2004 Dodge Ram 1500 problems
Owners have filed 1,372 complaints with NHTSA about the 2004 Dodge Ram 1500. Air bags is the most reported problem area, at 27% of complaints. After that come engine (13%) and drivetrain & axles (12%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 1,372 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Air bags 27% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 115 and 42
- Injuries and deaths
- 153 and 1
- Typical mileage
- 70,000 miles 945 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 158 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 101 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 126 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 135 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 84 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 64 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 85 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 67 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 48 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 27 |
| 200k+ miles | 50 |
What the data shows
Among the 945 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 70,000 miles. For air bags specifically, the median reported mileage is about 102,000 miles (78 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 115 complaints mention a crash; 42 complaints mention a fire; 153 injuries reported; 1 death reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2004 ranks 7th most-complained-about out of 19 model years of the Dodge Ram 1500 with enough data (431 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 5 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
Airbags did not deploy after violent accident. Vehicle was stopped then hit from the rear at about 65 MPH by tour bus, causing it to land on top of vehicle in front, continuing to be hit again 3-4 times until rolling to a stop upside down. Vehicle was hit on all sides.
Driving northbound on the 101 freeway in the far right lane changed to the center lane on dry asphalt pass a slower moving car and heard a loud noise. Face impacted the steering wheel .don,t recall anymore than that do have an accident report. Think the right rear axle broke or something in the right front suspension. Tie rod or ball joint the inside of the right front wheel is estroyed and was off. The truck complete with large bracket broken tie rod and ball joints and rotor . Outside of wheel is not damaged.
Dt: the contact stated the rotors warped. They have been replaced once and cut twice. The truck only had 17,794 miles on it. The truck had 6,000 miles on it the first time the rotors were replaced. The dealer did not know what the cause of the problem was.
Went to fill my vehicle tank and gas began to suddenly flow out of filler hose. After removing and visually inspecting the filler hose and removing other hoses during testing it was determined that a replacement tank was needed. The on-board refueling vapor recovery (orvr) valve stopped working. After consulting a dealership with the details it was confirmed a new tank was needed. While placing an order for the tank, I was told from a few dealerships that I was on the waiting list.