1994 Dodge RAM 2500
Safety record from NHTSA: recalls, owner complaints, investigations and service bulletins.
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Vehicles › Dodge › RAM 2500 › 1994
These records cover every 1994 Dodge RAM 2500. To see whether one car still needs a recall repair, decode its VIN or check it with NHTSA.
Recalls
1 recall names the 1994 Dodge RAM 2500. Newest first.
Certain replacement k&n fuel performance kits, p/nos. 57-1509, 57-1511, 57-1511-1, 57-1517, 57-1517-1, 57-1527, and 57-1530. also, a small percentage of these kits were sold under the mopar performance parts brand name (p/nos. P5007069 and p5007070). all kits were manufactured from april 20, 1999, through september 23, 2004. these assemblies were…
Risk and remedy
Risk
A jammed open throttle could cause unintended acceleration of the vehicle, possibly resulting in a crash or increased stoping distances when braking.
Remedy
K&n will provide owners with a free repair kit along with repair instructions. the recall began on april 20, 2006.
Owner complaints
168 complaints14 involved a crash6 involved a fire9 injuries
What owners report most
Latest complaints
- Structure › Body
Dash panel is completely broken in 20 to 30 pieces including part that holds Vin plate. I the event of a accident these pieces could be shrapnel that can cause death or serious injury to passengers.
- Electrical system · Exterior lighting
I was driving home at night with $105 worth of groceries and all of a sudden my headlights just quit working and it was pretty dark couldn't see anything so I had to pull over and stop and wait for someone to come pick me and all my groceries up because I couldn't drive home without headlights
- Exterior lighting
I was driving down an old country road around 8:30 pm on my way home from a doctor's appointment. my wife was in front of me and I was luckily following her home instead of vice versa. my headlights would go on and off with no consistent time on or off. it was very radical and unpredictable. I…
I was driving down an old country road around 8:30 pm on my way home from a doctor's appointment. my wife was in front of me and I was luckily following her home instead of vice versa. my headlights would go on and off with no consistent time on or off. it was very radical and unpredictable. I was able to use my emergency lights and able to see enough with them to stop the vehicle safely. You know how country roads are ....narrow and large ditches on either side. thank you god!
- Steering
Vehicle inspection indicated a problem with the steering system. The steering rod was coming out of the gear box. Steering box was replaced. Test drive of vehicle was a disaster. The vehicle was moving above 10 mph and almost uncontrollable. you were all over the road. The steering gear box was…
Vehicle inspection indicated a problem with the steering system. The steering rod was coming out of the gear box. Steering box was replaced. Test drive of vehicle was a disaster. The vehicle was moving above 10 mph and almost uncontrollable. you were all over the road. The steering gear box was replaced two more times with little change. old gear box reinstalled and vehicle was taken home. vehicle was taken to another mechanic that worked for a closed dealership. Gear box was replaced two or three more times. All associated steering components were replaced at least one time. Problem still exist. vehicle IS used sparely because of steering problem. it IS only driven about 4 miles every week or two to keep the engine and transmission from going bad. steering gear box IS a total engineering disaster. No one yet has found a clear solution to resolving this issue. there are no replacement anywhere for this that we have been able to find. chrysler quit making this gear box years ago. Vehicle IS a $40,000 piece of junk. updated 9/21/15 *ln.....updated 10/01/15*bf
- Steering
TL* the contact owns a 1994 dodge RAM 2500. While driving 60 mph, the vehicle made an abnormal noise without warning and the steering wheel seized. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 150,000.
- Air bags
I exited a department store;got into my vehicle,put my key in the ignition ,and when I turned the key to the on position my drivers side air bag deployed.i received numerous abrasions to my chin and neck,broken nose,black eye,and a head concussion. *tr
- Steering · Suspension · Vehicle speed control
Experienced an extreme loss of control due to a wobble/vibration that would only stop when you slowed to a speed under 25 mph. The death wobble would go away but a slight vibration associated with a loose feeling in the steering IS now constant. #94V202000, 94v097000, 93v173000, and 01v037000 all…
Experienced an extreme loss of control due to a wobble/vibration that would only stop when you slowed to a speed under 25 mph. The death wobble would go away but a slight vibration associated with a loose feeling in the steering IS now constant. #94V202000, 94v097000, 93v173000, and 01v037000 all need replacing. The last recall mentioned here IS the speed control throttle cable, and so far it has not been a problem. The possible effects due to its failure urges me to replace this part.
- Power train · Steering · Suspension
The front left tire came into contact with a small bump while slightly turning left. It violently started wobbling making it nearly impossible to maintain control, and will only stop when your speed reaches under 25 mph. The death wobble was very unpredictable when it first started happening, but…
The front left tire came into contact with a small bump while slightly turning left. It violently started wobbling making it nearly impossible to maintain control, and will only stop when your speed reaches under 25 mph. The death wobble was very unpredictable when it first started happening, but now it IS constantly threatening. I took the truck to auto nation dodge RAM on arapahoe rd in colorado back in may of 2014. I asked them to fix all recalls, and described to them what was happening. The invoice I received claimed to have fixed just a few recalls that did not fix the main problem. While I was driving home from the dealership the death wobble happened once again, and the parts that were claimed to be fixed clearly was incorrect. *tr
- Service brakes
When driving the truck and you go to brake, the truck pulls to the left. We have own this vehicle from day 1. New calibers was installed when it first started and that has not fixed the issue. We have learnt to deal with this issue, even though it could be dangerous when coming to a stop. IS there…
When driving the truck and you go to brake, the truck pulls to the left. We have own this vehicle from day 1. New calibers was installed when it first started and that has not fixed the issue. We have learnt to deal with this issue, even though it could be dangerous when coming to a stop. IS there a problem. For after reading the complaints this has been an issue for a while on some of these trucks. What IS the fix. *tr
- Structure › Body
Top of dashboard IS cracked and coming to pieces. The rattling IS distracting and loose flying sharp pieces would be a danger in any minor accident or even a bad bump. The dealer cost of $647 to replace it IS ridiculous, especially since it's a factory defect. *tr
- Air bags
TL* the contact owns a 1994 dodge RAM 2500 diesel. After shifting the vehicle into drive and without accelerating, the contact noticed that the driver side air bag suddenly exploded without warning, causing a injury to the contacts eye. moments later the contact noticed a burning smell coming from…
TL* the contact owns a 1994 dodge RAM 2500 diesel. After shifting the vehicle into drive and without accelerating, the contact noticed that the driver side air bag suddenly exploded without warning, causing a injury to the contacts eye. moments later the contact noticed a burning smell coming from the center of the steering wheel. The vehicle was neither diagnosed nor repaired. The current and the failure mileages were 300,000. updated 4/2/12 *cn updated 05/02/12 *bf the consumer stated after reversing and putting the truck in drive the air bag deployed and exploded. The inside of the steering wheel where the air bag was IS a round metal piece that was under the air bag and a part of the steering wheel. The piece was hot red and untouchable. It appeared that something had melted and turned black. updated 05/12/2012 *js
- Steering
Violent shaking in the front end/ steering, after driving over a bump or pothole at speeds over 40mph.
- Power train
The transmission mount failed causing the drive-shaft counter ballance to move approx. 4" to the left. This caused the drive-shaft counter ballance to wear a hole about 3' long and 1' wide in the fuel tank. The result was lost fuel spraying under truck, coating rear tires and brakes. This could have caused a fire or possible explosion. *tr
- Structure · Tires › Temporary/emergency spare tire
Cable that holds full size spare tire rusted through and broke in which my spare tire went flying through traffic. luckily no one was killed. vehicle IS a 1994 dodge RAM 2500 pick-up truck. I feel cables should not be used to secure spare tires under a vehicle. very dangerous especially if you live in an area that salts the roads every winter. *Tr
- Electrical system · Exterior lighting
After driving approximately 30 min, the headlamps intermittently lose power, sometimes staying off until the switch IS manipulated to re-establish the electrical connection. slight burning odor accompanies incident. *tr
- Structure › Body
Tl*the contact owns a 1994 dodge RAM 2500. while driving at an unknown speed, the vehicle would accelerate rapidly whenever the contact drove over a bump. the front end of the vehicle was rebuilt several times; however, the gear shifter continues to wobble. the failure mileage was less than 5,000 and current mileage was 185,000.
- Structure › Body
Tl*the contact owns a 1994 dodge RAM 2500. while driving various speeds, the vehicle would accelerate rapidly when driving over bumps in the road. the front end of the vehicle has been rebuilt several times, but the gear shifter continues to wobble. the failure mileage was less than 5,000 and current mileage was 185,000.
- Engine and engine cooling › Engine › Diesel
While driving my RAM 2500 diesel truck and hauling trailer through cleburne, texas my vehicle died without warning. I had no power for steering and was barley about to pull into a driveway and parking lot to get out of flow of traffic. this occurred on a saturday and I had truck towed to…
While driving my RAM 2500 diesel truck and hauling trailer through cleburne, texas my vehicle died without warning. I had no power for steering and was barley about to pull into a driveway and parking lot to get out of flow of traffic. this occurred on a saturday and I had truck towed to dealership. it would be monday before problem was resolved-- it would be monday before problem determined, it was the lift pump a $ 1100 fix. all later vehicles I believe after 2004 were modified to put lift pump in gas tank for purpose of keeping cooler. my vehicle had 134,000 miles but it would have been helpful have know about this type of failure. I was very fortunate I was not on freeway and traveling at a higher rate of speed. I do feel that this should have been a recall. there was another individual who had same problem with his 2003 diesel. crb. *Tr
- Suspension › Front
Dodge death wobble pickup. *Tr
- Exterior lighting › Headlights
Headlight quit working as I'm driving down the road at night.... Smelled a faint plastic burning smell. *tr
- Unknown or other
Tl*the contact owns a 1994 dodge RAM 2500. while driving in icy or snowy weather at approximately 3-5 mph, the vehicle spins drastically to the left. the dealer was unable to duplicate the failure. the contact filed a formal complaint with the manufacturer. the vin, engine size, and number of cylinders were unknown. the failure mileage was 30,000 and current mileage was 190,000.
- Tires › Tread/belt
While driving pickup truck on interstate I experienced a sudden "bouncing" from the rear end that felt like a flat tire. I stopped and all tires were visually examined no flats. I started to drive down the interstate and the "bouncing" started immediately. I stopped and checked all the lug…
While driving pickup truck on interstate I experienced a sudden "bouncing" from the rear end that felt like a flat tire. I stopped and all tires were visually examined no flats. I started to drive down the interstate and the "bouncing" started immediately. I stopped and checked all the lug nuts, all were tight. being within 5 miles of home I decided to drive slowly home with 4-WAY flasher on. within a few yards while traveling at about 35mph the left rear tire experienced tread separation bending the truck's sheet metal around the left rear quarter panel area. the tire was still full of air when I put on the spare. *tr
- Exterior lighting › Headlights · Structure
1994 dodge RAM pick up truck dashboard cracked and collapsed into wiring. Headlights then failed to operate. *ak
- Latches/locks/linkages › Hood › Latch
The hood on my 1994 dodge RAM pickup came open as I was driving down a highway, now I have a hood that will not shut and a truck that IS not drivable. I have owned this truck for 2 1/2 years and have never heard of the recall that was done on the hood latch. *Jb
- Exterior lighting › Headlights › Switch
Head lights go out then back on. head lights go out again,smell smoke in cab of truck can not see road, had to stop truck before going of road. bought new headlamp switch to put in, found wires burn and connector melted. can not drive truck now. *nm
Defect investigations
NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened these reviews into vehicles including this one.
- Seat back failure
Odi has identified 30 incidents where it IS alleged the seat back collapsed in a rear impact crash.these incidents are alleged to have contributed to 23 injuries and two deaths.the data presented to odi show that the seat back strength of the front seats comply with federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 207.…
Odi has identified 30 incidents where it IS alleged the seat back collapsed in a rear impact crash.these incidents are alleged to have contributed to 23 injuries and two deaths.the data presented to odi show that the seat back strength of the front seats comply with federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 207. Seating system.according to daimlerchrylser the front seats were designed to collapse rearward in rear impact crashes as part of the energy absorptioncapabilities of the seating system to reduce the chance of serious injury to the occupant.rates of occurance were compared to peer vehicles, and it was shown that the performace of the subject vehicle was comparable to those vehicles.in view of the forgoing, it IS unlikely that nhtsa would issue an order for the notification remedy of a safety defect in the subject vehicles as defined by the petitioner at the conclusion of the investigation requested in the petition.therfore, in view of the need to allocate and prioritize the nhtsa's limited resources to best accomplish the agency's mission, the petition IS denied.for further details, refer to odi's response to the petition published in the federal register vol.69, no. 60 , dated march 29, 2004.
- Steering column separation
Mr. Larry a. Sackey submitted a petition to the national highway traffic safety administration (nhtsa) by letter dated april 18, 2003, requesting that nhtsafurther investigate the defective collapsible steering shaft system on 1987-1995 vehicles manufactured by the daimlerchrysler corporation.in part because of 49 cfr…
Mr. Larry a. Sackey submitted a petition to the national highway traffic safety administration (nhtsa) by letter dated april 18, 2003, requesting that nhtsafurther investigate the defective collapsible steering shaft system on 1987-1995 vehicles manufactured by the daimlerchrysler corporation.in part because of 49 cfr ? 30120(G), nhtsa has decided to limit the scope of the petition vehicles to 1993-1995 models, excluding the 1993 jeep grand cherokee and 1994-1995 dodge RAM series trucks that were recalled (93v210 & 96v230) for steering column failure.if the analysis of these vehicles had identified a potential problem, the scope could have been expanded in an investigation.a review of odi's data base shows no recent complaints and a lack of a complaint trend concerning the subject issue on the subject vehicles as a whole or by individual models.therefore, the petition IS denied.for details, see federal register notice volume 68, no. 130, july 8, 2003.
- Loss of throttle control
Alleged that the throttle cable can fray or sever during normal use resulting in the throttle not returning to idle or an inability to accelerate.
- Front suspension spring/shock absorber
Allege failure of the coil spring/shock absorber bracket at its attachment to the vehicle frame may allow collapse of the front suspension, and potentially affect steering or braking system performance
- Headlight circuit
The headlamp switch in the subject vehicles can over-heat and fail resulting in loss of head lamps and possibly other lights.daimlerchrysler conducted a series of tests and determined that the 3500 series IS prone to generating head lamp switch temperatures in excess of the switch lubricant threshold of 100 degrees…
The headlamp switch in the subject vehicles can over-heat and fail resulting in loss of head lamps and possibly other lights.daimlerchrysler conducted a series of tests and determined that the 3500 series IS prone to generating head lamp switch temperatures in excess of the switch lubricant threshold of 100 degrees centigrade.when this occurs, the lubricant solidifies and adheres to the switch contach surfaces increasing internal resistance and therfore, temperature.daimlerchrysler informed the nhtsa that it would initiate a recall of 79,3665 model year 1994-1997 dodge 3500 series RAM trucks only based on additional testing from which it determined that the 1500/2500 series vehicles nominally operate significantly below the temperature threshold of the switch lubricant.owners of 1500/2500 series trucks were sent a notification letter advising of the proper methods for adding aftermarket lighting accessories.
- Headlight circuit failure
There is no summary currently available
- Alleged fuel tank leakage
In 1994, chrysler introducted a plastic fuel tank, that was shaped differently from the metal tank it replaced.due to the different shape of the new tank,glaval had some problems with screws, that it installs, rupturing the fuel tank.this problem was identified during early production and glaval corrected the subject…
In 1994, chrysler introducted a plastic fuel tank, that was shaped differently from the metal tank it replaced.due to the different shape of the new tank,glaval had some problems with screws, that it installs, rupturing the fuel tank.this problem was identified during early production and glaval corrected the subject units prior to shipping.glaval also designed a new template to correctly locate the screws to miss the new style tank.evidently a few early production vehicles were not caught or had screws installed with the wrong template.all but one of these vehicles were reported and corrected under warranty in 1994.only one report has been received since 1994.no. Crash or fire occurred and glaval paid for the repair of this single unit.a safety-related defect trend has not been identified at this time and further use of agency resources does not appear to be warranted.the closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by nhtsa that no safety-related defect exists.the agency reserves the right to take further action if warranted by the circumstances.
- Trans hose separation
There is no summary currently available
Service bulletins
Technical service bulletins and other communications the manufacturer sent dealers about this vehicle. Ask a dealer for the full document by its number.
- 10191460Valve Body. These may cause over drive cycling.
- 10148823This SKU is a front upper ball joint. The Customer communication requested return of unsold inventory to inspect for ball studs with excessive rotational friction in the ball joint assembly. Excessive friction in the ball joint assembly may cause a perceptible increase in steering effort.
- 10148822This SKU is an Automatic Transmission Oil Cooler Line. The Customer communication requested return of unsold inventory to inspect for improperly crimped hose fittings. Improperly crimped hose fittings could cause a potential fluid leak at the crimp.
- 10139596Part Description: Insulator on Lever Assy Manual Valve - Valve Body - RWD Transmission Issue Description: The manual valve insulator, attaching rivet and instruction sheet are now available as a kit. If the insulator requires replacement please order kit 68253161AA. Insulator only used on Auto-RWD transmission Note: The color of the insulator is not relevant for service.
- 1013900968069384A$, R8069384A$, 68086182A$, R8027067A$, RL002012A$ - Gasket, Cylinder Head Cover Before replacing injectors for Diagnostic Trouble Codes P0201, P0202, P0203, P0204, P0205, and/or P0206, please make sure that the wiring loom and/or connector in the valve cover gasket is not the root cause to your concern. In addition, make sure that the wiring attaching nuts are torqued to their proper value.~
- 618392Some customers may experience a situation in which the rear of the vehicle sits too high to attach their fifth wheel or goose neck trailer to the trailer hitch turnable.
Every Dodge RAM 2500 model year
Bars are owner complaints, dots mark years with recalls. Select a year to open its report.