NHTSA Complaint #11350134 — 2013 RAM 3500

MY VEHICLE EXPERIENCES A PHENOMENON COMMONLY KNOWN AS 'DEATH WOBBLE'. (GOOGLE '2013 DODGE RAM 3500 DEATH WOBBLE' TO VIEW VIDEOS OF THIS ISSUE). WHEN DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEED AND ENCOUNTERING A CERTAIN CURVE RADIUS COMBINED WITH A BUMP OR DEFECT IN THE ROADWAY SURFACE, THE FRONT SUSPENSION BEGINS VIOLENTLY VIBRATING. THE STEERING WHEEL SHAKES VIOLENTLY AND THIS VIBRATION CANNOT BE STOPPED BY HOLDING THE WHEEL. APPLYING THE BRAKES TRANSMITS THE VIBRATION TO THE BRAKE PEDAL. THE ONLY REMEDY IS TO ALLOW THE VEHICLE TO SLOW DOWN BY REMOVING ANY INPUT TO THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. WHEN THE VEHICLE SPEED DROPS TO BELOW APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH, THE VIBRATION CEASES. THIS HAS HAPPENED TO ME NUMEROUS TIMES AND MAKES ME FEEL AS IF I COULD LOSE CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. IF THIS WERE TO OCCUR ON A WET OR SNOW COVERED ROADWAY, I THINK THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD MOST LIKELY SPIN OUT OF CONTROL. I HAVE BROUGHT MY VEHICLE IN TO TWO DIFFERENT DODGE DEALERS TO COMPLAIN ABOUT THIS ISSUE. THEY SAID THAT THEY WERE 'UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE ISSUE'. THIS IS NOT SURPRISING SINCE IT REQUIRES A VERY SPECIFIC COMBINATION OF VEHICLE SPEED, STEERING ANGLE, AND BUMP OR OTHER INPUT TO THE SUSPENSION SYSTEM. MY VEHICLE WAS UNDER WARRANTY COVERAGE WHEN I COMPLAINED OF THIS ISSUE TO THE DEALERS. MY VEHICLE IS NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY COVERAGE BUT THE VEHICLE STILL HAS THIS ISSUE. THE DEALERS TELL ME I HAVE TO TAKE IT UP WITH DODGE TO TRY AND GET THEM TO COVER THIS. NOT SURPRISINGLY, DODGE TELLS ME I HAVE TO TAKE IT UP WITH THE DEALERS.