happening.
My 2004 dodge 2500 series ram truck is experiencing the "death wobble". I am unable to go past 55 miles an hour as of today. This problem has been occurring for the last year and I have replaced every part that should have made this problem go away. When I hit a bump or pot hole or anything that will make the truck bounce at all, it violently shakes. This problem is putting everyone around me both on the road and in the truck at risk for a horrible collision. This vehicle is my only vehicle and I have no other choice but to drive it. I have read and experienced myself that there isn't a fix for this problem. All of the owners are now stuck with a vehicle they can't drive but have to pay for. This is not right by any means. Isn't there something we can do to correct this ongoing problem before someone gets killed?? Come on chrysler, step up to the plate and do what is right.
My '04 2500 dodge ram pickup experienced what is known as the death wobble today. A violent shaking of the front axel, which results in absolutely no control over the vehicle, except for braking and minimal steering. My two year old son was present for this, and it absolutely scared him to death. According to many online sites, this is a common occurrence in dodge ram heavy duty trucks that I had no idea existed. My experience with this issue almost, what I believe, cost me and my son our life. The truck will be parked until I can make time to get it a dealership and have it checked out.
Tl*the contact owns a 2004 dodge 2500 hd. The contact was driving approximately 5 MPH on a gravel road surface. A clanking noise was coming from the front end of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer. The front lower and upper ball joints; and rear brakes were replaced. The failure continued after the service repair. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer on a separate occasion for the identical failure. The technician detected the lower and upper ball joints repair were performed incorrectly, and several required parts were not installed on the vehicle. The contact was displeased with the authorized dealer for not taking responsible for the insufficient repair. The vehicle was repaired at the owners expense. The failure mileage was 217,000. The VIN was not available. The current mileage was 220,000.
Dodge death wobble. I have a 2004 dodge ram 2500 that has the death wobble. I see not many have been reported, but everyone ends up with it at one point. Read message boards. They all talk about their experiences. I have to pay 300 bucks to replace parts that are recommended to possibly solve the problem. It is not deadly if handled correctly, but it causes you to have to stop immediately. I had to stop 3 times on the pa turnpike over the weekend. Just got back from dealer. Only suggested to try changing the steering dampener. That is not the issue though.
Dodge 2500 4x4, the truck is experiencing the "death wobble" I have read about it and my mechanic cant find anything wrong. It occurs at speeds above 60 MPH and can only be stopped by slowing the vehicle to almost stop. The shocks and ball joints are good and the balance on the tires is good too.
Severe front end shake (death wobble).
I own a dodge ram 2400 and it definitely has the death wobble. When I heard about this problem on the radio and heard them call it the death wobble, I was completely aware of what they were talking about. This is a very good way to describe what happens while you are driving. I have had this problem since 2006. I reported the problem to my local dealer-greenway dodge in orlando fl. Greenway attempted to fix the problem on 11/24/06 and 12/26/06. If they cannot mimic the problem, they say it does not exist. I have the truck shaking violently on video. After greenway supposedly fixed the problem, we went on a family vacation. Within the first hour of the trip, the truck was shaking violently and my husband had to do whatever he could to control the vehicle. I took the camera out and recorded what was going on. Greenway did not even want to see the video. I told them they returned the truck to us without fixing it and that it was a deathtrap for our family and others on the road. I have made complaints to dodge customer assistance center and received no help. I contacted the news back in 2007 and received no help. I printed out many many complaints regarding this truck at the www.complaints.com website. This dodge ram truck has had this problem for many years. It is not just the make and model that I have. Dodge and chrysler know of this problem and they are leaving these deathtraps on the road. The entire truck should have been recalled! I am amazed that this company does not care about its customers and does not care about anyone on the road. Everytime we get into the truck we risk our lives and the lives of anyone on the road. Not every truck will stop wobbling when you slow down either. We have to actually pull off to the side of the road, turn off the engine and then start all over again. If we are in the left lane of a 3 lane highway and have to pull over to the side, we have to go across all the lanes and hope that we make it.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 dodge ram 2500. If the vehicle would hit a small bump between 35-65 MPH the front end of the vehicle would shimmy. Some occasions the wheels would lift off of the ground. When the failure occurs steering and braking becomes difficult. The exhaust manifold was fractured because of this condition. The manufacturer stated that because the warranty expired they could not provide any assistance. The u-joints, new shocks, steering stabilizer, sway bar end links and bushings were replaced. None of the repairs have remedied the failure, the current mileage was 88,000. The failure mileage was 60,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 dodge ram 2500. While driving 60 MPH he struck a pothole, and then the front end of the vehicle began to shimmy. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for inspection. The technician replaced all four tires. After the repair the failure resurfaced. The technician recommended the replacement of the tie rods, ball joints and steering damper. No repairs were made. The failure mileage was 27,000. The current mileage was 35,000.
After hitting a bump in the road doing 70, my truck shakes violently,and uncontrollably. I did this with a dodge service advisor in the truck. He looked at the vehicle and wants me to pay for any repairs it may need?? Although my truck is a 2004.5, it only has 54,000 miles on it. I notice that I am not the only person living with this death wobble, as it is being called. It has happened once before, and I replaced the only part that even looked not right.
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