2003 Dodge RAM 3500 suspension problems

Filed Jul 25, 2024 · Suspension · 225,000 miles · MI

The contact owns a 2003 Dodge Ram 3500. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, there was a clunking sound coming from underneath the vehicle. The contact who is a certified mechanic, inspected the vehicle. Upon expecting the vehicle, the contact determined that both upper control arms had completely rusted and needed to be replaced. The upper and lower ball joints and suspension had been replaced by the contact. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 225,000. The VIN was unavailable.

Filed Jan 22, 2016 · Suspension · 100,000 miles · WY

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 dodge ram 3500. While driving 40 MPH, the driver side tie rod ball joint fractured. The vehicle was not diagnosed and was repaired by the owner; however, the failure continued intermittently. The manufacturer was not notified. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000.

Filed Jan 19, 2016 · Steering, Suspension · 105,000 miles · TN

Purchased vehicle at 100,000 in 11/2011. Miles seemed in good condition. Quickly started death wobble. Thought it was weak tires. Purchased new (better) tires, no change. Took into oak ridge, tn chrysler dealership for death wobble repairs at 122,351 miles (ticket chcs182246). Fine until last month 12/2016 at approx 137,051 miles. Death wobble is back (and worse). Easily occurs at interstate speeds when one hits bridge expansion joints (especially on a curve). But must also watch (be careful) on secondary roads at slower speeds. Does not need to be on a curve if the bump is big. In my opinion engineering wise, think the engine / front end is too high/heavy for the default steering/suspension components to handle the forces. It seems the repairs I am offered are merely fixing symptoms and not root cause. Also seems there is a wealth of after market knowledge / parts that recognizes the issues that chrysler refuses to recognize.

Filed Jul 28, 2015 · Steering, Suspension · 79,168 miles · VA

As with many of the other complaints about 2003 dodge ram 3500's this ram 3500 has had all suggested steering component upgrades and recall upgrades (change steering to 2008 steering) and the tie rod recall for the 2008 steering. The 2008 steering upgrade seemed to exacerbate the tire wear issue. Additionally, ball joints and shocks have been replaced. The ram death wobble and excessive tie wear is still present. The last set of tires lasted 8,000 miles (I am putting a new set on today). The tire wear on my last trip of only 360 miles was very noticeable - so much so a trip of 1,000 miles or more would have caused dangerous tire wear and potential catastrophic failure. Dodge has tried to fix the problem by only skimming over the issue with minor fixes. As a retired law enforcement officer with hundreds of thousands of miles of driving experience - the steering and excessive tire wear is unsafe. Since I am getting new tires and an alignment today - I will be more than happy to track mileage, driving conditions, note steering issues, and photograph tire wear - if you wish.

Filed Jan 13, 2015 · Body, Suspension · 230,000 miles · OH

Was changing oil on my 03 dodge ram 3500 and noticed the frame rail near cab mount on drivers side was completely rusted thru with a hole approximately 2 inches long and 1/4" wide. I'm afraid to haul my goose neck trailer under these conditions. I'm afraid that additional weight could cause the frame to collapse. I don't remember seeing a recall for this condition.

Filed Apr 8, 2014 · Steering, Suspension · 150,000 miles · UT

Tl-the contact owns a 2003 dodge ram 3500. The contact stated that the federal safety agency campaign number (steering). Caused the front tires to ware prematurely the front end was aligned several times. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer for alignment and tire rotation until the recalled part was available for repair. The manufacturer denied assistance with the repair. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 150,000 and the current mileage was 154,000. Li

Filed May 27, 2012 · Steering, Suspension · 15,000 miles · CO

From 55mph and above if a bump in the road is hit, small or large the vehicle will suddenly shack uncontrollably. I am the original owner of this truck. I installed an after market high performance front stabilizer that prevented the death rumble from occurring. This worked for 50-60 thousand miles. The death rumble has returned. I bought another after market stabilizer however it was not effective this time. This vehicle is unsafe to drive. My question is how many people have to die before dodge does something about it. I paid 50,000 for a truck that has not operated properly for 40 of the 90thousand miles. Dodge is aware of this issue. I have sent my truck to dodge to no prevail. Help!

Filed Apr 22, 2012 · Steering, Suspension · 92,000 miles · MO

Driving at hwy. Speeds when you hit a seam or bump on hwy. Front end shakes violently. This happens at random times. You never know when it will happen.it is very dangerous. Also known as (death wobble) there are many other dodge ram trucks with this problem. No one seems to be able to fix it. I have all the upgrades from chrysler & still have this problem, even though they say there is no problem.

Filed Mar 5, 2012 · Suspension · 137,000 miles · MN

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 dodge ram 3500. The contact was driving 70 MPH when the contact drove over a road bump and the front end begin to shake violently. The contact took the vehicle to a local mechanic where the mechanic advised that the cause of the shaking was due to a design flaw with the front suspension. The contact did not have any repairs performed on the vehicle. The failure mileage was 137,000. Updated 03/21/12 *bf updated 03/29/12

Filed Oct 29, 2010 · Suspension · TX

My 2003 dodge 3500 4x4 started about a year and a half ago, shaking very violently when you drive over a bump or uneven place in the highway and you're driving over 50 MPH. I took it to a repair shop and they replaced the stabilizer shock and track bar bushings along with two rotors and hub seals. Still it continued to shake. I now have taken it and again had that replaced along with having a kit of fixes the dodge dealership sells that is supposed to be a fix for this problem and a lot of other things, still it did not fix it. My mechanic was at his wits end and searched the internet where he found over two million sites for people experiencing the same problem with no apparent fix. I have spent over $1500 and it still shakes violently. I use my truck to pull loads and now I'm afraid to pull anything with it. I bought the truck brand new and had not had any trouble, except of course with the injectors which is another story, until now. If you do a search of dodge death shake, you will find there are millions of us out there. This is unbelievable how it can literally shake the steering wheel loose from your hand and take the vehicle off the highway. This very dangerous and I'm afraid dodge is trying to skirt the issue of a possible design flaw in the frame and suspension. All these trucks are bought to carry a load and I at times was pulling over 25,000 lbs. Of cattle and the thought of having this happen then, would be a recipe for disaster. Is it going to take someone getting killed to make dodge responsible for this? When there are so many of us, I think it is a definite design flaw and a very dangerous one.