NHTSA Complaint #752375 — 1995 DODGE RAM

DODGE RAM TRUCKS HAVE A KNOWN HISTORY OF "SELF SUSTAINING VIBRATION" OR "SHIMMY" AFTER STRIKING A SMALL BUMP, OR OFFSET IN THE ROAD. SEE DODGE TSB 19-05-96 AND OTHER STEERING RELATED ISSUES. WE HAVE HAD OUR VEHICLE WORKED ON TWICE DUE TO EXTREMELY VIOLENT SHIMMYING THAT HAS NEARLY CAUSED COMPLETE LOSS OF CONTROL OF THE TRUCK ON 6 SEPERATE OCCASSIONS. ONLY BY INCREDIBLE LUCK AND SKILL HAS THERE NOT BEEN SERIOUS ACCIDENTS AND FATALITIES. THE TSB I JUST REFERENCED SUGGESTS THAT THE SERVICE PERSONNEL "TEST DRIVE THE VEHICLE OVER A ROAD THAT DUPLICATES THE CUSTOMER COMPLAINT AND IF SHIMMYING IS FELT PERFORM ..." THIS IS WOEFULLY INADEQUATE IN THAT THIS PROBLEM CAN NOT BE REPLICATED BY SUCH A PROCEDURE. THE FACT REMAINS THAT ONE CAN DRIVE HUNDREDS IF NOT THOUSANDS OF MILES OVER THE SAME ROAD AND THE PROBLEM WILL NOT REPRODUCIBLY APPEAR. BUT, WITH ABSOLUTELY NO NOTICE, AND AT RANDOM, THE VIOLENT SELF SUSTAINING AND PROPAGATING SHAKING WILL SUDDENLY OCCUR AND ONE WILL NEARLY WRECK. DURING THE LAST SUCH EPISODE WHICH OCCURRED LAST WEEK, THE VIOLENT SHAKING WAS SO GREAT THAT A 140 POUND CARDBOARD BOX ABOUT 18 INCHES HIGH WAS NEARLY THROWN OUT OVER THE SIDE OF THE TRUCK. THIS INCIDENT OCCURED AT A SPEED OF ABOUT 65 MILES PER HOUR ON A CURVE ON THE INTERSTATE WHEN THE FRONT TIRE OF THE TRUCK HIT A HOLE IN THE ROAD THAT WAS ABOUT 4 INCHES WIDE, 1 FOOT LONG, AND MAYBE AN INCH DEEP. IN OTHER WORDS, THE BUMP WAS NOTHING. FORTUNATELY I WAS IN THE MIDDLE LANE ON THE INTERSTATE AND ALL OF THE OTHER CARS AROUND ME HIT THEIR BREAKS WHEN THEY SAW THE TRUCK BOUNCING AND LEAPING DOWN THE ROAD. TO FURTHER COMPLICATE THINGS THE VIOLENT BOUNCING ONLY GETS WORSE WHEN YOU APPLY THE BRAKES. THE ONLY QUICK WAY TO RESTORE CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE IS TO VIOLENTLY JERK THE STEERING WHEEL BACK AND FORTH, UNFORTUNATELY THIS REQUIRES BOTH LANES OF THE ROAD AND THE EMERGENCY LANES. THERE DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE AN ADEQUATE "FIX" TO THIS PROBLEM FROM DODGE.*AK