1998 Dodge RAM 2500

THE THROTTLE LINKAGE IS A RECALL. I TOOK IT TO DOUGLAS CHRYSTLER JEEP DODGE RAM DEALER IN VENICE, FL AND THEY SAID THEY COULDN'T HELP ME BECAUSE THE RECALL HAD ALREADY BEEN PERFORMED ONCE. SEEING THAT IT IS A SAFETY RECALL I WAS UNDER THE IMPRESSION THAT THEY WOULD TAKE CARE OF IT BUT WHEN I CALLED THEY SAID THEY CAN ONLY REPLACE A RECALL ITEM ONCE. VEHICLE LUNGES FORWARD WHEN I AM AT A STOP LIGHT AND IDLES HIGH.

HAZZARD: INTERMITTENT HEAD LAMP OPERATION (LOW AND/OR HIGH BEAM CUT-OFF) CAUSE: UNKNOWN. SAFETY ISSUE: KEEPING THE HEADLAMPS ON WHILE DRIVING (DODGE RAM 1998.5 2500 4X4 QUAD CAB SLT; 5.9L 24V CUMMINS DIESEL; 47RE; STOCK (NO FOG LIGHTS); 170,000 MILES). PROBLEM: HEADLAMPS (LOW AND/OR HIGH BEAM), AND OCCASIONALLY, BUT NOT CONSISTENTLY THE DASHBOARD LIGHTS, CUT-OFF INTERMITTENTLY -- ACTUATING THE DASHBOARD MOUNTED HEADLAMP SWITCH (PUSH-PULL) RESTORES THE LIGHTS. TROUBLE SHOOTING/REPAIRS (EXECUTED BY A CERTIFIED AUTOMOTIVE REPAIR FACILITY): (1) CHECKED MULTIPLE GROUNDS (CLEAN AND TIGHT); (2) CHECKED FUSES; (3) CHECKED OUTPUT FROM GENERATOR (STEADY - APPROX. 14.5 WITH "NO LOAD"; BATTERIES - NEW 6/18); (4) CHECKED CIRCUITS (VERIFIED CONTINUITY AND RESISTANCE); (5) REPLACED STEERING COLUMN MOUNTED MULTIFUNCTION SWITCH; (6) REPLACED "HEADLAMP/SECURITY" RELAY; (7) REPLACED HEADLAMP/DASHBOARD LIGHTING COMBINATION SWITCH (REPLACED 22 MONTHS AGO (167,000) - ORIGINAL FAILED. NOTE: DASHBOARD ABOVE SWITCH - WARM TO TOUCH. (8) REPLACED HEADLAMP BULBS (BOTH). NOTE: NO DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODES SET. NEXT ACTION: REPLACING THE HEADLAMP/DASHBOARD COMBINATION SWITCH AGAIN. OEM REPLACEMENT SWITCH INSTALLED AT APPROXIMATELY 167,000 MILES MAY BE MALFUNCTIONING. A VISUAL INSPECTION OF THE SWITCH DID NOT INDICATE SIGNS OF OVERHEATING. ACTUATING THE SWITCH INDICATES NORMAL OPERATION. SPECULATION: A "CCD BUS COMMUNICATION ERROR" IS OCCURRING; PULSE FROM PCM (?) TO HEADLAMP CIRCUIT MAY NOT YIELD THE LEVEL OF RESISTANCE REQUIRED RESULTING IN THE INTERMITTENT "CUT-OFF". TECHNICAL ADVICE/GUIDANCE/ASSISTANCE EITHER DIRECTLY FROM THE MANUFACTURER (FIAT CHRYSLER AUTOMOTIVE), OR THROUGH THE DODGE RAM DEALERSHIP NETWORK IS REQUIRED TO CORRECT THIS HAZARDOUS CONDITION.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1998 DODGE RAM 2500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FRONT PASSENGER AND DRIVER SEAT BELTS WOULD NOT RELEASE OUT OF THE BUCKLES AND THE SEAT BELT WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE FAILURE OCCURRED PERIODICALLY. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER OR INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING OR REPAIRS. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 55,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1998 DODGE RAM 2500 EQUIPPED WITH FOUR MASTERCRAFT COURSER AXT (NA) TIRES, SIZE: 285/75/R16/ (NA). THE TIRES WERE PURCHASED IN JANUARY OF 2018. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH AND PULLING A TRAILER, THE FRONT PASSENGER TIRE SUDDENLY BLEW OUT. DURING THE INCIDENT, THE FRONT PASSENGER RIM WAS DESTROYED. THE CONTACT INDICATED THAT THE EXACT TIRE PRESSURE WAS CHECKED BEFORE STARTING THE TRIP. THE MANUFACTURER AND LOCAL DEALER (ELLISTON REPAIR AND TIRE IN FREDRICKTOWN, OHIO WERE NOTIFIED. THE VIN AND VEHICLE FAILURE MILEAGE WERE UNKNOWN. THE TIRE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 100.

VEHICLE PARKED IN DRIVEWAY. UPON GETTING IN VEHICLE, I FOUND BOTH THE DRIVER'S SIDE AND PASSENGER SIDE SEAT BELTS LOCKED IN THE RETRACTED POSITION. I STOPPED AT A LOCAL DEALERSHIP FOR PART #P56043003AD AND WAS INFORMED THIS PART ON NATIONAL BACK ORDER. THIS SEAT BELT TIMER CONTROL MODULE IS NECESSARY FOR THE SEAT BELTS TO FUNCTION AS DESIGNED. TRUCK CAN ONLY BE DRIVEN WITHOUT SEAT BELTS IN USE.