Owner-reported complaints naming the electrical system, filed with NHTSA
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Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 1999 Dodge Ram submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 16 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.
Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed
WHILE PLACING THE KEY INSIDE OF THE IGNITION SWITCH VEHICLE DID NOT START CONSUMER HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION, AND MECHANIC DETERMINED THAT IGNITION SWITCH NEEDED TO BE REPLACED DUE TO WORN OUT PARTS. *AK
HORN IS NOT WORKING PROPERLY. TOOK TO DEALER, AND DEALER INDICATED HAS TO PUSH WITH FINGER TIP AT A CERTAIN SPOT ON STEERING WHEEL FOR HORN TO BLOW. IF USED FORCE WITH PALM OF HAND HORN WILL NOT BLOW. *AK
WE FEEL THERE IS AN ELECTRICAL PROBLEM THE HORN IS NOT WORKING AGAIN. WE SPOKE TO THE SERVICE MANAGER AND ASKED WHAT IF THESE PROBLEMS REOCCUR ARE WE HAVING TO PAY FOR REPAIRS, HE SAID YES ONCE THE WARRANTY IS EXPIRED. IF WE ARE WRONG PLEASE TELL US, BUT WE HAVE OWNED A DOZEN VEHICLES AND NONE HAVE EVER HAD THE HORN STOP WORKING MUCH LESS TWICE IN LESS THAN 2YRS.*AK
CONSUMER WAS TRAVELING ABOUT 65MPH ON HIGHWAY AND HAD CRUISE CONTROL ON. HE HEARD A NOISE, AND THEN VEHICLE SHUTDOWN WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING. ALSO, SMOKE WAS COMING FROM UNDERNEATH OF VEHICLE. DEALERSHIP WAS AWARE OF PROBLEM.*AK
I PURCHASED MY TRUCK BRAND NEW IN NOV. OF 1998 WITH APPROX. 10 MILES ON IT. AFTER ABOUT 6 MONTHS OF OWNERSHIP, WE STARTED HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THE TRUCK QUITTING FOR NO APPARENT REASON. WE HAVE TAKEN THE TRUCK INTO SEVERAL DIFFERENT DEALERSHIPS FOR THE SAME PROBLEM OVER THE PAST 2 YEARS, AND EACH TIME THE VEHICLE WAS SENT HOME WITH US UNFIXED, TELLING US THAT THEY COULD NOT GET THE TRUCK TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. THE PROBLEM WITH THISIS THAT THE PROBLEM IS INTERMITENT. IT MAY QUIT TODAY, AND NOT AGAIN FOR 2 MONTHS, OR IT MAY QUIT TODAY AND AGAIN TOMORROW. WE HAVE HAD THE TRUCK IN APPROX. 6-8 TIMES SINCE WE PURCHASED IT BRAND NEW FOR THE SAME PROBLEM, YET UNFIXED EVERY SINGLE TIME. THE TRUCK HAS HAD TO BE TOWED TO A DEALERSHIP 3X AS IT QUIT AND WOULDN'T RESTART. WHEN THE TRUCK QUITS, THE ENGINE SIMPLY QUITS AND EVERYTHING SHUTS OFF AND THE STEERING WHEEL LOCKS UP. YOU HAVE NO STEERING CONTROL WHAT-SO-EVER. WHEN IT QUITS, SOMETIMES THE TRUCK RESTARTS AFTER ABOUT 5 MINUTES, OTHERS TIMES IT DOESN'T RESTART. AS I STATED, WE HAVE HAD TO HAVE IT TOWED 3X AS IT WOULDN'T RESTART. I AM VERY FRUSTRATED AT THIS POINT. I HAVE CALLED CHRYSLER AND COMPLAINED EVERYTIME THE TRUCK HAS CUT OUT. THEY GAVE ME A FILE NUMBER AND SIMPLY TAKE THE COMPLAINT AGAIN, THATS ALL THEY DO. I HAVE REQUESTED FOR A CHRYSLER REP. HELP THE SERVICE TECH. SOLVE THE PROBLEM, MY REQUEST WAS DENIED. I HAVE BEGGED FOR SOMEONE FROM CHRYSLER ASSIST THE DEALERSHIP IN FINDING THE PROBLEM, NO ONE CAME OUT. I WROTE THEM A CERTIFIED MAIL LETTER EXPLAINING TO THEM THE SERIOUSNESS OF THIS PROBLEM AFTER MY WIFE AND I WERE TRAVELING BACK FROM GA AFTER I HAD GRADUATED FROM A MILITARY SCHOOL AND WE ALMOST KILLED ON THE INTERESTATE BECAUSE THE TRUCK CUT OUT GOING 65 MILES PER HOUR. I VERED THE TRUCK TO THE LEFT SIDE OF THE MEDIAN ON THE INTERSTATE WHICH IS THE ONLY PLACE FOR ME TO GO. THANK GOD THERE WAS NOT A DIP IN THE MEDIAN OR I AM AFRAID I WOULD NOT BE SITTING HERE TODAY WRITING THIS LETTER TO YOU. PLEASE HELP ME!!!!
THERE ARE TWO POINTS WHERE THERE ARE HOLES IN BACK OF STEERING WHEEL. IF YOU HAVE A LONG KEY ON YOU KEY CHAIN, IT CAN BECOME LODGED IN THE HOLES AND PREVENT YOU FROM TURNING THE VEHICLE. THERE NEEDS TO BE SOME TYPE OF PLUG IN THESE HOLES TO PREVENT THIS FROM RAND POSSIBLY CAUSING AN ACCIDENT.*AK
CONSUMER RECEIVED RECALL 00V135 AND SET UP AN APPOINTMENT FOR REPAIRS FOR THIS RECALL PLUS TWO PRIOR RECALLS, CONSUMER IS ANGRY BECAUSE DEALER STATED THAT NO PARTS WERE AVAILABLE FOR THE BLOWER MOTOR RELAY EVEN THOUGH AN APPOINTMENT HAD BEEN MADE, NONE OF THE RECALLS HAVE BEEN COMPLETED. *SLC
HORN WLL NOT WORK UNLESS PUSHED WITH EXCESSIVE EFFORT WHEN IT IS COLD OR IN JUSTTHE RIGHT SPOT AT OTHER TIMES. *AK *SLC
BRAKE PROBLEMS; CONSUMER TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER 4 TIMES, BUT DEALER COULDN'T FIND CAUSE. WHEN APPLYING BRAKES PEDAL WENT DOWN TO FLOORBOARD, BUT THERE WAS NO BRAKING ACTION. ACCIDENT OCCURRED WITH $4100 DAMAGE. *AK CONSUMER STATES THAT THE HORN IS NOT WORKING PROPERLY. *SLC
AFTER DRIVING THE VEHICLE WITH THE A/C ON MAX MODE THE WIRING HARNESS MELTED, SMOKE FILLED THE CAB WHILE THE CONSUMER WAS REPLACING A FLAT TIRE. NLM
WHEN NEW THE VEHICLE IN QUESTION LOST ALL LIGHTS. EVEYTHING WENT OUT. DEALER REPLACED ALL BULBS. IN A FEW DAYS THE LIGHTS ALL FLICKERED. THE DEALER REPLACED THE ALTERNATOR . THE PROBLEM STILL EXISTED. IN FLORIDA ANOTHER DEALER COUD NOT FIND A PROBLEM TOOK IT TO ANOTHE DEALER THEY REPLACED SOME MORE PARTS A FEW MONTHS LATER THE PROBLEM HAS REHATCHED AGAIN LIGHTS FLICKER THIS IS A SAFETY RECURRING PROBLEM
CATALYTIC CONVERTER WENT OUT. CONSUMER WAS TRAVELING ON THE HIGHWAY AND THE VEHICLE JUST STOPPED. ALSO, TRANSMISSION FLUID AND OIL WAS LEAKING FROM UNDERNEATH THE VEHICLE. *AK THE DEALER COULD NOT SOLVE THE TRANSMISSION PROBLEM, BUT THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER 19 TIMES FOR REPAIR. WATER PUMP WAS LEAKING AND WAS REPLACED. THE ENGINE WAS OVER HEATING DUE TO THERMOSTAT AND GASKET FAILURES. THE A/C BLOWS WARM AIR DUE TO LOW PRESSURE SWITCH FAILURE. THE DRIVER SEAT WAS COMING APART. REAR LIGHTS BLINKERS AND BRAKES WERE NOT WORKING DUE TO BLOWN FUSE. THE REAR RIGHT BRAKE LOCKSUP ON HAND STOP. THE LEFT DOOR SPEAKERS MALFUNCTIONS. *YH
FUSE #12 BLEW WHILE TRUCK WAS PARKED. REPLACED THE FUSE, IT BLEW AGAIN. THIS CIRCUIT CONTROLS RADIO MIRRORS AND CARGO LIGHTS. TOOK TRUCK TO DEALER, THEY REPLACED RIGHT DOOR SWITCH. 2ND INCIDENT WAS OCT. 24TH. THIS TIME THOUGH, FUSE DIDN'T BLOW AND WIRE HARNESS CAUGHT ON FIRE AND MELTED. THIS WAS ALSO THE VERY SAME CIRCUIT (#12). TOOK TRUCK BACK TO DEALER, THEY HAD IT FOR A WEEK AND REPLACE WIRE HARNESS. 3RD INCIDENT WAS NOV. 10TH, FUSE #12 BLEW AGAIN. TRIED TO REPLACE FUSE AND IT BLEW AGAIN. TRUCK IS CURRENTLY AT THE DEALER AND THEY CAN'T FIND THE SHORT AS OF THE TIME OF THIS COMPLAINT. *AK
THE HORN IS DEFECTIVE. THIS TRUCK IS MANUAL SHIFT. THERE ARE TWO PROBLEMS. 1ST, IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO LOCATE THE HORN BECAUSE OF THE PLACEMENT OF THE AIRBAG. IT REQUIRES NUMEROUS HARD PUSHES TO FIGURE OUT WHERE IT IS. A LESS THAN WHAT I WOULD ESTIMATE TO BE A 5 POUNDS OF PRESSURE WILL NOT MAKE THE HORN SOUND. I HAVE TRIED TO USE THE HORN ON AT LEAST THREE INCIDENCES AND WAS UNABLE TO MAKE THE HORN SOUND. IN A NON-EMERGENT SITUATION (SITTING AT A LIGHT) I WAS ABLE TO SOUND THE HORN AFTER SUBSTANTIAL PRESSURE. 2ND : IN EMERGENT AVOIDANCE SITUATION (3 TIMES) YOU CAN NOT SOUND THE HORN AND DOWNSHIFT AT THE SAME TIME. BECAUSE OF THE DESIGN OF THE STEERING WHEEL ON THE LEFT SIDE, AND THE PLACEMENT OF THE CRUISE CONTROL, MY LEFT HAND CAN NOT REACH THE HORN WITHOUT TURNING LOOSE OF THE STEERING WHEEL. THAT LEAVE NO HANDS ON THE WHEEL BECAUSE THE RIGHT HAND IS TRYING TO DOWNSHIFT. THIS IS AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS SITUATION WHERE THE COMPONENT PART REQUIRES THAT THERE BE NO HANDS ON THE STEERING WHEEL. I WOULD LIKE THIS ADDRESSED IMMEDIATELY. I AM FEMALE, 5'7" 135 POUNDS. I DO NOT HAVE A WIDE ENOUGH SPAN IN MY HAND TO BE ABLE TO HOLD ON TO THE STEERING WHEEL WITH FOUR FINGERS WHILE MY THUMB TRIES TO REACH THE HORN. IT IS PHYSICALLY IMPOSSIBLE. THAT TAKES YOU BACK TO PROBLEM NUMBER 1.
IGNITION FUSE LINK KEEPS BLOWING OUT, CAUSING VEHICLE TO SHUT DOWN. VEHICLE HAS BEEN IN TWO ACCIDENTS BECAUSE OF THIS CONDITION . VEHICLE HAS BEEN AT REPAIR SHOP ON THREE OCCASIONS, AND PROBLEM STILL OCCURS. CAN NHTSA HELP OR PROVIDE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON THIS MATTER. *AK
THERE WAS A ELECTRICAL FIRE FROM THE POWER DISPERSEMENT BOX UNDER THE HOOD , WHICH THE WIRING HARNESS MELTED. THE VEHICLE IS STILL AT THE DEALER AWAITING PARTS. I FEEL THIS IS A SAFTEY HAZARD BUT THE DEALER IS ALREADY GIVING ME A HARD TIME ABOUT IT.
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
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