2001 Dodge RAM 2500

(1) FRONT BRAKES GRAB ON ONE SIDE, VEHICLE SWERVES TO ONE SIDE AND JERKS TO STOP (2) BRAKE HOSE INTO CALIPERS "CALLAPSED". BREAK PADS WEAR PREMATURELY, ROTORS OVERHEAT. LOSS OF BRAKING ON AFFECTED SIDE. (3) BRAKE HOSE, CALIPERS, PADS, AND ROTORS REPLACED. INSIDENT OCCURRED ON LEFT SIDE AFTER 40,000 MILES OF DRIVING. REPLACED HOSE ON LEFT SIDE; BOTH CALIPERS, PADS, AND ROTORS ON BOHTH SIDES. AT 80,000 MILES, RIGHT SIDE HOSE COLLAPSED. REQUIRES HOSE ON RIGHT SIDE; CALIPER, PADS, AND ROTOR REPLACEMENTS ON BOTH SIDES. HOSE ASSY ON BACK ORDER: ONE DEALER HAS 18 ON ORDER, NO PROJECTED DATE IN SIGHT. SO MANY OF THIS PART ON ORDER AND RECURRENCE ON ONE VEHICLE RAISES QUESTION. SOON VEHICLE WILL BE UNDRIVABLE, AND DANGEROUS. INCIDENT DATE BELOW IS DATE OF RIGHT SIDE DIAGNOSIS.

1. THE FIRST INCIDENT, MAY 11,2000 WAS A RECALL FOR THE REPLACEMENT OF THE TRANSFER PUMP DUE TO PREMATURE INTERNAL ARMATURE SHAFT BUSHING WEAR. THIS WAS A RECALL BY DODGE. THE SECOND INCIDENT OCCURRED AUGUST 24,2004. 2. THE FAILURE CAUSES THE VEHICLE TO RUN EXTREMELY ROUGH, AND MAKES THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DRIVABLE. FAILURE AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS WOULD CAUSE A SUDDEN SLOWDOWN OF THE VEHICLE. 3. IN BOTH INSTANCES, THE TRANSFER PUMP HAD TO BE REPLACED. CURRENTLY, THIS VEHICLE ONLY HAS 31,000 MILES ON IT. THE COST TO REPLACE THESE PUMPS CAN BE EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE TO THE VEHICLE OWNER. THIS APPEARS TO BE A SIGNIFICANT PROBLEMS WITH DODGE TRUCKS WHICH HAVE THE CUMMINS DIESEL ENGINE.*AK

WHILE DRIVING 55 MPH VEHICLE STARTED TO PULLING TO ONE SIDE. HAD STOPPED VEHICLE, CHECKED OUT TIRES AND NOTICED THAT RIGHT FRONT TIRE WAS LOSING AIR, LIKE A SLOW LEAK. PUT AIR IN TIRE AND STARTED DRIVING, BUT TIRE CONTINUED TO LEAK. ARRIVED HOME, TOOK CLOSER LOOK, AND DISCOVERED THAT ALUMINUM ALLOY RIM FROM MANUFACTURER, HAD A CRACK THAT CAUSED THE LEAKING PROBLEM. CHECKED OTHER RIMS AND THEY WERE ALSO CRACKED. HAD NOT TAKEN VEHICLE TO DEALERSHIP.*AK

I REMOVED THE SPARE TIRE TO FIX A FLAT. IT WAS THE ORIGINAL SPARE AND HAD NEVER BEEN USED BEFORE. AFTER HAVING TIRE REPAIRED I TRIED TO RETURN THE SPARE TO IT'S STOW AREA UNDER THE BED BUT THE WINCH WOULD NOT LIFT IT. IT WILL WORK WHEN THE CABLE DOES NOT HAVE WEIGHT ON IT BUT IT WILL NOT LIFT THE SPARE. THE WINCH APPEARS TO HAVE PLASTIC PARTS. I FEEL THIS COULD BE A SAFETY ISSUE IF IT WOULD FAIL WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY. *JB

DODGE RAM 2500 SERIES 2001, NUMEROUS PROBLEMS WITH VEHICLE STEERING MECHANISMS. *BF THE CONSUMER STATED HE WAS CONSTANTLY OVERCORRECTING THE VEHICLE LEFT AND RIGHT. THE CONSUMER HAD MANY ALIGNMENTS DONE BUT TO NO AVAIL. IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT ALL THE BALL JOINTS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED DUE TO RUST AND NO LUBRICATION, THE STEERING SHAFT AND TRAC BAR WAS REPLACED AND THE STEERING BOX WAS ADJUSTED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO ANOTHER MECHANIC AND IN HIS OPINION ALTERNATE VALVE LOCATED IN THE STEERING WAS NOT PERFORMING AS IT SHOULD, WHEN THE MECHANIC REMOVED THE VALVE IT EXTREMELY BURNT FROM OVERHEATING. THE CONSUMER STATED HE NO LONGER HAS ANY PROBLEMS STEERING THE VEHICLE. *JB

DODGE RAM 2500 SERIES 2001, NUMEROUS PROBLEMS WITH VEHICLE STEERING MECHANISMS. *BF THE CONSUMER STATED WHILE TAKING A 2 MILE DRIVE, HE NOTICE HE HAD TO CONSTANTLY OVERCORRECT TO THE LEFT AND THEN THE RIGHT. THE DEALER REPLACED SEVERAL COMPONETS ON THE VEHICLE TO TRY AND RESOLVE THE STEERING PROBLEM, THE REPLACED ALL THE BALL JOINTS WHICH WERE SEVERELY RUSTED AND HAD NO GREASE, THE STEERING SHAFT WAS REPLACED, THE TRAC BAR WAS REPLACED DUE TO SEVERE MOVEMENT. IT WAS FINALLY DETERMINED THAT A ALTERNATE VALVE IN THE STEERING BOX WAS NOT PERFORMING AS IT WAS DESIGNED TO DO, WHEN THE MECHANIC TOOK THE VALVE OUT IT WAS BURNED FROM OVERHEATING. *JB