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2004 Dodge Ram 3500 Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 214 complaints with NHTSA about the 2004 Dodge Ram 3500, most often about the transmission (30% of complaints, typically around 15,500 miles). It is 5th of 13 Ram 3500 model years by number of complaints and has 4 recalls.
Most common 2004 Dodge Ram 3500 problems
Transmission
64 complaints · 30%Half of these problems showed up before 15,500 miles. Parts named most often: automatic transmission, driveline, axle assembly, axle hubs.
I parked the vehicle in front of my gate, placed it in park and exited to open the gate. After being out of the vehicle for approximately 2-3 minutes, I noticed the vehicle moving backwards. I tried to catch the vehicle but was unable due to recent a knee injury. The truck hit my neighbor's fence and stopped. The gear…
Consumer was under the impression that the vehicle was in park . After leaving the vehicle running vehicle slipped into reverse and rolled backwards,colliding with a vehicle behind it. When the gear shifter was put in park consumer was unaware that the shifter needed to be hooked over and seated to the right. There…
Air bags
43 complaints · 20%Parts named most often: frontal.
I have a 2004 Dodge 3500. The dash has two large cracks. One is above the airbag and I am concerned if the airbag comes out, will the dash come apart and hit the passenger.
While driving through an intersection (west to east), I was struck on the left side of my vehicle, pushing me to the right into a traffic lane heading north where I then struck a vehicle head on causing front end damage. My air bags did not deploy on impact. This second vehicle was moving forward but slowing down at…
Steering
41 complaints · 19%Half of these problems showed up before 101,500 miles. Parts named most often: linkages, rack and pinion, hydraulic power assist, column.
Dodge 2004 3500 pickup. 100,000 miles has developed "death wobble". Front end shakes extremely violently when truck hits a bump above 65 MPH> have replaced ball joints, tie rod ends and steering dampener with no success.
Traveling 55 MPH, truck hit a small bump . Truck started to shake violently left and right, could not control it. Started to pull off road when hit a wall due to steering. No way to control this truck. Has been maintained form Dodge always. Stay away from these trucks. Very dangerous.
Suspension
25 complaints · 12%Half of these problems showed up before 86,000 miles. Parts named most often: front.
This has happened before back in 2010 and I put an extra stabilizer on the front and upper and lower ball joints and a few more pieces all made by moog but the front end still shakes almost uncontrollable and I have to slow down real fast before I cause an accident I'm afraid it's going to make me wreck
I have been on the waiting list at the local Dodge dealer (mccord in longview, wa.) for a couple of months to replace this tie rod ball. Now I have been told that it is a restrictive part and chrysler corp. Is only sending one tie rod per seven days. Looking at where I am at in the stack of recalls, there could be…
Electrical
15 complaints · 7%Half of these problems showed up before 93,500 miles. Parts named most often: ignition, horn.
Driver's door lock actuator quit working, key would not open no entrance by key fob. Had to have it replaced.car was stationary when discovered.
The contact owns a 2004 Dodge Ram 3500. The contact stated that the right turn signal and the brake lights were inoperable however, the tail lights were functional. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer where it was determined that the fuses were not defective however, the vehicle had a seven pull connecter for…
Visibility and wipers
15 complaints · 7%Half of these problems showed up before 98,000 miles. Parts named most often: defroster/defogger/hvac system, windshield wiper/washer.
This complaint is for wiper motor sudden failure on a remanufactured part supplied from oreily auto parts. I replace my wiper motor when the originals wiper park function became finicky. I installed the rebuild motor to factory spec and it functioned properly for about 3 months and proceeded to fail in a major rain…
Vehicle had faulty wiper motor. Replaced with remanufactred unit from oreilys auto parts. After replacement wipers will stop working during heavy rainfall. The wipers will not work again until you stop and tug on the wiper arms.
Fuel system
13 complaints · 6%Half of these problems showed up before 73,000 miles. Parts named most often: delivery, fuel injection system.
We have had a fuel problem issue with this truck since april of 2005 it bucks so hard it bruises you. We have replace everything possible and it still happens. They say it is water in fuel but it is not that. We have had several high pressure injector lines break. One caused a fire, diesel was going everywhere. We had…
Truck currently has 76,000 miles. Replaced all 4 ball joints at the same time, fewer than 40k. Had to replace an injector around the same time. Filters Dodge came out with were too large, letting "junk" into the injectors. Not ong after that, we were driving and lost power. Pulled to side of road, saw belts hanging…
Body and structure
9 complaints · 4%Half of these problems showed up before 57,000 miles. Parts named most often: body.
The contact owns a 2004 Dodge 3500. The contact stated the dashboard and instrument panel was cracking and the parts near the top of the glass are detaching. The vehicle was not inspected by the dealer. The contact also stated that the gauges on the instrument panel are functioning normally. The failure mileage was…
When driving on the highway I hit a series of bumps at 60 MPH and my truck began to shake violently. I then had to slow down to 30mph to regain control.
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2004 Dodge Ram 3500 recalls
Air bags
Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passengerâs frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. For vehicles that were sold, or are currently registered, in florida, puerto rico, hawaii, and the u.s. Virgin islands, owners were notified and the recall began on december 5, 2014. For all other vehicles, chrysler notified owners and the recall began on february 3, 2015. Owners may contact chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is p40 expanded. Note: this recall has been superseded by recall 16v-352. This recall superseded the passenger air bag p
Full defect summary
Chrysler group llc (chrysler) is recalling certain model year 2004-2005 dodge ram 1500, 2500, and 3500, 2004-2005 dodge durango, 2005 dodge dakota, 2005 dodge magnum and 2005 chrysler 300, 300c and 300 srt8 vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in geographic locations associated with high absolute humidity. Specifically, vehicles sold, or ever registered, in alabama, florida, georgia, hawaii, louisiana, mississippi, texas, puerto rico, u.s. Virgin islands, saipan, guam, and american samoa are addressed by this recall. Upon deployment of the passenger side frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to rupture.
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.
Steering: tie rod assembly
Risk: This condition could result in the potential loss of directional stability in the left hand front wheel, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect the tie rod ends for relative orientation and replace the left outer tie rod as required and perform a front end toe alignment as needed. This service will be performed free of charge. The safety recall began on october 3, 2011. Owners may contact chrysler at 1-800-853-1403.
Full defect summary
Chrysler is recalling certain model year 2008-2011 dodge ram 2500/3500 4x4, manufactured from february 14, 2008, through march 28, 2011; model year 2008-2011 dodge ram 3500 cab chassis 4x2, manufactured from february 14, 2008, through march 28, 2011; and model year 2008 dodge ram 1500 mega cab 4x4, manufactured from february 14, 2008, through august 15, 2008, because the left tie rod ball stud may fracture. This condition tends to occur during low speed parking lot type maneuvers when the customer is making a tight turn. Additionally, model year 2003-2008 dodge ram 2500/3500 vehicles may have received the affected tie rod assembly as a replacement part during normal service.
Transmission: column shift
Risk: This error is an unintended action that may result in a lack of transmission park pawl engagement and possibly delayed rearward movement of the vehicle.
Fix: Dealers will perform a software modification to equip these vehicles with an out-of-park alarm. Owners may contact daimlerchrysler at 1-800-853-1403.
Full defect summary
On certain pickup trucks equipped with diesel engines and automatic transmissions, in an attempt to exit the vehicle quickly without shutting off the engine and removing the key, the driver may inadvertently leave the automatic transmission shift control in indicated reverse.
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
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
Clutch interlock switch malfunction
Summary
On december 16, 2104, chrysler group llc submitted a safety recall report to NHTSA describing a defect in the clutch ignition interlock switches in approximately 66,819 model year (my) 2006 through early-2007 dodge ram trucks, dodge dakota, and mitsubishi raider vehicles equipped with manual transmissions and built between july 1, 2005 and july 31, 2006 (NHTSA recall no. 14v-795, chrysler recall no. P80), including 38,969 my 2006 dodge ram 2500 and 3500 vehicles that are part of the subject vehicle population for pe14-013.chrysler's safety report states that:1) the clutch ignition interlock switch return springs may experience fatigue failure due to material issues; 2) if the return springs
Engine stall
Summary
Analysis of the complaint, field report and warranty data shows that the majority of stalling incidents in the subject vehicles appear to be related to the engine calibration concerns that daimlerchrysler addressed with service bulletins releasing revised PCM software.analysis of the complaints and odi's survey of owners of vehicles that received engine management software updates under tsb #18-013-05 show that these stalling incidents have the following characteristics: - they occur at low speeds, often during parking lot ordriveway maneuvers; - they occur during decelerations, such as braking for a stop sign or traffic signal; and - the operator is almost always able to immediately restart
Engine stall
Summary
On may 16, 2005,odi opened preliminary evaluation pe05-027 to investigate complaints of engine stalling in model year 2004-05 dodge durango suvs and ram 1500 series pickups equipped with the 5.7l v8 engine.information provided by daimlerchrysler during pe05-027 indicated that a large percentage of the complaints are related to an idle undershoot condition that may cause the engine to stall during turning maneuvers.in february 2005, daimlerchrysler revised the powertrain control module software in production vehicles and issued a technical service bulletin (tsb 18-013-05) releasing the new software as a service remedy for the idle undershoot condition.the bulletin was superceded by tsb 18-013
False park
Summary
The subject vehicles are heavy duty pickup trucks with diesel engines and automatic transmissions commonly used for commercial and work purposes.a column mounted shift lever is used for gear selection and an electronic prndl on the instrument panel provides gear position information to the driver.the subject vehicles are also equipped with a brake-transmission shift interlock that prevents the shift lever from being moved from the park position (when the engine is on) unless the brake pedal is depressed and an ignition-shift interlock that prevents key removal unless the transmission is in the park position.complainants generally report that the vehicle was being operated in a forward gear a
False park
Summary
There have been 50 complaints to odi and daimlerchrysler alleging incidents of reverse powered rollaway in subject vehicles that were parked with the engine running and the parking brake disengaged.the incidents are alleged to have resulted in 42 crashes and 3 injuries. According to daimlerchrysler, incident vehicle inspections have not identified any misadjusted or broken parts.a typical incident is believed to involve the following set of conditions:(1) with the vehicle on a relatively level surface, an attempted shift into park inadvertently places the transmission in a position between the reverse and park gear detents; (2) the driver exits the vehicle with the key in the ignition, the e
Questions about the 2004 Dodge Ram 3500
- What are the most common problems with the 2004 Dodge Ram 3500?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: transmission (64 complaints, typically around 15,500 miles); air bags (43 complaints); steering (41 complaints, typically around 101,500 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2004 Dodge Ram 3500 have?
- 4 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from December 3, 2014 (air bags). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2004 a bad year for the Dodge Ram 3500?
- It is 5th of 13 Ram 3500 model years by number of complaints, with 214 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.