general problems of the 2002 Dodge Ram 1500

To put it as simple as I can describe it is a death wobble. That occurs every time you hit a bump in the road, hole, or pot hole. This truck has always had this death wobble from factory. The reason why this is a safety issue is because it causes the steering wheel to go out of balance and go into other lanes in the road and potentially cause an accident.

While traveling at normal speeds approximately 40 mph a car ran a stop sign I t-boned them on their passenger side with my front end I hit them at approximately 40 mph my airbags did not deploy my face and chest hit the steering wheel and dash.

Vehicle will not go into reverse or drive. Will not come out of park. Stuck in driveway cannot move needs to be towed in for repair. He will turn but vehicle will not shift out of park.

The fcm and pdc are extremely bad on the 2002 Dodge. They corrode causing your brake lights, blinkers, headlights and emergency flasher not to work. Dodge should have been mandated to recall and replace both parts on every truck. The corrosion is do to the poor design of the pdc "fuse box" with holes in the bottom allowing water and moisture to enter the pdc and start to corrode. This in turn causing the fcm " front control module" to short out. This is a severe danger to the truck owner as well as other motorists and pedestrians on the road. This is a very serious matter and needs to be looked in to and fixed. I have personally experience this and have almost been hit several times by motorists behind me do to the fact my taillights quit working and my blinkers did as well. I have replaced my fcm and pdc 4 times already and each one shorts out after a year. That's $600-$1200 each time. Dodge is responsible for this problem.

While having the evaporator replaced, the dash came apart in pieces. The pieces can not be put back together and reinstalled safely. The dash should not be made of a plastic that could break apart and cause damage in an accident.

Ignition / park interlock system inoperative.

When I turn on the heater the blend door and actuator make a popping sound when turned heat on , blend doors broken and actuator not working properly. It occurs while vehicle stationary and in motion when heat is turned on.

Dashboard came apart, plastic flying in cab.

Rear axle seized and the drive shaft fell off. Mechanic stated that pinion nut loosen, causing the rear axle to seize. The drive shaft also detach, which almost caused a crash. Can forward pictures if needed. .

While I was driving, my truck made a odd sound and then came to a screeching halt. To my surprise, the rear driveshaft had disconnected and fell out of my 2002 Dodge Ram 1500 truck. After having it towed and inspected by a mechanic, it was discovered the nut came off of the pinion gear. The axle and companion gear slipping out of the pinion gear and the yolk came completely off. The mechanic was as concern and surprised as I was, considering this type of thing should not happen to a vehicle. I contacted Chrysler via their customer service website and advised them of my situation. Sadly, I received a response stating there was no information regarding my issue. I conducted my own research about the possible defect, and found the NHTSA details regarding this problem with Dodge ram trucks. Currently, they are only reviewing 2008-2014 models. Considering my 2002 Dodge Ram 1500 has incurred the same problem, Chrysler should recall all of their 2000 series for this defective part. I consider myself and others very lucky. If the driveshaft would have disconnected 10 minutes earlier while I was driving 70 mph on the interstate. The incident could have been much worse. I'm fortunate, I had reached my exit and was driving 45 mph with no vehicle behind me when my truck came apart and stopped.

Was driving and a loud noise started to come from the back part of the truck. I took it to the mechanic and the differential is gone. Spoke to other Dodge ram owners and my understanding is that this is a factory defect that Dodge has yet to accept responsibility for. Please help.

While driving the vehicle, the drive shaft came off and the rear end locked up. My 2002 Dodge Ram 1500 truck started to fish tail due to the rear end locking up before coming to a complete halt on a busy street. Luckily the car behind me was able to swerve around and avoid a terrible accident. The drive shaft twisted and tore into two pieces. This could have been very bad and could have been fatal. Dodge has a recall for this on 2005 models and newer but the 2002-2004 models of the Ram 1500 pick up should be included in this.

Dash is falling apart causing the defroster to not blow air across windshield properly, so that the windshield does not defog. This causes visibility issues and a hazard.

My truck started this grinding sound an it just stop working so I had to put it in auto service jimmy's 2407 kaw st new orleans cell number 5044511533 he can explain it better. Thanks.

The dashboard in my truck has disintegrated to the point that I had to remove it because I was scared that one of my kids would get hurt or even killed if we were involved in an accident. I believe Chrysler CO. Should initiate a full recall and replace the plastic death traps they installed in their vehicles.

The 2002 Dodge Ram 1500 slt was bought in 2006. 2 months later, the rear end had to be replaced. No warranty. (2000. 00 out of pocket). Six months later, the front end went out. (2083. 00 out of pocket). No more problems until 6 months ago. Had to replace all wheel bearings and brakes ( 1500. 00 out of pocket) now, my mechanic says that the brakes and front suspension has to be replaced(another 2300. 00 out of pocket) this truck has never been taken off-road. It has been very well taken care of. Dodge has been notified,no response. How can they expect us to keep buying their vehicles, when they can't or won't tell us what is going on? I have not received a recall for any of the things that have happened.

About 3 years after buying my new Dodge truck the dashboard started to fall apart, become brittle. Its currently in complete pieces. The vehicle has always been in motion and has always been protected from the sun. I know there are a lot of cases just like mine. Pictures will be available.

2002 Dodge Ram 1500 dashboard started crumbling to pieces after only 3 years. Dodge dealer told us it was not covered under warranty. We would have to replace the dashboard at our own expense. The dealer even told us this was a common complaint from Dodge truck owners.

Dashboard of my Ram 1500 2002 has been breaking into pieces in the first 3 years. Started slow but eventually it's everywhere. I have asked at the dealership about this problem and found out on many occasions that they are aware but don't offer a solution or even a good replacement. Only to buy a new truck made with a better dashboard because the replacement they sell is only $900. 00 but made with the same materials. Will be back at the same place with pieces of dashboards hitting our eyes,mouth or face. It is a danger to visibility while driving and a shame that a company can be allowed to use such low grade material that is sold to hard working individuals. I can accept if a few dashboards ended the same way but I've heard of too many being the same and that should be a recall before having someone go blind or die in an auto accident.

I have emailed Dodge many years ago about the safety issue of my dash busting in several places when my truck was just one year old. The only response I received was an offer to buy a discounted dash. I feel this is a manufacturer defect and I realize my truck is now 12 years old but this happened in only 1 year. I have since read where I am no where near alone. Dodge knows there is a problem and has done nothing to correct it.