NHTSA Complaint #10381928 — 2005 DODGE RAM 2500

WHILE TRAVELING WESTBOUND ON GA 53 TOWARDS ROME, GA. AS I ENTERED A VERY LONG SWEEPING RIGHT CURVE AT 60 MPH, I HIT A POTHOLE OR SOMETHING IN THE ROADWAY. IT MAY HAVE JUST BEEN THE RAISED TAR STRIPS FROM THE DOT'S PATCHING JOB, THEY ARE PRETTY ROUGH. MY STEERING WHEEL STARTING TEETERING LEFT AND RIGHT EXTREMELY VIOLENTLY AT ABOUT A 20-25 DEGREES. WITHIN SECONDS THE ENTIRE FRONT END WAS HOPPING TO AND FROM CAUSING THE TRUCK TO MOVE IN A STRAIGHT PATH EVEN THOUGH I WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF A RIGHT HANDED CURVE OF A STATE HWY! LUCKILY THERE WASN'T ANY TRAFFIC IN THE LEFT-HAND LANE BECAUSE THAT'S WHERE THE TRUCK WENT. I APPLIED THE BRAKES HARD AND SLOWED TO ABOUT 20 MPH AND IT JUST STOP AND WAS ALL NORMAL AGAIN! AS I WAS REELING FROM THE EXPERIENCE AND HOPING IT DIDN'T BREAK ANYTHING IN, UNDER OR ON MY TRUCK, I REALIZED TRAFFIC WAS RAPIDLY APPROACHING FROM BEHIND SO I ACCELERATED QUICKLY AND AT SOME POINT AROUND 55MPH IT STARTED AGAIN! THIS TIME I APPLIED HE BRAKES MORE SLOWLY AND IT SEEMED TO WORSEN UNTIL SUDDENLY AT 30 MPH IT STOPPED AGAIN. AFTER THAT I PLAYED WITH MY SPEED AND STEERING TO TRY TO GET A FEEL FOR WHAT WAS GOING ON WITH MY TRUCK, AS I HAVE BEEN HEARING OF THIS "DEATH WOBBLE" FOR SEVERAL YEARS, BUT NEVER HAD EXPERIENCED IT. AS I ACCELERATED PAST 40 MPH AND TURNING THE STEERING WHEEL EVEN AS SLIGHTLY AS JUST CHANGING LANES IT WOULD START UP AGAIN, BUT IF I STRAIGHTENED UP THE STEERING SOON ENOUGH, IT WOULD STOP BEFORE GETTING TO A FULL BLOWN WOBBLE AGAIN. THIS IS EXTREMELY SCARY AND I HAVEN'T LET MY FAMILY IN THE TRUCK SINCE. PLEASE DO SOMETHING WITH DODGE ABOUT THIS BEFORE SOMEONE GETS HURT OR KILLED!