Truck began to vibrate dramatically upon braking. The rotors were warped, the brake pads in the front were too small and was causing the problem, a clunking noise had started coming from the rear as time progressed and returned after repairs. *sc at 30,000 miles the entire rear differentail went out.
Dodge Ram harsh shifting problems
17 of the 3,966 owner complaints about the Dodge Ram describe harsh or hard shifting, most of them for the 1996 model year.
- owner complaints
- 17
- worst model year
- 1996
Is there a fix? There are 6 recalls for this area of the car. See below
By model year
- 20021
- 20011
- 20001
- 19981
- 19973
- 19965
- 19952
- 19943
Often reported together
Steering noise 4Ball joint 2Water leak 1Stalling 1Slipping 1Shudder 1Knocking 1Engine failure 1
What owners say
Continuous transmission trouble:minor slipping,searching for a gear,surging,not going into passing gear,when it does it does not stay there,clunks hard when put in rev. Vibration at start up(moving) heat shield or rear-end,@time of original trade,when they changed the oil they eiter didnt put any in or very little I had to add 5qts now there is a ticking noise on the pass, side of engine,the salesman lied to me about the truck I asked him "has this ever plowed or towed anything before?" he said "no" after talking to prev.owner they were towing a big boat with it .at this time I have a complaint with the me. Atty gen,dodge,file#9921927 on 4-18-02,may I please have a copy of this with your letterhead as well as a reply so I can foward this to the atty gen. Thank you!!!!
On several occasions, while driving, consumer states clutch seized and vehicle stalled. Dealer replaced clutch assembly and flywheel and found clutch disc burned out. Customer states the transmission clunks when shifting. Customer states vehicle will buck when attempting to start in 1st gear. Vehicle shudders when driving and customer has completely lost clutch.*tt
While driving vehicle makes a clunking noise. Consumer took vehicle to dealer, and they stated that cataylic converter needed replacement. Please provide any further information.
Customer states clunk noise heard at idle in park - noise coming from drivers side floorboard. Dealer verified concern - shift linkage vibration transfer through column and floorboard. Normal condition at this time. No manf. Fix for problem.
Was driving 55mph in 5th gear, downshifted into 4th gear, went back to 5th gear & vehicle failed to stay in fifth gear. Shifted back to 4th gear & then back to 3rd gear. Vehicle started to make loud noises. Was hard shifting back into 3rd gear from 4th gear.
The rearend in the dodge truck makes a clunk when shifting from park to drive and drive to reverse it will make the same clunk (ring) when driving down the road when the trans. Shifts through the shift pattern. I took it to a dealer to get it checked out they said play in the rear end was normal but tey reprogramed the power control module to lower the rpms so that the clunk would not be heard, they put a $1.65 sticker on the truck some where . The clunk is still there and sounds louder . I know of three other dodge trucks with the same noise.
Spent $1200 to rebuild entire front end of car due to excessive clunking and looseness after only 40,000 miles of lite street use. Factory installed componants obvoiusly inferior quality or defective. Dailmer chrysler was willing to assist in the costs of the repair until the bills came in. Daimler chrysler walked away from the issue. Rear window water leak - suggest other owners to look on passenger side for water ponding adjacent to sill plate at rear of seat. Rear factory sliding window defective. Must replace with alternate selection. Headliner will not fit properly on alternate selection - beware. Dodge ram owners beware. This owner jumping ship from dodge/chrysler products. Only owned this vehical for 11 months.
Loud clunking noise and sensation in steering linkage while braking and turning corners. Dealer had same problem with another ram pickup. Dealer replaced upper and lower ball joints. Fixed problem. However, after additional 10,000 miles problem is re-occurring. Also, three of original five tires had defects including significant bulging and ply separation. Resulted in poor traction, excelerated wear, and bouncing. Owner replaced two tires. When third tire failed, owner replaced all the tires. Dealer stated they receive many tire complaints from new vehicle owners with goodyear tires.( dot number: tire size: p245 75r16 )
Rear suspension clunks on turns with ligth/no load in bed. Sounds like the gas tank shifting side to side or spring pack noise. Other owner's I've talked too have same problem. The rear sliding glass window leaks at the top at highway speeds in heavy rain. The two tone paint is fading. You can see the bottom color through the top color. Also, I've hear from several other owners about premature front ball joint failures although I haven't had this problem yet.
Related recalls
Power train: clutch assembly: pedal/hand lever(motorcycle)
- What is wrong
- Chrysler is recalling 504 my 2009 dodge ram 2500/3500 pickup trucks heavy duty cab chassis with manual transmission and power adjustable pedal package. The clutch pedal connecting rod to the clutch master cylinder may separate from the master cylinder. This may not allow disengagement of the clutch when the pedal is depressed, which could result in unintended vehicle movement.
- Risk
- Increased stopping distance and engine stalling may occur increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the clutch master cylinder hydraulic system free of charge. The recall is expected to begin during april 2009. Owners may contact chrysler at 1‑800‑853‑1403.
Recall number 09V078000 · Recall details
Power train: driveline: driveshaft
- What is wrong
- On certain two wheel drive trucks equipped with manual transmissions, the front driveshaft yoke may break under certain driving conditions.
- Risk
- This could result in a loss of vehicle control and cause a crash without warning.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the driveshaft free of charge. The recall began on october 22, 2007. Owners may contact daimlerchrysler at 1‑800‑853‑1403.
Recall number 07V413000 · Recall details
Power train: axle assembly
- What is wrong
- On certain 4x4 pickup trucks, the rear axle flange weld to the axle tube could fatigue and allow the brake caliper assembly to rotate.
- Risk
- During rotation, the brake line could separate from the caliper resulting in a brake fluid loss in the rear brake hydraulic system.
- Remedy
- Dealers will install rear brake caliper reinforcements on the rear axle assemblies. Owner notification began december 9, 2002. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact daimlerchrysler at 1‑800‑853‑1403.
Recall number 02V159000 · Recall details
Power train: clutch assembly
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: pickup trucks equipped with gasoline engines and manual transmissions. The underbody hydraulic clutch line heat shield is too short, allowing the plastic clutch line material to be directly exposed to exhaust temperatures. It is possible to exceed the melting temperature of the clutch line material.
- Risk
- If the line melts, hydraulic fluid can leak onto the vehicle exhaust and cause an underbody fire.
- Remedy
- Dealers will install the proper length heat shield.
Recall number 99V190000 · Recall details
Power train: clutch assembly
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: pickup trucks equipped with manual transmission, v10 engines and four-wheel-drive transfer cases. Under sustained maximum rated vehicle load, while driving up a steep grade in four-wheel-drive low range in hot ambient conditions, the local exhaust temperature proximate to the hydraulic clutch line can generate line temperatures that exceed the temperature limit of the clutch line material. If this condition occurs and the clutch is depressed, the line could rupture.
- Risk
- The fluid could ignite on the hot exhaust possibly resulting in a vehicle fire.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the hydraulic clutch assembly.
Recall number 99V115000 · Recall details
Power train: automatic transmission: cooling unit and lines
- What is wrong
- Under certain high load operating conditions, the transmission fluid temperature can exceed the melting point of the material used in the connector to retain the fluid line to the transmission.
- Risk
- When these temperatures occur, the fluid line will not stay connected with the transmission and fluid can spray onto the exhaust manifold, resulting in smoke or fire.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the high temperature side of the transmission fluid cooler line connector fittings with connectors that incorporate a stainless steel retainer.
Recall number 97V084000 · Recall details
Questions about the Dodge Ram harsh shifting
Which Dodge Ram years have harsh or hard shifting problems?
The model years with the most reports are 1996 (5 complaints), 1994 (3 complaints) and 1997 (3 complaints).
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