Three problems related to ball joint have been reported for the 2006 Dodge Ram 1500. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
The contact owns a 2006 Dodge Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving 70 mph, the vehicle started to shake violently after driving over a pothole. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The technician diagnosed that the steering shocks, steering arms, ball joint, and tie rods need to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 156,000.
While backing up, the ball on the front left tie rod end completely disengaged, leaving no control of the wheel assembly. Upon inspection, both front tie rod ends exhibited looseness in the ball joints.
While traveling on interstate at ~ 65 mph, I hit a series of bumps that caused the front suspension to shake violently. This only subsided after slowing to < 35 mph and (fortunately) avoiding a crash. After doing some research, this is consistent with "death wobble". I am amazed that there is not a recall regarding this issue. I had new ball joints and tie rod ends installed ~ 6 months ago.