2008 DODGE RAM 2500 Electrical System Problems
16 NHTSA complaints on file
Electrical System Issues in the 2008 DODGE RAM 2500
16 electrical system complaints have been filed with NHTSA for the 2008 DODGE RAM 2500. Of these, 1 involved a crash, 3 involved a fire, and 0 resulted in injury.
16
Complaints
1
Crashes
3
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths
All Electrical System Complaints
driving down the highway at 70 mph and the drivers door came opened it was caused by a faulty door lock actuator
While driving the vehicle suddenly lost engine power and turned off. When this happened the steering column locked. It did not just loose power steering. The column itself entirely locked up. At this point the vehicle had no steering and limited breaking and went off the road. Thankfully it just went into a ditch and no damage was done. The vehicle turned right back on. The next day I recreated the problem on some friends property. I gave the keys in the ignition a small tug and the engine would stop and the steering column would lock. The ignition never rotated out of the on position and the key remained in the ignition. I recreated this probably 5 times and it did the same thing every time. I then brought it to the dealer but they didn't have the parts to repair it so I didn't have them look at...
THE BRAKE LIGHTS COME ON THEMSELVES WHEN THE TRUCK IS COMPLETELY OFF. IT'S INTERMITTENT HOWEVER IT DOES IT FREQUENTLY ENOUGH TO DRAIN THE BATTERY. THE ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON AS WELL HOWEVER IT DOES NOT PROVIDE A CODE TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE ISSUE.
BRAKE LIGHT AND TURN SIGNALS DO NOT WORK EVEN AFTER REPLACING BULBS, BULB SOCKETS AND MULTIFUNCTION TURN SIGNAL SWITCH
DEATH WOBBLES: I HAVE REPLACED UPPER AND LOWER BALL JOINTS WITH PROBLEM SOLVERS. REPLACED THE TIE RODS AND ENDS. REPLACED THE STABILIZER SHOCK, REPLACED THE TRACK BAR RUBBER BUSHINGS, REPLACED THE OTTER UNIVERSAL JOINTS ON THE AAM 9.50 14 BOLT ELECTRIC HUBS. NEW SHOCKS ALL AROUND. DROVE TO SALT LAKE CITY AND THE DEATH WOBBLES CAME BACK HAVE TO PULL OFF THE HWY AND COME TO A STOP WHILE IT IS SHAKING THE TRUCK APART. 15 TIMES FROM IDAHO.. THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY PROBLEM THE STEERING BOX HAS PROBLEMS AND IT IS NOT LISTED UNDER ANY RECALLS. NEW ALIGNMENT ALSO. NEW TRANSMISSION, AT 163,000 BOILED OVER ONTO THE TURBO, THE DIPSTICK NEVER FIT IN THE TUBE AND FLUID CAUSED THE TRUCK TO CATCH FIRE. 3 YEARS AGO.
WIPERS STOPPED WORKING WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY IN A SNOW STORM.
ELECTRICAL FIRE IN DASH. MY HUSBAND WAS DRIVING AND SMELT SOMETHING BURNING. AS HE WENT TO PULL OVER FLAMES STARTED SHOOTING OUT THE VENTS. TRUCK IS A TOTAL LOSS PER INSURANCE.
THE 08 DODGE RAM WAS DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD WHEN THE FUSE BOX UNDER THE HOOD CAUGHT FIRE CAUSING THE DODGE TO LOOSE ALL POWER. THE VEHICLE WAS ABLE TO MAKE IT SAFELTY TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD THANK GOODNESS AND GET ALL ITS PASSENGERS OUT. THE WINDOWS WOULD NOT ROLL UP NOR WOULD THE ENGINE START AFTERWARDS. THIS IS THE THIRD TIME THIS HAS HAPPENED,. BOTH OTHER TWO TIMES IT HAPPENED WHILE DRIVING AND WE PAID $1000 TO REPLACE THE FUSE BOX. IT HAPPENS ONCE EVERY YEAR. HIGHWAY AND INTERSTATE. MY HUSBAND TOOK THE FUSE BOX APART AND YOU CAN SEE WHERE IT CAUGHT FIRE. I FOUND THE FOLLOWING LINK OF OTHERS REPORTING THE PROBLEM TO THE NEWS WHICH MAY BE OUR PROBLEM. HTTP://KDVR.COM/2017/02/05/FIRE-UNDER-THE-HOOD-DEFECTIVE-HEAVY-DUTY-RAM-TRUCK-ALTERNATORS/
BOTH AXLE JOINTS BAD. ALL FOUR TIE RODS HAVE "PLAY" IN THEM. BALL JOINTS ARE WORN OUT. HAD RIGHT SIDE TIE ROD END POP OUT WHILE TRAVELING DOWN HIGHWAY. 2015 ROTORS ARE HEAT CRACKED. PRESENTLY HEADLIGHTS ARE BURNING OUT AFTER ONE MONTH REPLACEMENT. PRESENTLY CONTROL PANEL LED LIGHTS FOR HEATING ARE OUT. 2009
WHEN I TURN ON THE LEFT BLINKER,THE RIGHT ONE FLASHES ON MY TRUCK. THEN I TURN ON RIGHT BLINKER AND THE LEFT BLINKER FLASHES. ALSO THE WIPERS WILL SOMETIMES STOP OR SLOW DOWN WHEN I HAVE MY BLINKERS ON. THIS IS GONNA CAUSE AN ACCIDENT. THANK YOU *TR
THE AIR CONDITIONER/HEATER BLOWER IN MY TRUCK HAS BEEN WORKING INTERMITTENTLY, BUT GETTING WORSE TO THE POINT THAT IT RARELY WORKS NOW. I TOOK IT TO A SHOP A FEW WEEKS AGO, BUT THE SYSTEM HAPPENED TO WORK THAT DAY AND THEY COULD NOT FIND ANY ISSUES. HOWEVER, I DID SOME RESEARCH ON THE INTERNET AND THERE ARE MANY OTHER OWNERS HAVING THIS PROBLEM. THE CAUSE IS A FAULTY IGNITION SWITCH/WIRING HARNESS CONNECTOR WHICH ACTUALLY MELTS FROM THE HEAT CAUSED BY IMPROPER WIRE GAUGE/DESIGN. THIS INFORMATION CAN BE READILY FOUND ON DODGE TRUCK FORUMS BY DOING A GOOGLE SEARCH. THERE WAS A PREVIOUS RECALL FOR THIS ISSUE ON EARLIER MODEL YEARS (SAFETY RECALL #875 ACCORDING TO ONE SITE) BUT NONE THAT I COULD FIND FOR MY MODEL YEAR. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AS VISIBILITY COULD BE REDUCED BY FROST OR FOGGING OF THE WINDSHIELD SINCE THE WINDSHIELD DEFROSTER WILL...
TIPM (TOTAL INTEGRATED POWER MODULE) FAILED WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE. VEHICLE LOST ENGINE POWER, POWER STEERING, AND BRAKES. -TON TRUCKS ARE VERY HEAVY AND ARE NEAR IMPOSSIBLE TO TURN AND CONTROL WITHOUT POWER STEERING AND DO NOT STOP WITHOUT POWER BRAKES. I WAS ABLE TO MANEUVER VEHICLE TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD WITH MINIMAL DAMAGE TO THE BODY. I WAS LUCKY TO NOT CAUSE A BIGGER ACCIDENT AND LUCKY NOT TO INJURE MYSELF OR ANYBODY ELSE. THIS TIPM FAILURE IS VERY COMMON WITH DODGE VEHICLES AND I AM DISGUSTED HOW CHRYSLER-DODGE HAS CONDUCTED THEMSELVES IN REGARD TO RECALLS AND WARRANTY. HAD I BEEN TOWING A TRAILER ON THE HIGHWAY I WOULD HAVE CERTAINLY CAUSED AN ACCIDENT. I FEAR THIS TIPM FAILURE WILL RESULT IN LOSS OF LIFE IF IT HASN'T SO ALREADY.
THE HVAC BLEND DOORS WHERE THEY INTERFACE WITH THE ACTUATOR MOTOR ARE BROKEN. THE PLASTIC WAS TOO THIN FOR THE STRENGTH OF THE MOTOR AND SHEARED OFF. MY WINDSHIELD FROSTED UP VERY QUICKLY WITH THE HUMIDITY IN THE CABIN. *TR
TURN SIGNALS HAD BEEN OPERATING ERRATICALLY FOR ABOUT 10K MILES. MISTY DAY, TURNED WIPER SWITCH ON TO INTERMITTENT, NOTHING. MOVED SWITCH TO CONTINUOUS, NOTHING. PUSHED WASHER BUTTON, NOTHING. HAD 'SMART SWITCH' CHANGED. WIPERS AND WASHERS WORKED IMMEDIATELY AFTER DELIVERY. LESS THAN 1 WEEK AND LESS THAN 1,000 MILES LATER, NO WIPERS. ORIGINAL AND REPLACEMENT SWITCHES WERE OE PARTS. CAN LIVE WITHOUT THE TURN SIGNALS. DANGEROUS TO OPERATE IN ANYTHING BUT SUNNY DAYS WITHOUT WIPERS AND WASHERS. *TR
I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY AND ABOUT 10PM IT WAS RAINING HAD WIPERS ON IN MEDIUM SPEED WIPERS KEPT STOPPING. HAD A LOT OF CARS PASSING BY ME ON COMING LANE AND THEY WOULD FLASH THEIR LIGHTS TO ME TO INDICATE MY LIGHT WAS OFF BUT THE SWITCH IS TURN ON IN LOW BEAM POSITION. HAD SOME FRIENDS FOLLOWING ME THAT DAY AS WELL AND THEY TOLD ME THAT MY BRAKE LIGHT WAS NOT WORKING NOR MY LIGHTS.. THE FOLLOWING WEDNESDAY WHICH WOULD BE JULY 25 2012 I TOOK MY TRUCK TO THE DEALERSHIP I BOUGHT FROM ,BUT ALL THE LIGHTS WORK EXCEPT FOR THE CARGO LIGHT AND THE LOW WINDSHIELD WIPER WARNING KEPT COMING ON.. THE TRUCK HAS BEEN IN THERE FOR A WEEK NOW AND ON WEDNESDAY AUGUST 1 2012 I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP TO SEE WHAT IS WRONG WITH MY TRUCK AND THE SAID THE TIPM...
I PURCHASED A NEW DODGE RAM 2500 PICK-UP IN MARCH 2008. WITHIN 5 WEEKS, VEHICLE STARTED OPERATING POORLY. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WOULD COME ON, TRUCK WOULD LOSE POWER, HEAVY BLACK SMOKE FROM EXHAUST. TRUCK WAS BROUGHT BACK TO DEALERSHIP EIGHT TIMES IN FIRST SIX MONTHS. DODGE STATED THEY COULD FIND NO PROBLEMS WITH VEHICLE. PROBLEMS CONTINUES AND ESCALATED. TRUCK CONTINUES TO OPERATE ERRATICALLY. IT HAS COME TO THE POINT THE VEHICLE LOSES ALL POWER AND JUST SHUTS DOWN WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY. THIS HAS OCCURRED SIX TIMES BETWEEN NOVEMBER 2009 AND DECEMBER 2010. THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE! THE TRUCK HAS LOST POWER AND STOPPED ON THE IHA AND I NARROWLY MISSED BEING HIT BY TRACTOR TRAILERS. DODGE STILL REFUSED TO TAKE THIS VEHICLE BACK OR EVEN ACKNOWLEDGE THERE IS A SERIOUS SAFETY PROBLEM!! NEED YOUR HELP TO GET DODGE TO DO SOMETHING TO INVESTIGATE AND CORRECT PROBLEM...
Other 2008 DODGE RAM 2500 Problem Areas
Steering
161 complaints
Suspension
37 complaints
Air Bags
29 complaints
Engine
16 complaints
Power Train
16 complaints
Steeringlinkagestie Rod Assembly
16 complaints
Suspensionfront
10 complaints
Unknown Or Other
10 complaints
Engine And Engine Coolingexhaust System
9 complaints
Vehicle Speed Control
9 complaints
Visibilitywiper
9 complaints
Engine And Engine Cooling
6 complaints
Engine And Engine Coolingenginediesel
6 complaints
Wheels
5 complaints
Exterior Lighting
4 complaints
Fuel System Diesel
4 complaints
Seat Belts
4 complaints
Tires
4 complaints
Engine And Engine Coolingengine
3 complaints
Fuelpropulsion System
3 complaints
Service Brakes
3 complaints
Visibility
3 complaints
Structurebody
2 complaints
Visibilitydefrosterdefoggerhvac System
2 complaints
Air Bagsfrontal
1 complaint
Electrical Systemwiringfuses And Circuit Breakers
1 complaint
Electronic Stability Control Esc
1 complaint
Equipment
1 complaint
Parking Brake
1 complaint
Power Trainautomatic Transmission
1 complaint
Power Traindriveline
1 complaint
Power Traindrivelineuniversal Joint
1 complaint
Power Trainmanual Transmission
1 complaint
Seats
1 complaint
Service Brakes Hydraulic
1 complaint
Steeringgear Box Other Than Rack And Pinion
1 complaint
Structure
1 complaint
Structureframe And Members
1 complaint
Suspensionfrontcontrol Armlower Ball Joint
1 complaint
Suspensionfrontwheel Bearing
1 complaint
Visibilitydefrosterdefoggerhvac Systemair Handlerchamber Ducts And Valves
1 complaint
Visibilitywindshield Wiperwashermotor
1 complaint