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Electrical system

2003 Dodge Ram Electrical problems

Owners have filed 78 complaints about the 2003 Dodge Ram's electrical system with NHTSA - 6% of all its complaints, most recently on October 5, 2026. They describe 4 crashes, 7 fires and 1 injury. Dead batteries, warning lights, wiring, alternators, infotainment and electronic module failures.

Complaints
78
Recalls
0
Crashes
4
Fires
7
Injuries
1
Deaths
0

Electrical complaints

Electrical systemAirbags

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)

Filed Incident Electrical system · Air bags · Unknown or otherNHTSA 11768911
Electrical system

UNKNOWN Everything will stop operating as I'm driving and after coming to a stop will start Right back up. I had one repair shop tell me that it has something to do with the fuel but the problem continue, the second repair shop said it was a brain box issue, if this was safety issue or problem can I get reimbursed.

Filed Incident Electrical systemNHTSA 11533960
Electrical systemEngine & coolingFire

This vehicle had last been started and driven 7 hrs prior and exploded in the driveway, caught the house on fire and nearly killed my son who was near the inside wall of the house. The engine blew and then the front tires. Three explosions in all before the fire department was able to stop the fire. Luckily they were only a mile away. This was an older but well running vehicle.

Filed Incident Electrical system · Unknown or other · EngineNHTSA 11484730
Electrical systemEngine & coolingFuel system

When driving the truck the vehicle randomly shuts down and I have to pull over or put it in neutral to restart it I believe there might be a problem with the tipm that dodge has had a ongoing problem for years and ignored the issue

Filed Incident Electrical system · Engine · Fuel / propulsion systemNHTSA 11452236
Electrical systemBody, doors & structure

Dash is cracked and pieces are flying everywhere when the ac is turned on. Very unsafe.

Filed Incident Electrical system · StructureNHTSA 11374758
Electrical systemCrash

Blower motor wiring harness failed. It burns up in steering column. It in turn causes blower motor to not work . When you are driving windshield fogs up you can not get defrost to come on. Http://dodgeram.Info/tsb/recalls/c11.Htm

Filed Incident Electrical systemNHTSA 11152121
Electrical systemBody, doors & structure

Extreme rust and corrosion above both sides of the rear wheel wells. Door locks will randomly lock by themselves while driving, stopped or in park. Has locked me out after stepping out to open a gate, had to go get a spare set of keys to unlock.

Filed Incident Electrical system · StructureNHTSA 11103673
Electrical systemEngine & cooling

Engine stops running while drving electric power turns off to gages pull over turn the key off and back one the truck starts up after a few tries replaced computer.And module still stops running no codes dose this every time I drive it

Filed Incident Electrical system · EngineNHTSA 10991315
Electrical systemAirbags

Airbag light on dash stays on. Contacted dodge about this problem and they could not help. I don't think it is a good idea to drive around with the airbag light on. The airbag will not engage when this dash control light is illuminated. The vehicle has never been involved in a collision. Just minor scrapes and scratches.

Filed Incident Electrical system · Air bagsNHTSA 10899585
Electrical systemAirbags

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 dodge ram 1500. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 15v312000 (air bags). The vehicle was repaired. After the repair, the air bag warning light illuminated. The air bag light was not illuminated pior to the repair. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 154,317.

Filed Incident Electrical system · Air bagsNHTSA 10892862
Electrical system

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 dodge ram 1500. The contact stated that the dashboard cracks and brakes off in chunks when driving over a pot holes. The contact mentioned that the trembling brakes the dashboard. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure occurred intermittently. The approximate failure mileage was 165,000.

Filed Incident Electrical systemNHTSA 10871939
Electrical system

My 2003 ram 1500 has had intermittent problems since 2004 which of course dealer can't replicate. Through research from my terrible gas mileage of at times 9mpg to the engine staling and dying and loss of power to a point there isn't enough power to pull out of its onw tracks, I finally found the power distribution center (pdc) and later models call the total integrated power module (tipm). This is a very expensive item and I called chrysler corp to find no help at all. So, the local dealer was sympathetic and...

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offered one from their parts dept. Of over $600. I have opted to install it myself as I'm very capable and could not afford the $1200 price tag on this repair that has cost me tons of money in gas/parts/time and labor. Since there was a recall on the later models for the tipm there should be one for the older ones as well that we have lived with for this long. All models with the mopar community have this issue and they very well know it. Remember their bailout? I do... Time to own up and fix this and they in turn can file a claim on whom ever their supplier is for this defective part.

Filed Incident Electrical systemNHTSA 10851311
Electrical systemDriver assistance

Vehicle cuts off while driving can on highway or while turning, many others has same complaint online. Very dangerous no vehicle on the highway should have this problem.

Filed Incident Electrical system · Unknown or other · Electronic stability control (ESC)NHTSA 10788173
SteeringElectrical systemBrakes

All of a sudden the truck started shutting off, whether in idle or on the freeway. It would happen multiple times during the day. When shutting off, the truck would loose power steering and brakes. Took to multiple dealerships and mechanics who couldn't find anything wrong with the truck, would never throw any codes, finally spoke with a mechanic who talked to a computer person who stated that we needed to have the computer fixed but it wouldn't be available for 3-6 weeks due to it being on national back order....

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This needs to be recalled, due to safety issues. You are unable to control the vehicle when you lose power steering and brakes. National back order tells me that there is a problem and dodge knows about it.

Filed Incident Steering · Electrical system · Service brakesNHTSA 10775305
Electrical systemEngine & cooling

Incident occurred while driving on the 91 freeway in ca. All of a sudden the engine cut out, and ground to a halt. I repeatedly tried to restart the truck but to no avail. The engine would not turn over.I was trapped in the fast lane unable to make my way to the soft shoulder. Fortunately the hazard warning lights were functional and I was able to apply these to warn other drivers. Eventually a tow truck was deployed to get my out of harms way. It was a very scary moment and I was very fortunate not to be hit. The...

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following day I got the truck towed to a garage where they checked it over and the only thing they could find wrong was a fuse had blown that controlled ignition unlock/run start function. The garage was not able to find what would cause such a failure and now I am reluctant to travel on the freeway. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Filed Incident Electrical system · EngineNHTSA 10765203
Electrical systemLights

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 dodge ram 1500. The contact stated that the driver side signal and emergency blinkers failed to illuminate. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that there was a loose wire in the integrated fuse box. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 84,000. The vin was not available.

Filed Incident Electrical system · Exterior lightingNHTSA 10765176
Electrical systemCrash

My wiper motors work but stop half way in the window and I replaced them with new ones and it does the same thing ? This is a big issue up here in wny as alot of dodge rams you see on the road have their wipers stuck half way reducing their site to drive!

Filed Incident Electrical system · Unknown or otherNHTSA 10763222
Electrical systemLights

My brake lights is staying on, while the truck is crank up. 3Rd barke light working fine. As soon, I shut the. Truck off brake lights goes off. Take the truck to the dealership, they replace the brake light switch. Problem went away for awhile and came right back. So, I order two new brake light control panel from the dealership problem again went away. Now it's back again. Driving down the road everybody thinking, I'm riding my brakes. When, I do come to a stop it won't light up too warn drivers behind me. That, i"m stopping.

Filed Incident Electrical system · Exterior lightingNHTSA 10745062
Electrical systemVisibility & wipersAirbagsBody, doors & structureCrash

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 dodge ram 1500. The contact stated that upon entering the vehicle, the doors on the front passenger and the rear passenger side failed to open. Also, the contact mentioned that the windows and the locks would not operate. The contact stated that this was a recurring failure. The vehicle was driven to an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing. The technician stated that the vehicle was working up to specifications. The vehicle was not repaired. In addition, the contact stated that...

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the vehicle was involved in a crash and the air bags failed to deploy. No further details of the crash were provided. The vehicle was towed to the independent mechanic for diagnostic testing. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The approximate failure mileage was 43,000. The vin was not available.

Filed Incident Electrical system · Visibility · Air bags · Latches / locks / linkagesNHTSA 10744988
Electrical system

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 dodge ram 1500. While driving at 35 mph, the air conditioner shut off independently. The failure recurred constantly. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 105,000.

Filed Incident Electrical systemNHTSA 10732761
Electrical systemVisibility & wipers

Tl-the contact owns a 2003 dodge ram 1500. The contact stated that the vehicle defroster/defogger system windshield blower failed making it difficult to view outside the vehicle during cold weather conditions. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the defrost/defogger system needed to b e replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 61,500. Djr

Filed Incident Electrical system · Visibility / wiperNHTSA 10670618
Electrical systemLightsEngine & cooling

While driving on the freeway at night the headlights, tail lights, blinkers, 4-ways, brake lights, and tail lights went out and when slowing down to pull over the engine stalled. The engine started back up to get to the side of the road and stalled again with no warning. The truck now stalls at all stop lights and stop signs and is not giving any codes. The truck now has a large draw and kills the battery shortly after turning the truck off. The truck is still in the shop and so far the fcm, pdc and some wiring has...

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been replaced but the power draw persists and the engine stalling still persists. Researching the issue on the internet this is a common problem on this vehicle and has been for quite some time. This is a very dangerous issue and needs to be addressed. *Tr

Filed Incident Electrical system · Exterior lighting · EngineNHTSA 10670023
Electrical systemBody, doors & structure

The dash board has finally fallen apart after years of trying to keep it together. The obd connection has never worked fuse is good and several different scanners but no communication. *Tr

Filed Incident Electrical system · StructureNHTSA 10639113
Electrical system

My passenger doors, front and rear, will not function with the power lock and the windows can only be rolled down from the drivers controls. This is a safety concern to me as it will make it difficult or impossible for someone to quickly get out of the vehicle if they need to bail out, or get out in the event of an accident. If the driver became ill had a medical emergency, passengers would be unable to get out of the vehicle. The electrical wires in the door harnesses have broken and caused the issue to occur. *Tr

Filed Incident Electrical systemNHTSA 10632512
Electrical systemBody, doors & structureCrash

During the first year we bought the truck it had to be towed in to the shop because it would lose power and just "turn off" and could not be started about 6 times. After the truck was returned to us after one of these episodes, we had hooked up our camper to leave for the weekend, went into the house for some more stuff, and noticed that the gas tank had fallen off the truck and was sitting in the driveway under the truck. So much for camping that weekend and another tow to the dealer. We also purchased an extended...

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"bumper-to-bumper 100,000 mile, 5 year warranty that covered rust. I brought the truck into the dealer to show them the rust around the rear wheel wells and lower body in the 4th year into the warranty and they said they made a record of it and would take care of it. They put if off with promises after numerous calls and trips to the dealer until the dealership sold to another party and the warranty had expired (years, not miles). The body is rotten, the passenger front window was never fixed, and it still occasionally stalls. I'm told that the stalling and body problems are engineering defects, and internet searches confirm this. *Tr

Filed Incident Electrical system · StructureNHTSA 10595825

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Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) complaints and recalls, checked . Complaints are owners' own reports and are not verified. How we use the data

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