2003 DODGE RAM 1500 Power Train Problems

WHILE PULLING OUT INTO BUSY TRAFFIC MY TRUCK LOST POWER AND I HAD NO ACCELERATION. AFTER ABOUT 30 SECONDS THE VEHICLE KICKED BACK IN AND TOOK OFF. THIS HAS OCCURRED MULTIPLE TIMES, AT RANDOM, WITH NO WARNING. I HAVE HAD IT IN THE SHOP AND REPAIRED THE THROTTLE POSITIONING SENSOR, AND TREATED IT FOR WATER IN THE GAS. NEITHER ONE OF THESE SOLVED THE PROBLEMS, AND THEY HAVE NO ANSWERS FOR WHAT ELSE MAY BE WRONG. THIS IS A DANGEROUS SITUATION THAT IS NOT UNIQUE TO MY VEHICLE. I HAVE READ MANY OTHER CASES ONLINE FOR THE SAME PROBLEM. I DO HOPE THAT DODGE ISSUES A RECALL AND FINDS A REMEDY BEFORE SOMEONE IS SERIOUSLY INJURED OR KILLED. *TR

I WAS DRIVING THE TRUCK AT APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH WHEN SUDDENLY THEIR WAS A LOUD BANG AND THE REAR WHEELS COMPLETELY LOCKED UP. THIS CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO SKID ABOUT 60 FEET BEFORE COMING TO A STOP IN THE RIGHT LANE OF TRAFFIC. UPON EXAMINATION, IT APPEARED THAT THE REAR DIFFERENTIAL HAD LOCKED UP, CAUSING THE DRIVE SHAFT TO SEPARATE FROM THE REAR DIFFERENTIAL. I WAS SITTING IN THE RIGHT LANE OF TRAFFIC, UNABLE TO MOVE THE TRUCK FROM THE ROAD WAY. WE HAD TO DIRECT TRAFFIC UNTIL THE TOW TRUCK ARRIVED. FORTUNATELY NO ONE WAS INJURED. TOTAL REPAIR BILL TO REPLACE THE FAULTY REAR DIFFERENTIAL: $2,681.31. *TR

WAS DRIVING OUR VEHICLE 2003 DODGE RAM 1500 P/U IN NORMAL CONDITIONS, SUDDENLY THERE WAS A WHINING NOISE FROM THE REAR END AND A LOT OF DRAG. SHORTLY AFTER A LOUD THUD, THE DRIVELINE HAD DISCONNECTED FROM THE REAR DIFFERENTIAL. THE REPAIR SHOP SAID THE DIFFERENTIAL HAD SEIZED, MOST PROBABLY DUE TO A BAD PINION BEARING. AFTER CONDUCTING RESEARCH, BOTH BY MYSELF AND THE SHOP OWNER, WE BOTH HAVE FOUND THAT IT IS A DEFECT COMMON TO DODGE, AS EVEN ACKNOWLEDGED BY THE LOCAL DEALERSHIP AND THAT IT IS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT AND/OR EXPENSIVE TO LOCATE REPLACEMENT PARTS FOR THE PROBLEM. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS 2003 DODGE RAM 1500 QUAD ST (NA). WHILE DRIVING AT AN UNKNOWN SPEED, THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE REAR END OF THE VEHICLE LOCKED UP, CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO COME TO A STOP WITHOUT WARNING. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE INFORMED AND THEY BOTH STATED THAT THERE WAS NO WARRANTY ON THE VEHICLE AND THAT THE REAR END NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WAS APPROXIMATELY 100,000.

DRIVING ON HIGHWAY IN 2004 & 2008, ENGINE QUIT RUNNING(DODGE CALLS IT A STALL). DODGE TROUBLE SHOOTING DATABASE DOES NOT INCLUDE THIS PROBLEM. OTHER INDEPENDENT DATA BASES POINT TO LOSS OF CRANKSHAFT OR CAMSHAFT PULSE. THERE ARE NO CODES FOR THIS EVENT, THEREFORE NO CORRECTIVE ACTION WAS TAKEN AFTER SEVERAL SCANS AT DEALERS. SAFETY HAZARD: POSSIBLE MULTIPLE REAR END COLLISIONS AND POSSIBLE FIRES. REF. DOT / NHTSA VEHICLE OWNER'S QUESTIONNAIRE NO. 10251962. *TR

HYDRAULIC CLUTCH WENT OUT, UNABLE TO SHIFT GEARS (STANDARD TRANS) ODOM UNDER 60,000 COULD CAUSE CRASH DUE TO LOW SPEED. AND INABILITY TO SAFELY STOP VEHICLE. *TR

2003 DODGE RAM 1500 LARAMIE (5.7L HEMI). VEHICLE PASSED WARRANTY, BEGAN TO HEAR A LOW HUM UPON ACCELERATION AND DECELERATION. HUM/WHINING NOISE BECAME INCREASINGLY WORSE, LED TO CATASTROPHIC FAILURE OF THE REAR END. DODGE ENGINEERS HAVE DETERMINED THAT THE REAR END IN THE 2003 DODGE RAM 1500 - 3500 TRUCK HAS AN ENGINEERING FLAW WHICH CAUSES THE "C" PINS IN THE REAR END TO BREAK OFF AND DESTROY THE REAR END. THIS DAMAGE HAS CAUSE SOME OF THESE VEHICLES REAR ENDS TO SEIZE UP AND OTHER TO LITERALLY SHEAR OFF THE REAR WHEELS. REPAIR CONSISTS OF TOTAL REPLACEMENT OF THE REAR END IN THESE VEHICLES. ALTHOUGH THERE HAVE BEEN NUMEROUS INJURIES AND WRECKS DUE TO THIS FAILURE AND BECAUSE DODGE DOES NOT RECOGNIZE THIS AS A MAJOR PROBLEM, THERE HAS NEVER BEEN A RECALL ON ANY OF THESE VEHICLES TO CORRECT THE DEFICIENCY. DEALERSHIPS WILL NOT HONOR WARRANTY, OR ACCEPT...

03 DODGE RAM 1500 WAS IN FOR SERVICE, MECHANIC FOUND CLIP BROKEN IN REAR END. SERVICE ADVISER SAID THE BROKEN CLIP WAS PROBLEM SEEN MANY TIMES, I WAS GLAD IT WAS FOUND AT THIS TIME, REAR END COULD HAVE LOCKED UP AT HIGH SPEED AND CAUSED A ACCIDENT. REAR END WAS REPLACED WITH 70,000 MILE WARRANTY FOR $100.00. I HAVE TALKED TO PEOPLE THAT HAD THIS PROBLEM MORE THAN ONCE. THE DEALER REPLACES THE REAR END WITH THE SAME DEFECTIVE PARTS. THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL BEFORE SOMEONE GETS HURT OR KILLED. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 DODGE RAM 1500. THE VEHICLE WOULD IMMEDIATELY STALL AND RESTART WHEN IT WAS INITIALLY STARTED. WHILE DRIVING AT AN UNKNOWN SPEED ON THE HIGHWAY, THE VEHICLE WOULD ALSO STALL WITHOUT WARNING TO THE POINT THAT THE CONTACT WOULD BE UNAWARE THAT THE VEHICLE HAD SHUT OFF. THE DEALER REPLACED SEVERAL SENSORS; HOWEVER, THE FAILURE STILL PERSISTS. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 68,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 120,000.

THE 9.25 LSD REAR END ON MY 2003 DODGE RAM 1500 HAS KEEPER SPRINGS THAT ARE NOTORIOUS FOR FAILING AND DAMAGING THE REAR END. THE DEALER IS REPLACING IT BUT WITH THE SAME PARTS. SO IN ALL LIKELIHOOD IT WILL FAIL AGAIN. THERE ARE PAGES AND PAGES OF PEOPLE WITH THIS SAME PROBLEM GOING BACK TO AT LEAST 2001 YEAR VEHICLES. *TR

2003 DODGE RAM 1500 QUAD CAB-LSD CLIP/DIFFERENTIAL/ REAR AXLE ASSEMBLY FAILURE. CLIPS FELL OUT TWICE WITH REBUILD TWICE IN WARRANTY. FIRST INCIDENT AROUND 12000 MILES. CURRENTLY AT 96000 MILES. BOTH TIMES AT HIGHWAY SPEED WITH ACCOMPANYING BANG AND JOLT. CLIP RUNS UP IN RING AND PINION, DAMAGING SAME ALONG WITH BEARINGS/RACES/HOUSING. NOISE FOLLOWED BY FAILURE EACH TIME. CURRENTLY OUT OF WARRANTY, MAKING NOISE, AND FOUND PARTIAL CLIP ON DIFFERENTIAL MAGNET DURING OIL CHANGE. FAILURE IMMINENT SOON. REAR AXLE ASSEMBLY NOW REQUIRES THIRD COMPLETE REBUILD. THE TRUCK IS USED IN A LIGHT DUTY MANNER GENERALLY HAULING PEOPLE AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. THIS IS AN INFERIOR PART/ASSEMBLY AND HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO REMEDY THROUGH DAIMLER CHRYSLER. THIS PROBLEM IS EXPERIENCED EVENTUALLY WITH ALL RAM 1500 OWNERS THAT HAVE A LIMITED SLIP DIFFERENTIAL IN THE REAR AXLE ASSEMBLY. *NM

I HAVE A 2003 DODGE RAM 1500 SERIES, 4.7 LITRE ENGINE AND AM EXPERIENCING A STALL OUT PROBLEM WHEN I GO TO TURN A CORNER . THIS HAS HAPPENED TO ME SEVERAL TIME. IT'S A VERY DANGEROUS AND SCARY SITUATION TO LOSE COMPLETE POWER, STEERING AND BRAKING POWER. THANK GOD THIS HAS NEVER HAPPENED AT AN INTERSECTION OR I MIGHT NOT BE TYPING THIS COMPLAINT TOO YOU AT THIS TIME. I THOUGHT I WAS CRAZY UNTIL MY HUSBAND SHOWED ME AN ARTICLE FROM THE TOLEDO BLADE ON MAY 21, 2005 IN REGARDS TOO THE GOVERNMENT INVESTIGATING THIS SAME PROBLEM WITH THE 2004 AND 2005 DODGE RAMS. SINCERELY, [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR