NHTSA Complaint #10456634 — 2010 RAM 3500

AFTER ACCELERATING ON AN INTERSTATE HIGHWAY ON-RAMP, THE VEHICLE WENT OVER SOME BUMPS THEN STARTED SHAKING VIOLENTLY AT ABOUT 45 MPH. THERE WAS A COMPLETE LOSS OF STEERING AS THE TRUCK VIBRATED AND SHOOK ACROSS LANES, BUT I WAS ABLE TO SOMEHOW AVOID COLLISIONS WITH OTHER VEHICLES AND SAFELY PULL OFF THE HIGHWAY. AFTER STOPPING AND FINDING NOTHING WRONG, THE VEHICLE WAS SLOWLY ACCELERATED TO INTERSTATE SPEED AND DRIVEN ANOTHER 300 MILES TO DESTINATION WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. A FEW DAYS LATER, A TUCSON DODGE DEALER INSPECTED THE TRUCK AND FOUND TWO ISSUES. FIRST, THE FRONT STEERING DAMPER WAS FOUND TO BE DEFECTIVE AND WAS REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY. THE SECOND ITEM, AN IMBALANCED FRONT DRIVER'S SIDE WHEEL, WAS FOUND AND CORRECTED. THE PROBLEM HAS NOT RECURRED, BUT I AM EXTREMELY NERVOUS ABOUT THE EVENT REPEATING ITSELF, PARTICULARLY IF IT HAPPENS WHEN PULLING A 5TH WHEEL TRAILER. I AM NOT CONFIDENT THAT THE VIOLENT SHAKING OF THE VEHICLE AND LOSS OF STEERING WAS CAUSED BY A DEFECTIVE STEERING DAMPENER AND A SLIGHTLY OUT-OF-BALANCE FRONT WHEEL. THIS PROBLEM, AN APPARENTLY SOMEWHAT WIDESPREAD OCCURRENCE AMONG DODGE TRUCKS, HAS BEEN WIDELY REPORTED AS THE "DEATH WOBBLE" THROUGHOUT THE PAST 8 YEARS OR SO. MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT IT HAD BEEN FIXED RECENTLY THROUGH SUSPENSION CHANGES BY CHRYSLER ENGINEERS, BUT OBVIOUSLY NOT. *TR