Dodge Ram Complaints (2003)

2,323 consumer complaints on file.

#11768911October 5, 2026
AIR BAGS, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
brought my 2003 dodge ram 1500 to Romeo dodge to have a Passenger Airbag Recall Repair on [XXX] 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 [XXX] to [XXX] 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 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)
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11752418July 23, 2026
AIR BAGS
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 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.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11716771February 9, 2026
SUSPENSION:REAR
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.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11704481December 11, 2025
SUSPENSION, STEERING, TIRES:PRESSURE MONITORING AND REGULATING SYSTEMS
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.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11672188July 9, 2025
VISIBILITY/WIPER
DEFROST DOESNT WORK DUE TO DOOR BEAKING IN HOUSING, ALLOWS ICEING IN FREEZING CONDITIONS AS CANNOT DEFROST WINDSHIELD. WELL KNOW PROBLEM WITH THESE YEAR MODEL DODGE TRUCKS
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11640702February 4, 2025
STRUCTURE:BODY, SUSPENSION
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 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.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11631953December 21, 2024
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
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 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?
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11617781October 2, 2024
STRUCTURE:BODY
The frame/chasis rusted through and dealer could not raise truck because lift went through frame. If it had not been noticed at dealership, we and others could have been killed if the frame had broken through on the highway. The dealership and repair shop can confirm. The box and other body components are severely rusted. The body around the gas filler cap is so rusty that I have to hold the gas dispenser just so as to prevent gas leakage from the filler apparatus going into the gas tank. The gas tank fell off the truck twice and the truck was towed into the dealer to be fixed. The truck has less than 150,000 miles, and was purchased new. The incidents occurred between 2004 and 2020 - approx. No police reports or injuries, but no help from dealer.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11604425July 25, 2024
SUSPENSION
The contact owns a 2003 Dodge Ram 3500. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, there was a clunking sound coming from underneath the vehicle. The contact who is a certified mechanic, inspected the vehicle. Upon expecting the vehicle, the contact determined that both upper control arms had completely rusted and needed to be replaced. The upper and lower ball joints and suspension had been replaced by the contact. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 225,000. The VIN was unavailable.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11570220February 6, 2024
TIRES:SIDEWALL
travelstar ecopath a/t size LT265/70R17 a large bubble developed on sidewall. about 3 inches in diameter. tire only had about 5000 miles on it. i was on a trip with my truck camper mounted on bed of truck. returned from trip and noticed the bulge. truck is single rear axle with one tire on each side. travel speed was 55 to 60 mph. if tire had blown out truck and camper would have flipped over. i called manufacturer of tire, was told to contact walmart where i purchased tire. contacted walmart, was told to contact manufacturer. classic runaround.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11552042October 26, 2023
TIRES:TEMPORARY/EMERGENCY SPARE TIRE
The contact owns a 2003 Dodge Ram 1500. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, there was an abnormal thump, prompting the contact to look through the review mirror, where he observed that the spare tire was on the roadway. After a visual inspection, the contact observed that the spare tire hoist cable had detached, allowing the spare tire to fall from the spare tire compartment. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 99,600. The VIN was not available.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11551048October 20, 2023
POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DRIVESHAFT, AIR BAGS
The contact owns a 2003 Dodge Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving at slow speeds, the driveshaft detached. Due to the failure, the gear oil and rear differential fluid leaked out of the vehicle. The contact was able to temporarily repair the driveshaft. The dealer and the manufacturer were notified of the failure but offered no assistance. Additionally, the VIN was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V312000 (Air Bags) however, the contact was informed that due to a crack in the dashboard, he would be charged for the repair. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 230,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11533960July 23, 2023
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.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11532783July 17, 2023
STEERING, AIR BAGS
The contact owns a 2003 Dodge Ram 2500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 09E001000 (Steering), 13V528000 (Steering) and 15V312000 (Air Bags) however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repairs. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11532408July 14, 2023
POWER TRAIN
The driveshaft to pinion gear at the differential comes loose during normal driving. I have replaced the bit numerous times, but it keeps coming loose. There is a recall on same truck but different years. The exact problem the other Rams have is exact issue with mine. When it comes loose, the car grinds to a halt.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11531739July 12, 2023
AIR BAGS, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The reason the owners of these Dodges is that the dealers break the already brittle dash boards and REFUSE to repair or replace the dashboard. So most wont have the recall performed. So until the dealers are forced to repair/replace the brittle dashes when they perform these recalls then people will not have it addressed. Also i have owned my Dodge since October 2022. Truck is registered with dodge on the website and yet to receive a recall notice in the mail. Now if i go and look it shows the recall on my truck but many do not register their vehicles with the manufacturers website. All in all the EXPENSIVE dashboards being broke by dealerships performing the recall is why owners wont go thru it. Many have paid thousands in getting the dashes fixed. Also id think brittle dashboards that turn sharp daggers would be a safety hazard as well but yet no recall. My dash is missing HUGE pieces. Leaving sharp jagged edges that will be knives in an accident. I mean if the dashes bust just by replacing an airbag inflator or just sun exposure. Imagine being in an accident.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11524773June 1, 2023
POWER TRAIN
Rear end of my ram 1500 pickup model year 2003 locked up doing 60 MPH on the interstate broke the drive shaft and the front of the rear end and yoke off. This is the third rear end I have put in this truck. This has been reported all over the internet thousands and thousands of times over about these Dodge ram 1500 pickup truck rear ends having catastrophic failure causing injury and near fatalities yet Chrysler Dodge Jeep still has not issued a recall for the 2003 model year ram 1500 rear end. It is the same exact rear end as the model year 2005 which has the same recall and other years that they have issued recalls for. I cannot understand how this has gone on for years with so many reports and incidences of this happening and still nothing being done of it. Again this is the third rear end I have put in my truck. My truck only has 120,000 miles on it first rear end went out well under 100,000 mi. It was also brought to the dealership to have pinion seal and nut fixed under warranty at 30,000 miles. I have paperwork proving that there was an issue starting at 30,000 miles with this truck. I really hope somebody will finally do something about this issue that has plagued hundreds of thousands of people and their trucks. A simple internet search will show thousands and thousands of people all having the same issues with their 2003 Dodge ram 1500 pickup trucks. You can see in two of the pictures the skid marks from the rear end locking up on the road and I buy a miracle manage to keep the truck from sliding into the guardrail next to it. The vehicle is currently on a car trailer at my house and can be inspected at any time as I do not have the money to put a fourth rear end to this vehicle at this time.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11516199April 9, 2023
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, EXTERIOR LIGHTING, VISIBILITY/WIPER
After driving in heavy rain. During the following day started having electrical issues the parking lights would stay on even when the switch was turned off the driver's side headlight would also come on. and the parking lights would either turn off or flash when the high beams were turned on this happened with front and back parking lights the only way to fully get them to stay off was to pull the relay or disconnect the battery. The problem is with the power distribution center and front control module the poor design allows them to corrode damaging the copper tracing and causing shorts in the system this is a common problem as there are several online forums dedicated to these problems with a lot of people having the same issues so I'm not sure why there hasn't been a recall for this since it is a major safety problem when it affects lights, windshield wipers and several other things that could cause accidents. my brother's truck is also having sign's of the pdc and fcm being bad. and at over $1000 to replace both for a manufacturing defect it's not right that dodge customer's should have to pay that bill. I'll be attaching a picture of another board but the damage is the same and in the same spot
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11507929February 18, 2023
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I just bought this car with a smog certificate of less than 90 days ago from today and it caught on fire while I was driving it not even going over 55 miles an hour. I seen a potential recall that would cause a fire like that for the make and model of my vehicle but when I put my vin in it says it wasn’t effected. To be clear my vehicle wasn’t leaking any fluids either.
Crash:
No
Fire:
Yes
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11504037January 27, 2023
AIR BAGS
The contact owned a 2003 Dodge Ram 1500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V312000 (Air Bags) and requested to be removed from the recall distribution list as she no longer owns the vehicle. The local dealer and manufacturer were not contacted.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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