Problems with 2004 Dodge Ram 1500 POWER TRAIN

I recieved a letter stating a recall.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 dodge ram 1500. while driving at 20 mph, the rear axle detached and the rear tires seized. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the rear axle detached and needed to be repaired. the vehicle was not repaired. the vehicle was not included in nhtsa campaign number: 14v796000 (power train). the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 102,000.

Same drivetrain pinion issue as the 05 model. my driveshaft came off the pinion and made me skid and caused an accident. dodge recall center would not accept that my late 04 could have the same pinion defect as the 05.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 dodge ram 1500. while driving 40 mph, the vehicle stalled and made an abnormal noise. in addition, the vehicle rolled backwards, but not forward. the failure occurred without warning. the vehicle was towed to the contact's residence and then to the independent mechanic. the technician diagnosed that the rear driveshaft detached due to the pinion nut dislodging, which caused the rear end of the vehicle to seize. the technician also stated that the rear end and driveshaft needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the failure mileage was approximately 215,000.

The pinion nut come loose ,drive shaft fell out and lock rear in up.thank god i had just got off highway.

On sept. 21 2015, driving home from work, i experienced what it felt like to drop the drive shaft out of the rear axle of my 2004 dodge ram 1500 quad cab. i was on a highway going 55 mph with vehicles all around me when this incident happened. now i've done some research on this issue and found that 2005 dodge rams 1500 series that were manufactured within the dates of jan 28th 2004-aug. 3rd 2005 are all a part of this type of recall, known as p77 recall. what about dodge ram 2004 1500 series that were manufactured in june of 2004. this would have been the same time that the 2005's would have been manufactured. i am questioning why aren't the 2004 dodge ram 1500 series trucks under this same p77 recall since they were still being manufactured within this same time period of the 2005's. why hasn't chrysler/dodge corp. looked into the 2004 dodge ram 1500 series trucks that may have this same problem due to being manufactured in this same time period? another problem i have encountered, is i am being told by auto parts sale associates that they can not sell me this drive shaft or rear axle due to my truck being under this p77 recall. though, when i check my vin number under fca recall look up, i only see the r25 recall for the driver air bag inflator, which i at this point i can't even get this recall repaired because i don't have a working drive shaft or rear axle to even move my truck. it seems as if my truck was not included in this p77 recall, though i am being told it is under recall. confused!?

Rear axle seized, caused driveshaft to detach.

My family and i was driving down the road. (we had just had the truck serviced about 4 days prior at our local dealership.) all the sudden the truck makes this sound. i slowed down, rolled my window down trying to figure out if it was my vehicle or not. very faint at first and increased with a loud boom. i get out to find my drive shaft on the ground. and the pinion nut nowhere to be seen. gone. luckily we were on a country road and my family is safe.

Pinion nut loosened and the drive shaft separated from the rear axle. the pinion gear fell into the differential resulting in the axle to lock up and crack the housing.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 dodge ram 1500. the contact stated that while attempting to shift out of park, the pinion nut loosened which caused the rear axle to seize. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, but was not diagnosed or repaired. the vehicle was not included in nhtsa campaign number: 14v796000 (power train). the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 105,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 dodge ram 1500. while pulling off from a complete stop, the vehicle stalled. after restarting, the vehicle resumed normal operation. the failure recurred four times. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the contact also mentioned there was a closed investigation under nhtsa action number: ea05018; however, the vehicle experienced the same failure. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 145,300.

Drive shaft fell out and rear end locked...skidded to a halt. 2004 model built between jan 28 and aug 3

At approximately 155k miles, differential started howling when traveling from florida to virginia. took vehicle for service. limited slip differential clips had fallen out and broken up in the gears damaging the bearings. had the differential rebuilt with all new bearings and clips. at 160k miles, same issue occurred damaging the pinion bearing. the vehicle is now on jack stands in my yard as i save to purchase a rebuilt unit at over $2k.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 dodge ram 1500. while driving approximately 25 mph, the driveshaft dropped due to a loose pinion nut and the steering seized without warning. the vehicle had to be towed to an independent mechanic, where it was confirmed that the pinion nut was defective. the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the vehicle exhibited the symptoms stated in nhtsa campaign number: 14v796000 (power train); however, the vin was not included in the recall. the approximate failure mileage was 98,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 dodge ram 1500. the contact heard an abnormal vibrating noise coming from the front of the vehicle while driving at various speeds. the contact discovered that the transfer case was cracked and the bolts on the transfer case were tightening incorrectly. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the transfer case needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 106,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 dodge ram 1500. while driving approximately 50 mph, an abnormal noise emitted from the rear of the vehicle without warning and the rear of the vehicle seized. after inspecting the vehicle, the contact discovered that the driveshaft detached from the vehicle. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the rear axle needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 128,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 dodge ram 1500. upon slowing down at approximately 10 mph to turn into a fuel station, the gear assembly fractured and the rear differential failed. the contact heard a loud noise as the failure occurred. the vehicle was towed to a repair shop who provided an interim repair of the gear assembly and inspected the differential and noticed that it fractured prematurely. the vehicle was driven back to the contact's residence and parked due to the noise continuing from the rear. the contact was not included in nhtsa campaign number: 14v796000 (power train). the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the vehicle was included in nhtsa campaign number: 15v313000 (air bags), but was unable to determine when the part would become available to schedule the recall repair. the manufacturer was notified of the failure and provided no remedy. the approximate failure mileage was 164,000.

Was driving in my neighborhood at approx. 20mph when the front end fell out onto the road.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 dodge ram 1500. while driving approximately 15 mph, there was an abnormal noise coming from the rear of the vehicle. the vehicle shook and the wheels seized without warning. the contact pulled over and discovered that the rear driveshaft became detached from the vehicle and was on the ground. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic and was diagnosed that the rear axle failed and needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the manufacturer stated that the vin was not included in nhtsa campaign number: 14v796000 (power train). the approximate failure mileage was 151,000.

Was driving at about 25 mph had just made a left turn, and out of no where my truck went side ways heard a screeching tire sound then a bang, then the whole truck started to shake very violently. i braked immediately and the banging continued, i was in the middle of the roadway and tried to give it gas to get to the edge of the street but the banging go worst, turn off and exited the truck, noticed a big piece of metal in the middle of the road along with a lot of oil , ran up to it to only notice it was half of my drive shaft, it had snapped in two still attached to a piece of the rear end, along with fragment pieces all over the floor of the differential housing, seemed like something blew up in the differential. i looked under the truck and noticed the banging noise and violent movement was coming from the other half of the drive shaft that was still attacked to the transmission that was still spinning when i had it in gear. the car behind me had to avoid the drive shaft that snapped off since he said it flew out the rear of my truck as i was driving. had to get towed home and have the differential oil cleaned of the road way. i went home and notice there was a recall for this very same thing at it covered trucks manufactured january 28 of 2004 through august 3, 2005, my truck was manufactured april 2004 so it should be covered but the dealer and manufacture are giving the run around. please help! *tr

rear end froze, locked up, and drive shaft came off. the exact same issue as current recall p77 for 2005 dodge ram 1500. my truck shows a manufacture date of november 2003, whereas the p77 starts for trucks manufactured beginning january 2004. my question is what did dodge do different from november 2003 to january 2004 ( 2 months), and if nothing , why isn't my truck not included in this recall? this is very dangerous. my 16 year old daughter was driving, and if her rear locked up on the highway, just a few minutes earlier, there could have been a major accident. this needs to be addressed immediately. this is a very popular truck, and someone could get seriously hurt!

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 dodge ram 1500. the contact heard a noise coming from the rear of the vehicle when the accelerator pedal was released. while traveling approximately 45 mph, the driveshaft fractured causing the rear differential to lock up. as a result, the rear of the vehicle dragged. the contact had to apply extreme force to control the vehicle and pull it over to the side of the road. the vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. the vehicle was excluded from nhtsa campaign numbers: 03v503000 (power train) and 14v796000 (power train). the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 130,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 dodge ram 1500. while driving at approximately 50 mph, there was a whining noise followed by a loud banging noise coming from the rear of the vehicle. the contact indicated stated that the rear axle suddenly seized and the drive shaft detached from the vehicle, causing the driver to lose control and crash into a ditch. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the failure was caused when the rear axle pinion nut became loose. no further information was available. the manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the vin was not included in the nhtsa campaign number: 14v796000 (power train). the vin was not available. the failure mileage was 185,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 dodge ram 1500. while driving approximately 20 mph, a clunky sound emitted from the rear of the vehicle. the contact had to maneuver to the side of the road. the vehicle was towed to the dealer. the technician diagnosed that the drive shaft was twisted and the pinion was fractured. the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 149,577.

I had just merged onto a freeway on-ramp when,, w/o warning, the truck shimmied and sounded a loud bang followed by loss of control of the vehicle which sent it spinning toward the edge of the road. i had just come over the mountain passes and was lucky to have not had it happen there. upon getting out and inspecting the vehicle it was obvious what had happened: the rear section of drive shaft was laying on the ground and had disconnected abruptly from the rear differential. i've heard this is far from the first time this has happened with this model vehicle (nhtsa action number: pe14019) and hence feel the need to add to the catalog of reports. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 dodge ram 1500. while driving at 35 mph, the contact heard a noise underneath the vehicle. the rear wheels seized and the vehicle spun around. upon further inspection, the contact noticed that the driveshaft fractured from the vehicle. the vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. the vehicle was inspected by a technician. the technician diagnosed that the u joint, rear axles, gear oil, differential, gasket, and multiple parts in the rear of the vehicle needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired by the contact and the technician. the manufacturer was notified of the failures. the failure mileage was 126,000.

Driving at approximately 40 mph in heavy traffic slowed by road construction a grinding noise started at the rear end of the truck. approximately 5 seconds later and a loud pop the truck began shaking . i veered to the shoulder of the road barely getting it off the road . looking under the truck found the driveshaft separated from the differential with the u joint a yoke still attached to the driveshaft .i had the truck towed to my residence on a rollback tow truck because the rear end was locked up. i searched online for anyone that might had this happen to them and found a recall from chrysler for this very same problem. i contacted a local dealer who told me my vehicle had no recalls on it . i also contacted chrysler corp who told me the same thing . i need this truck back on the road as soon as possible but would like to know if this is a defect and their recall should include my truck . thanks *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 dodge ram 1500. while driving approximately 55 mph, there was a grinding noise coming from the rear of the vehicle. the contact pulled off on the off ramp of the freeway and lost control of the vehicle without warning. after inspecting the vehicle, the contact discovered that the drive shaft was lying on the ground. the vehicle was towed to the contacts place of business. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the contact stated that the vin was not included in nhtsa campaign number: 14v796000 (power train). the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 120,000.

I was driving my truck down a back country road on the sway to work when i noticed a whistling sound coming from the truck. i began to slow down from 55mph and then i heard a loud bang underneath the truck. i got out to find the transfer case blown apart and the rear end was locked. this could have been a serious matter if i was driving on the highway or had not begun to slow down. upon further investigation i have found many recalls on my truck. i also found out that this is going to run me around 3 grand, if the transmission isn't messed up. *tr

Driving home from work at about 65 mph on the freeway, and the drive shaft came detached form the rear end. i was able to coast over to the right shoulder. car was towed to a shop and repairs are pending. repair facility told me that there is hole in the rear end casing. *tr

Nhtsa action number: pe14019 recall p77 driving on the interstate when decelerating the rear end of truck violently started shaking. under a constant speed shaking stopped. took an exit to a county road where the truck shook violently again and the drive shaft came off the truck at about 45mph. towed truck to mechanic who said the pinion nut came loose allowing the gear to fall into rear differential which caused drive shaft to fall off and shatter the transfer casing. had this happened at interstate speed the drive shaft flying into a vehicle behind me could have been deadly. the is already a recall for the 2005 model referenced above. called chrysler, who said that my truck is not affected by this recall, even though the exact same problem occurred? i believe this recall affects more than just 2005 model rams and needs to be readdressed to multiple years. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 dodge ram 1500. the contact stated that while driving at an unknown speed, the drive shaft failed causing the rear wheels to seize. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 211,000.

The pinion nut came loose and the drive shaft came out-locking the rear end-causing damage.

On my way to work when i heard a pop, lost all power and saw my drive shaft on the ground behind me. i had to pull over and had no way to keep the truck from rolling away. i had to remain inside my vehicle until help arrived. this is definitely a safety issue. i am lucky i didn't completely lose control when it happened and that i wasn't hit when i had to sit on the side of the highway inside my broken down truck. i see there are multiple incidents similar involving my year truck, yet dodge has only recalled the 2005 model. my truck was manufactured december 30, 2003. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 dodge ram 1500. the contact stated that while driving approximately 60 mph, smoke started to emit from the rear of the vehicle. the vehicle began to shake and wobble before abruptly stopping. while inspecting the vehicle, the contact discovered that the rear driveshaft fractured. the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 100,324. updated 10/20/2015*js

We where on our way back from california to arizona on the 40. a small highway in the middle of no where, when we heard a very loud boom. next a very large cloud of smoke came from the back of the truck, then the trucks rear end ceased up leaving us stranded in the middle of no where at night. to have the truck towed just to needles ca was $600.00. was this part recalled? i can not find this information anywhere and would like to know what chrysler is doing about this very dangerous situation.

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 dodge ram 1500. the contact stated that while driving at approximately 70 mph, a loud grinding noise emitted from underneath the truck as smoke started to come out of the outside of the vehicle. the vehicle was merged to the side of the road and upon inspection by the contact, it was noticed that the drive shaft was hanging loose. the contact mentioned that there were two puddles of oil and the drive shaft was bent. the vehicle became inoperative. the vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the rear axle was damaged and that the pinion nut came loose. the dealer determined that the rear axle and the carrier of the axle needed to be replaced. the contact was made aware of nhtsa campaign number: 14v796000 (power train) however, the vin was not included on the campaign. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 125,612. updated 8/10/15*cn

While driving 65mph down a 3 lane highway, i heard a humming noise. i pulled over to the side of the road. i looked under the truck. the rear of my drive shaft was laying on the ground. had it towed to a repair shop (cost $133.59). repair shop had to make repairs to the rear axle housing/differential (cost $3,543.48). total cost with tow bill $3677.07. *tr

Truck lost all power, throttle lamp blinking. stalled on roadway, would start but would not give throttle to move the truck. turned key off then back on a few times and would let me apply throttle for a few seconds, then back to no power. i did this a few times just to get off the roadway. there is no throttle cable so it is a computer control problem. *tr

Vehicle was traveling down a 4 lane main thoroughfare in medium traffic when the rear end locked up and exploded. driver was lucky enough to gain control of the vehicle and bring it to a stop without injury or crashing into another vehicle. although the vehicle is a 2004, it was manufactured with in the same time frame as the 2005 p77 recall for the same issue. *tr

Pulling up to stop sign traveling about 5-10 mph. drive shaft fell out and rear end locked up. had vehicle towed to shop and total bill was over 1200.00 including tow. has other dodge rams had this problem. *tr

While coming to a stop rear end locked. after inspection found drive shaft had come loose and fallen under truck.had vehicle towed to home and after further inspection found nut had come off pinion causing drive shaft to fall off and pinion to fall back into ring gear and broke pinion,ring gear, and bearings.unable to repair myself i had a used rear end installed in truck. i later heard that chrysler had a recall for this failure and contacted them by phone. i was told that this truck was not covered by the recall. why, when having the exact same problem as their recall, was my vehicle not included? i will have to find my bills for repairs and wrecker service , but i believe it was around 1400.00, and i feel chrysler should reimburse me.

While driving on a local road at approximately 35-40mph the vehicle started making a loud vibration noise. within the next 3 miles the truck made a loud banging noise, the truck lurched and lost forward momentum. i was able to safely make it to the shoulder of the road where i discovered that the driveshaft had separated from the rear differential and had been rotating, banging the underside of the truck. the pinion nut was no longer attached to the pinion gear. the spline from the differential's pinion gear was askew and fluid was leaking out. the towing service indicated that the rear wheels were locked and the wheels would not rotate as the vehicle was dragged onto a flatbed. the transmission shop who conducted repairs confirmed that the rear axles was locked up and the differential would require a rebuild. this situation mirrors the nhtsa preliminary evaluation pe14-019 and linked to chrysler's recall p77 / nhtsa 14v-796, with the difference being that this occurred on a 2004 dodge ram 1500 not a 2005 dodge ram 1500. the 2004 dodge ram was manufactured within the same time frame as the 2005 dodge rams in the recall (january 28, 2004 - august 3, 2005), june 2004. in addition the rear axle assemblies between the 2004 and 2005 dodge ram 1500s are interchangeable.

Entering off the highway rt 95 felt vibration then caught the end of the curb trying to control it went into the grass, into a guard rail then also into a has sitters material danger with signs all over it building next to the tollbooth because it was slippery grass i could not stop then proceeded to somehow totaled two cars on the op. cit. side of the small building the park cars that were workers at the tollbooth it was an industrial park building and i want through i have yet to get any information nor got any type of response from chrysler dodge or anybody i have a missing tooth due to the accident it went to the hospital and i have a police report and hospital bills no rental bills and then on to work it's just terrible with no truck .. i'm sick over the whole thing and now pile of bills that i don't know what to do with i really prescient the new buyback you had done because none of myrecalls on my truck had gotten done please help.

While driving down the road the left front headlight would give out at random times brought to dealer and was diagnosed as fcm (later found out by another mechanic that it was a loose connector at the tipm issue was also the same exact thing on our work truck a 2004 dodge ram 3500 dually). the main safety issue is with the power rack and pinion, it has given out twice on the road in heavy traffic, the fix the first time was a complete replacement of the power rack and pinion system. the second time, the replacement of inner tie rod seals. another computer issue was brought in for loss of power to whole truck at random times, cruise control failing, power surges. unit replaced twice in one year to correct the problem.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 dodge ram 1500. the contact stated that while driving at approximately 40 mph, a grinding noise was heard and a burning oil odor entered the cabin. the vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the rear axle pinion became loose. the vehicle was repaired. the vin was not included in nhtsa campaign number: 14v796000 (power train). the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 121,355.

We had the exact thing happen to us. we where driving down the freeway when we heard a loud bang. the rear end of our truck went out. we where stuck in the middle of no wheres and had to be towed about 150 miles. there was a recall for this item "friday's recall marks the third time chrysler has had issues with the dodge ram's rear axle." however when we put our vin number into the system it states our truck is not part of this recall. how do we replace this? it should be covered by the manufacturer. if we buy a replacement part how do we find a good rear axle, when they where all recalled? dodge should widen this recall to include all the trucks that had the same problem...

The truck stalls at idle or low speeds after refueling. it happens every time. it is dangerous because the power steering goes out and the truck is very difficult to control. it has happened as i am entering off-ramps and proceeding through intersections. the problem is the vapor/liquid separator valve located at the top of the fuel tank. the valve is designed to prevent liquid fuel from entering the charcoal canister/emissions system. when the valve fails, liquid gas can enter the line and fill the charcoal canister. after refueling, the pcm on the vehicle detects a change in fuel level. then, when the engine meets certain temperature and driving criteria, the pcm issues a purge command to the charcoal canister to remove the stored gas vapors. it?s at that point that all the liquid gas in the line gets sucked into the charcoal canister. the pcm expects to see gas vapors entering the intake manifold and it is prepared to adjust air/fuel mixtures to compensate. however, it is not prepared to see liquid gas coming into the intake. that?s what causes the engine to stall. unfortunately, the only fix is to replace the entire gas tank. chrysler does not sell the vapor/liquid valve as a separate unit. once the tank is replaced and the charcoal canister purged, the problem goes away. this problem is well-known to chrysler across a broad range of vehicles, including pickups, minivans and suvs. chrysler settled with complainants on some models and years by agreeing to extend the warranty to lifetime, but refuses to acknowledge the problem outside of those vehicles. i am looking at a $1,300 repair bill for a known defective and unsafe part, the replacement for which chrysler refuses to sell separate from the gas tank itself. i would be deeply grateful for any assistance you may provide. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 dodge ram1500. the contact stated that while driving 55 mph, a loud noise was heard from the rear of the vehicle. the contact later discovered that the rear shaft had become separated from the vehicle due a failed to pinion nut, which also caused the rear brakes to seize. the vehicle was towed to the contact's home and was not repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the current and failure mileage was 119,000. *tr

While driving on interstate at 65mph red lightning bolt light on dash starts flashing and truck stalls, it was almost impossible to steer and brake the vehicle safely to get off road, this was very dangerous situation with other passengers. called dealer, they cant offer any inside to problem without vehicle at shop to read codes, no codes shown and vehicle can not be drivin, $40,000 for 89000 miles. *tr