Took vehicle into dealer for recall repair on front steering linkage- waited over 9 months for repair part to be available (during which time I was afraid to drive vehicle). Dealer replaced the part but indicated adjacent ball joint worn at 20,xxx miles. Claimed 2 previous recalls regarding front end had nothing to do with premature wear. Ball joint failure has damage tire. Vehicle is unsafe to drive. I have read many online forum reports of premature ball joint failure on same model vehicles.
Dodge RAM 4500 ball joint problems
13 of the 38 owner complaints about the Dodge RAM 4500 describe ball joint or control arm failure, most of them for the 2008 model year.
- owner complaints
- 13
- worst model year
- 2008
- typical mileage
- 68,000
Is there a fix? No recall or service bulletin covers this area of the car yet.
By model year
- 20123
- 20113
- 20091
- 20086
Often reported together
What owners say
Left outer tie rod broke!!! Luckily only making a u turn when it happened. Recall is about a year old and still no parts available but chrysler we will take care of it and have the dealer install factory part that could break again but at least it will get you back on the road again and maybe it will last until we get the correct part.mind you this is a part that could break and cause loss of control of your vehicle and possibly kill someone. While my company truck is sitting broke down and waiting for the local dealer arrigo to call chrysler back for 5 days and let them know that I can have my truck towed to their shop at my expense for the repair that is being paid for by chrysler.
Driver was turning the truck around in our lumberyard with a partial load on the bed and the left steering tie rod ball stud sheared off causing a serious problem with control of the vehicle he was going less than 5 MPH. The original tie rod was replaced by dodge in may 2011 we were under the impression the part replaced solved the shearing or fracturing problem with the steering.
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 dodge ram 4500. The contact received a notification for a manufacturer recall related to the driver side tie rod. The parts needed were not available. The dealer stated that the parts were still not available. The manufacturer was made aware of the delay. The contact had not experienced a failure. The federal safety agency campaign number was unknown.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 dodge ram 4500. The contact stated while driving approximately 10 MPH the drivers side tie rod failed causing the steering to become unstable. The company vehicle was repaired by the company's mechanic. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but no solution was offered. The failure mileage was 59,000.
Tl* the contact was driving a 2008 dodge ram 4500. The contact stated while driving approximately 25 MPH the drivers side tie rod failed causing the steering wheel to become unstable. The company vehicle was repaired by their mechanic. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but no solution was offered. The failure mileage was 59,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 dodge ram 4500. He received two recall notices, the federal safety agency recall 13v239000 power train was received in july 2013; and the federal safety agency recall, 13v527000 , steering was received in january 2014 both recalls indicated he could lose control and crash without warning. He was required to sign a motor vehicle document indicating the vehicle was safe to drive for commercial purposes including carrying a load. He now has limited use of the vehicle due to the potential safety risk stated in both recalls one of which indicated that the front end could fail due to improper welding and the left tie rod many fracture. There are no failures at this time. He was advised by the chrysler recall center that they will discuss what actions they would take regarding a crash only when or if a crash did occur. The contact is extremely concerned about the safety risk involved.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 dodge ram 4500. The contact stated that the driver's side tie rod assembly completely became fractured without warning. The contact also mentioned that the failure had previously occurred on three different occasions. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified. The failure mileage was 30,000. The current mileage was 70,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 dodge ram 4500. The contact stated that while attempting a turn at a speed of 1 MPH, the steering wheel suddenly seized. Upon inspection, it was confirmed that the driver's side outer tie rod was damaged. The vehicle was towed to the contacts residence and was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified about the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was not included in the federal safety agency campaign id number: 10v657000 (steering). The failure mileage was 68,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 dodge ram 4500. The contact was traveling 4 MPH when the steering wheel seized. The vehicle was towed was to the dealer and the contact was advised that the front driver's side tie rod had detached from the vehicle. The manufacturer was contacted and confirmed that a recall applied to the contact's VIN under the federal safety agency campaign id number:10v657000(steering:linkages:tie rod assembly) but was repaired one year prior to the recent failure. The manufacturer offered to make the recall repairs on the vehicle for a second time. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 73,000.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the Dodge RAM 4500 ball joint
Which Dodge RAM 4500 years have ball joint or control arm failure problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2008 (6 complaints), 2011 (3 complaints) and 2012 (3 complaints).
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