Dodge Ram fire or smoke problems

Filed Aug 30, 2024 · Engine · 256,000 miles · ID · fire

The contact owns a 2007 Dodge Ram 2500. The vehicle was taken to a dealer for both an oil change and to have the vehicle serviced for the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 16V352000 (Air Bags). The contact was later informed that there was another recall on the vehicle for the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 08V641000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part for the repair was not available. An appointment was then made to bring the vehicle back to the dealer on a later date for service. A few days later while the contact's husband was driving at 80 MPH with a horse trailer attached to the vehicle, the vehicle caught fire. The contact's husband managed to pull over and extinguish the fire. A police report was filed. No injuries were reported. The vehicle was towed back to the dealer where it remained their possession. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 256,000.

Filed Jan 5, 2022 · Electrical · 171,000 miles · GA · fire

The contact owned a 2010 Ram 1500. The contact stated while approaching their parked vehicle, the contact noticed black smoke coming in from the inside of the vehicle. The contact open the front driver side door and noticed that the driver side door control panel and the front driver seat and floor panel had melted. The contact stated there was no fire in the vehicle and cleared all the black smoke in the interior of the vehicle by having all four doors open in the vehicle. No one was injured. No fire department report. The contact was able to start the vehicle and drive to their independent mechanic who had their insurance provider come to the mechanic shop to deem the vehicle a loss due to an electrical wiring issue. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 171,000.

Filed Aug 26, 2021 · Brakes · 220,000 miles · KS · fire · 1 injury

The contact owns a 2002 Dodge Ram 1500. The contact stated that while her husband was driving at various speeds, the ABS warning light illuminated and the vehicle seized. The contact managed to coast the vehicle to the shoulder of the road and place the vehicle in park. The contact exit the vehicle to inspect the engine and without warning when the front hood was open 4-foot flames shoot out from the hood. The contact sustained burns to the right hand. No medical attention was sought. The contact ran to the rear of the vehicle open the trunk and poured water that he had in a bucket on the flames. No police report was made. The fire department was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired or diagnosed. No dealer was contacted nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. Damages were to the wire harness, ABS module, and connecting rod. The failure mileage was approximate 220,000.

Filed Nov 4, 2011 · Body, Engine · 50,000 miles · NY · fire · 1 injury

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 dodge ram model r35. The contact was driving 5 MPH when smoke emitted inside of the vehicle and flames were visible from the hood. The failure caused the contact to drive into a ditch but there was no crash. The doors failed to open during the failure so the contact escaped by punching and shattering the windshield. The vehicle was towed to a private mechanic where the mechanic confirmed that the power disruption caught fire. The manufacturer was contacted. The vehicle was destroyed. The failure and the current mileages were 50,000.

Filed Mar 18, 2010 · Fuel system · 8,000 miles · PA · fire

Tl*the contact owns a 2009 dodge ram. The contact stated that the fuel line was defective. While driving approximately 3 MPH the fuel line caught fire underneath the vehicle. The contact did not state if anyone was injured. A fire report was not filed. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer, but was not repaired. The VIN was unavailable. The failure mileage was 8000. The current mileage was 8000.

Filed Dec 21, 2009 · Electrical, Transmission · 20,000 miles · KY · crash · fire

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 dodge ram 3500. The vehicle was parked at the residence driveway. There were no occupants in the vehicle. The vehicle rolled away without warning into the garage door post. After reversing from the garage post, there was smoke coming from underneath of the hood. The battery cables were removed, and the smoke stopped immediately. The vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer for inspection. The vehicle will be repaired under the service warranty. However, the dealer refused to pay for the body damages sustained as a result of the failure. The failure and current mileages were 20,000. The VIN was unavailable.

Filed Jun 22, 2009 · Electrical · 5,300 miles · NY · fire

Tl*the contact owns a 2006 dodge ram. While sitting in the vehicle, the contact noticed smoke and flames in the electrical harness that hangs behind the plates, where the trailer lights are hooked. He believed that a short circuit occurred. The contact doused the flames with water and took the vehicle to a repair shop. A mechanic cut off the harness wire and stated that the wires were touching other wires in the harness, which is how the fire started. There were no recalls for this vehicle. Chrysler kept transferring the contact to people within chrysler, asking questions, and giving him the run around. Initially, the contact spoke with the assistant manager at one of the dealers and was provided with the number to chrysler. The contact stated that he was never informed to bring his vehicle to a dealer. The failure and current mileages were 5,300. Updated 7/23/09 *cn updated 07/30/09.

Filed Apr 22, 2009 · Acceleration, Brakes · 3,200 miles · TX · crash

On a misty morning our truck began to skid as we attempted to accelerate after yielding to exiting traffic on an access road on ih 10. My husband tried to control the skid by steering into it, but we just kept skidding out of control. He purposely remembers not applying the brake in an attempt to lessen the loss of control. We continued the skid across 2 lanes of access road to the right, then spun around 180 degrees and skidded back across 3 lanes of access road to the left. We came to stop facing oncoming traffic after hitting a concrete retaining wall first with the right front of the truck and then with the right rear of the truck. I remember hearing the tires continuing to spin and smelled burning rubber. This caused over $6500 damage to the truck and has caused our insurance rates to increase. After months of discussing the wreck and replaying it in our minds, we have determined that probably, as my husband clinched the steering wheel and tried to control the spin, that the cruise control was engaged and set which made us continue to travel at the set speed instead of slowing and allowing him to regain control of the truck. The cruise control on/off button and the set button are both located on the steering wheel. This is the first vehicle that we have ever had or seen that has the on/off control for the cruise located on the steering wheel. Most vehicles have this either on the blinker lever or even on the dash board. We feel certain that the cruise control was inadvertently turned on when my husband tightened his hold on the steering wheel. I feel that this is an unsafe location for this control. We were very lucky that in our travels across all lanes of traffic, not once, but twice that there were no other cars on the road that morning or this would have been a multi car pile up. No change has been made to the truck's cruise control. We plan to have it disconnected. In attempt to prevent others from having a wreck, we are reporting it.

Filed Feb 4, 2009 · Transmission · 23,000 miles · FL

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 dodge ram srt10. The contact stated that the accelerator and clutch pedals were slipping while driving various speeds. The dealer replaced the clutch and the discs. On a separate occasion, she heard a rattling noise under the hood and felt as if something were loose. She also smelled burning transmission fluid and she lost the gearing of the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and they stated that the transmission needed to be replaced. The failure mileage was 23,000 and current mileage is 36,000. Updated 3/11/09 *cn the transmission was replaced as well. Updated 03/13/09.

Filed Jan 28, 2009 · Electrical · 180,000 miles · WI · fire

Tl*the contact owns a 1996 dodge ram. The contact noticed a chemical odor coming from the dashboard and the heater. The headlights flickered and the instrument panel lighting suddenly dimmed. The headlights went completely dim. The contact turned everything back on, but the headlights only illuminated for a few minutes. After driving without headlights, he noticed smoke coming from the vents on the driver's side. He pulled into his residence and turned off the vehicle, but the headlights remained illuminated. He attempted to turn the headlights off, but was unsuccessful. Smoke filled the vehicle and produced an awful odor. He removed the lamp fuse, but the buzzing noise still indicated that the headlights were illuminated. He reinserted the fuse and the buzzing sound continued. He noticed that the wiring harness was melted. The vehicle has not been repaired and is parked at his residence. The failure and current mileages were 180,000.