Two problems related to manual transmission have been reported for the 2003 Dodge Ram 3500. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
The contact owns a 2003 Dodge 3500. After placing the vehicle into park, it began rolling backwards. The contact returned to the vehicle and observed that the gear shifted into reverse on its own. The contact received a recall notice that stated that, in certain circumstances, the vehicle may move without warning. It further stated that the manufacturer will modify the vehicle free of charge by installing an out of park alarm system. The recall repair consisted of rewiring the vehicle so that the horn would blow when the vehicle shifted from park into reverse. The contact has experienced the safety risk involved due to the failure. A supervisor at the manufacturer stated that the repair was mandated by law and cannot be reversed. The manufacturer could not offer any further assistance. The contact expected the vehicle to be repaired for safety reasons. The recall number was unknown. The approximate current mileage was 148,000 and failure mileage was 120,000.
The vehicle lurched forward in every gear except in neutral when depressing the clutch when starting the engine. The dealer replaced the clutch, but problem recurred. The transmission was hard to shift, the clutch control was defective due to the slave cylinder bleeding back into the master cylinder. This caused the vehicle to lurch unexpectedly.