Problems with 2002 Dodge Ram 1500 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 dodge ram 1500. the contact stated that the instrument panel began to crack in january of 2008. by june of 2008, the panel had cracked into small pieces and a piece fell into the air conditioning motor, which prevented him from using the air conditioner. the dealer would not repair the vehicle for free and is charging $800. the manufacturer provided the contact with reference number 17583492 and advised him to check with the dealer. the contact feels that the manufacturer should replace the instrument panel for free. the failure mileage was 100,000 and current mileage was 116,000. updated 09/13/08. *lj updated 09/17/08. *jb

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 dodge ram 1500. while the vehicle was parked without the key in the ignition, the vehicle rolled down a hill. the vehicle crashed into a trailer and both were damaged. there were no injuries. the contact received a recall notice for the ignition interlock after the failure occurred. the ignition interlock was replaced. the parking brake was not engaged. the approximate failure mileage was 75,000 and current mileage was 80,125.

Excessive cracks have formed in both dashboard pieces. the plastic has become very brittle and sharp pieces are beginning to fall into the wiring underneath. nothing particular happened that caused it, they just appeared overnight. conversations with the local dodge dealer and chrysler customer service yeilded no assistance. i am concerned of the sharp edges of the plastic falling into the dashboard wiring and causing electrical failures while driving or, in the event of an airbag deployment, shards of the shattering plastic impaling the driver or passenger. *cn

Hi, i read an article by channel 6 news problem solvers in orlando, florida. that did a report on dashboards collapsing in 2002 dodge ram and other models. in the article, it showed that dodge was replacing the dashboards at a cost of $100 to the customer. 2 years after i bought my truck, my dash started cracking. a friend of mine had a 2003 quad cab and he was experiencing cracks in his dash in the exact same spots. a year later he traded his truck in and i still have mine. my dash is still continuing to crack to this day. since my dash started cracking, i have had other problems with my truck. my stereo is messing up. my a/c and blower motor don't work right. my heater core leaks. in summer time i have no a/c. in winter i have no heat and no window defroster. when it rains, i have no defroster. these are a safety issue if i cant see where im driving. for the past 2 years, i've been trying to get dodge to replace my dash. they will replace it only at full cost to me! will you finally force dodge into recalling these 01-04 dodge ram, dakota and durango dashboards???????????????????????. *tr

The dashboard on my truck cracked, then began losing pieces. some pieces have been propelled at the driver and passengers by the air conditioning and when windows are open. wiring problems appear to be developing (i am now receiving "lamp out" warnings). i have placed a dash cover to limit exposure to these hazards, but i have seen news reports that many other consumers are experiencing these problems, and that they continue to worsen. *tr

A few years after the vehicle was purchased, the dash began to develop cracks and holes. this has gotten worse and worse to the point where a dash cover had to be purchased to avoid things falling down behind the instrument cluster. currently, there is more missing than still in place in the vehicle. this is a common problem in this generation, and dodge has not addressed it, other than to claim it is strictly cosmetic. the plastic pieces are extremely sharp, and have resulted in a number of superficial cuts when working on the defrost vents, or when adjusting the carpeted dash cover. other pieces have fallen into the vents and then been ejected into both driver and passenger's faces when the air conditioner/heater are turned on. pieces of plastic rattle behind the dash, and have fallen into the air conditioner controls and radio harness, possibly being the cause of the failure of the front speakers (but not verified) if they have cut the wires. if the airbag deploys, the perdon in the seat is likely to be blinded or disfigured from the amount of dangerously sharp shrapnel, assuming it has not already been cut and rendered useless. replacement dashes from dodge are priced at nearly $1,000, which is a ridiculously exorbitant amount to expect customers to pay in order to fix a defective product installed by the company. overlays of decent quality cost nearly a third of that.

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 dodge ram 1500. while driving various speeds at night, the blower would turn on and off automatically and the instrument panel lights failed without warning. the blower eventually failed completely. the vehicle was repaired according to nhtsa campaign id number 03v078000 (steering:column), in which the instrument panel lights illuminated properly for thirty days before failing again. the vehicle currently needs a new computer. the current mileage was 155,000 and failure mileage was 120,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 dodge ram 1500. the contact stated that the instrument panel is beginning to shatter in several different places, leading to the air bag. he stated that the air bag will eventually deploy. the dealer accused him of tightening the screws too tightly underneath the instrument panel; however, the contact stated that he has never touched the instrument panel in that regard. other dealers have stated that this is a common occurrence with this make and model. the failure mileage was 55,000 and current mileage was 79,199.

Dt*: the contact stated the check engine light illuminated while driving 55 mph. the vehicle was taken to the service dealer, and a computer diagnostic identified a failure to the condenser fan relay, due to an undersized fuse. a technical service bulletin, # o8-002-03, was issued by the manufacturer, which stated the fuse was not large enough and the condenser fan needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was contacted.*ak

My 2002 dodge caravan has numerous electrical problems. the passenger and back windows only work intermittently. the inside door panel on the driver's side is also becoming loose. the air conditioner started only working on high speed. then it wouldn't work at all unless you giggled the key a certain way. now it won't work at all. these trucks have been subject to a recall for this issue. "the electrical connector at the bottom of the steering column contains an under-sized terminal for the hvac blower motor circuit." per the recall "'dealers will install a wiring harness overlay to correct this condition" i contacted the dealer where i bought the monstrosity and he was rude and claimed this truck was not subject to that recall. i also called the national number and they refused to repair their defective vehicle. we live in florida and it is dangerous to have to ride in a vehicle without air conditioning. our dodge caravan also has a defective air conditioner. i rue the day i ever bought a dodge. *tr

I was stopped by police due to the fact that my parking/running lights were not working. the signals and stop lights worked fine. my 2002 dodge ram is at the garage. they found the circuit board (power distribution center) under the fuse box is burned out. cost from dodge, $400.00. i think this is a safety issue, there is no indication that the light went out from the cab. the dash lights worked and the head lights worked. the garage informed me that is happening a lot to other dodge rams. *nm

The heater/ac fan will continue to operate with the ignition key removed from the lock. sometimes the circuit is energized immediately after the key is removed and at other times it energize's on its own. if not identified in time the fan will drain the vehicle battery. the local dodge dealer claims they are unable to duplicate the problem. i suspect the ignition lock/switch is probably defective and is causing this problem. *jb

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 dodge ram 1500. in 2006, the battery was replaced in the contact's vehicle. when he started the vehicle, the headlights remained illuminated and the turn signals, horn, and brake lights no longer worked. he called daimler chrysler and was informed that there were no recalls for the vehicle. the contact stated that the tail lights did not work when the vehicle was purchased. he feels these are all safety issues. the vehicle has not been repaired. the current mileage was 138,844 and failure mileage was 84,000.

Dashboard begin cracking and finally in a couple days of weeks broke apart completely as i had been in a crash.i called the company they said the warranty had expired.i told them i have 1992 ford aerostar whose dashboard was completely .intact and that it was much older it had to be a structural defect. they offer to pay half which meant i had to pay 500.00 dollars, which i didn't have. i felt they should pay all of it. also the airbag light is on and the rpm accelerate without me pushing the gas pedal.i took many times to the dealership and they said they would fix it but they never did. *tr

Dt*: the contact stated while applying pressure to the accelerator pedal the engine sputtered. the check engine, airbag, and check gauges lights illuminated. the dealership was alerted. updated 03/28/06

Dt*: the contact stated while driving 70mph another motorist alerted the contact the running lights on the vehicle were out. upon inspection the dealership found the power distribution center and the fcm (part # 56045434aea) failed. there was a power surge through the parts that caused the fuses to be blown. an independent repair shop replaced the power distribution center and the fcm.

Rack & pinion steering leaking on left side. transmission rough. no dash lights. blower motor works seldom. dangerous and expensive repairs. seems like these have widespread transmission and electrical problems. *jb

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 dodge ram 1500. approximately one and a half years ago, the vehicle's instrument panel began to crack asw well as the dashboard. the crack gradually spread from the driver side to the passenger side of the vehicle. in addition, the air vent detached. the cause of failure has not been diagnosed. the current mileage is 56,000 and failure mileage was 42,000. updated 10/18/07 *tr

Entire gauge cluster failed. headlights and running lights came on with the switch in the off position. turn signals, emergency flashers and brake lights did not operate. electric locks did not operate. it has happened twice. the first time it corrected itself after checking all of the fuses. the second time it was taken to the dealership. the dealership has diagnosed a internal short in the gauge cluster with an expected repair cost of $900.00. *nm

I had an electrical problem with the instrument cluster,which caused all of my gauges to stop working. no speedometer, odometer, battery, oil or temperature gauge. my turn signals, horn, interior lights, wipers, and power door locks also failed. i also discovered that i had no stop/brake lights or fog lights, but had headlights and parking lights even though the interior switch was in the off position. even though this truck was purchased new in january of 2002 at jerrys dodge (now safford dodge, and the three year warranty was just up, i only had 7,078 miles on the truck at the time of the incident. the dealer replaced the cluster but i had to pay. i think this cluster suddenly going out is a major safety hazard. thank god mine went out in the day time and not at night. i could have been rear ended as it is. this is the fourth incident of a failed instrument cluster that i know of. i am sure there are more, and i have read that chryslerdaimler/dodge has had cluster problems in some of their other vehicles.*jb

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 dodge ram 1500. the contact experienced numerous electrical failures ranging from the fuse box and power lock:windows to the interior lighting. she took the vehicle to the dealer on several occasions and a technician repeatedly rewired the electrical system, replaced the fuses, and the motor for the power window devices. immediately after the repair, the electrical failures recurred. she returned to the dealer and a technician stated that the wiring harness melted, which caused the alarm system to fail and have to be replaced. the parts are on back order and neither the manufacturer nor the dealer can provide an estimate of when the parts will be available. she has copies of documents pertaining to the repair history of the electrical system. the manufacturer did not provide any assistance. the failure mileage was 28,000 and current mileage was 49,369.

Truck was taken into the autowest dodge dealership to fix taillights that didn't work. at the time the truck was in their possession there were 2 open recalls and they did not notify me of either. nine months later the brakes, clutch, and power steering went out while i was driving it. once i got it to the side of the road the engine was engulfed in flames. truck is a total loss. truck had 31,000 miles on it. daimlerchrysler has denied responsibility for the problem. *nm

First the transmission is slipping in 3rd gear at times,this has been an on going issue that the dealer can't reproduce. the lamp out light goes on and off with the bell this will do it intermittently for as long as 30 min straight and this truck is all over the road when you hit bumps at high speed. *jb

1) there were no incidents leading up to the vehicles failures. 2) the headlights will not shut off when engine is on / the windshield wipers and pump are inoperable. they both occurred at the same time. family was stuck on rainy highway for several hours. 3) dodge service "thinks" the power distribution center may have shorted out the electronic control module and recommend replace both -$750 there is a back order for both parts - apparently there are many requests. part #'s 56045433af and 56051036ad. *ak

There is an electrical problem with the instrument cluster,which is causing the head lights, blinkers, and interior lights not to function. owner will contact manufacturer. *nm other electrical problems included fog lamps; windshield wipers; turn signals, brake lights and all cluster functions. dealer replaced a shorted cluster. *tt

Prior to taking delivery of the vehicle the battery was replaced. after several times of service for headlight failures, won't jump start, replaced battery, 7 mo. later. after several other attempts was informed of need wiring harness due to after market replacement of headlamp. replaced headlamps to factory and 3rd dead battery. i have invested $1100 since the second dead battery. dealer says battery has nothing to do with electrical wiring harness???? most occurances during extended warranty period. *ak

Wiring for my 2002 dodge ram pickup 1500 quad cab light bulb continously burn out like in a sequence all tail lights. my brother in law has the same vehicle and had the wiring re done while truck was under warrantee because of a short. is there any record of anthing like this happening? *ak

My computer system went out in my 2002 dodge ram 1500 truck. i spoke with an individual named chris on 9/15/04 ref#12633025. the manufacturer will not take any steps to rectify this problem because i was told that there aren't any recalls on the computer systems in these trucks. it's going to cost me $600.00 to get this problem with my lemon fixed.*ak

Intermittent while driving 30 mph vehicle stalled. this caused loss of steering and brakes. dealer replaced turn signal switch, but problem recurred. *ak *nm

Vehicle stalled when making left turns and/or braking. this resulted in loses of power steering and brakes. took vehicle to dealer, and mechanic performed a diagnostic test, but no failure was found.

5 minutes after parking vehicle caught on fire. *ak

Since december of 2001 verizon has had (6) dodge full size vans involving 1998-2001 b vans. all (6) fires appear to have started under the hood. all (6) vans are equipped with the kelsey hayes ebc 325 anti-lock brake systems. three of the fires occurred in the abs controller area of the engine compartment without the entire truck going up in flames because the drivers were able to have the fires extinguished before the fires got a real good start. three of the fires happened while the vehicles were unattended and the vehicles were totally destroyed. on sept. 4th, 2003 a 2002 dodge van was reported by the driver to have the abs pump running continualy for over 2 hours. the abs pump was extremely hot. had to disconnect the battery to shut the pump off. when this van was brought into the verizon garage the abs light and the brake warning lights were illuminated in the instrument cluster and the abs pump was running continually. the van was towed to rothrock dodge in allentown, pa.,on 9-5-03 and left with danny david for diagnosis. when the scan tool was connected to the abs system they found (2) codes, main relay open and pump motor circuit open. at this time no repairs have been completed on this vehicle until chrysler and a verizon fleet tech. support specialist can look into this case. contact persons at verizon are as follows; tom spezio 732-493-9902 bob prince 410-760-8836 fred pletscher 610-264-0685. *ak

I own a 2002 dodge ram 1500 quad cab 4x4. in september of 2003, the check engine light came on and it was determined to be the condenser fan inoperable due to open fuse. the service mgr told me that this was a common defect because of the design of the shroud that allows water to collect in the trough. it also freezes in the winter preventing the fan from turning. this is not covered by warranty. i believe it should be because it is design defect. this is quite costly to have this fixed. according to the service representative, there have been several cases of this. *la

While driving at 30mph vehicle caught on fire, flames came out the dashboard. dealer notified. *ak

Consumer states vehicle caught on fire. dealer notified. *ak

Vehicle blower motor fuse was blown on this occasion, and then later dates the ac condenser fan fuse was blown. the 40 amp fuse for the blower motor was replaced to fix the first problem. the condenser fan fuse was replaced at least once, and then the fuse box - where the condenser fan fuse goes - melted so that the fuse could not be replaced. taking it to the dealer today. also noticed lots of dashboard cracking complaints. i also have a dashboard that is seriously cracked. paid to replace the part closest to the window, but the dashboard over the instrument panel was not replaced. asked dealer to replace it three times, and all three times they said none was in stock. one person told me that they don't like replacing them because of the complexity of the job. *tr

I turned my fan on to cool the inside of the truck and after a few minutes, it shut off. a while later, i tried it again and it worked, but soon shut off again. i took the truck to the dealership and they told me they cleaned the air intake out and it was full of leaves. they told me that is why it shut off. the problem continued. a few weeks later, i got the recall notice about the wiring being too light and it was over heating. the dealer did the repair. it worked fine for a good while. eventually it started shutting off again. sometimes i could tilt the steering wheel to a different location and it would come back on. i flipped the access panel down to find the repair, they clipped the two lighter wires and plugged in to i believe 10 gauge wire in their place. the heavy wires are too stiff to flex and when pushed certain ways the fan shuts off. i also noticed where the wires are plugged in, the wires are so hot you can barely touch them. i don't feel this was a very good fix for the problem, since although the fan does not shut off due to overheating, it still is heating up under the dash and may cause a fire under the dash. *tr

Vehicle has lunged forward while in drive. engine idle electronically advances while transmission in drive, driver must keep foot firmly depressed on brake to avoid accident. also having significant electrical problems - specifically gauges do not function properly and horn/lights engage. problems are intermittent. *nlm

Parking lights and tail lights do not function. lamp out indicator light on dash is not on. problem diagnosed to be in the fuse box circuit boards also known as the pdc (power distribution center). apparently corrosion occurs inside the box and the ground is lost. original equipment part number is 56045433ae. that part number is no longer available and has been replaced by part number 56045433af. neither part is available for purchase from dodge dealers. there depots also show no stock and they do not know when the part will be available. as the corrosion continues other electronic components of the vehicle could be lost resulting in a serious safety issue. *jb

While driving vehicle will stall without warning. the vehicle serviced several times for this problem, but the dealership can not duplicate, so they cannot fix the problem. upon further inspection of the vehicle by the consumer, they noticed that ignition can be switched toward the accessory mode without much force. consumer informed dealership and daimler chrysler. ts scc

Vehicle will stall without warning while driving. dealership indicated that this could be caused by the ignition. please provide more details.*ak