NHTSA Complaint #10545993 — 2012 DODGE RAM 5500

THE RAM 5500 TENDS TO WANDER OVER UNDULATING OR IRREGULAR SURFACE ROADS REQUIRING A HIGH LEVEL OF VIGILANCE TO REMAIN IN ONE'S LANE. THE STEERING ALSO HAS A HIGHER THAN NORMAL STICTION LEVEL IN THAT IT IS HARDER THAN NORMAL TO TURN ENTERING A CORNER AND THEN FAILS TO READILY RETURN TO CENTER WHEN EXITING A CORNER. IN ADDITION, THERE SEEMS TO BE AND UNUSUAL AMOUNT OF PLAY IN THE STEERING FOR A NEW VEHICLE. I HAVE TAKEN THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER ON THREE OCCASIONS, HOWEVER, THEY HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO CORRECT THE PROBLEMS. THE DEALER FOUND, DURING A SUBSEQUENT ALIGNMENT CHECK, THAT THE FRONT AXLE WHEEL CASTER ANGLES WHERE OUT OF THE MANUFACTURERS LIMITS. THE LEFT WAS AT 4.8 DEGREES (SPEC 6.0-7.0 DEGREES) AND THE RIGHT AT 5.1 DEGREES ( SPEC 6.5-7.5 DEGREES), HOWEVER, THE CASTER ANGLE IS NOT ADJUSTABLE IN THE FIELD BY THE DEALER. THE FRONT AXLE IS CURRENTLY ON RECALL FOR ANOTHER ISSUE, THAT BEING THE WELDS ON THE DIFFERENTIAL, HOWEVER, THE TWO ISSUES ARE NOT DIRECTLY RELATED. CASTER ANGLE IS IMPORTANT IN THAT IT PROVIDES DYNAMIC STABILITY, AIDING IN THE STRAIGHT LINE TRACKING OF THE VEHICLE. CHRYSLER RECOGNIZED THAT THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE STEERING ON THE 2012 RAM HEAVY DUTY VEHICLES AND MADE A NUMBER OF CHANGES TO THE 2013 MODELS WHICH INCLUDED INCREASING THE CASTER ANGLES AND RELOCATING THE TRACK BAR OVER THE DRAG LINK. MY CONCERN IS THAT THIS ISSUE IS NOT ISOLATED TO MY VEHICLE, BUT IS FLEET WIDE, AND THAT THE AXLE/STEERING PROBLEMS ARE MORE EXTENSIVE THAN JUST THE WELDS ON THE FRONT CARRIER FITTINGS. AT THE PRESENT TIME CHRYSLER DOES NOT HAVE SUFFICIENT AXLES TO COMPLY WITH THE CURRENT RECALL WHICH WAS INITIATED IN JULY 2013. TO DATE THE DEFICIENCIES ON MY VEHICLE HAVE NOT BEEN CORRECTED. *TR