Problems with 2003 Dodge Ram 1500 POWER TRAIN

Rear axle....lots of my friends have had them break on their 2003 ram 1500 qc. have my family in mine all the time and have no choice but to take the chance everyday.....3 children and my wife.*ak no breakage yet.....but not wanting it to either..all of us have a build date of may-2003 so far.

I was on i-95 driving about 55 mph when a car cut in front of me then slammed on brakes. i had to slam on brakes to avoid this car. then all of the sudden my drivers side rear wheel sheared off and spun me across the left lane of i-95 and into the steel cables in the middle. i was towing a car on a car trailer at the time. the truck was messed up pretty bad, the whole passenger side and bed are gone due to the steel cables in the middle. the car i was towing had damage to the front bumper and a side skirt. me and my brother managed to make it out alright though.*ak

Going 35 mph the rear axle on my 2003 dodge ram 1500 broke causing the rear wheel to fall off. there was no impact to the wheel beforhand. dodge will not cover it under waranty even though it was clearly a faulty product. after reaserch i found many people have had the same problem.

While driving 60 mph driver heard a bang coming from under the vehicle. then , consumer noticed the vehicle was on fire. consumer pulled the vehicle over, and called the fire department to put out the fire. vehicle was towed to the dealer for inspection, and mechanic determined that transfer case failed. *ak

While driving down an on ramp toward the highway at about 20 mph my entire left rear wheel assembly sheared or the side axle. this caused the vehicle to veer to the left and in fact made a complete u-turn. my travel trailer i was towing then jackknifed striking the rear quarter panel. chrysler has denied liability. the vehicle was only 9 months only. a review of nhtsa site has shown 6 incidents within the last 5 months. also a report filed by an engineer at chrysler axle plant report # 10007842 acknowledges that chrysler is aware of a problem in manufacturing and the heat currying. my axle is brittle and also appears to be crystallized in the interior. this is in my opinion a manufacturing defect, the total damage to my vehicle and trailer exceeds $15,000.00. *jb see voq 10059475, same incident. *jb

2003 dodge ram std cab 1500 4x2 5.7l vehicle, about 9,000 miles on it, 4 months since purchasing it. while driving down the freeway at 75 mph the right rear tire/wheel assembly broke off the axle shaft. the vehicle spun out in the center median. vehicle substained enough damage to have the insurance company say it was totaled. the dealership, southpoint dodge, told me to contact daimler chrysler. i put a claim in with dc customer service only to have it denied. i called dc corp. to ask if i could get a reason why and see their report on the subject and they denied me this information.*jb

My son and others could have been killed because of this. he just pulled away from a stop lite in a 2003 dodge ram 1500, only 3 months old when the rear right axle snapped shearing off the wheel and sending him skidding on the pavement. he and others were very lucky toget out of the way of danger. i am writing this on december 23rd. we have not heard a word from the dealer where we had the vehicle towed which would be south oak dodge at 4550 lincoln highway in matteson, ill. phone is 708-747-7950. vin #[xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

On friday, nov. 28, 2003 my husband died as the result of our 2003 dodge ram jumping from park into reverse, the drivers door hit him from behind and rolled him over forward, penning him under the drivers door and pavement. this incidnet was reported to and investigated by the birmingham police dept. *nm

Dodge hemi both wheels snapped at axle, brakes still on tires. *ak

While shifting from park into reverse or drive consumer heard clunky noise. dealer inspected the vehicle and could not duplicate or correct the problem.*ak a factory rep. looked at the vehicle and stated it was a normal characteristic of the ram 1500. consumer stated he was not informed of the transmission problems until it was too late. *ph *nlm

Transmission is not shifting properly. there is a period of free-wheeling when it downshifts from the od back into fourth gear, causing increased pressure to have to be applied to braking the pickup which in turn causes a jerking while braking. there is also a pause before the transmission shifts, it is slow getting into each gear and does not downshift properly. the rear-end has excessive slack to the point of startling people if nearby when shifting into gears. these have all been described as normal by the dealer. not so! *jb

Starting at june, 06, 2003. 2003 dodge ram 1500 series. warped rotors at 5490 miles, again at 10643 miles. have been to dealer both times for repairs. pulsating still occurs after repairs. braking ability problems still occuring. brakes locking sometimes when putting in drive to move.grinding and pulsating sensation when turning and braking.ohter problems drive-line vibration -has been in for repairs. computer printed circuit for overhead console replaced at (2023 miles) keyswitch replaced, left rear tail - light printed circuit, replaced, left rear shock absorber left loose from factory.*ak

Transmission will not shift into reverse when left outside in the cold. vehicle has 1200 miles on it. vehicle was imported from canada and chrysler corp. will not warranty, nor will selling dealer take vehicle back. i purchased vehicle 5 weeks ago. i was told by repair station that there is a recall on this vehicle because of problems with the transmission but it does not surface on carfax nor on this website because dodge does not report recalls to either. *jb

When i was driving home the entire rear left wheel fell off my vehicle. it lloked like the axle snapped on it end. i was lucky i was able to control my vehicle. *ak

Consumer stated transmission shifted hard at times, stalled and hesitated. dealer notified. *ak this happened when pulling into traffic. on three occasions, vehicle had failed to start. when it did restart black smoke emitted from the vehicle. *ph *jb

10/25/02-bought new 2003 dodge 1500 extended cab. 11/26/02, abs light and brake light on. dealership said "connection at cab had water in it, and dried off and sealed." 12/19/02, 3685 miles, took back because of abs and brake light on. short in brake switch and replaced the brake switch. 12/20/02 returned with abs light and brake light on. brake switch and rear abs sensor shorted. replaced both sensors and found water in the wiring connector. disconnected, cleaned, dried and sealed. returned to me on 12/24. 12/30/02, 4339 miles, abs/brake lights on/rpm spiked. 8-way plug had water in it. "contacted star and was told to cut out plug and solder wires." truck returned to me on 01/02/03. 01/24/03, 5864 miles, abs and brake lights on/speedometer spiking at idle. dealership checked codes, checked wiring, rear abs sensor, connector, abs controller connector, cleaned, sealed connector. truck returned to me on 01/28/03. 08/20/03, 19775 milest, transmission wouldn't kick out of passing gear until 80 mph and when it did, made loud popping noise. dealership said "transmission not upshifting, flash program transmission control." 10/11/03, 23180 miles, i was driving, power steering pump came out and caused me to lose control/run into ditch. damage to bumpers and tailpipe. i had also noticed that day before the wreck that the transmission was kicking into passing gear at 40 mph. had towed to nearest dealership on 10/13/03. would not give me a rental-i had bought the truck from a different dealership. dodge sat on this truck for five months leaving me without a vehicle, saying that they were sending an inspector out to look at it, inspector would be there any day. dodge would not replace bumpers and did not fix/return to me until 03/09/04. truck was still not right/acted like it was going to quit running when started. 09/09/04, abs and brake lights on again/speedometer spiking. over 36,000 miles, have extended warranty, going back to dealership tomorrow. *ak

The transmission locked up, which caused consumer to abruptly pull over.*jb