Frame Rust Problems of Dodge Ram Van

Urgent safety issue: driving down the road vehicle loses complete steer ability!!! had towed to dealership and found frame rusted through (due to factory routing of a/c water drainage) and caused steering mechanism to separate where the steering connection is!!! dealership is not acknowledging a recall nor resolution and based on the number of these vehicles still on the road (now primarily as low budget work vans) I fully expect to see injury and deaths if this is not addressed immediately!!! I have done all I know to do (including searching the web where I see multiple alerts to similar incidents) so any injury or death due to further inaction is on the conscious of the recipient of this urgent warning!!!!!!!!!!!.

See all problems of the 2000 Dodge Ram Van 🔎.

In July of 2015, the bracket that holds the steering arm to the frame, on the passenger side, completely disconnected as I was making a turn. This I had repaired (welded) shortly afterward. The frame was disintegrating from underneath me. On 09/02/2016 the frame totally separated where the steering connects on the drivers side, making it impossible to steer. I find the metal that was used for the frame thin, cheap, untreated, and unsafe! 12 years is much to short of time for a vehicle to be retired by a rusted frame! Chrysler has a documented complaint from me about this and of course they're doing nothing about it.

See all problems of the 2003 Dodge Ram Van 🔎.

Took van in for inspection and was informed that the entire frame had rust issues. Was told the front frame was so bad I should just park it as that anything from the radiator to the engine could just fall out with one good jolt. Did a little research and found this is a commmon problem with these vehicles as with the Toyota trucks. The body shop I took it to said he had 13 of them this year alone. I crawled under there and there are large areas of frame that has just dissappered. Either poor quality steel or improper rust prevention at manufacture point could cause this much damage. Company should be made to step up and replace the frames.

See all problems of the 2002 Dodge Ram Van 🔎.

On 8/8/14, a loud banging sound occurred when going over bumps and railroad tracks while driving to work. At that time, stopped driving van until were able to take it to bettenhausen Chrysler Jeep in tinley park, IL. On 8/14/14. On same date were informed vehicle was unsafe to drive. The area around the sway bar is completely rusted away. The other areas of the frame show rust and corrosion which will eventually cause the steering mechanism to fail making the vehicle very unsafe to drive. The proper procedures were followed to determine if Chrysler would warranty the repair of this vehicle since they have experienced this same problem with some of their other vehicles. Van was transported to riverdale body shop, tinley park, illinois, to determine the cost of repairs. Chrysler was contacted. On 8/27/14 were informed Chrysler would not warranty this vehicle. A telephone call was made to their customer care center wherein a case was presented to get them to warranty the work. A letter was also sent out to different Chrysler people on this same date.

Several months ago I bought a 1999 Dodge ram 1500 van with approximately 88,000. After driving on several trips we took it to the shop because the steering was loose and would occasionally make noise. The first mechanic we talked to said the front of the frame is almost 80% rusted through on one side and where the steering box was attached to the frame was rusted to the point that he thought it was unrepairable and he was concerned with us even driving it home. We contacted a second business that deals with frame issues among other things. They were also concerned about the vehicle being driven more than a few miles. He said that there was not enough metal to weld to make it safe and the only way he saw to fix it was to get another frame and basically remove the frame from my vehicle and attach the new frame but he thought that we would have problems finding a frame that wasn't rusted and it would be very expensive to repair even if they did. After searching the internet I have found out that I am not alone in this problem it appears that the frame rusting is common. We purchase the vehicle from the original owner that has always lived in missouri and he received free oil changes for as long as he owned the vehicle from royal gate Dodge. I recently called the past owner about the vehicle when we found out it was unsafe and he said they never even mentioned it. I believe that Dodge knew of the problem and the dangerous frame but have yet to do anything. Please help me with both my vehicle issue and make sure they issue a recall to fix, compensate or whatever to get these dangerous vehicles off the street.

See all problems of the 1999 Dodge Ram Van 🔎.