2003 Dodge Ram Quad Cab problems
The 2003 Dodge Ram Quad Cab has 158 complaints on file with NHTSA. The largest share (29%) concerns body & structure. After that come brakes (16%) and suspension (8%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 158 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Body & structure 29% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 9 and 2
- Injuries and deaths
- 16 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 49,000 miles 120 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 | 38 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 18 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 19 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 10 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 12 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 14 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 1 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 5 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 2 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 1 |
What the data shows
Among the 120 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 49,000 miles. For body & structure specifically, the median reported mileage is about 67,000 miles (38 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 9 complaints mention a crash; 2 complaints mention a fire; 16 injuries reported.
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.
While stopped at a stoplight my 2003 dodge ram pickup truck was hit in the rear and pushed off the road into a tree. The air bags did not deploy. The vehicle is a total loss and my husband and I both received head and face injuries from hitting the dash and/or the steering wheel.
While driving approximately 55 MPH vehicle hit three cows that were in the road and the front air bags did not deploy. Driver was transported to the emergency room for treatment of back pain. Also, the driver had an appointment to check for any internal head injuries.
(rear axle shear), t 4:00 pm on march 19th 2005, I was driving this vehicle south bound on california state highway 71. When all of a sudden the right side rear axle sheared, causing the vehicle to go into a forced left handed 360 degree spin. I tried to correct the spin, but the vehicle would not respond or stop. The vehicle crashed into the center median. Also, the engine rpm's went up when the axle shaft broke. The insurance company said the vehicle is a total loss.
I own a 2003 dodge ram 1500 4x4 quad cab slt VIN 1d7-hu18n53s-188168 assembly point, warren, michigan. The truck stalled while in traffic making a 10-15 MPH right turn. The second occurence was july15, 2004. Very close call here. I was in the smokey mountains camping. The six hour drive home towing my popup was nerve racking to say the least. Especially, since my 13, 6 and 3 year old were in the truck.
I took my 03 ram in for service and the service adviser found a clip that had broken in the rear end. Total cost to repair up to $2000.00. I was told that this is a common problem with the ram. Should be a recall for this problem before someone has a rear end to lock up and cause a accident.