2004 Dodge RAM 2500 Problems

What owners report

Owner complaints on this model year center on two things: the automatic transmission selector failing to hold the truck in Park, which owners often describe happening with the engine running, and front-end shaking after hitting bumps at highway speed. Front suspension and steering wear parts (ball joints, tie rods, hubs) draw many reports at moderate mileage, and airbag recall parts being unavailable shows up repeatedly in later years. Many complaints involve diesel trucks and note problems appearing well before 100,000 miles.

1. 1
   Transmission and drivetrain

   Truck rolls away after being shifted into Park

   • 65 complaints (11%)
   • median 23,450 mi at 1.9 yrs old (46 state mileage)
   • 36 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $7,200 (median of 5 quotes)
   • filed 2004–2017

   Owners describe leaving the truck running with the selector in Park and returning to find it rolling backward, sometimes after a delay of up to about 30 seconds. Several reports involve the truck crossing a road, hitting a wall, a tree or another vehicle; some state the indicator showed Park while the transmission was actually between Park and Reverse. According to complaints, the recall remedy is a chime that sounds when the truck leaves Park, and owners say the dealer offered no mechanical repair. Some report the alarm remedy as unsatisfactory or that their truck was not covered by the campaign. Reported from very low mileage up, often on trucks with well under 60,000 miles, with a few at 80,000 to 190,000.

   Recall 05V4620001 related service bulletin

   What to check: Confirm whether recall 05V462000 was performed and ask how the out-of-park alarm behaves. Test that the selector locks firmly in Park on a slope and confirm the cable and linkage adjustment.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Three different occasions when I would park somewhere with the automatic transmission selector in park , the truck would take off backwards . Once at shop at home , I was close enough to catch it , without incident . Second time I was at a convenient store , had been in there5 to ten mins. It took off across busy state hiway. Thitd time in a lake. Witnesses on last 2.”

   NHTSA complaint #11045784, filed 2017-11, 60,000 miles

   “I have a 2004 Dodge RAM 2500 cummin diesel pick up,when I put into park with motor running I left the truck to check on a wreak my pick up rolled back into a tractor trailer causing damage to the rear corner panel of my truck. I know there is a recall for this reason but from all of the complaints with the alarm I don't know if I want to do it. I would like a recall to get this fixed so I wont be out another $3500.00 to fix my truck,it would be nice to get reimburse.”

   NHTSA complaint #10182119, filed 2007-02, 40,000 miles
2. 2
   Suspension

   Front-end shaking after bumps at highway speed

   • 118 complaints (20%)
   • median 70,000 mi at 6.5 yrs old (109 state mileage)
   • 3 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $1,100 (median of 14 quotes)
   • filed 2004–2022

   Owners describe a violent shake or shimmy of the front end after hitting a bump or dip at highway speeds, strong enough that they have to slow sharply or pull to the shoulder to regain control. Complaints attribute it to worn ball joints, tie rod ends, track bar and steering damper on these heavy front axles. Owners report dealers often replaced the steering damper first, and some say the shaking returned afterward or that the dealer found nothing wrong. Spread from about 10,000 to 190,000 miles, but many reports appear between 25,000 and 80,000 miles, usually at 40 mph and above.

   Recall 13V5280002 related service bulletins

   What to check: Have the front end inspected on a lift for play in the ball joints, tie rod ends and track bar, and check the steering damper. A test drive over rough pavement at highway speed is worth doing before purchase.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Vehicle has an uncontrollable shimmy or wobble sometimes at speeds above 40 MPH. It seems that there is no rhyme or reason as to when it might occur but is usually precipitated by only minor highway bumps or dips. It will not come back under control until the vehicle slows down considerably. I have had times when I have had to pull over to the side of the road.”

   NHTSA complaint #10199878, filed 2007-08, 35,000 miles

   “This vehicle is subject to violent shaking of the left front suspension upon hitting a bump at highway speeds. The shaking is so violent that it causes the truck to jump out of it's lane. This has now happened for the third time in 10,000 miles. There are no modifications to this suspension system. I drove directly to the dealer who inspected the truck but report nothing is wrong with it. I have since found many complaints describing this phenomena on the internet. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10106478, filed 2005-01, 10,500 miles
3. 3
   Suspension

   Worn ball joints, hubs and tie rods

   • 75 complaints (13%)
   • median 70,937 mi at 5.5 yrs old (62 state mileage)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $1,200 (median of 13 quotes)
   • filed 2005–2022

   Owners report front ball joints, wheel hubs and tie rod ends wearing out at relatively low mileage, showing up as vibration, clunking, loose steering and uneven tire wear; a few describe a hub failure with the wheel at risk of separating. Complaints say the factory joints have no grease fittings and that shops describe the heavy diesel front end as wearing these parts early. Reported repairs were replacement of upper and lower ball joints, hub assemblies and tie rod ends. Mostly reported between about 25,000 and 90,000 miles, often on diesel 4x4 trucks used as daily drivers.

   Recall 13V5280002 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask for service records showing when ball joints, hubs and tie rods were last replaced, and have a shop check for play and for grease fittings added by a previous owner.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “With normal driving the upper and lower front ball joints went out of my truck within the first 60,000 miles, then 20,000 miles later I am having to replace a lower ball joint again in addition to a wheel bearing/hub assembly. In talking to other Dodge owners and the shop that did my repair work I have found that this is a very common problem with Dodge trucks, in fact the ball joints were back-ordered when I had them repaired the first time. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10219004, filed 2008-02, 60,000 miles

   “My husband drives his 2004 Dodge 3/4 ton diesel pick up every day to work. About a week ago he noticed that it had developed a vibration when he stopped. Believing it be a brake problem he took it to our mechanic shop and had them look it over. We were completely noplussed to discover that all of his front ball joints had failed. We were then told that is a common problem with this brand and that it was because there are no grease fittings on the factory installed parts. We had both the lower and upper ball joints replaced at the time.”

   NHTSA complaint #10192219, filed 2007-05, 59,500 miles
4. 4
   Steering

   Tie rod or steering linkage separation

   • 105 complaints (18%)
   • median 80,700 mi at 7.7 yrs old (66 state mileage)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $1,200 (median of 15 quotes)
   • filed 2004–2026

   Owners describe a loud pop followed by loss of steering, with the linkage found detached from the steering box or the tie rod found broken; others report the steering gear box output shaft or pitman arm fracturing. Complaints note the vehicle had to be towed, and several mention the truck was covered by a tie rod recall but the repair was not done or parts were unavailable. Some describe long waits for recall parts. Reported from roughly 60,000 to 200,000 miles, sometimes during low-speed reversing or after an alignment check.

   Recall 13V5280002 related service bulletins

   What to check: Check whether recall 13V528000 was completed and ask for documentation. Have the tie rod ends, pitman arm and steering box inspected for cracks or looseness before driving.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “It has been over 10 months since I tried to get my vehicle fixed for an extremely dangerous recall where the left tie rod ball stud on my truck may fracture under certain driving conditions. This could cause loss of directional control and/or crash without warning. I do not know who to contact anymore however someone needs to be held accountable for the lack of responsibility that chrysler is taking. As said before I tried to get this fixed since january of 2014.”

   NHTSA complaint #10649296, filed 2014-10, 90,000 miles

   “Fracture of the pitman arn at the steering box/ had to replace entire steering box/ fracture was found while undergoing wheel aligment/ was only a matter of time before it would have failed. Replace water pump/ 120000 replace rear universal joint for bad bearings/ 121,000 entire engine fan with pulley sheared off while on a trip/ 118000 replaced entire wiper mechanism due to complete failure/122000 poorly engineered vehicle/ wouldn't buy another Dodge lots of safety issues.”

   NHTSA complaint #10664923, filed 2014-12, 94,972 miles

Buying note. Have any 2004 Ram 2500 inspected for front-end play and steering linkage condition, and confirm in writing that the transmission selector and tie rod recalls were completed. Service records for ball joints, hubs and the steering damper tell you a lot about how the truck was maintained.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.