Eight problems related to steering tie rod assembly have been reported for the 2003 Dodge Ram 3500. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
2003 Dodge ram 2500. Consumer writes in regards to outer tie rod ends and steering linkage recall issues. The dealer informed the consumer, he would be placed on a list, as they were only receiving 1 part a week. When the consumer called the dealer again, he was informed the part was no longer being manufactured.
The contact owns a 2003 Dodge Ram 3500. The contact stated that the steering wheel was not operating properly and became loose. The contact mentioned that the driver side tie rod ball stud fractured without warning. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who replaced the driver side tie rod ball stud associated with the steering linkage assembly. The vehicle was repaired. The contact was later notified of NHTSA campaign numbers: 13v528000 (steering) and 15v312000 (air bags), but was unable to determine when the parts would become available to receive the recall repairs. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 325,500.
As with many of the other complaints about 2003 Dodge Ram 3500's this Ram 3500 has had all suggested steering component upgrades and recall upgrades (change steering to 2008 steering) and the tie rod recall for the 2008 steering. The 2008 steering upgrade seemed to exacerbate the tire wear issue. Additionally, ball joints and shocks have been replaced. The ram death wobble and excessive tie wear is still present. The last set of tires lasted 8,000 miles (I am putting a new set on today). The tire wear on my last trip of only 360 miles was very noticeable - so much so a trip of 1,000 miles or more would have caused dangerous tire wear and potential catastrophic failure. Dodge has tried to fix the problem by only skimming over the issue with minor fixes. As a retired law enforcement officer with hundreds of thousands of miles of driving experience - the steering and excessive tire wear is unsafe. Since I am getting new tires and an alignment today - I will be more than happy to track mileage, driving conditions, note steering issues, and photograph tire wear - if you wish.
The contact owns a 2003 Dodge Ram 3500 hd. The contact stated that while driving approximately 70 mph, the vehicle began to jerk without warning. The vehicle was taken to a private mechanic where it was diagnosed that the upper ball joints, lower ball joints, inner and outer tie rods needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that the vehicle was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 11v350000 (steering). The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure and current mileage was 152,000.
The contact owns a 2003 Dodge Ram 3500. The contact stated that while having the vehicle serviced, the mechanic noticed that the driver's side tie rod was fractured. The contact referenced NHTSA campaign number: 11v350000 (steering), but was informed that the vehicle was not included in the recall campaign. The vehicle was repaired and the manufacturer was notified. The approximate failure mileage was 67,000. Updated 11/19/lj.
The contact owns a 2003 Dodge Ram 3500. The contact stated that while driving in reverse approximately 1 mph, an unusual noise emitted from the vehicle after turning the steering wheel. The contact inspected the vehicle and noticed that the front driver's side tie rod bolt was fractured. There was a recall associated with NHTSA campaign id number 11v350000 (steering), however the contact's VIN was not included. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 160,000.
The contact owns a 2003 Dodge Ram 3500. While driving 70 mph, the contact struck a bump in the road and the vehicle began to shake. He took the vehicle to the mechanic and they informed him that the failure was caused by the tie rod. The contact called a Dodge dealer and they sent him service bulletin number 22-005-06, which was issued on October 7, 2006. The manufacturer stated that because the vehicle was serviced at a non-Chrysler dealer, there was nothing that they could do from that point. The contact spent approximately $937 on repairs. The current mileage was 44,000 and failure mileage was 43,900.
Tie rod ends wore out, making it difficult to steer vehicle. The stabilizer bar and wheel bearing also failed.