Problems with 2003 Dodge Ram 1500 POWER TRAIN

Traveling at about 40mph, driveshaft fell off. after further investigation, i saw the pinion loose hanging inside the differential. i took cover off differential and the pinion and gear were destroyed. the pinion nut was off . that being said, nut came loose, causing pinion to drop into gear box , destroying it. however, my vin was not recalled. multiple issues like this on this year also.

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 dodge ram 1500. while driving at an unknown speed, the vehicle began to vibrate violently. the contact coasted the vehicle over to the side of the road and noticed that the driveshaft was detached. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, but was not diagnosed or repaired. the contact called mike patton chrysler dodge jeep ram at (706) 882-0600 (located at 1408 lafayette pkwy, lagrange, ga 30241) and was informed to schedule an appointment. the vehicle was not taken to a dealer. the manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact to schedule an appointment with a local dealer. the approximate failure mileage was 240,000.

As i was driving to my drs appointment in a city street at 40 mph. i heard a popping noise from the rear of my truck and i immediately lost power ,i was able to pull over to the side of the road and found my drive shaft laying on the road ,my rear axle locked up , i had to have my truck towed home , after farther inspection i found out that the pinion nut came off .i research the and found out many complains of this problem with dodge trucks of this year ,with no response from dodge .what is going to take a fatality before dodge issue a recall .

Drive shaft fell off driving down the road and the rear end is completely out now too!

On february 11, 2018, while returning home from emt training, i heard a whining noise and then boom. pinion nut backed off, dropped down into the gear area causing my drive shaft and yoke to break and my rear end to lock up, putting me into a skid. i found 35 other complaints where chrysler corporation was notified and nothing was done. i also found out that the 2wd trucks were recalled but not the 4wd. when i contacted chrysler corporation, i was told to keep my receipts and if any recalls were to come they would contact me. chrysler knows of the problem but will do nothing about it. they put my life and my families lives in danger and will not honor their mistake. the following link is all other complaints: https://www.carcomplaints.com/dodge/ram_1500/2003/drivetrain/rear_differential_failure.shtml.

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 dodge ram 1500. the contact stated that while driving 55 mph, the rear differentials gears seized and caused the vehicle to swerve and come to an abrupt stop. the vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. (michiciana chrysler dodge jeep ram fiat of mishawaka, indiana) was made aware of the failure and requested that the vehicle be brought in for a rear differential assessment. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was approximately 122,000.

Vehicle was in motion on city street rear pinion nut came loose and cause catastrophic damage to the drive shaft and rear end of the truck.

While driving the vehicle on a flat, paved road a sudden small grinding noise was detected. without warning, the rear axle froze and the rear wheels locked up. as the vehicle slid to a stop, a loud noise was heard. after the vehicle stopped moving a quick visual inspection revealed that the drive shaft had broken off and was hanging down. a large amount of viscous fluid was spilled on the road. the truck was not able to move forward or backward at this point due to the locking of the rear wheels and lack of a functioning drive shaft. the vehicle was on a blind curve on a well traveled road and the police were called. it was necessary for the officer to remain and direct traffic around the vehicle due to the dangerous situation. the vehicle was towed to a local dodge dealer and a claim (# 32479801) was filed via the dodge customer care hotline.

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 dodge ram 1500. while driving approximately 35 mph, the rear wheels suddenly seized. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the rear differential and axle malfunctioned and would need to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer and local dealer were not notified. the vin was not available. the failure mileage was 137,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 dodge ram 1500. while driving approximately 15 mph, the contact heard a loud noise from the rear of the vehicle. the vehicle lost power without warning and was towed to the contact's residence. the failure was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that there was no recall. the failure mileage was approximately 79,000.

Rear end seized up and almost caused me to wreck with my 17 month old child.

Driving down the road and the truck started to make long d noise upon slowing down for a stop sign, then the drive shaft fell out of rear end.

While driving down the interstate my 03 dodge 1500 started making a whining noise. we pulled over and check the rear end fluid. it was fine. got back on the highway and it was still whining. made it about 50 miles do that and my truck shuts of. no power at all. i put it in natural and got it started and got off on an exit. it barely had power to move. pulled into a motel and power picked up. i was 265 miles from home. i had to have my truck towed the 265 miles not knowing the problem and awaited to drive it any :* that. got home my husband replaced the bearings and seals in the rear end. well that didn't fix it. as we had the cover off the punkin of the rear end we found a broken piece in the bottom. a friend told me it was a part of the opinion gear. i don't know but a new rear end cost 2500.00 if not more. a used one costs 350.00 to 800.00. i'm stuck and don't know what to do.. i love my truck but i can't afford the rear end and i have to have a way to work. *tr

Currently my 2003 dodge ram 1500 has a howling noise coming from the rear end. after reading numerous accounts of this same problem i feel lucky that my rear-end has not yet locked up on me. this is a definite safety issue as if lock up were to occur at highway speeds severe injury or even death could result.

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 dodge ram 1500. while driving at approximately 60 mph, a loud noise came from the rear of the vehicle. the contact stated that upon deceleration the gear shift shook rapidly. while putting the vehicle in park, the driveshaft fell and the rear driveshaft axle lifted. the contact stated that the vehicle was towed to his residence where he diagnosed that the rear driveshaft axle failed due to a loose rear axle pinion nut. the vehicle was repaired, however, the failure recurred. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 150,000.

While driving down a hill at aprox 45mph i heard a loud bang and my drive shaft hit the ground and my differential locked up due to pinion nut backing off. i had no clue anything was going to happen. thank god my family wasn't injured or killed.

2003 dodge ram 1500. consumer writes in regards to light switch still not working after repairs. *smd the brakes and rotors were replaced. also, the left front axle seal was starting to leak. *jb

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 dodge ram 1500. while driving at an unknown speed, black smoke emitted from the rear of the vehicle without warning. in addition, when the brake pedal was depressed, an abnormal sound emitted from the vehicle. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the brakes, calipers, and rotors needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the hub bearing, wheel hub, axle shaft assembly, and driveshaft needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired. lastly, the front driver side headlight failed to operate. the head lamp was replaced. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 201,281. updated 06/29/16*lj *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 dodge ram 1500. while driving approximately 35 mph, an abnormal sound emitted from the rear of the vehicle and it stopped abruptly without warning. in addition, the vehicle failed to move forward. the contact inspected the vehicle and discovered that the pinion nut loosened and caused the driveshaft to fracture from the vehicle. the vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. the vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the vin was not included in nhtsa campaign number: 13v038000 (power train). the failure mileage was 175,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 dodge ram 1500. the contact stated that while driving approximately 20 mph with the accelerator pedal engaged, the vehicle failed to accelerate without warning. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 66,000.

Rear end locked up while driving on highway at appox. 35mph, no warning truck was jumping all over because rear tires would not move in forward, looked and noted: drive shaft was on street broke off at pinion and differential not at universal as i expected i'm almost 80yrs old never had anything like this happen to me, even when flat bed towing company tried to load it, it broke his cable and freewheeled backwards lucky no one got hurt something about clutch in diff locked up in forward only,all this i have documented by licensed mechanic's and repair shop that rebuilt differential ,also jonesville michigan police were on scene and made out a report

I brought my truck in for a routine transmission service, and alerted the service guy about a loud growling noise coming from the trans/ rear end. this had been becoming more frequent and louder every time i took my foot off the gas, upon deceleration. after inspection, it was discovered that the pinion nut was coming off. this caused a lot of damage inside the differential. after learning this, i was frustrated and researched online to see if there was a recall, there is a recall for the 2005 model year, but mine is a 2003... but it's the exact same problem! i can't be the only one who's had this happen in this model year, mine and my families lives could've been in jeopardy! the 2005 recall specifically says - "consequence: if the pinion nut loosens, the rear axle may seize, and/or the driveshaft may detach resulting in a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash." i want to know if there will be any accountabilty for this from anyone? i have an unexpected bill now of a pretty substantial amount...

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 dodge ram 1500. the contact stated that while driving at 70 mph, the transfer case that connects to the drive shaft blew out which caused the contact not to be able to steer the vehicle. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was unknown.

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 dodge ram 1500. while driving approximately 40-45 mph, the contact heard a loud abnormal noise. the contact noticed that the driveshaft disengaged and detached from underneath the vehicle. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the rear end and driveshaft had to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the failure mileage was approximately 200,000.

While driving on the expressway at approximately 60 mph the rear axle pinion bolt vibrated off, causing the driveshaft to drop from the rear, the wheels locked up and the truck swerved to the left, luckily it swerved into a grassy median and not into another vehicle. the 2005 dodge ram was recalled for the same issue, no adhesive on the bolt to stop it from vibrating off. its the same truck with the same rear and the same problem, and it should also be recalled before someone is killed!

While driving home from work i started hearing this noise coming from the rear end at 81,000 i know it cant be the rear end, but yes its the rear end going out never pulled anything with the truck, fluids are changed on time and oil and rear end al ways change at the same time. the other problem is the steering i notice when i hit a dip in the hwy its hard too control but every time i take it buy the dealer ship they say its normal, never thought ill be giving up on dodge but now i see they just wont your money and they wont stand be hind there product. i am sure i'm wasting my time writing this but gotta know if dodge will respond back.

Rear end locked up

Tl* takata recall. the contact owns a 2003 dodge ram 1500. the contact stated that the vehicle shifted gears abnormally. the check engine warning indicator illuminated. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that an o2 sensor malfunctioned and needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 15v312000 (air bags), but the part to do the repair was not available. the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 130,000. parts distribution disconnect.

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 dodge ram 1500. while driving 15 mph, the hub assembly detached from the bottom of the vehicle. the vehicle was towed to a dealer, where it was confirmed that the hub assembly was defective and needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the issue. the failure mileage was not provided. updated 09/18/15*lj

Had the rear end fail going close to 70 mph, drive shaft broke off the pinion gear shaft at the rear end causing the rear end to momentarily lock-up, before it broke free. this damaged the rear end! was lucky it didn't stay locked up! drive line ruined as well ! *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 dodge ram 1500. while driving at approximately 60 mph, a loud noise came from the rear of the vehicle and the rear wheels suddenly seized. the contact was a certified mechanic, who diagnosed that the rear driveshaft axle failed due to a loose rear axle pinion nut. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 259,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 dodge ram 1500. the contact stated that while driving approximately 40 mph, there was a loud abnormal noise. in addition, the tires seized and the drive shaft fractured. the vehicle was not able to be driven due to the failure. the vehicle was towed to a dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the vin was not available. the approximate failure mileage was 130,000.

While driving down the road i felt my entire truck shudder. pulled over as soon as possible and saw driveshaft laying on the ground. had truck towed back to my residence, where i inspected threat end and saw that the pinion but had backed off and cause driveshaft to come undone from rear differential my entire rear end is locked up and needs to be rebuilt. there is currently a recall for 2004 and 2005 for this same issue. however the recall states this could happen. unfortunately it did happen to me and currently my vehicle is not on the list. 2003 ram 1500 has 9.25 rear end, same as the recalled vehicles. i've been told by chrysler that i should get vehicle repaired and hold onto receipt in case a recall arises with my vehicle. however this doesn't seem right since it's almost exactly the same truck with same equipment and this equipment failure isn't a potential issue, it's already ruined my rear end that i now have to pay myself due to faulty equipment, recall that should cover my vehicle. *tr

Driving down interstate 60 mph, drive shaft fell out from under truck, rear wheels locked up. mechanic said the pinion broke off. truck rear wheels would not turn. couldn't roll the vehicle off the interstate. some one pulled it off with a chain. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 dodge ram 1500. while making a right turn at approximately 10 mph, the driveshaft suddenly detached from the rear of the vehicle and caused the rear wheels to seize. the vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 200,000.

Rear axle pinion became loose and dropped to the bottom of the case. the u-joints on the drive shaft broke and the drive shaft separated from the vehicle. the back end locked up. dodge made no previous attempt to notify me of a problem with the pinion in my 4 wheel drive truck nor did they do anything to fix it prior to the vehicle breaking down. it is now an expensive repair. would like to be reimbursed for the repair. *tr

Rear axle locked up while driving and snapped bolts to the drive shaft then drive shaft fell off onto the road. truck came skidding to a stop. rear axle will not turn at all. *tr

There was not an accident but could have been. the clips in the differential fall out and could cause axles to lock up which could be very dangerous at speed. when changing my fluid i found these clips in the bottom of the case. this is a very common and dangerous problem. if these clips were to get caught in the ring and pinion gears it would have been scary. dodge should be recalling these. *tr

Rear pinion nut came off of rear end causing the rear end to lock up completely. driveshaft broke off and rear tires locked up causing a total loss of control. *tr ...updated 01/07/15 *bf updated 06/2/2015 *js

when i was pulling on the highway from entry i was depending on my cars engine when i was trying to accelerate car first jump then shut of completely and as a busy highway route 80 i was almost got run over by a trailer good thing i'm experience driver car stall out and didn't start for easy 1 minuet at this time i was on side of the road after that day car randomly stalls out i try to understand what's the problem it doesn't give me any related code also cruise control is when u set a speed and you slow down with the button but sometimes car will take off faster engine has multiple design errors that makes the engine fail out of nowhere. *tr

Vehicle jumped as if something was struck but nothing was, and started to whine within the rear differential. *tr

My son (16) was driving his 2003 dodge ram 1500 up to a stop light before turning onto our street, when truck made a loud noise and it felt like someone ran into the back of the truck, he lost control of truck while all this going on, but managed to keep in the lane he was in. truck finally stopped and when he got out the drive shaft had fallen off and the rear wheels are locked up. some men pulled him off the main road and we called for a tow truck to tow us to our house, until i could find out where to take the truck to on monday. the rear wheels just skid across the road while being pulled to a safe spot and i am hoping i don't need new tires, since the tires we have on were just bought in july/august 2013. *tr

I was driving my dodge when i heard a grinding popping noise coming from the rear end. i immediately pulled over. and a local mechanic shop. they said bring it in so i did my pinion nut backed off and i needed a whole new rear end for the second time something needs to be done cause im only 17 and cant afford to keep putting $1000 + in a truck for the same thing. *tr

While reverse parking at approximately 10 mph; the accelerator stuck to bottom of vehicle floor (sending vehicle to speed exceeding 70 mph) and it accelerated out of control. in an attempt to stop and avoid hitting pedestrians and building behind me; i hit the brakes, but the brakes would not stop the vehicle. i was forced to place the vehicle in park shift position while hitting brake, in order to stop vehicle. at first the shift control stopped in 'd' and the vehicle shot forward, but i kept hitting the brakes. and eventually; i managed to get it in the park position and it stopped the vehicle. *tr

My wife, kids and mother in law were driving north in miami heading to fort lauderdale the truck made a loud whining noise and then suddenly the rear wheels locked up and there was a huge bang and smoke rose from the rear of the truck. the aluminum driveshaft was split in 2 and there was oil all over the underside of the truck and on the ground. the truck would not roll at all and a flat bed needed to be used to bring the truck back to potamkin planet dodge. the mechanic that did the tear down on the rear axel said he initially thought it could be rebuilt but i was contacted later and i was told that it was so frozen they couldn't free up the gears, i had to buy a new axel. the rebuilt replacement axel cost me $4334.01. the reason i'm now sending this in is because i just saw the recall notice that went out for the 2004 and up trucks and when i read the descriptions from the people that had submitted all of the complaints i realized how similar everyone's story was and that my situation may not have been just dumb luck due to a simple mechanical failure. the mechanics that worked on my truck were not surprised at all and made it seem like this is a pretty common failure on these trucks and i didn't even think at the time that it may have been a manufacturing or assembly defect. if my 2003 dodge ram 1500 axel had the same lot number or series serial number or came from the same factory then this recall should be expanded further back to cover all impacted parties. i owned the truck since it was brand new and it was not used as a work truck or any tough duty truck, it was our daily driving truck and i still own it today. i take care of my vehicles and people don't believe the truck is 12 years old when i tell them. *tr

While driving, heard a loud noise and lost control as the back wheels locked up and back end fishtailed. turns out the drive shaft dropped because of a sudden rear differential failure. apparently there is a known flaw in the manufacturing \ design of the rear differential and sadly, chrysler\dodge is doing nothing to resolve the problem and insure the safety of their customers and vehicles. it is only a matter of time before someone is seriously injured ....... chrysler\dodge's profits should not be allowed to grow at the expense of public safety . . . . *tr

I own a 2003 dodge ram 1500 v8 with 4.7 now with 155k miles, i had truck since 2005 . i always took great and still take great care of it. the following event has happen twice to me , one year apart from each other . the first time 2011 truck has about 120k miles, i was doing 30 mile an hour when a loud grinding started i was able to slow down to 10 miles an hour before the big bang noise occur and drive shaft felt off in the middle of a very busy intersection in stpete florida ( 49th st and ulmerton ) the rear end had lock up my tires , even the big flat bed tow truck had hard time picking me up , the second time 2012 it happen in tampa florida 140k miles also in a very busy hwy (veterans express) . second time the grinding noise was less louder when i first heard it , or i heard it way early jeje i knew what it was already so i let off the gas and let truck slow down but the big bang happen , lucky this was the second time this happen i knew what it was and i was already getting off the right shoulder , the second event happen with a second set of drive shaft and rear end, both time the rear end lock up my rear tires . due to pinion and pinion nut malfunction and costly repairs i write to you today . the truck runs today , but the grinding noise is back. is their recall or new better parts . *tr

Truck stalls every time i start slowing down for a stop sign or red light and sometimes when i turn corners. when idling it shuts off immediately unless i throttle to keep rpms up. also stalls when i put it in reverse. i've been almost hit several times when pulling into an intersection. replaced all known causes and nothing has fixed the issue. i have read in some sites i may need a software update from dodge dealership. *tr

I had just stopped my truck in front of my garage and, with my foot on the brake, shifted into the park gear position. suddenly the engine began to race and my foot on the brake peddle went to the floor as if i had no brakes at all. i took my foot off of the brake peddle and the engine leaped forward through my garage door. i hit the brakes immediately and came to a screeching stop. i put the truck in reverse but it would not engage. a neighbor came and asked if i needed help. i asked him to try backing out of the garage for me. he took my place behind the wheel and shifted into reverse with the same result. he asked me if i had the emergency brakes on because the truck would not move. i told him no and when he attempted to use reverse again the gears engaged and he backed the truck out of the garage for me. *tr

While pulling out into busy traffic my truck lost power and i had no acceleration. after about 30 seconds the vehicle kicked back in and took off. this has occurred multiple times, at random, with no warning. i have had it in the shop and repaired the throttle positioning sensor, and treated it for water in the gas. neither one of these solved the problems, and they have no answers for what else may be wrong. this is a dangerous situation that is not unique to my vehicle. i have read many other cases online for the same problem. i do hope that dodge issues a recall and finds a remedy before someone is seriously injured or killed. *tr