Eight problems related to wiper have been reported for the 2004 Dodge Ram 1500. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
The windshield wipers started acting up by going slow, then fast, then slow, then intermittant while the vehicle is in motion. . . Now they do not work all the time when they are on and the vehicle is in motion. The wipers will just stop out of the blue and I have to manually twist them off and then back on again. I have to keep turning the wipers off and then back on for the duration of the trip, and part of the time the wipers will not engage at all. It was pouring down rain and I was on the freeway. It continues to do this and while there is a recall for models of this year, I was told this particular truck does not have a recall for a new wiper module.
Last spring, April 2015, I noticed that my defroster was not operating properly. The air blows out of the a. C. Vents, but not the top dashboard vents. I went online to see: 1. How widespread the problem was (very common in older vehicles; I bought my truck new in 2004 from a dealer that is now out of business) 2. What the reaction from Dodge was ( $1. 500. 00 to repair, even though they must do an airbag recall repair in the same area) 3. How expensive it would be to have a professional repair job done ( est. $1,200. 00 - $1,500. 00) 4. How expensive/difficult it would be to attempt to repair myself (uniformly inexpensive parts are available in metal for around $50. 00, not the cheap Dodge plastic) ( do - it - yourself instructions are complex, counter-intuitive, time consuming. . . 8 hours or more, and require special tools as well as physical dexterity) I am stuck having to find $1,500. 00 for a repair, or drive in the fog this winter with no defrost. All because of a $1. 500. 00 repair bill for a $50. 00 part.
The contact owns a 2004 Dodge Ram 1500. The contact stated that an abnormal pop was heard as the front windshield sealant failed, causing the front windshield to detach from the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who referred the contact to a glass specialist. The vehicle was taken to the glass specialist who inspected the windshield and advised that the urethane sealant was not sticking to the glass. The entire windshield was replaced by the contact. The manufacturer was notified of the issue who stated that they would return his call within 24 hours. The failure mileage was 85,500.
Upon starting the vehicle, I turned the climate control to the defrost setting. After 5 minutes, no air was blowing to the windshield, only from the dash vents. No floor air, no defroster air, only dash vent air. Temperature adjusted from warm to cold just fine, however. I called the dealership that I purchased the vehicle from, was told to bring the truck in for a diagnosis at a fee to provide an estimate. I called a second dealership, was told by the service manager that by my description, the "recirc" door and "mode 1" door needed replacement. The "mode 2" door might also need replacement, but that my "blend" door is working. The estimated cost to repair would be around $1300. 00 to get my defroster functioning again. I asked if this was a common issue, he said it was very common. I asked if there was a recall on this issue, he replied that there were no recalls for comfort features, that he was aware of. I would think that the defroster was a safety issue for visibility while driving.
The contact owns a 2004 Dodge Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving at unknown speeds, the front windshield was fogged. The failure occurred on several occasions. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed that the blend doors failed. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was unavailable.
Wipers icing bad in freezing temperatures due to inadequate defroster performance, upper half of w/s stays icy going down road. Lots of heat from heat/defrost to the point you are cooking out of cab, but windshield still stays icy as well as wiper blades. Bottom of window never does thaw if it is below 18 degrees. Happens all the time when ambient temp below 34 degrees. Have tried deflectors on vents to direct more air at base of windshield, no help. Gets to the point when driving you have to stop and let window thaw, regardless of fan speed or heat level. Gets too hot to sit in vehicle with out side windows rolled down some. Will do this at highway speeds or idling along in 1st gear going slow in snow. Has happened since I purchased vehicle in 2006.
About 30 percent of the time, my turn signals and flashers do not indicate the signal I want to give. During those times, when I indicate right it doesn't flash at all. If I indicate left, it indicates right. Also if I put on the hazards, it eather corrects the problem or it indicates left. This is very frusturating and provides a big safety incident on the road. I have noticed that I am not the only person that has had this before as it is a very common occurence on the web. It increases substantially during the fall and winter months and is almost not existant during the summer months. It also affects my wipers that when I have the lights on I can see that my vehicle is acting up because the wipers are at 1 detent less than what I am trying to provide. This makes it so I can't use the fast wiping position. Thanks for your help.
The contact owns a 2004 Dodge Ram 1500. The contact stated that the windshield wipers failed to perform as designed intermittently. The vehicle was taken to courtesy Chrysler Jeep Dodge ram tampa (9207 e. Adamo dr, tampa, FL 33619, (813) 694-8784) however, the mechanic was unable to duplicate the failure. The contact referenced NHTSA campaign number: 09e009000 (visibility) however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 101,000.