Problems with 2008 Dodge Ram 1500 POWER TRAIN

We were driving our dodge ram 1500 mega cab (51,000 miles) on interstate 25 just south of douglass wyoming. we were going approximately 77 miles per hour and in an instant i lost all control of the steering and we ended up off the side of the road after a very frightening experience. i bought this truck just over a year ago from a dealer outside denver, co. when the tow driver arrived, he immediately told me that my tie rod probably broke as my right front tire went completely sideways and was now rendered useless. he mentioned that we were very lucky as most times he sees these types of things, the truck rolls over. he also mentioned there was a recall on these tie rods. we had it towed to a dealer in douglass and are waiting to hear what they have to say on monday. i ran my vin# on dodge's web site to see if its a recall, but its telling me that my truck doesn't have any on it. candidly, after talking to mechanics locally, they said a tie rod should never bust like that and with so little miles on the truck. to say this is dangerous is clearly an understatement. this type of "defect" is going to kill people as it almost did us. i sure hope dodge does the right thing with our truck. i have had nothing but issues with this truck since the day we took it off the lot. within a month, the transmission went out and once again, dodge said it wasn't their fault - 40,000 miles and a transmission goes out? after fighting with them for another month, they did repair and pay for the fix... *tr

Driving home from work down the highway i heard a loud whine coming from the rear end of the truck. i pulled over to the shoulder and was slowing down when the rear end locked up causing the truck to buck and skid to a stop. the drive shaft was lying on the ground having disconnected from the rear end. once the truck was home i discovered nothing had broken. it looked like the pinion nut had loosened allowing the yoke to back off the pinion until they finally disconnected. luckily for me, i had pulled over to the shoulder, so i was not actually doing highway speed when the drive shaft fell off, but the whine started at highway speeds and if i had not pulled over, or was not able to pull over, it very easily could have happened on the crowded highway during the rush hour with everyone trying to get home. i contacted chrysler about this incident, but have heard nothing back from them regarding it. there is a nhtsa campaign (# pe12021) regarding this issue in 2009-2010 ram 1500s. i hope that is expanded to include other years as mine is a 2008 ram 1500 and had the exact issue as is described in that investigation. i have heard of others (granted from internet message boards, so no way of verifying it) with this problem as well, so this problem is not limited to the 2009-2010 model years. *tr

The transmission didn't want to shift into gear but did, carried to the local dealership, said the transmission gears are coming apart. only 52000 miles on this truck can't believe this has happened $3100 to repair. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 dodge ram 1500. while driving approximately 15 mph, a grinding sound emitted from the vehicle. the vehicle was merged over to the emergency lane. after inspecting the vehicle, the contact noticed that unknown fluids were leaking from the rear of the vehicle and no warning lights were illuminated. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who stated that there was differential oil in the rear of the vehicle and the rear end and driveshaft needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired. however, the failure recurred. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who stated that the crank shaft was bent and the motor needed to be replaced. the vehicle had not been repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the vin was not included in any recalls. the approximate failure mileage was 61,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 dodge ram 1500. while driving at unknown speeds, the vehicle lost power without warning. the vehicle was able to be restarted. the vehicle was taken to a dealer for diagnostic testing. the technician diagnosed that the pcm failed and would need to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was unknown.

Brake shift interlock does not work on my truck. it can be shifted from park to reverse or park to drive without having the brake pedal depressed. i am taking it the dealer tomorrow for repair. *tr

Consumer stated 2008 dodge ram accelerated after removing foot from pedal. the consumer stated as she accelerated to pass a truck, the vehicle continued to accelerate. the rpm's reached 5000. she tried to place the vehicle in neutral, press the brake, but the vehicle continued to accelerate. eventually, the vehicle started to slow down enough with her foot still on the brake. the vehicle was taken to the dealer, however they were unable to find a problem. the dealer stated they had never heard of an electronic control light, even though the light was on when the consumer arrived at the dealer. the shifting was erratic when first shifting out of park into reverse. *jb

Tl*the contact owns a 2008 dodge ram 1500. the contact stated that he heard a loud banging noise while shifting from one gear to another with a trailer attached to the vehicle. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer who stated that the transmission module was defective. the dealer also stated that there were no remedies and it would be at least a month before one was available. the contact continued to contact the dealer regarding a remedy to no avail. the contact stated that he was concerned about the safety risk involved while driving the vehicle. the failure mileage was approximately 1,500. the current mileage was 6,350.

While driving with truck in 4 wheel auto i heard a pop and had some warning lights on dash flash on and off. also had a burnt wire smell. truck continued to run but after it was shut down it would not start nor would it come out of 4 wheel auto. this happened on 23 dec 2008. as the truck was repaired and troubleshooting was completed it was determined that the electronic portion of the 4 wheel drive had burnt out the "integrated power distribution module" under the hood. i was also told by the dodge repair facility that nissan and chevrolet were also experiencing the same problems. my truck was finally repaired and returned to me on the 29th jan 2009. *tr

2008 dodge ram 1500, the tipm module has burned up once already and after being replaced twice now we are smelling a burning smell again, when this happens the vehicle will not shift into or out of 4x4 (depending on what it is in when it occurs) it also causes loss of engine power, the windshield wipers quit, the air bag warning light goes on, the headlights dim way down, all the lights on the dash start flickering and all warning lights light up. this is very dangerous if this happens while driving down the highway at night and it is snowing or raining (which happens alot here in washington in the winter) the "fixes" the dealerships have done (two different places) have never lasted a day, we just got the vehicle back from repairs and we are again smelling a burning smell nd it is doing it all over again. *tr

2008 dodge ram 1500, the tipm module has burned up once already and after being replaced twice now we are smelling a burning smell again, when this happens the vehicle will not shift into or out of 4x4 (depending on what it is in when it occurs) it also causes loss of engine power, the windshield wipers quit, the air bag warning light goes on, the headlights dim way down, all the lights on the dash start flickering and all warning lights light up. this is very dangerous if this happens while driving down the highway at night and it is snowing or raining (which happens alot here in washington in the winter) the "fixes" the dealerships have done (two different places) have never lasted a day, we just got the vehicle back from repairs and we are again smelling a burning smell nd it is doing it all over again. *tr

I was driving down the road and switched into 4wd after a few minutes the vehicles lights started to flicker- the car slipped out of 4wd and wouldn't re-engage. there was an apparent short in the electrical system- the windshield wiper/washers wouldn't function afterward either. the dealer fixed the issue but the very day i got it back the very same thing happened again. i am told it is a technical problem with the vehicle and chrysler is searching for a fix but that i am not supposed to turn the switch back to the 4wd position or i'll short out the system again. *tr

The electronic transfer case would not engage 4 wheel low. then would not change to 2 wheel drive. then when motor was turned off, it would not restart. it had to be towed to the nearest dodge dealer. tipm replaced, next time all wheel drive engaged, tipm burned out again. towed to nearest dealer. they replace tipm again. said they could not fix the transfer case. they were going out of business and said that i had to take to another dealer. i did, and they stated that chrysler knew about the problem. i notified chrysler by certified mail,pursuant to iowa lemon law notification, email and phone. no response. it is now over 70 days, and numerous phone calls to customer service. i get promises of return phone calls within 48 hours which never are received after 70 days. customer service will not relay regional service or sales managers phone numbers. they keep blaming the dealership, for not contacting them. dealership states that their regional and service managers have left chrysler. they give me the only phone number they have, and it has a voice mail stating that they are no longer with chyrsler. so i have had no return communication from chrysler period. total customer abandonment. *tr

4 wheel drive shifting/switching. unable to shift between 4wd and 2wd. visual indicator on electron switch changes status but vehicle is not in 4wd. erratic behavior, four trips to dealer without resolution of problem. dealer has reset electronic control but problem recurs. chrysler contacted with no additional solutions. vehicle operation is otherwise unaffected. *tr

Vehicle after 1000 miles began to hesitate in shifting from low to high, (5 speed transmission). has gotten worse with additional miles, also, engine will revive up to 3500 rpms without foot on gas pedal. this happens at low speeds. dodge has been advised of problem but has not solution. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2008 dodge 1500. while idling at a stop light with the brake pedal depressed, the engine accelerated and then decelerated back to normal. while attempting to hook a boat up to the vehicle, the contact depressed the brake pedal to place the vehicle in reverse, and the engine accelerated. the brakes were not holding; therefore, he rammed the shifter into park to get the vehicle back under control. this failure has occurred on three separate occasions and was taken to the dealer on each occasion. the dealer stated they would send a technician to inspect the vehicle at his home. as of may 6, 2008, a technician has yet to arrive. the current mileage was 2,300 and failure mileage was 2,112. updated 6/16/08 *cn

Tl*the contact owns a 2008 dodge ram 1500. while making a left or right turn at various speeds or when the vehicle is idling, the steering wheel sticks. the vehicle has been to the dealer four times and they replaced the power steering pump and the rack and pinion. the dealer stated that they have another vehicle on their lot that is experiencing the same failure. therefore, they stated that nothing was wrong with the vehicle. after having a conference call with the manufacturer, the dealer informed the contact that they would provide him with a rental until repairs were made. the failure mileage was 1,600 and current mileage was 8,018. updated 07/22/08 *bf the consumer stated there was a delay befoe engagement when shifting the transmission. there was also wind noise. updated 07/24/08