NHTSA Complaint #10342701 — 2001 DODGE RAM 1500

I PURCHASED A 2001 DODGE RAM 1500 4X4 PICKUP IN APRIL, 2009. APPROXIMATELY 6 MONTHS AFTER OWNERSHIP, I WAS DRIVING NORTH ON INTERSTATE 95 NEAR RICHMOND VA, AT ABOUT 70 MILES PER HOUR WHEN THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO SHAKE VIOLENTLY. I CAME TO A STOP, AND TOOK A STATE ROUTE THE REMAINDER OF THE TRIP, AFTER LOOKING UNDER THE VEHICLE FOR SOME OBVIOUS DEFECT. I COULD SEE NOTHING. A FEW DAYS LATER, I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO AN ASE CERTIFIED REPAIR SHOP. THEY NOTICED SLIGHT PLAY IN THE LEFT FRONT U JOINT, SO I HAD BOTH REPLACED, KNOWING THAT COULD NOT HAVE POSSIBLY CAUSED WHAT I EXPERIENCED. I DROVE THE VEHICLE ABOUT ANOTHER 6 MONTHS AND HAD THE SAME INCIDENT OCCUR. I TOOK THE VEHICLE BACK TO THE REPAIR SHOP AND ASKED THEM TO INSPECT THE SUSPENSION, EXPLAINING THE VIOLENT SHAKING THAT OCCURRED. THEY COULD FIND NOTHING WRONG. EVERYTHING WAS FINE UNTIL 2 WEEKS AGO. AGAIN, WHILE DRIVING ON I95, AT ABOUT 70, OUT OF NOWHERE, WITHOUT WARNING, THE VEHICLE SHOOK VIOLENTLY. IT SHOOK MY BODY SO HARD IT BLURRED MY VISION. THE AC VENT COVERS SNAPPED OUT , MY COFFEE UP BOUNCED OUT OF A TIGHTLY SQUEEZED HOLDER, AND MY DASH BOARD TOP CRACKED INTO ABOUT 15 PIECES. IT WAS ABSOLUTELY DANGEROUS AND VIOLENT. I CAME TO A STOP. ONLY THEN DID THE SHAKING STOP. I LOOKED UNDER THE VEHICLE AND ALL ROUND FOR SOMETHING OBVIOUSLY WRONG, BUT SAW NOTHING. THAT EVENING, I GOOGLED DODGE TRUCK VIOLENTLY SHAKING AND LEARNED ABOUT THE "DEATH WOBBLE". IF THE AUTHORITIES WOULD READ THE INTERNET, AND REPORTS ON THIS ISSUE, IT WOULD BE OVERWHELMING THAT THERE IS A SERIOUS DESIGN FLAW IN THIS VEHICLE. THERE IS NO DOUBT IN MY MIND THAT THERE HAS BEEN A DEATH FROM THIS PROBLEM, AS ALL 3 TIMES IT HAPPENED TO ME, ONLY LUCK ALLOWED ME TO EXIT THE TRAVEL LANES , GET IN THE BREAK DOWN LANE AND COME TO A STOP. A SLIGHT CHANGE IN THE TRAFFIC PATTERN WOULD HAVE CAUSED A HIGH SPEED ACCIDENT, AS IT IS NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE TO CONTROL THE VEHICLE IT IS SHAKING SO VIOLENTLY. PLEASE INVESTIGATE THIS PROBLEM. *TR