Table 1 shows one common equipment related problems of the 2012 Dodge Ram 3500.
| Problem Category | Number of Problems |
|---|---|
| Equipment problems |
Traveling close to max legal highway speed for the interstate highway I was traveling on. Felt and sounded like two front tires blew and was traveling on the rims (sparks and sounds and responsiveness on vehicle). Pulled over to the shoulder and discovered that the front driveline going into the front differential had seperated. It was still attached to the transfer case in the rear. The universal joint and approximately one foot of drive shaft was cherry red. Bearing race was found on side of road and had started a small fire (was put out by driver). Apparent damage to the vehicle was a gouge out of transmission housing (less than an inch at a join bolt), slight dent in transmission pan, torn (~2") tear in differential where drive shaft enters front differential. Drive shaft and what is left of front bearing are free to turn by hand. Differential fluid (assumed) was covering most surfaces on undercarriage of vehicle. Up to accident all appeared normal except for a slight intermittent increase in engine rpm (200-300 rpm) about 5 miles prior, once while climbing a hill eastbound out of spokane on interstate, and just before failure of vehicle. Vehicle and both recovered parts at Dodge dealership in kennewick wa. Incident reported to Dodge. Damage to highway observed to be a gouge (2-3' long approx 2" max deep) out of paved shoulder of interstate. Traffic to heavy to safely check roadway, but no apparent damage observable by driver from shoulder of road.
Received safety recall around March of 2012 n49 left tie rod ball stud may fracture. Contacted hunter Dodge in lancaster, CA and was told that the parts are not available due to high demand and hunter Dodge would call me when they part comes in. I have called 3 times with the same results. I just received a second recall telling me to have the service done. Contacted service department and got the same run around with no promise that the part would be available. I contacted haddad Dodge in bakersfield and an appointment has been set for 7-27-14 at 7:30 am. Some one needs to investigate hunter Dodge and find out why I have to drive an unsafe vehicle because they cannot get this tie rod ball stud. It has been 5 months since my first contact and they still can't service this recall.
Recall notice on my truck for a tie rod. Spoke to the dealership on several occassions and have been told the part was on order, then part was backordered, then part that was supposed to replace the recall part was also recalled, then the new part was ordered, etc. . . Excuses, excuses. This not only affects my truck but my husbands and my fathers as we all purchased seperate new 2012 Ram 3500 4x4 crewcab duallys (3 trucks total) on the same day. We haul horses and other livestock commercially as well as heavy equipment so safety on the roadway is of the utmost importance not only to us but to the owners or agents of the horses/livestock (sometimes the horses are valued at more than $100,000 each), and to the general public sharing the road. Our close friend, who has horses as well and hauls her trailer often, purchased a new ram truck 3500 just prior to our purchase. Her truck was effected by the recall and she was having the same issues with the dealership and parts as we are, including her recall part was put on someone elses vehicle prior to her scheduled appointment, so she submitted a call or letter to corporate and the situation was resolved immediately. We have been overly patient with this and request that this issue be resolved in a timely manner without additional excuses. This is a safety issue as well as a liabilty issue. Please respond to this request as soon as possible. We love our ram trucks and would hate to look to other manufacturers in the future simply for the lack of customer service received from Dodge. We have had excellent customer service from the Dodge dealership in kernersville, nc, however that is approximately 3 hours away from our home so having our trucks serviced there is inconvenient. The dealership we deal with is john heister Dodge in lillington, nc as it is a 20 minute drive, however the customer service is disappointing.
We have tried since the recall to get this fixed. We pull a forty foot fifth wheel that is our home. We do not like riding in a dangerous vehicle. We have tried in yuma az. And joplin mo. Soon we will be heading for middlebury indiana. I would like to know my ride is safe.