Transfer Case Problems of Dodge Ram 1500 - part 2

I was driving down a major interstate highway in a construction zone (down to 2 lanes, concrete barricades on either side) when I started hearing loud grinding noises coming from under my truck. I couldn't pull off the road because there was no shoulder and the nearest exit was at least a quarter mile ahead so I was driving toward the exit when there was a loud pop, lots of smoke, and my vehicle skidded to a stop. Nearby vehicles narrowly missed colliding with me due to the smoke and the sudden stop and the fact that my drive shaft had come flying out behind me. As it turns out the rear differential had completely locked up (due to n08 rear axle pinion nut issue) and the torque had popped my drive shaft completely loose and left a massive crack in my transfer case. I had been to my local dealership less than two weeks before the incident but they did not provide the necessary repairs because Chrysler has still not made the correct parts available. Chryler has been aware of this issue for over a year but still does not have the correct parts available to remedy the problem, which results in catastrophic failure and loss of vehicle control at high speeds.

See all problems of the 2010 Dodge Ram 1500 🔎.

I was traveling at 70 mph in the center lane of very heavy freeway traffic when my trucks 4-wheel low light came on and started to flash and immediately after, my truck shook violently and made a loud crunching grinding noise and within seconds my truck had slowed down to 30 mph. I thought I had been rear ended by another vehicle. Now in a panicked state of mind not knowing what had just happened, I somehow without causing an accident, got my truck across the lanes off traffic and off to the shoulder of the road. My truck was now stuck in 4 wheel low. I had to drive around 10 miles home with the truck in this condition, driving on the shoulder of the road with my flashers on. I had my truck towed to my Dodge dealer. The dealer confirmed the truck malfunctioned causing it to shift into 4 wheel low. Numerous trips back to the dealer for the same problem over and over again, has made me feel very unsafe about driving in heavy traffic or on the freeway. Two years after the first incident the problem has not been fixed. Chrysler specialists say they do not know what the problem is. Besides being a hazard to drive it is costing me thousands of dollars in repairs and they never fix the problem. This is a warranty issue that they are refusing to honor. The component that failed is the drive train, the transfer case to be exact.

See all problems of the 2008 Dodge Ram 1500 🔎.

Driving up a steep mountain highway when truck lurched violently twice and came to a complete stop in the middle of a switchback corner with a horrible dragging sound and smoke everywhere. The truck would not go forward or backward. Oil and driveline parts were all over the highway. Dented the gas tank (possibly put a hole in the gas tank), we were told the gas tank was damaged and needed replaced. The rear-end pinion nut came loose and locked up the rear end causing the driveline to fall out onto the highway, tore a hole in the transfer case and damaged the gas tank. We were simply lucky there were other motorists on same highway that could stop and help us avoid a major collision on the steep, blind corner/on the mountain highway. Dodge is giving us the "run around" on getting this fixed. They finally repaired the truck, putting the same, but new faulty part that is in the middle of a recall process, into our truck and wanting us to be happy with it. We are not. We do not feel safe driving the truck with the same faulty part in the pickup. Dodge has no "fix" for us. They want us to drive our pickup with the recalled part until they come up with a fixed part. We are not willing to do this. What are our options?.

Tl- the contact owns a 2010 Dodge Ram 1500. The contact was driving approximately 50 mph when the steering wheel began to shift to the side and the vehicle would not respond to acceleration attempts. The vehicle was towed to the dealer for diagnostic testing where the technician advised that the rear drive shaft and the transfer case would have to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not available. The approximate failure mileage was 78,000. Kmj.

The contact owns a 2010 Dodge Ram 1500. The contact stated that the rear differential froze on the vehicle and knocked out the rear axle, drive shaft and the transfer case. The contact was traveling 35 mph at the time of the failure. The contact had the vehicle towed to the dealer and was told that the pinion nut on the rear differential was loose, causing the rear wheels to seize. The VIN was not available. The failure and current mileages were 42,000.

While driving the rear end locked up and drvie shaft came unattached from rear end. Vehicle was not able to roll and was towed to dealer for evaluation. After initial evaluation from dealer other isues noted were at least the transfer case was damaged.

See all problems of the 2009 Dodge Ram 1500 🔎.

Tl-the contact owns a 1999 Dodge Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving 35 mph the transmission drop from underneath the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the dealer who stated the transmission and the transfer case needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure who did not offer any assistance. The failure mileage was 115,000. Pmb.

See all problems of the 1999 Dodge Ram 1500 🔎.

I am requesting the NHTSA explore the power train issues affecting the 2009 Dodge Ram 1500. Driver was on highway driving at 60mph when truck starting making a whining and grinding sound which continued for about 1 mile before truck started to run funny . Driver slowed down and moved to the right lane when there was a big bang and a cloud of black smoke came from back end of truck. At the same time the rear end of the vehicle locked up and truck went skidding off the road. When driver examined car found that the entire drive shaft rod and transfer case were laying underneath of vehicle along with multiple other pieces of hardware. The transmission was also locked up and unable to release even in the neutral position. When the Dodge dealer looked into the incident they stated a " pin fell out of the drive shaft and backed up into the rear causing the pin to jam the transfer case". This incident resulted in a complete rebuild of the entire power train system. We would like to see a guide rail made mandatory for Dodge vehicles as this rod fallout could have resulted in a flipped vehicle. Furthermore less than 4 weeks later while driving same vehicle at 15 mph the truck started to shake violently and had to be towed because of a shredded bolt in the rear stabilizer bar that connects the rear to the axle. Vehicle once again to dealer who claims it is all due to the initial issue.

The contact owns a 2000 Dodge Ram 1500. The contact stated that the vehicle was making a loud, abnormal noise. The contact was attempting to pull over to inspect the failure when the transfer case exploded. The vehicle was towed to a local mechanic and as the vehicle arrived, the drive shaft detached from the vehicle. The mechanic was unable to provide a cause for the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not available. The failure and the current mileage was 180,000.

See all problems of the 2000 Dodge Ram 1500 🔎.

Driving a 2007 Dodge ram at 35 mph in snow/slush conditions with full time 4wd. The shift motor on the transfer case failed and caused the vehicle to return to 2wd without any notification. This caused me to go into a spin. Just prior to spinning, the instrument panels lights went out and all gauges went to "zero" momentarily. Afterwards, the 4wd auto light was flashing and I had no 4wd. This design is not fail safe and there are no safety warnings from the manufacturer. I also found out from my local dealer that this is the second incident just in this area.

See all problems of the 2007 Dodge Ram 1500 🔎.

While driving at 45mph, the truck suddnely and violently downshifted and skidded to a nearly immediate stop with no need to depress the brakes. Luckily there were no vehicles behind me as it surely would have resulted in an accident. Immediatley, a strong foul smell and smoke was noticed coming from under the hood. After putting the car in park and lifting the hood, the smoke dissipated immediately, but I found later that putting the truck into reverse or drive had absolutely no affect. Even placing the truck into neutral would not allow the truck to roll. The truck required a flatbed tow to the dealership as the rear wheels would not easilly roll forward, and would not roll in reverse. The tow driver needed to place the rear wheels on skids and slide the truck off the flatbed. The dealership found they needed to forcibly manipulate the transfer case to get the truck into neutral as it was seized. They have found that the c2 and underdrive clutches are both completely destroyed, and there are significant amounts of metal shavings in the transmission oil and pan. They said they have never seen such a completely destroyed clutch on any low milage vehicle. The transmission system was sealed, and pressure tested as expected. They are currently investigating for root cause and to bound the extent of the damage. The truck is supposed to have safety features of both a "limp mode" for the transmission, as well as a further safety feature to go into neutral in such catastrophic failure, both safety mechanisms failed in addition to the transmission. Multiple transmission systems failing in such a way, and yet it is likely (already positioning without root cause) that Chrysler will want to rebuild the transmission rather than replace it as they should. I'm not confident that this transmission can be repaired such that it will not fail again in short order. Dangerous.

See all problems of the 2011 Dodge Ram 1500 🔎.

Driving on route 3 south in tyngsboro, MA. 55 mpg at 7:00am rear differential pinion bearing seized. Locked up pinion and yoke. Snapped off driveshaft, breaking front driveshaft and yoke. Also shattered transfer case.

See all problems of the 2005 Dodge Ram 1500 🔎.

The contact owns a 2006 Dodge Ram 1500. The contact was driving 25 mph uphill when the transfer case gear erroneously shifted into neutral, causing the vehicle to decelerate independently. The vehicle could not be shifted into any gear and was towed to the contacts residence. The contact made repairs to the vehicle by installing a new mechanism. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 98,000.

See all problems of the 2006 Dodge Ram 1500 🔎.

While driving on the interstate, I heard a pop and saw smoke coming out of my truck. Waiting for the tow, I noticed that the transfer case housing had cracked and had spewed oil all over the bottom of the truck causing the smoke. After some research I found that the 2004 Dodge Ram 1500 4x4 (my truck) had been recalled because the transfer case on a possible 500+ vehicles had not been torqued properly. The NHTSA summary states "this could cause the transmission adapter or transfer case housing to crack and leak fluid". The campaign id number is 03v503000. According to Chrysler the range of vins involved is 4j116316 through 4j174991. My vehicle, being 4956, is inside this range, but was not was not listed by Chrysler (I'm assuming because it was one of the vehicles that had "already been inspected or repaired"). It seems more than coincidence to me that my truck was made in the same plant, in the same lot and inside the same VIN range, and exhibited the same symptoms (a cracked transfer case housing), but Chrysler customer service maintains that my VIN is not included in the recall. I am currently facing more than $2k in repairs for a pickup truck with only 44k miles on it and it is a direct result of Chrysler allowing this vehicle to slip through the cracks with safety recall no. C39. My vehicle has obviously not been "inspected or repaired", and Chrysler needs to make it right.

See all problems of the 2004 Dodge Ram 1500 🔎.

2007 Dodge Ram 1500 4x4. Transfer case partially locks in causing right front tire to lock up. Four wheel drive does not engage fully. This can be caused by the electronic transfer case motor. This was observed at a speed of 30 miles per hour and lower. Have seen many complaints on internet about this failure. Have only 52000 miles on vehicle and four wheel drive rarely used. Vehicle becomes undrivable because four wheel drive will not fully disengage. Shifting into 4x4 mode at higher speeds could cause vehicle to veer to the right and off of road causing a crash. These faulty transfer case motors have been a problem on different model years.

Drove vehicle for the first time in wet, slushy snow (on paved roadways) for about 45 minutes. Snow packed in around transmission and transfer case causing shifter linkage to be physically impeded. Could not put vehicle in park. Ended up stuck in reverse with lever in park, causing a situation where vehicle could not be restarted or moved. Had to get under vehicle to physically remove all snow from around transmission and transfer case before shifter linkage became unstuck.

The contact owns a 2004 Dodge Ram 1500. While driving approximately 70 mph the transfer case cracked. He stated transmission fluid leaked from the vehicle and he heard a loud, unusual bang. The vehicle stalled and he was able to push the vehicle off the roadway with assistance from others. The vehicle was towed to his residence. A local repair facility was contacted where he was given an estimate of repairs. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact referenced NHTSA campaign id number: 03v503000 (power train: automatic transmission) however, his VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileages were 133,715.

The contact owns a 2006 Dodge Ram 1500. When shifting out of the park position, the vehicle automatically shifted into neutral gear. He had to use the 4 wheel drive in order for the gear to release from neutral. The dealer stated that his VIN was not included in recall 05v4610000 power train: transfer case, 4-wheel drive; therefore, he will be billed a diagnostic and repair fee. The vehicle will be repaired by the dealer. The failure and the current mileages were 107,527.

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.

The contact owns a 2002 Dodge Ram 1500. The contact stated that the linkage bar that connects the shifter to the transfer case is approximately 14 inches long. It is held together by rubber grommets. Over time, a combination of excessive temperatures and wear and tear caused the grommets to fail. As a result, the linkage bar falls out of the vehicle without warning, which increases the risk of injury to other drivers. The vehicle has been repaired. The manufacturer did not assist. The failure and current mileages were 44,200. Update 09/10/08 updated 09/16/08.

See all problems of the 2002 Dodge Ram 1500 🔎.

The contact owns a 2007 Dodge Ram 1500. While driving 30 mph in four wheel drive, the vehicle shook. The failure only occurs when the four wheel drive is engaged. When the vehicle was taken to the dealer, the contact was allowed to drive a 2008 Dodge ram pickup and it did the same thing. However, she stated that the 2008 vehicle vibrated instead of shook. The dealer stated that this was a normal occurrence when the vehicle is placed into four wheel drive. The powertrain was unknown. The current mileage was 12,200 and failure mileage was 12,100.

The consumer owns a 2001 Dodge Ram 1500 quad cab. Upon deceleration the consumer heard a roaring sound coming from the rear end of the vehicle. When he accelerated the roaring sound went away. When the consumer let off of the accelerator the second time he heard an explosion sound, and the rear end locked. Upon inspection it was determined that the nut on the pinion gear had come aloose and caused the rear end to come apart. The drive shaft punctured the quad cab's interior floorboard. The service dealer referred him to the manufacturer's customer service department. The manufacturer stated this was a mechanical failure and not a defect within the vehicle. (11/22/05) components affected are: rear differential assembly, transmission, transfer case and driveshaft.

See all problems of the 2001 Dodge Ram 1500 🔎.

Dodge Ram 1500 was brought into local 5 star dealer and repaired 3 times prior to the accident for 4-wheel drive "popping out of gear". Vehicle was parked, 3 hours later rolled back and hit a building with significant damage to the left rear quarter panel, undercarriage, possibly frame and right and rear bumper. Vehicle was found in park, documented in police report as being found in park. Brought into same 5star dealer who let it sit on the lot, never looked at it. I initiated an investigation via Chrysler. An investigator came out, looked at the transfer case with a flashlight, never put the vehicle in four wheel drive, and left. We now own a wrecked vehicle with a defective transfer case and nobody will repair it. We have 17k on this engine and all components are supposedly on a full and extended warranty. Chrysler will do nothing!!!!.

See all problems of the 2003 Dodge Ram 1500 🔎.

While driving 60 mph driver heard a bang coming from under the vehicle. Then , consumer noticed the vehicle was on fire. Consumer pulled the vehicle over, and called the fire department to put out the fire. Vehicle was towed to the dealer for inspection, and mechanic determined that transfer case failed.

Driving home on freeway, grinding noise ,smoke . We had to drive approx. 40 mph. We had the truck towed to the Dodge dealership they say the transfer case is busted. We have had this truck in numerouis times and told them we felt like we were having transmission problems, they could never find anything wrong. Now our truck is still at the dealership because our ext. Warranty refuses to pay the claim. I have heard many people complaining about the transmissions in Dodge trucks, can't something be done? dealer we bought from is out of business(crown Dodge).

The passenger's windshield wiper arm motor broke, which may cause visual difficulty. Also, the steering system is very loose, and dealer had to replace the steering shaft. Problem is still occurring. Presently, dealer wants to replace the steering column and other parts. In addition, there are problems with transmission and transfer case which has been replace 3 times. Please provide further information.

See all problems of the 1996 Dodge Ram 1500 🔎.