2001 Dodge RAM 2500

MY VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION DRIVING ON A HIGHWAY AT THE RATE OF 45MPH-50MPH MY HUSBAND WAS DRIVING, I WAS PASSENGER, AND MY 2 YEAR OLD SON WAS IN HIS CAR SEAT IN THE BACK. ALL THE SUDDEN WE HIT A SMALL BUMP IN THE ROAD, NO BIGGER THAN YOUR AVERAGE POT HOLES AND THE ENTIRE TRUCK BROKE OUT INTO AN ABRUPT SHAKE! IT WAS THROWING MY HUSBANDS AND MY BODY AROUND THE SHAKE WAS SO INTENSE THE STEERING WAS CONTROLLABLE BUT EXTREMELY HARD. IT FELT AS THOUGH OUR TIRES WERE FLYING RIGHT OFF THE VEHICLE. MY HUSBAND BRAKED AND THE VIOLENT SHAKE SEIZED AND WE IMMEDIATELY PULLED OVER AND PARKED THE TRUCK. WE CHECK AND SHOOK ALL TIRES THEY WERE SECURE. WE LOOKED UNDER THE TRUCK EVERYTHING SEEMED IN PLACE AND SECURE. ONCE WE GOT HOME I RESEARCHED THE ISSUE AND LEARNED OF THE "DEATH WOBBLE" MOST DODGE TRUCKS HAVE BECAUSE OF THE "Y" STEERING BAR WHICH MOST YEARS HAVE A RECALL TO FIX THE ISSUE HOWEVER WHEN I CALLED MY LOCAL DODGE THEY INFORMED ME MY YEAR OF TRUCK DOESN'T HAVE THE RECALL. THIS "DEATH WOBBLE" HAS BEEN KNOWN TO CAUSE ROLLOVERS AND ACCIDENTS. I REACHED OUT TO CHRYSTLER TO SEE IF THEY WOULD FIX IT AND THEY INFORMED ME BECAUSE THERE IS NO RECALL THEY WOULDN'T. WE ARE TALKING PEOPLES, AND OTHERS ON THE ROAD SAFETY! I DON'T SEE WHY THEY WOULDN'T WANT TO PAY TO FIX A STEERING BAR WHICH IS WHAT MAYBE $1000 BUT HAVE THE POSSIBILITY FOR LIVES TO BE LOST?

WHILE DRIVING MY 2001 DODGE 2500 4WD PICKUP, THE CABLE PART OF THE SPARE TIRE LIFT ASSEMBLY FAILED AND ALLOWED THE SPARE WHEEL/TIRE TO BECOME FREE FROM IT'S HOLDING AND FELL TO THE PAYMENT. LUCKILY NO ONE WAS FOLLOWING ME FOR IF THEY WERE THEY WOULD HAVE DEFINITELY HIT THE WHEEL AND AN ACCIDENT WOULD HAVE OCCURRED POSSIBLY CAUSING INJURY (IES) TO THE OCCUPANTS OF THE ONCOMING VEHICLE. THIS OCCURRED ON SEPT1 IN ROCKWELL, TEXAS. I REPORTED THIS TO ROCKWALL DODGE SERVICE DEPT AND TOLD THEM IT WAS A DEFINITE SAFETY ISSUE. THEY ACKNOWLEDGED THIS BUT DID NOT ATTEMPT TO NOTIFY THE DODGE HEADQUARTERS TO MY KNOWLEDGE. THEY ORDERED THE REPLACEMENT PARTS AND GAVE ME A DATE YOU COME IN TO HAVE THE ASSEMBLY REPLACED. IN THE MEAN TIME I CALLED THE DODGE CORPORATION AND REPORTED THIS INCIDENT STRESSING AGAIN THE SAFETY ISSUE AND POSSIBILITY OF A DESIGN DEFECT. 9/21/10 "TRISH' CALLED AND ADVISED ME THAT BECAUSE OF THE AGE AND MILEAGE THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO. FURTHER SHE ADVISED THEY WOULDN'T ISSUE ANY WARNINGS EITHER DUE TO THE INFREQUENT REPORTINGS. . I ADVISED HER THAT DODGE HAS TAKEN THIS TOO LIGHTLY AND THAT THEY SHOULD CORRECT THE PROBLEM ON BOTH OLD AND NEW TRUCKS (ALL VEHICLES BY A REDESIGN (FAILSAFE). I OFFERED THE PARTS TO HER FOR EXAM AND ANALYSIS BUT SHE WAS NOT INTERESTED. I AM APPALLED AT SUCH A "NON-CARING" ATTITUDE. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 DODGE RAM 2500. THE INSIDE BEADS OF THE WHEEL BEGAN TO FRACTURE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR INSPECTION. THE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT THE WHEELS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED BECAUSE OF HIS DRIVING HABITS. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 158127. UPDATED 1/25/10 *CN THE CONSUMER STATED THE ALUMINUM WHEELS WERE BREAKING THROUGH THE INSIDE BEADS. ALL FOUR OF THE WHEELS WERE BROKEN. THE WHEELS APPEARED TO HAVE CRACKED WHERE THE METAL WHEEL WEIGHT MAY HAVE BEEN LOCATED. UPDATED 01/26/10

I FILED A COMPLAINT WITH NHTSA RECENTLY AND HAVE NOT HEARD BACK FROM YOU. I DID NOT WRITE THE NUMBER DOWN SO I AM FILING THIS COMPLAINT AGAIN. MY HUSBAND HAS A 2001 DODGE DIESEL THAT WE BOUGHT IN 2002. WE WENT TO PUT NEW TIRES ON THE TRUCK AND TOTTEN TIRE WOULD NOT LET US LEAVE WITH THE TRUCK WITHOUT PUTTING NEW RIMS ON IT. THEY SAID THE RIMS WERE DANGEROUS. 3 OF THE 4 RIMS HAVE CRACKS UP TO 3/8 INCH WIDE, ONE HAS 10 CRACKS. I BELIEVE THE RIMS ARE DEFECTIVE. THE TIRE PLACE SAID THEY HAVE NEVER SEEN RIMS LIKE THIS BEFORE. I AM ATTACHING A PICTURE FOR YOU TO LOOK AT. I AM VERY CONCERNED THAT MORE DODGE TRUCKS HAVE THIS PROBLEM. IF ONE OF THESE RIMS WOULD HAVE BROKE APART GOING DOWN THE HIGHWAY WE COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED. I CONTACTED DAIMLER CHRYSLER ABOUT THIS AND THEY ARE DOING NOTHING TO REIMBURSE ME FOR THE $700.00 WE HAD TO PAY FOR RIMS. THEY SAID THE WARRANTY HAD EXPIRED. RIMS SHOULD NOT FALL APART IN 4 YEARS TIME. THE VIN # ON HIS TRUCK IS 387KF23651G8XXXXX. PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF YOU CAN DO ANYTHING TO HELP ME, AND PERHAPS SAVE OTHER PEOPLE FROM THIS SAME PROBLEM. I AM CONCERNED THAT IF THE RIMS ON THE DODGE RAM DIESEL PICK UPS ARE ALL CRACKING THIS BADLY MANY PEOPLE MAY BE INJURED. I WILL MAIL COPIES OF THE CRACKED RIMS WITH A COPY OF THIS COMPLAINT FOR YOUR REVIEW. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. *NM UPDATED 12/15/06. *JB

WHILE DRIVING 55 MPH VEHICLE STARTED TO PULLING TO ONE SIDE. HAD STOPPED VEHICLE, CHECKED OUT TIRES AND NOTICED THAT RIGHT FRONT TIRE WAS LOSING AIR, LIKE A SLOW LEAK. PUT AIR IN TIRE AND STARTED DRIVING, BUT TIRE CONTINUED TO LEAK. ARRIVED HOME, TOOK CLOSER LOOK, AND DISCOVERED THAT ALUMINUM ALLOY RIM FROM MANUFACTURER, HAD A CRACK THAT CAUSED THE LEAKING PROBLEM. CHECKED OTHER RIMS AND THEY WERE ALSO CRACKED. HAD NOT TAKEN VEHICLE TO DEALERSHIP.*AK

APPROXIMATELY 4 BLOCKS FROM MY HOME MY WIFE, WHO WAS DRIVING THE TRUCK, HEAD A NOISE COMING FROM THE RIGHT FRONT WHEEL. I REMOVED THE TIRE AND NOTICE THAT A BRACKET ON THE BRAKING ASSEMBLY WAS GRINDING INTO THE MAG WHEEL. EVEN THOUGH MY WIFE DRIVE A SHORT DISTANCE, A SIGNIFICANT GOUGE WAS MADE IN THE THE SOFT METAL OF THE WHEEL. I PUSHED THE BRACKET BACK IN PLACE AND TOOK THE TRUCK TO THE LOCAL DODGE DEALER. I WAS INFORMED THAT THE "ANTI RATTLE BRACKET" AT THE BOTTOM OF THE BRAKE ASSEMBLE HAD RUSTED TO THE BRAKING ASSEMBLY. EVERYTIME I PUSHED ON THE BRAKE, IT MOVED OUT UNTIL IT WAS GRINDING ON THE MAG WHEEL. THE BRACKET WAS GRINDING ON THE WHEEL LIKE A LATHE, PEELING OFF THE METAL OF THE WHEEL. IF I HAD BEEN ON THE HIGHWAY AND DID NOT HEAR THE NOISE, A SERIOUS ACCIDENT COULD HAVE HAPPENED. THE CONTINUED GRINDING WOULD HAVE DESTROYED THE WHEEL ASSEMBLE. NEITHER THE DEALER OR THE DODGE CONSUMER COMPLAIN REPRESENTIVE THOUGHT THIS WAS A VERY BIG ISSUE. AT THIS TIME, I FEEL THAT THE SAFTEY OF THIS TRUCK IS A STAKE AND COULD RESULT IN A SERIOUS ACCIDENT IF IT IS NOT RESOLVED. *AK