NHTSA Complaint #10525933 — 2007 DODGE RAM 2500

FIRST INCIDENT OCCURRED WHILE TRAVELING SOUTH ON I15 WHILE TOWING A 28 FOOT TRAVEL TRAILER, WITH MY WIFE AND CHILDREN, THAT I HAD PULLED SEVERAL TIMES PREVIOUSLY WITH NO ISSUES. WE DROVE OVER A ROUGH PATCH OF THE INTERSTATE, AND THE TRUCK BEGAN TO SHAKE VIOLENTLY. THINKING THAT THE TRAILER LOST A TIRE, I FOUGHT THE STEERING TO GET THE TRUCK TO THE SHOULDER. ONCE STOPPED, I WENT IMMEDIATELY TO THE TRAILER AND FOUND NO PROBLEMS, I THEN CRAWLED UNDER THE TRUCK AND FOUND NO PROBLEMS. WE CONTINUED ON OUR WAY, NOT KNOWING WHAT HAPPENED, AND DIDN'T HAVE ANOTHER OCCURRENCE FOR AWHILE. ANOTHER OCCURRENCE HAPPENED ON I84 WHILE TRAVELING WEST BETWEEN BLISS AND MOUNTAIN HOME, WITH MY TWO CHILDREN IN THE CAR, AGAIN TRAVELING THE SPEED LIMIT, AND AS THE TRUCK CROSSED AN EXPANSION JOINT. AT THAT TIME, OTHER THAN THE VIOLENT STEERING SHAKE, IT FELT LIKE THE TRUCK WAS BUCKING, LIKE THE REAR TIRES WERE COMING OFF THE GROUND. IT HAS HAPPENED ONCE OR TWICE SINCE THEN, SAME SCENARIO, FREEWAY EXPANSION JOINTS CAUSE THE SHAKE TO START, PULLING OVER AND SLOWING DOWN TO 20-30 MPH GETS IT TO STOP. I HAD RESEARCHED THE PROBLEM ONLINE AND FOUND IT WAS A FAIRLY COMMON PROBLEM, THAT DODGE WON'T TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR. I TOOK THE TRUCK TO THE DEALER I PURCHASED THE TRUCK FROM AND ASKED THEM TO CHECK IT OUT BEFORE THE WARRANTY RAN OUT. THEY TOLD ME THERE WASN'T ANYTHING WRONG, BUT THEY COULD INSTALL "UPGRADED" STEERING COMPONENTS FOR $1000. I THEN EMAILED DODGE, WITH NO RESOLVE. NOW, ON JULY 12TH, 2013, WHILE TRAVELING EAST WITH THREE FRIENDS, ON EITHER I86 OR I15 TOWARDS JACKSON, WY, THE SHAKE OCCURRED 3 TIMES IN AN HOUR! NEEDLESS TO SAY, WE ALL LOST CONFIDENCE IN THE SAFETY OF THE TRUCK FOR THE REST OF THE TRIP. EACH TIME IN OCCURRED, IT WAS A ROUGH SPOT, OR TRANSITION ON THE FREEWAY. EVERY BUMP WE ALL HELD OUR BREATH, THE TRIP HOME, WE WENT A DIFFERENT WAY TO AVOID AS MUCH FREEWAY AS POSSIBLE. *TR