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2006 Dodge Ram 1500 Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 792 complaints with NHTSA about the 2006 Dodge Ram 1500, most often about the air bags (24% of complaints, typically around 80,000 miles). It is 6th of 14 Ram 1500 model years by number of complaints and has 9 recalls.
⚠ Safety advisory2 recalls for this car came with a do-not-drive warning. See below and check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Most common 2006 Dodge Ram 1500 problems
Air bags
193 complaints · 24%Half of these problems showed up before 80,000 miles. Parts named most often: frontal.
The contact owns a 2006 Dodge Ram 1500. While the vehicle was stopped, the contact had a seizure and his foot pressed the accelerator pedal. The driver side tie rod fractured and the vehicle traveled across a median, crashed into a bus, and then crashed into a street light. The contact stated that the vehicle was…
Takata recall. The contact owns a 2006 Dodge Ram 1500. The contact stated that the air bag warning indicator illuminated abnormally. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 15v313000 (air bags) however the part to do the repair was not available. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a…
Lights
139 complaints · 18%Half of these problems showed up before 51,000 miles. Parts named most often: turn signal, headlights.
I have a 2006 Dodge ram quad cab and recently the turn signal / wiper switch has been acting up. Quite often when I push down to turn the left turn signal on the right comes on and there are times when no turn signal comes on at all. I was almost rear-ended because of this. Also sometimes the wipers will not come out…
Tl contact owns a 2006 Dodge Ram 1500. While the contact was driving approximately 70 MPH, the left signal was engaged during the lane change. Unexpectedly, the right turn signal activated and not the selected turn signal. The failure occurred whenever any turn signal was engaged with the desired one would not…
Electrical
125 complaints · 16%Half of these problems showed up before 61,000 miles. Parts named most often: instrument cluster/panel, wiring, ignition, horn.
I was attempting to make a left turn off the highway, and when I signalled for a left turn with the turn signal, the instrument cluster showed a signal for right turn. I pulled into the left turn lane, and the car which was behind me and continuing straight slowed down and refused to go by me, even though I was in the…
On a 2006 Dodge ram when u turn the left turn signal on u might get right left or both and it messes with windshield wipers to not good when raining or turning.
Suspension
106 complaints · 13%Half of these problems showed up before 61,500 miles. Parts named most often: front, rear.
Had vehicle aligned due to the front end bouncing. Tie rod was replaced and vehicle had a vibration and popping noise from the front end after that. Today I took it to the shop and they said the wheel bearing is worn beyond safe conditions. My VIN did not fall under the current recall but I seem to be having the same…
2006 Dodge Ram 1500 currently has 63,000 miles. Has had the front struts replaced 3 times, motor was replaced, transmission has been replaced, rack and pinion has been replaced, ball joints have been replaced countless times, tie rods have been replaced, wheel bearings have been replaced approx a yr ago and are…
Transmission
100 complaints · 13%Half of these problems showed up before 89,500 miles. Parts named most often: automatic transmission, driveline, axle assembly, clutch assembly.
The contact owns a 2006 Dodge Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving approximately 25 MPH, the vehicle would not accelerate and the steering suddenly malfunctioned. The contact was unable to control the vehicle and crashed into a tree. No injuries were reported and a police report was not filed. The vehicle…
Rear axle pinion nut came out causing the drive shaft to fall out and the rear differential to freeze up. This happened with no noise or notice while driving at 65 MPH on the interstate.
Steering
84 complaints · 11%Half of these problems showed up before 78,000 miles. Parts named most often: linkages, steering wheel/handle bar, rack and pinion.
The contact owns a 2006 Dodge Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle became difficult to maneuver. The consumer stated the rack and pinion system needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure…
Tl contact owns a 2006 Dodge Ram 1500 quad cab (na). The contact stated while driving 35 MPH the power steering fluid began to leak rapidly. The dealer was not notified. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and offered no further assistance. The failure mileage was 80,134.
Visibility and wipers
65 complaints · 8%Half of these problems showed up before 50,000 miles. Parts named most often: defroster/defogger/hvac system, windshield wiper/washer, rear window wiper/washer, glass, side/rear.
I have a 2006 Dodge ram quad cab and recently the turn signal / wiper switch has been acting up. Quite often when I push down to turn the left turn signal on the right comes on and there are times when no turn signal comes on at all. I was almost rear-ended because of this. Also sometimes the wipers will not come out…
Currently my Dodge Ram 1500 is having a problem with the multifunction turn signal. If you try to signal a turn the wrong blinker comes on, if you try to turn your high beams on or off the washer fluid comes on, if you try to turn the windshield wipers on they rarely work often getting stuck in the intermittent phase.…
Engine
54 complaints · 7%Half of these problems showed up before 60,000 miles. Parts named most often: engine, cooling system, exhaust system.
2006 Dodge Ram 1500 currently has 63,000 miles. Has had the front struts replaced 3 times, motor was replaced, transmission has been replaced, rack and pinion has been replaced, ball joints have been replaced countless times, tie rods have been replaced, wheel bearings have been replaced approx a yr ago and are…
The contact owns a 2006 Dodge Ram 1500. The contact was driving 40 MPH when the vehicle stalled without warning. He mentioned that the failure recurred several times and the vehicle was taken to the dealer who was unable to duplicate the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure and the vehicle was…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2006 Dodge Ram 1500 recalls
Air bags: inflator module
Risk: These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules, and used as original equipment or replacement equipment. These inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling. An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicle until the recall repair is complete. Chrysler will notify the chrysler, dodge, jeep and ram owners. Mitsubishi owners will be notified by their company. Dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began on march 27, 2017. Owners may contact chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is s43. Note: this recall supersedes recall 14v-7700.
Full defect summary
Chrysler (fca US llc) expanded the affected population to include 73,712 2005-2009 ram 2500 trucks produced at the st. Louis north assembly plant. With this change, chrysler is recalling certain model year 2004-2008 ram 1500, 2005-2009 ram 2500, 2006-2009 ram 3500, 2007-2010 ram 3500 cab chassis, 2008-2010 ram 4500 and 5500 cab chassis, 2004-2009 dodge durango, 2007-2009 chrysler aspen, 2007-2012 jeep wrangler, 2008-2012 dodge challenger, 2005-2008 dodge magnum, 2005-2012 chrysler 300, 2006-2012 dodge charger, 2005-2011 dodge dakota, and 2006-2009 mitsubishi raider vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in al, ca, fl, ga, hi, la, ms, sc, tx, puerto rico, american samoa, guam, the northern mariana islands (saipan), and the u.s. Virgin islands, or "zone a." additionally, unless included in "zone a" above, chrysler is also recalling 2004-2008 ram 1500, 2005-2009 ram 2500, 2006-2009 r
Air bags: inflator module
Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicle until the recall repair is complete. Chrysler will notify the affected chrysler and dodge owners and mitsubishi will notify the affected raider owners. Dealers will replace the driver's frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began for chrylser on june 8, 2015. The recall for mitsubishi started on june 24, 2015. Chrysler and dodge owners may contact chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Mitsubishi owners may call 1-888-648-7820. Chrysler's number for this recall is r25. Note: this recall supersedes recall 14v817 in its entirety.
Full defect summary
Chrysler (fca US llc) is recalling certain model year 2005-2009 dodge ram 2500, 2004-2008 dodge ram 1500 and durango, 2006-2009 dodge ram 3500, 2008-2010 dodge ram 4500 and 5500, 2007-2008 chrysler aspen, 2005-2010 chrysler 300, 300c, 300s, and srt8, 2006-2010 dodge charger, 2005-2008 magnum, 2005-2011 dodge dakota, and 2006-2009 mitsubishi raider vehicles. The affected vehicles are equipped with a dual-stage driver frontal air bag that may be susceptible to moisture intrusion which, over time, could cause the inflator to rupture.
Electrical: switch
Risk: Broken springs can result in a no-start condition, or cause unintended movement when the ignition is cranked, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
Fix: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the clutch ignition interlock switch, free of charge. The recall began on march 27, 2015. Owners may contact chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is p80.
Full defect summary
Chrysler group llc (chrysler) is recalling certain model year 2006-2007 dodge ram 1500, 2500, 3500, dakota, and 2006 mitsubishi raider vehicles manufactured july 1, 2005, to july 31, 2006 with manual transmissions. The return springs in the clutch ignition interlock switch may break.
Steering: tie rod assembly
Risk: A failure of the tie rod assembly may result in a loss of steering control, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Chrysler notified owners and launched its recall campaign in january 2014. Owners may contact chrysler at 1-800-247-9753. Chrysler's recall campaign number is n62.
Full defect summary
Chrysler group llc (chrysler) is recalling certain model year 2003-2008 dodge ram 2500 4x4 and 3500 4x4, model year 2007-2008 dodge ram 3500 4x2 cab chassis and model year 2006-2008 dodge ram 1500 mega cab 4x4 trucks manufactured february 12, 2002, through february 13, 2008. The left tie rod assembly may break.
Suspension: wheel bearing
Risk: This could result in bearing degradation, and if subsequent noise and vibration are ignored, could result in hub assembly separation. This may result in a loss of vehicle control and cause a crash without warning.
Fix: Dealers will replace the front hub and bearing units. The recall began on february 26, 2007. Owners may contact daimlerchrysler at 1-800-853-1403.
Full defect summary
On certain pickup trucks, the front wheel bearing may have received an insufficient quantity of grease during the manufacturing process.
Seat belts: front
Risk: This can increase the risk of injury to a child seat occupant in the event of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the front passenger seat belt. The recall began on october 20, 2006. Owners may contact daimlerchrysler at 1-800-853-1403.
Full defect summary
Certain pickup trucks fail to conform to the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 208, "occupant crash protection." the front passenger seat belt may not be able to tighten securely on certain model child seats.
Air bags: frontal
Risk: This can increase the risk of injury to a child seat occupant during certain crash conditions.
Fix: Dealers will replace the passenger air bag cushion and reprogram the occupant restraint controller. The recall began on october 20, 2006. Owners may contact daimlerchrysler at 1-800-853-1403.
Full defect summary
On certain pickup trucks fail to conform to the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 208, 'occupant crash protection. The passenger air bag may deploy with excessive force when certain model rear facing child seats are installed in the right front passenger seat position.
Brakes: control unit/module
Risk: This could result in a loss of vehicle control and cause a crash without warning.
Fix: Dealers will replace the ABS ecu. The recall is expected to begin during the week of july 17, 2006. Owners may contact daimlerchrysler at 1-800-853-1403.
Full defect summary
On certain pickup trucks equipped with four-wheel antilock brake systems (ABS), the ABS electronic control unit (ecu) may cause a loss of front to rear brake balance, and the rear brakes could lock up prematurely during certain braking conditions.
Transmission: transfer case (4-wheel drive)
Risk: If this occurs and the parking brake is not applied, the vehicle may roll away and cause a crash without warning.
Fix: Dealers will reprogram the tipm with new software that prevents the potential for this condition. The recall began on november 7, 2005. Owners may contact daimlerchrysler at 1-800-853-1403.
Full defect summary
On certain 4-wheel drive pickup trucks, the totally integrated power module (tipm) may contain incorrect transfer case calibration set points, potentially resulting in inadvertent transfer case default to neutral.
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
NHTSA defect investigations
Desiccated air bag inflator rupture
Summary
From 2000 through 2017, takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("psan") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004l. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant to burn too quickly when ignited. The rapid burning can cause the inflator to rupture during deployment, potentially causing serious or even fatal injury to vehicle occupants. See 2016 blomquist report at www.NHTSA.gov/sites/NHTSA.gov/files/documents/expert_report-hrblomquist.pdf.consequently, all frontal inflators using propellant 2004 that do not contain a "desiccant" (a substa
Air bag inflator rupture
Summary
The office of defects investigation (odi) opened pe14-016 in june 2014 based on six inflator rupture incidents involving consumer owned vehicles produced by five vehicle manufacturers.all six vehicles were operated in florida or puerto rico at the time of the rupture and for the majority of their service life, and were equipped with inflators produced by takata, a tier-one supplier of automotive air bag systems.during the course of pe14-016, odi determined that five additional vehicle manufacturers used inflators of a similar design and vintage also supplied by takata. No evidence of field failures was found in vehicles produced by these five additional manufacturers.nonetheless, at odi's in
Chrysler's execution of 13v-528 & 529
Summary
Rmd opened this audit query (aq) investigation in order to better understand and evaluate chrysler's process(es) for timely and efficient execution of its safety recall campaigns, including its oversight and management of its parts division mopar.prior to opening this investigation, rmd had raised concerns with the company related to its execution of two safety recalls, 13v-528 and 13v-529, both of which involved safety defects that could cause the involved vehicles, fca?s heavier dodge ram trucks, to lose steering control suddenly and without warning.specifically, rmd inquired about the availability of parts for recall repairs, by email and phone on january 15, 2014 and february 19, 2014, d
Air bag inflator rupture
Summary
The office of defects investigation (odi) opened pe14-016 in june 2014 based on six inflator rupture incidents involving consumer owned vehicles produced by five vehicle manufacturers.all six vehicles were operated in florida or puerto rico at the time of the rupture and for the majority of their service life, and were equipped with inflators produced by takata, a tier-one supplier of automotive air bag systems.during the course of pe14-016, odi determined that five additional vehicle manufacturers used inflators of a similar design and vintage also supplied by takata. No evidence of field failures was found in vehicles produced by these five additional manufacturers.nonetheless, at odi's in
Questions about the 2006 Dodge Ram 1500
- What are the most common problems with the 2006 Dodge Ram 1500?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: air bags (193 complaints, typically around 80,000 miles); lights (139 complaints, typically around 51,000 miles); electrical (125 complaints, typically around 61,000 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2006 Dodge Ram 1500 have?
- 9 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from May 24, 2016 (air bags). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2006 a bad year for the Dodge Ram 1500?
- It is 6th of 14 Ram 1500 model years by number of complaints, with 792 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.