Cracked dash.
The worst 2003 Dodge Ram Pickup problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
- Transmission4
- Body3
- Brakes2
- Acceleration1
- Airbags1
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
- Transmission4
- Body3
- Brakes2
- Acceleration1
- Airbags1
- Electrical1
- Lights1
- Steering1
Recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Defect investigations
False park
The subject vehicles are heavy duty pickup trucks with diesel engines and automatic transmissions commonly used for commercial and work purposes.a column mounted shift lever is used for gear selection and an electronic prndl on the instrument panel provides gear position information to the driver.the subject vehicles are also equipped with a brake-transmission shift interlock that prevents the shift lever from being moved from the park position (when the engine is on) unless the brake pedal is depressed and an ignition-shift interlock that prevents key removal unless the transmission is in the park position.complainants generally report that the vehicle was being operated in a forward gear and brought to a stop through brake application on alevel surface, at which time the operator moved the shift lever to engage the park position.the operator then opened the driver side door and, without verifying park engagement (e.g., prndl gear indication), securing the park brake, or turning the engine off, exited the vehicle.initially, no vehicle movement was apparent, however, a short time later, typically reported as 10 to 30 seconds, the vehicle moved rearward under engine power.the incident often ended in a vehicle crash, and sometimes involved serious injury.two fatalities are alleged.odi?s analysis of test vehicles and some incident vehicles found no evidence to indicate that a shift lever properly placed in park could unintentionally (I.e., without driver input) disengage from that position.however, odi did find that the shift lever could be inadvertently placed, and remain at rest, within an intermediate position between the park and reverse gear positions.when placed in such an intermediate position, the vehicle can experience a delayed pressurization of the reverse hydraulic circuit that is sufficient to cause the vehicle to roll rearward under power.the delay period allows sufficient time for operators to exit the stationary vehicle without perceiving that the shifter is not in park.the summary report discusses the technical analysis of this issue in greater detail and compares the frequency of these incidents in the subject vehicles to other peer vehicles that odi examined.as described in their october 4, 2005 letter to the federal safety agency, daimlerchrysler corporation (dcc) will conduct a safety recall (the federal safety agency recall no. 05v‑462, dcc no. E17) to install an out-of-park alarm system in the subject vehicles.the alarm will provide audible and visual feedback to alert the driver, and others, if the driver attempts to exit the vehicle while the engine is running and the shift lever is not in the park position.the timing of dcc?s action has yet to be determined.
EA04025
Technical service bulletins for the 2003 Dodge Ram Pickup 13
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
- Part Description: Insulator on Lever Assy Manual Valve
- Revised power steering system bleeding procedures. sc
- Air conditioning (a/c) cooling coil odor. tt
- Transmission shift/speed control improvements/possible malfunction indicator lamp illumination. tt
- No throttle response, lack of power while towing and diagnostic trouble codes (DTC) P2638/P0700. tt
- The powertrain control module (PCM) was programmed with errors in the automatic transmission diagnostic...
- Transmission shift / speed control improvements / possible malfunction indicator lamp illumination. tt
- Transmission shift/speed control improvements. jb
- Customer satisfaction notification - 3/8" torque converter drain back valve. tt
- Customer satisfaction notification - torque converter drain back valve. tt
What 2003 Dodge Ram Pickup owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
I have 2003 dodge ram 4x4 pick up that I bought new. I have had 4 rear differential failures: 1st 9/18/07 with 83834 miles, 2nd 6/19/08 with 95894 miles, 3rd 7/17/09 with 117481 miles and 4th 7/22/10 with 144125 miles. All 4 were caught early when I first heard whining from under the vehicle. All repairs were done at my local dodge dealer. Each repair took at least two days. I have had many vehicles, several I've driven to over 200k miles and have never had any problems with real differentials. Something is wrong here. A total rear differential could lead to a serious crash. I entered the date of the first incident below in the ?approximate incident date? Field. Obviously it does not include the subsequent failures.
I am a battalion chief with a fire department and recently had a dodge ram with significant front end damage and no air bags deployed. This is not the first instance of this happening with a dodge ram pick-up I would like to send you some pictures of this most recent accident if you would like.
Purchased truck in december and noticed at that time the spider cracks in the dashboard. I will try to apply adhesive and a molded dashboard to hold it together. Eventually the dash may come into pieces and present an electrical hazard, so I want to try to prevent this with the dashboard kit.
2003 dodge ram dashboard is cracking. Consumer states that dashboard has not only cracked but has collapsed leaving the entire electrical system exposed. Consumer states that dealer denies any kind of help for this problem.
Upon changing the spare tire, the mechanism broke and I am not able to put the spare tire back in place. This is the first time the spare tire has been removed from the mechanism.
My vehicle veers to the right severly. It started out as a mild pull and now it is a constant strugle to keep the vehicle going straight. I have taken to 2 different dealerships. Work done both wheel bearings replaced - both u joints replaced - all 4 brakes replaced ( at my expense vehicle under 30,000 miles ) - tires exchanged with new - front end allignment ( I paid for as well ) truck still has problem and the dealerships cannot fix problem. Told to deal with it.
Normal brake usage with no aggressive driving. A few panic stops where the anti lock brake system was used. Severe brake shudder causes suspension hop - unsafe to drive especially in wet - or winter conditions. Replaced front pads and rotors twice. 1st replacement at 21.5k miles under tsb. 2cd replacement at 29.3k miles was purchased by owner (warranty would not be honored). 2003 truck has 29k miles.
Vehicle: 2003 dodge ram 1500 2wd, purchased with 6000 miles from carmax. The disc brake rotors were slightly warped. They were promptly turned (carmax) and now at 16k miles with no extraordinary use have warped again. In my opinion, this brings the design/material used in these components into question. I have spoken with a local dodge dealer and received no credible answers, mitigation, or satisfaction, whatsoever.
Ltr fm willie dodds (il) purchased a new dodge ram 1500 pickup 2-door truck model year 2003 burned due to an electrical wire shortage suggest the federal safety agency investigate. Reply directly to the constituent. *mr *sc
Compare the 2003 Dodge Ram Pickup
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Questions about the 2003 Dodge Ram Pickup
Is the 2003 Dodge Ram Pickup reliable?
Owners have filed 14 complaints about the 2003 Dodge Ram Pickup, fewer than a typical Ram Pickup model year.
What is the 2003 Dodge Ram Pickup year score?
The 2003 Dodge Ram Pickup scores 82 out of 100 (good). The score compares it with the other model years of the Dodge Ram Pickup: 75 is a typical year, 50 means twice the usual complaints, and serious complaints and recalls lower it.
What is the most common problem with the 2003 Dodge Ram Pickup?
Transmission and drivetrain, with 4 complaints. Next is body (3).
How many recalls does the 2003 Dodge Ram Pickup have?
No recalls on record.
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