IllustrationDASHBOARD HAS STARTED CRACKING AND SHARP PIECES OF PLASTIC HAVE BECOME LOOSE CREATING A POTENTIAL FOR THEM TO BECOME PROJECTILES IN THE EVENT OF AN ACCIDENT. SEEMS MOST OF THE PLASTIC TRIM PIECES ARE BRITTLE INSIDE THE VEHICLES PASSENGER CABIN.
2002 Dodge RAM 2500
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 2002 Dodge RAM 2500 do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 275.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all RAM 2500 years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
170–25K
2225–50K
2650–75K
1775–100K
20100–150K
12150K+
114 reports with mileage · 41 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Structure. Review the 40 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Steering. Review the 20 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Power Train. Review the 19 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
10 crash reports1 fire reports6 injury reports
Unknown Or Other complaints
13 reportsTHE DASH HAS CRACKED INTO SEVERAL PIECES THAT ARE NOW A HAZZARD OF FLYING SHARDS IN CASE OF AN ACCIDENT. ALSO THERE ARE HOLES INT THE DASH WHERE THE PIECES HAVE BROKEN OUT THAT CAN ALLOW DEBRIS TO FALL INSIDE THE DASH THAT CAN CAUSE FIRES OR ELECTRICAL SHORTS.
TRUCK GARAGE KEPT FOR 10 OF ITS 14 YEARS. CURRENT MILEAGE 2017 = 90,000. AUG 2014 DASH BOARD BEGAN TO CRACK AND FALL APART - TRUCK HAD ONLY 79,950 MILES! PLASTIC PIECES FALL INTO DASH HOLES AND GET STUCK UNDER DASH AMONGST STEERING WHEEL, ELECTRICAL WIRES/CONTROLS, ETC. PLASTIC PIECES CAN FALL AT ANY TIME WHETHER IN MOTION O…
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TRUCK GARAGE KEPT FOR 10 OF ITS 14 YEARS. CURRENT MILEAGE 2017 = 90,000. AUG 2014 DASH BOARD BEGAN TO CRACK AND FALL APART - TRUCK HAD ONLY 79,950 MILES! PLASTIC PIECES FALL INTO DASH HOLES AND GET STUCK UNDER DASH AMONGST STEERING WHEEL, ELECTRICAL WIRES/CONTROLS, ETC. PLASTIC PIECES CAN FALL AT ANY TIME WHETHER IN MOTION OR STATIONARY.
THE DASHBOARD HAS LITERALLY BROKEN INTO PIECES AND SHARDS 3 YEARS AFTER WE PURCHASED THE TRUCK. IT IS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION AS WE HAVE GREAT CONCERNS FOR THE SAFETY OF THOSE DRIVING AND/OR RIDING IN THE VEHICLE. THE SHARDS ARE VERY SHARP AND COULD EITHER PUNCTURE THE AIRBAG OR CAUSE HARM TO AN INDIVIDUAL IN THE EVENT OF A…
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THE DASHBOARD HAS LITERALLY BROKEN INTO PIECES AND SHARDS 3 YEARS AFTER WE PURCHASED THE TRUCK. IT IS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION AS WE HAVE GREAT CONCERNS FOR THE SAFETY OF THOSE DRIVING AND/OR RIDING IN THE VEHICLE. THE SHARDS ARE VERY SHARP AND COULD EITHER PUNCTURE THE AIRBAG OR CAUSE HARM TO AN INDIVIDUAL IN THE EVENT OF AN ACCIDENT. THERE ARE MANY VEHICLES WITHIN A PERIOD OF YEARS MADE BY THIS MANUFACTURER THAT HAVE ALL HAD THIS SIMILAR ISSUE. IT IS OBVIOUSLY DUE TO A DEFECT IN THE PLASTIC USED IN THE DASHBOARDS AND THE MANUFACTURER HAS NOT OFFERED A RECALL FOR THIS REAL SAFETY ISSUE. WOULD THEY SETTLE FOR THIS WITH THEMSELVES OR THEIR LOVED ONES IN A VEHICLE WITH THIS ISSUE. THE DASHBOARD IS LITERALLY DISINTEGRATING.
THE DASH IS CRACKING AND DISINTEGRATING AND THE SHARP SHARDS OF THE PLASTIC DASH PIECES ARE A SAFETY HAZARD.
DASH STARTED CRACKING IN 2009 AND PIECES ARE FALLING OFF. THE CRACKED DASH AND LOOSE PIECES ARE DANGEROUS AND COULD CAUSE SERIOUS BODILY HARM IF I WAS IN AN ACCIDENT. THERE SHOULD HAVE BEEN A RECALL ON THIS ISSUE YEARS AGO.
DASH CRACKING SEVERELY. IF AIRBAG DEPLOYS PLASTIC SHARDS WILL IMPALE PASSENGER AND/OR DRIVER
THE DASHBOARD IS CRACKING BADLY AND CRUMBLING. LARGE HOLES ARE FORMING AND BROKEN PIECES OF PLASTIC FROM THE DASH ARE FALLING INTO THE DASH AREA. THE DEALER WON'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT.
THE DASH OF MY 2002 DODGE RAM 2500 HAS CRACKED AND LARGE PIECES HAVE BROKEN AND FALLEN INSIDE EXPOSING THE WIRING AND COULD BECOME A POTENTIAL HAZARD IN THE EVENT OF AN ACCIDENT.
MY 2002 DODGE RAM DASH IS FALLING APART. IT IS A TWO PART DASH, WITH BOTH PARTS CRACKED APART AND GETTING WORSE. NOW A PIECE IS INSIDE THE DASH SYSTEM OVER THE STEERING WHEEL. THIS SEEMS TO BE A WELL KNOWN PROBLEM AS WHEN I WENT TO THE LOCAL DODGE DEALERSHIP AND SHOWED THE ISSUE TO THE PARTS REPRESENTATIVE, HE INDICATED THAT …
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MY 2002 DODGE RAM DASH IS FALLING APART. IT IS A TWO PART DASH, WITH BOTH PARTS CRACKED APART AND GETTING WORSE. NOW A PIECE IS INSIDE THE DASH SYSTEM OVER THE STEERING WHEEL. THIS SEEMS TO BE A WELL KNOWN PROBLEM AS WHEN I WENT TO THE LOCAL DODGE DEALERSHIP AND SHOWED THE ISSUE TO THE PARTS REPRESENTATIVE, HE INDICATED THAT HE KNEW ALL ABOUT THIS ISSUE. REPLACEMENT PARTS ARE CLOSE TO $400 FOR EACH PART, OR ALMOST $800 FOR BOTH DEFECTIVE DASH PARTS, NOT COUNTING THE LABOR FOR REMOVING THE DASH TO REMOVE THE BAD PARTS AND INSTALL NEW ONES. I AM CONCERNED ABOUT DASH PIECES FALLING INSIDE THE DASH AND CAUSING ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS THAT MAY AFFECT A SAFE DRIVE. *TR
Official recalls
0No recalls in this snapshot.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.