Owner-reported complaints naming the suspension system, filed with NHTSA
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Reports naming suspension components — springs, struts, shocks, control arms and related hardware. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 1996 Dodge Ram submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 50 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
The 25 most recent of 50, in the owner's own words
WHEN REPLACING BALL JOINTS ON FRONT END, REPLACTMENT BALL JOINTS MAY NOT FIT PROPERLY IN UPPER OR LOWER CONTROL ARMS, PARTS DEPARTMENT TOLD ME TO WELD THE BALL JOINT TO THE CONTROL ARMS.
WHEN DRIVING AT ANY SPEED AND APPLYING THE BRAKE OR HITTING A BUMP IN THE ROAD, CONSUMER FEELS LIKE SHE IS LOOSING CONTROL. VEHICLE NOT TAKEN TO DEALER YET.*AK
WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE KEPT PULLING TO THE RIGHT. OWNER STOPPED VEHICLE AND CHECKED IT. NOTICED CRACKS ON DRIVER'S SIDE, SHOCK TOWER MOUNTS WERE CRACKING AND GETTING WORSE. PASSENGER'S SIDE WAS ALSO CRACKING. TOWER MOUNTS WERE SEPARATING FROM FRAME. CONTACTED DEALER WHO INFORMED CONSUMER THAT THIS VEHICLE WAS NOT ON RECALL. VEHICLE BEING REPAIRED. *AK
WHILE DRIVING, COULD HEAR NOISE COMING FROM REAR OF VEHICLE WICH SOUNDED LIKE SUSPENSION WAS OUT OF PLACE. HAD TAKEN VEHICLE TO DEALER, AND THEY HAD TO REPLACE REAR PINION BEARING ON DIFFERENTIAL. PLEASE PROVIDE MORE INFORMATINON.*AK
IN AUGUST OF 1999 WITH APPROXIMATELY 70,000 MILES ON ODOMETER WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH, THERE WAS A VIBRATION, AND THE DRIVER LOST ALL STEERING CONTROL BEFORE CRASHING INTO A DITCH. DEALERSHIP EXAMINED VEHICLE AND REPLACED STEERING GEAR BOX TO REMEDY THE PROBLEM. SINCE REPLACEMENT OF ORIGINAL STEERING GEAR BOX, VEHICLE WANDERS ALL OVER THE ROAD DURING NORMAL OPERATION. STEERING GEAR BOX HAS TO BE REPLACED AGAIN BY AN INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP. *AK *YH
REAR AXLE SEALS LEAKING AND TRANSFER CASE LEAKING. NLM
UNDER NORMAL OPERATING CONDITIONS WHEN TRAVELING AROUND 50 TO 60 MPH AND HITTING A BUMP, FRONT END WILL VIBRATE VIOLENTLY. CONSUMER MUST STOP VEHICLE IN ORDER TO GET VIBRATION TO GO AWAY. DEALERSHIP HAS EXAMINED VEHICLE TWICE: DURING FIRST INCIDENT DEALERSHIP REPLACED TRACK BAR, AND AT SECOND INCIDENT, DEALERSHIP COULD NOT DETERMINE CAUSE. *AK THE STEERING DAMPER HAS BEEN REPLACED AND CONSUMER HOPES THAT THIS SOLVES THE PROBLEM. *SLC
WAS DRIVING HOME WHEN VEHICLE STARTED TO SLOW DOWN, APPLIED MORE GAS, BUT VEHICLE WAS NOT GOING ANYWHERE. MOTOR WOULD REV UP. MANAGED TO GET VEHICLE TO SIDE OF ROAD. PLACED VEHICLE IN PARK AND WAS GETTING OUT WHEN VEHICLE ALMOST RAN OVER DRIVER. VEHICLE DID NOT HAVE PARK/DRIVE OR REVERSE. VEHICLE WAS TOWED. WAS INFORMED, IT HAD NO REAR END. *AK
THERE IS A SERVICE BULLETIN NUMBER 020496, SEQUENCE NUMBER 49, DATE OF BULLETIN 9606, NHTSA ITEM NUMBER SB047743 OUT ON THIS PROBLEM OF THE SUSPENSION;INDEPENDENT FRONT CONTROL ARM; BALL JOINTS BEING RUSTED AND NEEDING REPLACEMENT. THE DODGE PEOPLE TOLD ME IT WILL COST ME $880 TO FIX AND THE TRUCK ONLY HAS 26,000 MILES ON IT. IT IS A DEFECT THAT NEEDS TO BE RECALLED. THANK YOU.
DRIVING AT 15 MPH OR MORE FRONT END WILL SHAKE UNCONTROLLABLY CAUSING A LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL. CONSUMER REPLACED TIRES, BUT DEFECT STILL OCCURS. *AK
THE THROTTLE CABLE UNRAVELED, FRONT DIFFERENTIAL SEALS LEAK OIL, TRANSMISSION PLASTIC CONNECTIONS LEAKED, AND AN ALIGNMENT NEEDED T OFFSET BUSHING. *AK
I HAVE HAD THIS DODGE INTO THE DODGE DEALERSHIP MANY TIMES EXPLAINING THAT THE PICKUP PULLS TO THE RIGHT OR PULLS TO THE LEFT. THEY SAID ON EACH TIME THEY HAVE INSTALLED SPACERS TO CORRECT IT BUT IT IS STILL NOT CORRECTED. I AM IN NEED OF GETTING THIS RESOLVED. *AK
WHILE DRIVING 60 MPH FRONT END VIBRATES OR SHAKES, CAUSING THE WHEEL TO FEEL LIKE A WAVE IN WHICH THE OCCUPANT MAY LOSE CONTROL WHICH COULD RESULT IN A CRASH. MANUFACTURER IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM, BUT CONSUMER HAS TO PAY FOR REPAIRS. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK
INTERMITTENTLY VEHICLE WOULD SHAKE/ WOBBLE WHILE DRIVING AT APPROX. 40 OR MORE MPH ONCE IT STARTED IT CONTINUED UNTIL SPEED COME DOWN TO 25 MPH. VEHICLE BEEN IN / OUT OF REPAIR SHOP ON FOUR OCCASIONS, AND CONDITION REMAINED UNRESOLVED. MANUFACTURER NOTIFIED AND INFORMED CONSUMER THAT A CORRECTION CAN BE MADE. BUT, THE COST WOULD BE AT CONSUMER'S EXPENSE. CAN NHTSA PROVIDE INFORMATION CONCERNING THIS MATTER. *AK
WHILE DRIVING BELOW 45 MPH OR ABOVE THE FRONT END OF THE VEHICLE SEVERELY SHAKES AS IF THE TIRES WERE BOUNCING OFF THE GROUND. DEALER REPLACED THE TRACK BAR AND STEERING STABLIZER. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK
REAR AXLE BROKE/FELL APART CAUSING VEHICLE TO COLLAPSE AND DAMAGE UNDERCARRIAGE. (OHIO TRAFFIC CRASH REPORT). MJS
AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, VEHICLE HAS VIBRATION. FEELS LIKE TIRE SLIGHTLY OUT OF BALANCE, BUT TIRES HAVE BEEN BALANCED REPEATEDLY, WHEELS HAVE BEEN CHECKED FOR TRUE, AND TIRES HAVE BEEN CHECKED FOR OUT OF ROUND. DEALER STATED THAT STOCK GOODYEAR TIRES "ARE KNOWN FOR HAVING A ROUGH RIDE" BUT ARE NOT COVERED BY WARRANTY BECAUSE THEY ARE "WEAR ITEMS". DEALER SUGGESTED REPLACING WHEELS AND TIRES, BOTH OF WHICH WERE DONE, BUT NOT AT DEALER; PROBLEM WAS NOT RESOLVED AND COST NEARLY $2000. VIBRATION IS SIGNIFICANT ENOUGH THAT FRONT PASSENGER SEAT CAN BE SEEN VIBRATING. THIS IS MORE OF A NUISANCE THAN A SAFETY HAZARD, BUT CAN MAKE FOR AN UNCOMFORTABLE RIDE. DEALER'S COMMENT HAS BEEN THAT "THAT'S THE WAY A TRUCK RIDES," AND STATED THAT THERE WAS NOTHING THAT THEY COULD DO TO RESOLVE IT. *AK
WHEN DRIVING OVER A BUMP OR POTHOLE, FRONT SUSPENSION WILL SHIMMY VIOLENTLY. SHIMMYING CONTINUES UNTIL VEHICLE IS PULLED TO SIDE OF ROAD AND SPEED IS REDUCED. SHOCKS HAVE BEEN REPLACED, AND DID NOT RESOLVE PROBLEM. THERE IS NO RHYME OR REASON TO CAUSE. SOME BUMPS AND POTHOLES CAUSE, SOME DO NOT. SOMETIMES, SHIMMY STARTS MILDLY AND PROGRESSIVELY GETS WORSE. ALTHOUGH OCCURRED AT 65, ALSO OCCURS AT SLOWER HIGHWAY SPEEDS. IF YOU KNOW OF A FIX THAT IS AVAILABLE (E.G., DEALER RETROFIT), PLEASE E-MAIL ME! ALTHOUGH THIS HAS NOT CAUSED AN ACCIDENT, CHANCES ARE IT EVENTUALLY WILL! *AK
WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE VIBRATES AND STEEERING IS VERY UNSTABLE, CAUSE UNKNOWN. DEALER REPLACED SHOCK ABSORBER BAR WHICH DID NOT CORRECT THE PROBLEM. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK
LOUD CLUNKING NOISE AND SENSATION IN STEERING LINKAGE WHILE BRAKING AND TURNING CORNERS. DEALER HAD SAME PROBLEM WITH ANOTHER RAM PICKUP. DEALER REPLACED UPPER AND LOWER BALL JOINTS. FIXED PROBLEM. HOWEVER, AFTER ADDITIONAL 10,000 MILES PROBLEM IS RE-OCCURRING. ALSO, THREE OF ORIGINAL FIVE TIRES HAD DEFECTS INCLUDING SIGNIFICANT BULGING AND PLY SEPARATION. RESULTED IN POOR TRACTION, EXCELERATED WEAR, AND BOUNCING. OWNER REPLACED TWO TIRES. WHEN THIRD TIRE FAILED, OWNER REPLACED ALL THE TIRES. DEALER STATED THEY RECEIVE MANY TIRE COMPLAINTS FROM NEW VEHICLE OWNERS WITH GOODYEAR TIRES.( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: P245 75R16 )
THE FRONT TRACKING BAR THAT HOLDS THE FRONT AXLE IN PLACE IS VERY LOOSE AND IS ABOUT TO BREAK WHICH MAY CAUSE AN ACCIDENT. CAUSE UNKNOWN. *AK
WHILE APPLYING THE BRAKES THE VEHICLE WILL MOVE TO THE RIGHT LANE UNEXPECTEDLY. HAS TO RELEASE THE BRAKES IN ORDER TO MOVE BACK INTO THE ORGINAL LANE, WHICH MAY CAUSE AN ACCIDENT. DEALER CANNOT DETERMINE PROBLEM. DEALER REPLACE CONTROL ARMS, BRAKE PADS ETC. PLEASE PROVIDE DETAILS. *AK
NO DEPLOYMENT OF AIR BAG IN ACCIDENT.
VEHICLE SHOOK BADLY WHENEVER HITTING A BUMP DURING 25 MPH OR MORE. DEALER NOTIFIED. *AK
FRONT END MISALIGNMENT. IN ADDITION, REAR AXLE SEALS/AXLE BEARINGS/STEERING DRAG:LINK/FRONT BRAKE CALIPERS/ROTORS AND PADS/REAR BRAKE SHOES AND DRUMS AND REAR BRAKE CYLINDERS AND BRAKE VACUUM BOOSTER FAILED/REPLACED.
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
Data on this page last refreshed .