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

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE SPEEDOMETER NEEDLE MALFUNCTIONED BY INDICATING HIGH SPEEDS AS THE VEHICLE WAS STOPPED IN TRAFFIC. THE ABS WARNING LIGHT AND BRAKE LIGHT ILLUMINATED INTERMITTENTLY. AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WAS CALLED AND SUGGESTED A SENSOR MAY HAVE FAILED. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED OVER THE WEEKEND, THE VEHICLE CAUGHT ON FIRE. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT RESPONDED, AND DETERMINED THE FIRE STARTED UNDER THE INSTRUMENT PANEL ON THE DRIVERS SIDE, BUT HAD NOT COMPLETED THE INVESTIGATION. THE MANUFACTURER SENT AN INVESTIGATOR AND PHOTOS WERE TAKEN. ANOTHER PARKED VEHICLE WAS DAMAGED DUE TO THE FIRE. A POLICE REPORT WAS TAKEN.*AK

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED WHILE DRIVING 55 MPH. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE SERVICE DEALER, AND A COMPUTER DIAGNOSTIC IDENTIFIED A FAILURE TO THE CONDENSER FAN RELAY, DUE TO AN UNDERSIZED FUSE. A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN, # O8-002-03, WAS ISSUED BY THE MANUFACTURER, WHICH STATED THE FUSE WAS NOT LARGE ENOUGH AND THE CONDENSER FAN NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED.*AK

2002 DODGE RAM 1500 TRUCK - THE DASH HAS CRACKED IN SEVERAL PLACES. I ACTUALLY SAW IT CRACK AS I WAS DRIVING HOME FROM WORK, ON A SMOOTH HIGHWAY. ALSO, THE ROTORS WARPED WITHIN THE FIRST YEAR, THE DEALER TURNED THEM, EVEN THOUGH WE ASKED THAT THEY BE REPLACED. SEVERAL MONTHS LATER WE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM WITH THE ROTORS AND THE DEALER TURNED THEM AGAIN. ONCE MORE, WE HAD ASKED THAT THEY BE REPLACED AND WE WERE TOLD DODGE WOULD NOT PAY FOR THE ROTORS TO BE REPLACED. *NM

I HAVE A 2002 DODGE RAM 1500 PICK-UP TRUCK. AT APPROXIMATELY 35,000 MILES THE MIDDLE OF THE DASHBOARD BEGAN TO CRACK. AT FIRST IT STARTED OUT AS A HAIRLINE CRACK AND THEN GREW LONGER. I HAVE TAKEN MY TRUCK TO THE DEALERSHIP AND SHOWED THE DEFECT TO THE MANAGER, WHO RELATED THE VEHICLE WAS OUT OF WARRANTY AND THERE WAS NOTHING HE COULD DO TO HAVE IT REPLACED FOR FREE. I HAVE ALSO CONTACTED CHRYSLER, WHO ALSO DECLINED TO FIX THE PROBLEM, ALTHOUGH THEY DID ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THERE WERE MANY OTHER COMPLAINTS OF THE SAME NATURE CONCERNING 1999 AND UP DODGE RAM'S. IN JUST 6 MONTHS, THE HAIRLINE CRACK HAS NOT ONLY GOTTEN LARGER, BUT NOW THE DASH HAS 4 MORE CRACKS IN VARIOUS OTHER LOCATIONS. ONE LOCATION THAT IS VERY CONCERNING TO ME IS THE ONE ABOVE THE PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG. I HAVE SINCE TAKEN MY TRUCK BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP AND TOLD THEM OF MY CONCERN AND THAT I FEEL THIS IS NOW A SAFETY ISSUE. IT IS OBVIOUS THAT THE CRACKS WILL CONTINUE TO GROW AND BECOME MORE FREQUENT UNTIL THE DASH CRACKS IN HALF. *JB

FIRST LET ME STATE THAT PRIOR TO THIS EXPERIENCE, I ABSOLUTELY LOVED MY DODGE TRUCK. ON 20 APR 2006, MY 2002 DODGE RAM 1500 PICK-UP WITH 50,529 MILES STARTED STALLING AFTER THE ENGINE WARMED UP. THERE WAS A DISTINCT "PINGING" SOUND COMING FROM THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER BEFORE THE ENGINE WOULD STALL. MY 17 YEAR OLD SON WAS DRIVING THE VEHICLE AND WAS RETURNING FROM SOCCER PRACTICE WHEN THIS FIRST STARTED. I BROUGHT IT TO THE DEALERSHIP WHERE I PURCHASED THE TRUCK--THEY COULDN'T FIND ANYTHING WRONG, BUT BASED ON MY DESCRIPTION FELT THAT THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER MIGHT BE BAD, SO THEY REPLACED IT. THIS SEEMED TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM UNTIL A MONTH AND 1,100 MILES LATER THE VERY SAME SYMPTOMS AROSE (ENGINE STALLING WHEN WARMED UP, AND A "PINGING" SOUND COMING FROM THE VICINITY OF THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER. THIS TIME THEY DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM AS BEING SCORED PISTONS, REQUIRING ME TO REPLACE MY ENGINE BLOCK...AT 51,679 MILES! A QUALITY ENGINE WOULD NOT FAIL AT THIS LOW MILEAGE. I CALLED DODGE, THEY AGREED THAT IT SHOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED'AND WERE VERY APOLOGETIC THAT MY WARRANTY HAD EXPIRED, BUT THEY REFUSED TO SHARE THE BURDEN OF THE NEARLY $7,000 COST WITH ME, DESPITE THE FACT THAT THERE WAS ONLY 51,679 MILES ON THE VEHICLE. WOULD YOU BUY A TRUCK WHOSE ENGINE FAILED AT 50,000 MILES? I CERTAINLY WILL NEVER AGAIN. *JB

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED IN THE DRIVEWAY; THE VEHICLE WAS RUNNING FOR ABOUT 30 SECONDS WHEN THE CONTACT HEARD A POP AND NOTICED THERE WAS A FIRE UNDER THE HOOD. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS CALLED AND EXTINGUISHED THE FIRE. AS A RESULT, THE VEHICLE WAS TOTALED. THE FIRE MARSHALL DETERMINED THIS WAS A PRODUCT LIABILITY CASE. THERE WERE NO PROBLEMS WITH THE VEHICLE PRIOR TO THE INCIDENT. THE CONTACT USED THE CRUISE CONTROL TWICE A YEAR.*AK