| Issue ID | 1090298 |
| Internal NHTSA # | 10615494 |
| Manufacurer | Chrysler (FCA US LLC) |
| Brand | DODGE |
| Model | RAM 2500 |
| Model Year | 2004 |
| File date | 29/07/11 |
| Component | SUSPENSION |
| Product type code | VEHICLE |
| Description of the problem | I was driving the truck along hwy 5 in northern california in the fast lane when, going over a bridge, the front end started to violently shake. The steering wheel jerked out of my hand, i slowed down and had to pull over in front of another vehicle. Truck continued to shimmy until i came to a stop. I got out and thought maybe i had blown a tire - anything - while stranded on the side of this major hwy with loaded semis lying by. I could not see anything wrong with the truck. Got back in, it happened again some 50 miles later. I had the suspension checked and a part replaced. It happened again this spring 2014. I was told by the dealer that it was my tires. The tires were nearly new the first times this happened. I replaced the tires and am now told i have to replace other suspension parts that are damaged/worn at only 80k miles. I have had trucks, cars, etc, for decades that never had suspension issues like this even when they had over 130,000 miles. It angers me that everyone has problems with these diesel trucks and the dealers get away with poor suspensions. A week ago, i was on the freeway and saw this happen to a truck in front of me. I watched as the person attempted to slow down while trying to gain control of the truck and had to try to get across 3 lanes of heavy traffic to the side of the road. How many people have been killed by this? Injured? I felt badly for them as i know exactly how that felt as they struggled to slow down and get over with semi trucks, cars, etc, fly by them. |
| Vehicle Mileage at Failure | 60000 |
| Number of Occurences | 1 |
| Source of the issue | NHTSA WEB SITE |
| City and State | YELM, WA |
| VIN pattern | 3D7KU26C34GXXXXXX |
| Was vehicle invloved in a crash? | N |
| Was vehicle involved in a fire? | N |
| Was incedent reported to police? | N |
| Was medical attention required? | N |
| Was part original equipment? | |
| No. of injured persons | 0 |
| No. of fatalities | 0 |
| Date of purchase | 07/08/26 |
| Was original owner? | N |
| Anti-lock brakes | N |
| Cruise control | N |
| Number of cylinders | 6 |
| Drive train type | |
| Transmission type | |
| Vehicle speed | 70 |
| DoT tire identifier | |
| Tire size | |
| Location of tire code | |
| Type of tire failure code | |
| Was defective tire repaired? | |
| Date of manufacture | |
| Type of child seat code | |
| Type of restraint | |
| Dealer's name | |
| Dealer's telephone number | |
| Dealer's city | |
| Dealer's state code | |
| Dealer's ZIP code |