2002 Dodge RAM 1500

I HAVE A 2002 DODGE 1500 PICKUP WITH THE LIMITED SLIP REAR DIFFERENTIAL. MY DIFFERENTIAL "CAME APART" AT 37,000 MILES. SINCE MY INCIDENT I HAVE DISCOVERED NUMEROUS OTHER PEOPLE WITH THIS DIFFERENTIAL IN '02-'05 PICKUPS HAVE HAD SIMILAR PROBLEMS. I WOULD THINK THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AS IF THE BROKEN PARTS WERE TO GET INTO THE RING AND PINION GEARS IT COULD CAUSE THE TRUCK TO GO OUT OF CONTROL AND CRASH. THE MANUFACTURE IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM BUT SEEMS UNCONCERNED. I THINK THIS ISSUE NEEDS TO BE INVESTIGATED. BOB BRANDENBERG. *NM

MY 2002 DODGE RAM VEHICLE BEGAN TO SHAKE UNCONTROLLABLY, I WAS ON THE RAMP GETTING ONTO THE INTERSTATE. I THOUGH MY TIRES WERE BEEN RIPPED OFF. I IMMEDIATELY STOPPED THE VEHICLE ONLY TO HEAR THE BOTTOM OF THE CAR BEEN BANGED AS IF THE FLOORBOARD WAS COMING UP INTO THE VEHICLE. I HAD THE CAR TOWED ONLY TO FIND OUT I AM LUCKY TO BE ALIVE WITH MY THREE CHILDREN AND MY THREE NIECES AND NEPHEWS THAT WERE RIDING WITH ME TO THE CHILDREN'S MUSEUM. THE UNIVERSAL JOINT HAD COMPLETELY BROKEN OF THE TRANSMISSION AND MADE A HOLE ON THE BOTTOM OF THE TRUCK ONTO THE FLOORBOARD. LUCKILY I STOPPED THE CAR ON TIME BEFORE A TRAGEDY WOULD HAVE OCCURRED. I FEEL THE TRUCK IS NOT OLD ENOUGH FOR THIS TO HAPPEN AND I HAVE NEVER BEEN ON ANY TYPE OF COLLISION THAT WOULD HAVE CAUSED THIS. WHEN I SPOKE TO THE CLOSEST DEALERSHIP AND MY HOME DEALERSHIP, THEY ONLY CARED ABOUT HAVING OR NOT HAVING AN EXTENDED WARRANTY, AND THAT THEY WOULD HAVE TO LOOK AT THE VEHICLE TO MAKE SURE I DID NOT CAUSE THE PROBLEM (HOW COULD I HAVE RIPPED THE U-JOINT). ULTIMATELY, THEY SAID, IT WOULD BE UP TO CHRYSLER IF THEY WOULD BE WILLING TO DO ANYTHING FOR ME AT ALL. WHAT A GREAT COMPANY AND CUSTOMER SERVICE HUH?? *NM

ON SATURDAY APRIL 15, 2006 WE WERE DRIVING HOME AND THE TRANSMISSION IN OUR 2002 DODGE RAM TRUCK BEGAN SLIPPING. WE HAD TO DRIVE IN LOW GEAR TO GET HOME. WE TOOK THE TRUCK TO SCHAEFER AND STROMINGER, THE DEALER WE PURCHASED THE TRUCK BRAND NEW FROM IN 2002 AND WERE TOLD "OH ITS PROBABLY JUST A SWITCH, WE'LL REPLACE IT AND ITS GOOD YOU BOUGHT THE POWER TRAIN WARRANTY...WELL THIS 2002 TRUCK ON HAS APPROXIMATELY 26,000 MILES ON IT! AFTER HAVING THE TRUCK FOR OVER A WEEK, I WAS TOLD THE WHOLE TRANSMISSION HAD TO BE REPLACED ON THIS TRUCK....A TRUCK THAT ONLY HAS 26,000 MILES ON IT. WELL NOT ONLY SCHAEFER AND STROMINGER, BUT ALSO CHRYSLER THEMSELVES DON'T HAVE ENOUGH SENSE TO GIVE ME A LOANER CAR FOR THE INCONVENIENCE OF DEALING WITH THEIR DEFECTIVE PRODUCT. THERE IS NO WAY I SHOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACING THE TRANSMISSION IN A TRUCK THAT IS HARDLY DRIVEN AND HAS NEVER, EVER HAULED ANYTHING. I HAVE SPOKEN TO A LOT OF PEOPLE ABOUT THIS, I AM FINDING OUT THAT THIS IS A PROBLEM EVERYONE IS HAVING WITH THESE TRUCKS AND SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE TO CHRYSLER TO MAKE THEM FIX THESE AT NO COST TO THE CONSUMER. I AM THOROUGHLY DISGUSTED WITH THE "OH WELL, WHAT A SHAME" ATTITUDE CHRYSLER HAS, WE CONSUMERS SPEND A LOT OF MONEY ON THESE VEHICLES AND WE ALL DESERVE NOT ONLY A BETTER PRODUCT, BUT ALSO BETTER CUSTOMER SERVICE. PLEASE TELL ME THERE IS SOMEONE OUT THERE WHO CAN MAKE THESE MANUFACTURES STAND BEHIND THE PRODUCTS THEY SELL BEFORE SOMEONE GETS SERIOUSLY HURT OR KILLED DRIVING ON OF THESE TRUCKS. *JB

FIRST, THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION FAILED DUE TO AN OVERDRIVE BAND THAT BROKE AND THEN THE WHOLE TRANSMISSION HAD TO BE REBUILT. SECOND, I HAD THE MECHANICS CHECK THE DIFFERENTIAL FOR NORMAL SERVICING. IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE LTD SLIP COMPONENT HAD BROKEN, WHICH THEN CAUSED BEARINGS TO BREAK, WHICH THEN NEARLY DESTROYED THE AXLE HOUSING. $4500 OR MORE TO REPAIR TRANSMISSION AND TO REPLACE REAR AXLE. 77337 MILES, NO OFF ROAD USE AND GENTLE DRIVING HABITS. I CAN HAVE THE OLD AXLE I BELIEVE. 10 DAYS IN SHOP SO FAR. *NM

EVERYTHING BAD ON MY 2002 RAM 4WD. I HAVE HAD NEW BEARINGS IN MY TRUCK,RADIATOR 2X,FRON AXLES 3X,REAR AXLES 2X, NEW ENGINE, POWER STEERING HOSES 2X, I HATE THS TRUCK I WILL NEVER OEN A DODGE AGAIN... I HAVE ALREADY TOLD ALOT OF PEOPLE NOT TO BUY A DODGE. DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD AT 55 MPH AND THE REAR END LOCKS UP... THEY PUT THE WRONG FLUID IN IT FROM THE FACTORY AND BURNT IT UP! ITS ONY 3 YEARS OLD AND I GOT IT IN NOV OF 2002.... I HAVE PUT 4 SETS OF FRONT AND REAR BRAKES ON IT SINCE I HAVE HAD IT! I TOOK IT IN TO BE FIXED EVERYTIME AND IT HAPPINS AGAIN WITH IN 6 MONTHS! LAST DODGE I WILL OWN!!!!

VEHICLE HAS HAD TO HAVE UNIVERSAL JOINTS REPLACED THREE TIMES. EACH TIME, DEALER INDICATED THAT THIS WAS A KNOWN PROBLEM AND THAT THERE SEEMS TO BE SOME DEFECTIVE PARTS OUT THERE. THEY INDICATED THAT IF THEY ARE NOT REPLACED IN A TIMELY FASHION, THEN DAMAGE COULD OCCUR TO THE DRIVE SHAFT. PROBLEM IS NOTICED WHEN VEHICLE IS MOVED FROM A STOPPED POSITION. THERE IS A METAL-ON-METAL KNOCKING SOUND HEARD FROM UNDER THE VEHICLE (AND FELT). IT HAPPENS ONE TIME DURING INITIAL ACCELERATION. SOMETIMES FELT WHILE SHIFTING GEARS AS WELL. VEHICLE PURCHASED APRIL 2002. FIRST REPLACEMENT WAS 06/24/03 AT 33,716 MILES SECOND REPLACEMENT WAS 04/01/04 AT 54,257 MILES THIRD REPLACEMENT WAS 07/14/04 AT 62,636 MILES. I NOW HAVE 84,000 MILES AND IT LOOKS LIKE IT IS HAPPENING AGAIN. THE VEHICLE IS OUT OF WARRANTY AND I AM SURE I AM GOING TO GET SOAKED BY DODGE FOR THIS ONE. I HAVE HAD MANY PROBLEMS LIKE THIS WITH THE VEHICLE AND POOR DODGE SERVICE HAS CAUSED THE PROBLEMS. IN THE PAST I KEPT TELLING THEM SOMETHING WAS WRONG WITH THE SUSPENSION. WHEN THEY FOUND NOTHING WRONG WITH THE SUSPENSION, THEY COULD HAVE LOOKED A BIT FURTHER BUT THEY DID NOT... IT ENDED UP COSTING ME 2 NEW TIRES (THE OLD TIRES ONLY HAD 20K ON THEM AND WERE WORN BEYOND BELIEF). IT WAS AN ALIGNMENT ISSUE. THE DEALERSHIP IN QUESTION IS STETLER DODGE IN YORK, PA. I HAD A BLOWER MOTOR PROBLEM IN THE PAST THEY IGNORED (TURNED OUT TO BE A RECALL ITEM), BAD AMPLIFIER, BRAKE PROBLEMS AND THE VEHICLE FLOATS ALL OVER THE PLACE WHEN HITTING LITTLE BUMPS. HARD TO CONTROL.