NHTSA Complaint #10692745 — 2007 DODGE RAM 2500

REFERENCE THE BELOW COMPLAINT, AND OTHERS: DATE COMPLAINT FILED: 03/02/2015 COMPONENT(S): POWER TRAIN , SUSPENSION DATE OF INCIDENT: 10/01/2014 NHTSA ID NUMBER: 10691476 DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 50 MPH ON WINDING TWO LANE COUNTRY ROAD, WHILE EXECUTING CURVE TO RIGHT, AFTER PASSING OVER A SLIGHT BUMP IN THE ROAD, FRONT SUSPENSION ENTERED WHAT IS COMMONLY CALLED A " DEATH WOBBLE". STEERING QUICKLY BECAME INEFFECTIVE, BRAKING WAS DIMINISHED DUE TO LOSS OF FIRM CONTACT BETWEEN FRONT TIRES AND ROAD SURFACE. WOBBLE IS REGENERATIVE IN THAT IT CONTINUES TO GET WORSE UNTIL VEHICLE SPEED IS REDUCED TO 15-20 MPH. I WAS UNABLE TO PRECISELY CONTROL DIRECTION OF TRAVEL, CROSSING INTO ONCOMING LANE BEFORE REDUCING SPEED ENOUGH TO REGAIN CONTROL. VEHICLE SHAKES SO BAD AS TO DISLODGE ITEMS FROM THE DASH AND CONSOLE POCKETS. THIS EVENT REPEATED SEVERAL TIMES AT A PARTICULAR SPOT ON MY WAY TO WORK, WHERE THERE WAS AN IRREGULARITY IN THE ROADWAY ON A STRAIGHT SECTION OF PAVED TWO LANE ROAD. BEHAVIOR WAS THE SAME AS DESCRIBED ABOVE. THE LAST EVEN WAS WHILE PULLING A TWENTY TWO FOOT TRAILER ON A MAJOR INTERSTATE, WHILE NEGOTIATING A RIGHT HAND CURVE ON A DOWN HILL MERGE LANE AT FREEWAY SPEED OF APPROXIMATELY 60-65 MPH. AGAIN I WAS UNABLE TO MAINTAIN MY LANE OF TRAVEL AND A CRASH WOULD HAVE RESULTED IF ANY OTHER TRAFFIC HAD BEEN NEAR ME! DEFINITELY A SAFETY ISSUE! LOCAL DEALERSHIP ASSURED ME A NEW STEERING DAMPER WOULD CURE THE PROBLEM. (IT DIDN'T) I EVENTUALLY FIXED THE PROBLEM MYSELF BY RESEARCHING WHAT OTHER OWNERS HAD DONE ONLINE (THERE IS A LOT OF INFO ON THIS ISSUE!), AND REPLACING THE PITMAN ARM, DRAG LINK, TIERED, AND ADDING A STEERING SHAFT STIFFENING BRACE. THE DRAG LINK, TIERED AND TIERED ENDS WERE A MOPAR PART KIT. MUCH HEAVIER CONSTRUCTION THAN THE ORIGINAL PART. RESPONSE TO A KNOWN ISSUE? THIS ISSUE MAKES THE TRUCK NEARLY UN DRIVABLE. *TR