2001 Dodge RAM 2500

1. STEREING WHEEL WOULD NOT CENTER UP, VEHICLE DROVE STRAIGHT. DEALER SAID THIS IS NORMAL TO COMPENSATE FOR TORQUE, NO WARRANTY REPAIR, TOOK TO A SUSPENSION SHOP FOR REPAIR $ 1200.00 (SEE DETAILS BELOW). 2. TRANSMISSION SHUDDERED IN TORQUE CONVERTER LOCK UP. DELAER FOUND NO PROBLEMS WITH TRANSMISSION, BUT CONFIRMED THE PROBLEM. $ 2200.00 FOR NEW HD TORQUE CONVERTER AND HP VALVE BODY (SEE DETAIL BELOW) **ACCELERATOR STUCK WIDE OPEN WHILE TRAVELING DOWN INTERSTATE, HAD TO PUSH HARD ON BRAKE PEDAL TO SLOW DOWN TO MERGE TO SHOULDER, PLACE VEHICLE IN NEUTRAL AND THE ENGINE REVVED TO RED LINE, SHUT DOWN THE MOTOR. MOTOR WOULD NOT START ONLY CRANK. DEALER SAID THE INJECTOR PUMP AND CONTROLLER AWERE BAD, $ 3000.00 FOR REAPAIR. REPLACED BALL JOINT 6/2002, REPLACED TRANSMISSION 10/2004, REPLACED FUEL INJECTOR PUMP 12/04. SUM TOTAL OF REPAIRS $ 6600.00.*AK

FRONT UPPER BALL JOINTS ARE WORN OUT AND NEED REPLACING. TRUCK HAS NEVER BEEN USED OFF ROAD AND MOST MILES ARE HIGHWAY MILES. DEALER SUGGESTED I CONTACT DODGE BUT WHEN I DID THEY REFUSED ANY HELP. LATER THAT EVENING ISAW AN ARTICLE IN THE PAPER ABOUT DODGE HAVING BALL JOINT RECALLS ON DURANGOS AND DAKOTAS.THIS COULD BE RELATED AND REPORTED.*AK

ANOTHER WORN TRACK BAR IN THE FRON AXLE. 82,000 MILES. VEHICLE STARTS TO WANDER. THIS WILL MAKE THE THIRD ONE THAT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. THEY LAST ABOUT 10,000 MILES. I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE WITH THIS PROBLEM WITH DODGE RAMS MADE FROM 1994-2002 THAT IS FOUR WHEEL DRIVE WITH THE CUMMINS DIESEL. I HAD HEARD THAT SOMEONE HAD ONE THAT CAUSED THEM TO LOSE CONTROL

DEALER REPLACED AT 20,000 MILES THE LEFT WHEEL BEARING, AND AT 40,000 MILES THE RIGHT WHEEL BEARING NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. CONSUMER STATED NORMALLY WHEEL BEARINGS WERE REPLACED AT 85,000 MILES. DEALER STATED THAT CONSUMER SHOULD HAVE BOUGHT AN EXTENDED WARRANTY AND WON'T HAVE THIS PROBLEM.*AK LEFT WHEEL BEARING FAILURE OCCURED AT 20,000 MILES. DODGE REFUSED TO TALK TO CONSUMER'S WIFE ABOUT THE WHEEL BEARING FAILURE. FINALLY DEALERSHIP REPLACED THE WHEEL BEARING AT THE COST OF $100.00. CONSUMER FEELS THAT IT IS PREMATURE FOR THE WHEEL BEARING TO HAVE FAILED FOR A FRONT END TRUCK THAT IS FEMALE DRIVEN.*MR

STEERING WANDERS ALL OVER THE PLACE. 2001 RAM PICKUP 2500 WITH ONLY 19,224 MILES ON IT PROBLEM FIRST SURFACED AROUND 15,000 MILES. DEALER SERVICED AT 17,207 MILES AS A LICENSED INSPECTION MECHANIC, THIS VEHICLE WILL FAIL THE STATE INSPECTION STICKER TEST WHEN IT IS DUE. THE AMOUNT OF PLAY AT THE STEERING WHEEL IS CURRENTLY AT 5+ INCHES AND GETTING WORSE. INSPECTION PROCEDURES REQUIRE THE PLAY TO BE MEASURED WHILE OBSERVING THE TIRE MOVEMENT. ( EXAMPLE : TURN THE STEERING WHEEL TO THE LEFT UNTIL VISABLE MOVEMENT OF THE TIRE IS SEEN, MARK A REFERENCE POINT ON THE STEERING WHEEL, NOW TURN THE STEERING WHEEL TO THE RIGHT UNTILL VISABLE MOVEMENT OF THE TIRE , NOW MEASURE THE DISTANCE THE MARK ON THE STEERING WHEEL HAS TRAVELED. ANYTHING OVER A 2 1/2 " TRAVEL IS CAUSE FOR FAILING THE STATE VEHICLE INSPECTION STICKER. DEALER HAS ALREADY REPLACED THE TRACK BAR BUT THIS DID NOT SOLVE THE PROBLEM. AM AWAITING ANOTHER APPOINTMENT. MY WIFE REFUSES TO DRIVE THIS VEHICLE BECAUSE OF THE STEERING ISSUES. THE VEHICLE ALWAYS NEEDS TO BE " CHASED " LEFT AND RIGHT TO KEEP IT TRACKING STRAIGHT AHEAD.IT IS MY OPINION THAT IT IS A PROBLEM WITH THE STEERING BOX. THE STAE OF MAINE FISH AND WILDLIFE DIVISION FORCED A BUYBACK OF THESE SAME TRUCKS BECAUSE OF SIMILAR PROBLEMS WITH THE STEERING. IF THEY ARE NOT SAFE FOR OUR LOCAL GOVERNMENT THEN THEY ARE SURE NOT SAFE FOR THE AVERAGE CONSUMER. PLEASE LOOK INTO THIS AS IT IS A SAFETY ISSUE THAT CAN NOT BE IGNORED. THANK YOU. CONCERNED CITIZEN IN MAINE. *AK

STEERING WANDER ON 2001 2500 SERIES DODGE QUADCAB PICKUP. DUE MOSTLY TO FAULTY TRACK BAR.AND FRONT END ALIGNMENT SPECS ARE TO WIDE A RANGE AND IT CAN BE IN SPEC BUT STILL WANDER ALL OVER ROAD. YOU CAN DRIVE DOWN THE ROAD AND FOR NO REASON AT ALL THE TRUCK WANDERS INTO THE OTHER LANE. YOU HAVE TO CONSTANTLY COUNTER STEER BACK AND FORTH TO KEEP TRUCK ON THE ROAD. IT IS DANGEROUS NUMEROUS TIMES IVE ENDED UP IN DIFFERENT LANES AND OFF ONTO THE BURM OF TH ROAD. THE DEALER FORRER DODGE TOLD ME THAT THEIR REPLACING TRACK BARS ALL THE TIME AND HAVE EVEN REPLACED TRACK BARS ON TRUCKS THAT THEY HAD JUST RECEIVED IN FROM FACTORY. THEIRS EVEN A CUSTOM COMPANY THAT MAKES A CUSTOM TRACK BAR BECAUSE THE DODGE ONE IS DEFECTIVE.AND THEIRS OTHER COMPANIES THAT REBUILD THE DODGE ONES TO BE STRONGER SO YOU CAN ELIMINATE THE WANDER. YOU KNOW THEIRS A PROBLEM WHEN THEIRS COMPANIES THAT MAKE STRONGER TRACK BARS AND THATS THE ONLY THING THEY MAKE. PLEASE RECALL IT IS A BIG PROBLEM NOT ONLY ON THE 2001 BUT MANY OTHER YEARS TOO! THEIRS EVEN A COUPLE WEB SITES LIKE WWW.DODGETRUCKSTEERINGPROBLEMS.COM AND WWW.DODGESUCKS.COM AND WWW.DODGERAM.ORG