On certain van and pickup trucks equipped with automatic transmissions, the ignition/park shift interlock system may become inoperative. This can allow the shifter to be moved out of the "park" position with the ignition key removed (or in the "lock"...
1993-2003 · 4 model years
Dodge Ram Van Problems by year
Owners have filed 1,239 complaints about the Dodge Ram Van across 4 model years, and it has 2 recalls. The 2003 has the most complaints once its age is allowed for (1,239). The most reported problem area is the airbags, followed by the body, doors & structure.
- Complaints
- 1,239
- Recalls
- 2
- Crashes
- 83
- Fires
- 15
- Injuries
- 86
- Deaths
- 6
Ram Van complaints by model year
Highlighted: the year with the most complaints for its age. Older vehicles have had more time to collect complaints - the Safety Index grade allows for that.
Most common Ram Van problems
Dodge Ram Van recalls 2
Some of the abs equipped vehicles were built with an undersized brake return check valve. In incidents where hard brake pedal effort is applied on low friction road surfaces, like rain covered streets, the valves may fail, causing the abs to become...
Latest Ram Van complaints
brought my 2003 dodge ram 1500 to Romeo dodge to have a Passenger Airbag Recall Repair on [[redacted]] and I was called one hour later and told my airbag replacement was finished and I could pick up my truck. So i picked up my truck and drove it from Romeo dodge [[redacted]] to [[redacted]] where I live I parked the truck . We were sick for a few days after we parked the truck home it wasnt moved at all until a few days later I tried to start my truck and it would not start , so i tried again and the truck started...
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briefly and the gauges were going crazy and truck started bogging badly and shut off and wouldn't start again so I complained to Romeo dodge about this and the service manager Jason said the truck drove home to my house fine and that whatever is wrong is not romeo dodge's responsibility . So i called back and asked to speak with general manager and I spoke to Chad general manager and he said the same at first. Then finally he sent a tow truck to pick up my truck and bring it back to the service center and re-evaluate what they did to my truck and brought me a loaner car after hours of disputing the facts .. a few hours later Chad called me back and said my truck starts and I can come pick it up. So i drove to kingston again and when I got there my truck was not finished so I waited and then I got inside my truck to start it up to get ready to leave and put into reverse and truck wouldnt move unless I pressed the gas all the way down. Then we put it in park and called for the technician to come back over . Then the gauges were not working in the dashboard either after the air bag replacement . And ine of the technicians said he believed the truck may be in Limp mode. So the service manager had to keep calling Chad the general manager who refused to come downstairs and address this situation that was very stressful already. Chad said when he towed the truck back to romeo dodge he was only supposed to get the truck to start again. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The contact owns a 2003 Dodge Ram 1500. The contact stated that the vehicle was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V312000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be repaired; however, the contact was informed that the part to do the recall repair was on back order. The contact stated that the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles(DMV) had placed a hold on the registration of the vehicle, preventing the contact from being able to operate...
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the vehicle on public roadways. The contact stated that the manufacturer had failed to provide the remedy within a reasonable amount of time. The contact had not experienced a failure.
The contact owns a 2003 Dodge Ram 1500. The contact stated that while the vehicle was being driven by a friend at 45 MPH, the rear axle detached. The driver was stranded by the roadside. The vehicle was towed to the driver's residence. There were no warning lights illuminated. An unknown local dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 300,000.
The contact owns a 2003 Dodge Ram 1500. The contact stated that the steering wheel and the front wheels were uncontrollable. While driving from Georgia to Memphis, there was an unknown object loose by the wheel. The ball joint suspension was replaced by an independent mechanic. The low tire pressure warning light was illuminated. The contact was unable to control the vehicle and had the vehicle towed to an unstated location. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 180,000.
Rear fenders are rusted such that wiring harness falls off from underside if fenders and rubs on tires. Middle of frame rusted through on right and left side and dealer's floor lift went about half-way through both sides when the technician. tried to raise truck to check wiring under truck. The lift only crunched about halfway through near the middle of the frame. That was the point when the technician noticed the truck was lifting unevenly and making a crunching sound when he started trying to lift it. He left...
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the truck as it was - with two wheels on the floor and two wheels about an inch off the floor He hollered for th shop supervisor to look at, who came and got me in the waiting room to show me what happened. The dealership could not repair the frame, but said there was a welding shop a couple of miles away down a back road in Zachow, WI where I could safely drive to if I went really slow. I don't know when the frame started rusting or the date the dealer's hydraulic lift broke through the frame. The truck's rear fenders were starting to significantly rust when it was about 3-4 years old. It was purchased new. I don't know how badly the frame had rusted at that time. I'm fairly certain the truck had less that 100,000 miles on it when the dealer found that the frame was rusted through. It's 22 years old now and was bought new in 2003. It has 147,000 miles on it today. Assuming that the miles/year were roughly the same at 6,682, and the tail lights started acting "funny" (the reason we brought the truck to the dealership),happened the year after we bought our new 2013 Lund boat (2014), that would put the mileage on the truck at 73,502. This type of dangerous deterioration should not happen with a low-mileage vehicle like ours.
A few years ago, while driving down a rural road, I saw a tire rolling behind my truck. I stopped to remove it from the road and it turned out to be my spare tire.. The cross brace that is connected to the support cable rusted and folded to allow the tire to drop free. I replaced the cross brace and added heavy duty straps to be a backup support so as to assure this incident would not happen again. Last month my friend's son was injured due to an accident involving what appears to be a Pick-Up truck spare tire...
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lost on a state highway. The tire size and a rusted cross brace led the responding police officer to conclude that it came from a Pick-up truck. Perhaps, pick up truck manufacturers should inspect and install a secondary/back up safety strap?
Questions about the Dodge Ram Van
Which Dodge Ram Van years have the most problems?
By the number of complaints owners filed with NHTSA: 2003 (1,239). Allowing for how long each has been on the road, the 2003 stands out most. Complaint counts also rise with sales, so compare years of the same model rather than different models.
What are the most common Dodge Ram Van problems?
Across every model year, owners report problems with the airbags (463), body, doors & structure (249), transmission & drivetrain (133) most often.
How many recalls does the Dodge Ram Van have?
NHTSA lists 2 recalls across all Dodge Ram Van model years. Each year's page lists the recalls for that year; check your own vehicle by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see whether the repair has been done.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) complaints and recalls, checked daily. Complaints are owners' own reports and are not verified. How we use the data