Problems with 2003 Dodge Ram 1500 ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

2003 dodge ram 1500. consumer writes in regards to passenger airbag recall replacement parts still on back order. vehicle has multiple recalls that relates to steering, lighting, visibility, electrical, engine issues and requests loaner vehicle. *smd the consumer stated the additional recalls, would probably explain, why he had to replace the thermostat, vehicle speed control and the radiator three times. *jb

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

Husband was driving the vehicle at about 45mph and without any warning the oil light came on and the motor blew a rod through the oil pan, if someone would have been behind him he would have been hit. have been looking for another motor for this vehicle and when asking they laugh about it, it is a 4.7 lt 8 cyl motor and apparently chrysler knows about the problem and yet nothing is being done about it. the oil was everywhere on the road after this happened and that in itself is a hazard. look online and a motor to replace it is in the 2 to 3 thousand range. we are still paying for this vehicle and that is without the motor price, look under problems for this truck and you will find a lot of comments about the motor blowing up with no warnings. *tr

While driving came up to lights and the engine stalled had no steering and no brake put engine in park restarted and drove on this has happened numerous times in nd out of traffic. when pulling hard to the left or right the engine will begin to stall did this while truck was sitting in front yard. had a tune up done and went away for a while but now it is starting up again. *tr

My 2003 dodge ram 1500 was in the shop for an a/c repair when they had to remove the dash board. about 3 months later a small crack appeared, followed by many more larger cracks. in 2 different parts of my dash board. the dash board continues to spider crack 9 months later. the dealer looked at it early on and never contacted me back saying it is a problem w/ these trucks. nothing they will do about it. treated me as if it was my fault. blamed everything from the elements, the design, me and didn't care to help. my truck has been babied and has less than 60k miles. this is a defective dashboard/plastic and needs to be addressed. what's to happen if i am in an accident with airbags, this is my family vehicle...will this become shrapnel? as i read other complaints this has been an on going issue. why hasn't this been addressed, my truck has never be in an accident! no reason for this to happen. bad enough that the a/c failed at 51,000 miles at a huge cost but to end up with a broken dash is wrong! *tr

The engine light on my truck keeps coming on. it show a vapor leak in the emissions. it is not the gas cap. dodge needs to held accountable for the environment impact. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 dodge ram 1500. while the vehicle was at a complete stop, the accelerator pedal extended to the floor without being depressed. the vehicle spontaneously accelerated. the engine warning indicator was illuminated at the time of the failure. the contact had to remove the key from the ignition to stop the vehicle. he is in the process of notifying the dealer to determine the cause of the failure. the failure and current mileages were 116,000.

Truck kept overheating but it was never displayed on gauge of over heating.the coolant was flushed and replaced. a week later the truck stalled on the interstate and would not run. it would turn on but the engine would sound really loud and the truck and steering wheel would be trembling. it was towed to a mechanic and he claims that it would need a new engine. the over heating caused a rod to break. the truck on has 107,000 miles. *tr

Oil pressure drops all of a sudden truck quits. there many other people on the web with the same problem. there is no other problem until oil pressure drops for no reason. mechanics all say the same thing need new engine. oil is changed when it is suppose to be. the engines need to be recalled because there are alot of people having the same problems. *tr

My heater fan went out, creating a dangerous driving situation during winter driving conditions. i checked the fuse which is good. i think there should be a recall for this problem. i am going to have to have it fixed and believe the problem is in the ignition and will be costly. *tr

I purchased a 2003 dodge ram 1500 with 40000 miles on it with a 7 year/70000 mile warranty on it. the engine was making noise (since the day i bought it) so i took it to the dealer for repair and they did not fix the problem, took in again, still not corrected, took it in a third time now they claim it needs a new engine to the tune of 7,800.00 and they are not honoring the warranty due to "lack of maintenance". i then brought in receipts to contradict that then they said i changed the oil "too much"?? upon contacting dodge they are agreeing with the service manager and are not willing to help me even though i have receipts for oils and filters. *tr

2003 dodge ram 1500 5.7 hemi, electronic throttle will shot off going down the highway which makes it idle bad and loose power , have to stop on the side of the highway and shout off the truck and re-start hwich will reset the throttle. the problem will happen at speeds from 30 miles per hour to 75 miles per hour it will happen using the pedal our on the auto control and with or with out the ac on. safety problem have to stop on the side of interstate 95 or the 495 belt way and restart the truck very unsafe for me and for the other drivers around me. the problem will happen every 150 to 250 miles, i have taken the truck back to dodge many times and spent a lot of time and money trying to get the problem fixed but dodge is unable to find or fix the problem. one time dodge did find that the truck had bad springs in the engine that they replace( bad from the plant ) and they hoped that would fix the problem but it did not. this problem started after i got the truck from the dealer used ,it had 40,000 miles and at 46,000 it started and has not stopped the truck now has 94,000 miles and i have to stop every day on the road to reset the throttle. first date of problem 05-01-07. *tr

We purchased a 2003 ram 1500 3.7, in 11/07, the truck has not been running right, we took it in and 2 plugs melted, into the coil, the dealer replaced the heads on that side. we picked up the truck. and the serpentine belt fell off and froze the water pump, blowing another head gasket. this isn't the first time the pump had been replaced. *tr

At 130k miles the oil pressure dropped, engine seized, dealer blames sludge. i have the oil changed at 7500 miles intervals using full synthetic. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 dodge ram 1500. the contact stated that the radiator was clogged and needed to be replaced. the failure occurred while driving 55 mph. through further investigation, he discovered that dodge was installing a filter system in the 2001-2003 models. the contact wanted to be reimbursed for part of the fee he paid to have the system replaced. dodge would not reimburse him because the vehicle was under warranty. the purchase date was unknown. the current mileage was 50,300 and failure mileage was 50,214. updated 01/24/08 *bf the consumer stated dodge will not assist with the cost of the vehicle because it is no longer under warranty. updated 01/24/08 *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 dodge ram 1500. while driving 65 mph, the valve spring failed and was sucked into the engine. the engine failed and the entire vehicle shut down. the vehicle was towed to the dealer and they stated that the engine needed to be replaced. the cost to replace the engine is $7,500. the purchase date was unknown. the current and failure mileages were 100,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 dodge ram 1500. while driving downhill at approximately 60 mph, the vehicle experienced unwarranted deceleration. when the failure occurs, the contact cannot accelerate. he took the vehicle to the dealer and they reprogrammed the computer system. immediately after the repair, the failure resurfaced. the manufacturer did not assist. the failure mileage was 100,000 and current mileage was 106,000.

On monday september 17th while idling in park my 2003 dodge ram with 42,000 miles began to shake, make noise like there were rocks in the engine, and then shut off. i had it towed to century dodge in taylor michigan on telegraph road at roughly 9am on tuesday september 18th and was told at roughly 4:55pm that they had not had a chance to look at it. at 9:30am on wednesday i again spoke to the service department and was told they would have an answer for me by the end of the day. at 8:30am on thursday september 20th my wife called and was told that they again have not had a chance to look at it but they would have an answer to her by lunch time. they did call her at 11:30am and from what i understand, the valve spring in the number 7 cylinder head broke which caused the connecting rod to drop. apparently this is on the left side of the cylinder head. chrysler is replacing the left cylinder head, the lower block, and the exhaust intake. chrysler however will replace the parts in the right cylinder head that failed on the left side with new springs. i am no mechanic but common sense tells me that the same springs that were used on the number 7 cylinder valve were used on the other 7 cylinder valves. am i going to be stuck with a $6,000 engine repair at 71,000 miles? all i am asking for is chrysler to replace all the defective parts whether they have failed or not. or extend the powertrain warranty to 83,000 miles which will prove to me that the valve springs have and will last for more than 42,318 miles. for someone that has owned chrysler products all his life and believe that they are the best products out there this has left a very sour taste in my mouth and actually considering going to either chevy or nissan for my next truck purchase which hopefully isn't 30,000 miles from now. if chrysler truly stood behind their products it would be something they would have suggested rather than tell me that they will only replace parts that have failed. *jb

I own a 2003 dodge ram 1500 2x4. clutch was replaced at 36000 miles, and motor was rebuild at 46000 miles, both times under warranty. each time i' had the oil changed there appeared to be a white substance building up on the oil cap as if it was condensation. i now have 88000 miles and have a "ticking. like a valve sticking, and continues to have this white substance. when it rains or i go through a puddle of water the belt starts to slip and all power is lost. *ak

My 2003 dodge ram 1500 4.7 liter engine with 64000 mile oil pressure dropped suddenly without warning, cause was determined by dodge dealership to be "sludge" in engine, voiding my 70000 mile warranty, daimler chrysler assuming i did not maintain my engine properly, although i change oil myself usually every 4500 miles (book says 6000) and use best heavy duty filter. provided some "official" oil change receipts from popular quick oil change facility but that was not enough to enforce warranty. found thousands of same stories for my 4.7, dodge's 2.7 and other engines over the internet. dodge is one of the last hold outs as far as toyota, and other automobile manufacturers to pony up on poor engine design and new, lighter engines having more heat and more change of oil burn or "oil get" resulting in sludge even with 100% provable maintenance. under other circumstances, engines "blow" or "burn up" suddenly and that is not only as expensive as mine to fix ($4000 to $6000 repair) but dangerous to the occupants and public as well. more frequent oil changes and system flushes, or change to synthetic oil may help prevent or delay situation, but dodge has not released any such information to help or warn consumers. problem will only get worse as more dodge and chrsyler 1999 to 2005 engines reach mileage condition occurs (57000 to 77000, some as early as 20000). *jb

2003 slt 1500 engine piston and spark plugs melt while driving 70 mph. *ts the vehicle was towed to a service dealer on 7/16/06. the technician determined that the consumer needed a new engine. the vehicle was towed to another dealer where it has been sitting for 68 days. vehicle was not returned to consumer until 9/16/2006. after repairs the engine light illuminated again and engine ran rough, 30764 miles. after 6 weeks the truck still wasn't fixed. *nm

Dt*: updated 10/4/2006 - the pistons melted inside the engine and the spark plugs melted. the check engine light illuminated the engine lost all power while driving 70 mph. a ne *nm

Broken valve spring on 5.7 ltr. engine; despite a "technical bulletin sb-10000-442-8271, dated 4 nov 2002,(on this website)" stating "replace springs and sell unsold vehicles at auction", they further claim no knowledge of this tech bulletin . i contacted chrysler on several occasions about this concern and they told me that they knew nothing of this problem and i am an ase master certified technician so i have connections at other dealers whom i spoke with and they told me of this problem with the 5.7 hemi engines. dropped a valve shattered the piston and scored the cylinder wall so the engine was just scrap at this point. *tr

Loss oil pressure on i75, towed truck to dodge dealer, they said the engine was ruined. dodge will not fix engine. truck has 26,000 miles and under warranty. they said the oil was bad but they didn't take an oil sample or have it tested. *nm

Driving down i-94 on 01/24/2006 from work going 70 mph and oil gauge bottomed out, and i had a ticking noise. pulled off the highway and had truck towed to the dealership. was told the engine was shot due to sludge. i maintained a excellent 3000 mile oil change. currently, the truck sits at the dealership and i owe $27000 on something i could not drive. help!! *ak

1. oil pressure gauge started swinging back & forth. i took me about 100 yards to pull over safely and the engine quit. 2. engine seized and needed to be replaced, bob bose dodge in bradenton florida said the failure was due to lack of maintenance and will not be covered by the extended warranty. i have maintained this engine religiously and have changes the oil more than recommended. there is no reason for an engine with 63,000 miles to fail like this.*ak

Dt: the contact stated after the vehicle was parked for eleven hours he turned the key in the ignition and heard a loud backfire noise coming from the engine. the passenger compartment filled with smoke , and he exited the vehicle. the parking attendant extinguished the fire and there was minimal fire damage. eleven days later the vehicle was towed to the insurance company's salvage lot. upon inspection the insurance company determined it was a mechanical problem. the vehicle was towed to a dodge dealership, and although the dealership stated the vehicle needed to be taken apart to correctly diagnose it, the dealership claimed that the intake manifold exploded. no repairs have been made. *ak updated 2/7/2006 - *nm

I have a loud tick coming from the motor. i have had it to the dealership to fix and they told me that it is a known problem but was told not to try and fix the problem. this is a known issue with these motors by daimler chrysler but refuse to fix it until there is a serious problem with the motor. the problem i have with this is the warranty may be up at that time forcing me to have to pay for something that they know about now and also the resale of the vehicle before it is fixed with that noise coming from the motor. *nm

Engine light keeps coming on and it's keeps dying, realy scaring when it dies at 65 miles oer hour - fear of steering wheel locking up or brakes not working, has been in shop 7 or 8 times for this problem and it's still not fixed. *jb

Vehicle has 107,000 miles on it 4.7 l. head gasket blew water number 2 cylindermotor over heated. now dealership wants to charge $2600 to fix. out of 5 dodges have had 4 with bad head gaskets. 2 caravans with 2,4l and a breeze(plymouth) with a 2l. was told by a non dodge mechanic shop this is the 3rd one they have seen. has anyone else had this problem. also had right inner tie rod go out once and is doing so again. causes severe tire wear and very erattic steering. please post to this site if similar problems may force dodge to stand behind their products and show this is something common and they are just biting their tounge until our warranty has expired.

I purchased a 2003 dodge ram 1500 quad cab in 10/2003. the temp gauge always showed the temp at above the normal range. told by the salesperson that was normalat. at approximately 44k miles the vehicle overheated and broke down. mechanic replaced thermostat - no help. took vehicle to battison's dealership in duncan ok where the mechanic was accused of installing the thermostat backward. the dealership accused us of putting "stop leak" in the radiator and using non red coolant. coolant was clear because vehicle overheated and water was only source. stop leak was never used - the dealership's contractor for radiator repair it looked like stop leak could have been used - but couldn't tell for sure. the parts manager told us that at the same time our 2003 was in the shop a 2005 with 31k was in the shop with the same problem. the difference - the 2005 was under warranty. my thought - if dodge isn't going to stand behind product after 36k miles then we won't purchase products from this line - ford is looking better.

Ref 2003 dodge ram 1500qc 4.7l 4x4 17000 miles on numerous occasions i had a near stalling issue, and 1 complete stall. i would start truck in morning let it sit for 2 minutes then drive to work as normal, no problems. after i leave work after an 8 hour tour i would start truck as normal let it sit for 2 minutes then drive away as normal after approx 100 yards through parking lot i would stop at stop sign waiting to turn, truck would bog down and chug as if it wanted to stall. i would tap the gas pedal while holding the brake down, then when it was clear i would drive as normal no more problems. the truck has done it numerous times .the truck was brought in to the dealer, spent a week, they said they couldn't find the problem with the idle, so they flashed the computer. i get the truck back drove home no problem drove to work next day no problem finished my tour started to drive home no problem, after 2 miles i made a left turn and truck stalled out narrowly missing a tree, i called dealer and gave them a code that flashed on dashboard, no such code had it towed in, they had the truck 3 more days, negative problems, but they installed an on board flight recorder so they can see what happens, so the recorder went in and the problem happens several times. i took the picture like the showed me how and got 3 good shots. the dealer gets the recorder back and says a few days until they hear from daimler/chrysler. a week or so goes by and the problem happens a few more times. i call the dealer to find out what's going on, and they said the data was inconclusive. they wont do anything at this time. daimler says until they have a dealer that comes forward with the same problem and a solution they wont act on it. so in the mean time keep driving the truck until this happens. *jb

Water leaking on to number 1 cyclinder causing it to miss fire.as far as i know dodge aint saying a thing about this just giving tune ups and sending people on there way.also both doors are tearing up weather stripping on both sides of vechile [on some modles] these modles are dodge rams 1500,2500.3500

Having driven 120 miles, i was 4 miles from home; turning a corner, the motor shut down and started missing. it was missing so bad that i thought if i let off the gas pedal, the motor would shut down. my truck was loaded with tools so i proceeded to go on the next 4 miles and risk it and not lose my tools. earlier as i was in a passing lane, i felt the motor shudder as if a spark plug was fouling or i had bad gas or a bad plug wire. if i was passing in a serious passing situation earlier in the day, and this motor shut down as it did, i wouldn't be writing this e-mail. this truck is equipped with a dodge hemi and is expected to pass with ease. this is a serious safety problem. i was told there are 115 people in line for this par,t and if i paid an extra $80 i would be bumped to #6 because they classified me as vehicle off road. i'm told by the dealer that number is growing. the part has yet to be received by the service dealer, and i am completely without transportation.*ak

I've owned my 2003 dodge ram for less than 2 years. recently it felt like the idol was off, like it was going to stall. before i could get it into the shop it broke down while diving on the expressway and had to be towed. sludge was found in the engine, causing it to seize. this is impossible because i regularly change my oil as well as add oil as needed. the repair cost is $5000.00 they don't want to honor the warranty because i did not save all my oil change receipts.*ak

When brake pedal is slightly depressed it has a lot of shaking, also second time the truck is in for engine light and electronic thottle module. *jb

Vehicle stalls during parking lot manuvers on numerous occasions.going from reverse to drive it stumbles and or stalls. vehicle bought in june of 2003. 1rst time it happened was in august of 2003. took vehicle in and they "flashed" the pcm. continued to happen about every three months up to the present. have had it into the dealer on a couple of other occasions since. they were not able to fix. happened again in february, a few days after it was at cerritos dodge. called the service rep there, alfonzo cuadra, he said that i would be wasting my time bringing it back in again. he said that it is a known problem and there is no fix available. he said that there would be a new flash in the "near future" and he would call me when it was in. still no call. there is a dangerous issue. was almost hit in a parking lot the last time that it happened. i don't feel like this is a safe vehicle and chrysler doesn't seem to care.

Have had the truck less than two years and have had service because of faulty motor in windshield wipers, bad coil in engine, mis-firing, causing the cylinders and valves to be replaced, fuel cap replaced, fuel line replaced because of water in the lines, heater had bad piece, causing heat to not come out of defrost or floors, shifter for 4-wheel drive will not shift. has been in shop 13 days(3 visits) in last 4 weeks. needs to go back this week for shifter. *ak

2003 dodge ram 1500 stalls upon coming to a stop. sporadic behavior. dealer can't get vehicle to stall. vehicle stalls 3 - 4 times per month. i ran a search on the internet and found many other people with the similar problem occuring on the 2003 and 2004 hemi engines in the ram and durango vehicles. the vehicle doesn't display an error or check engine light.*ak

Rough/unexceptable idle in 2003 dodge ram since 6,000 miles on odometer, taken to dodge dealership numerous times with no results or repair. dealership and dahmler chrysler have no remedy and i have a fairly new vehicle that runs like its on its last leg. i am totally annoyed with the dodge experience, and should have purchased a gm product. i am currently researching the lemon law procedure.

Loud knock coming from lower end of the 5.7l hemi motor. *jb

While driving consumer noticed smoke coming from underneath the hood. consumer was able to maintain control of the vehicle, and drove it to the dealer for inspection. mechanic determined that the cooling fan needed to be replaced. *ak

I own a 2003 dodge ram truck with the 5.7l hemi engine that is one year old and has 9100 miles on it. seven months ago, at about 4,000 miles, the engine started to make a loud tapping noise. it sounds like a valve tapping and is very noticeable.*ak if you listen to the engine from below by the oil pan, it sounds like a diesel engine. i have brought it to my dodge dealer three times; they say it is normal for the hemi engine. the oil has been changed every 2500 miles or less on this engine. this is not normal for any gasoline engine, it sounds like the valve train is oil starved on the passenger side of the engine. i am a member of the largest dodge forum on the internet. about 15% to 20% of our hemi truck owners have this same problem and their dealers say that it is normal. if it were normal, all the hemi engines would do this. i am concerned that this engine will fail prematurely because of this problem that dc does not want to admit that there priced hemi engine has issues.

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 dodge ram 1500. while driving between 30-50 mph, the engine suddenly stalled. the failure occurred on two occasions. the contact immediately took the vehicle to the dealer and they performed a diagnostic in an attempt to produce an error code. a code never appeared and the cause of the failure could not be determined. the contact took the vehicle to an independent repair shop and they were able to find similar failures in their database, but they did not make any repairs. he believes that the manufacturer should inspect the failure. the failure mileage was 16,585 and current mileage was 54,509. updated 01/09/09.*lj updated 01/12/09. *jb

Driving on highway in 2004 & 2008, engine quit running(dodge calls it a stall). dodge trouble shooting database does not include this problem. other independent data bases point to loss of crankshaft or camshaft pulse. there are no codes for this event, therefore no corrective action was taken after several scans at dealers. safety hazard: possible multiple rear end collisions and possible fires. ref. dot / nhtsa vehicle owner's questionnaire no. 10251962. *tr

2003 dodge ram hemi stalling issue. i just read an article saying you were looking into the stalling issues on dodge rams. i didn't see where the 2003 hemi 1500's were in the study but wanted you to know that they have stalling issues also. on multiple occations my dodge has stalled since i purchased it in dec. 2003. most of the time it loses power and stumbles to go anywhere when i go from reverse to drive. i have to shut it off and then restart it to fix the problem. i have called and even brought the truck in to get it checked but the dodge dealership said they didn't find a problem and didn't do anything. i know it is a know issue and hope something gets done about it asap.

Broken valve spring on 5.7 ltr. engine; despite a "technical bulletin sb-10000-442-8271, dated 4 nov 2002,(on this website)" stating "replace springs and sell unsold vehicles at auction", carlin dodge of col. springs is still selling defective trucks "as new". they further claim no knowledge of this tech bulletin . *ak

Have an 03 ram hemi, 6020 miles on it, broke down last week. dealership thought it was a faultyfuel injector causing the missfire. it was a broken valve spring. now they only want to replace 1 spring and leave 15 possibly bad ones in it. have owned truck since july 2nd 2003. *ak

Dodge ram 1500 hemi. bought on 5-26-03. on 6-2-03 the truck broke down. broken valve spring. first it was thought the computer. now dodge wants motor back. truck is still in the shop with the replacement motor not in sight. is this a problem with the new hemi style motor? may need to look into this. *nlm

Engine "hangs" at idle after backing up and shifting into drive. will not accelerate. can be overcome by shutting down and restarting. has occurred in about a dozen instances since jan 03. dealer can't fix. chrysler blows it off.