IGNITION SYSTEM FAILURE. THE KEY WILL TURN IN THE IGNITION, BUT WOULDN'T ENGAGE. PER DEALERSHIP IGNITION SWITCH NEEDED REPLACEMENT BECAUSE IT HAD BURNED OUT. PROBLEM STILL EXISTS. DEALERSHIP HAS DONE NOTHING TO FIX THE VEHICLE. *AK *CB *JB
1993 Dodge Ram 3500
Owners filed 20 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the exterior lighting › headlights › switch. No safety recall has been issued.
| Component | Reports | Crashes | Fires | Injuries | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exterior Lighting › Headlights › Switch | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Suspension › Front | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Steering › Gear Box (other Than Rack and Pinion) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Wheels | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Structure › Frame and Members | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Steering › Steering Wheel/Handle Bar | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Foundation Components › Drum | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Seats | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Equipment › Electrical › Radio/Tape Deck/Cd Etc. | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
What owners reported
Newest filingsHEAD LIGHT SWITCH HAD TURNED RED HOT & MELTED CENTER CONNECTOR. WAS REPLACED AT LEAST 5 OTHER TIMES. THE LAST TIME SWITCH REPLACED, HAD TO BY PASS THE MIDDLE PRONG. TAKING BACK TO DEALER TO HAVE IT CHECKED & REPAIRED AGAIN. *AK
BRAKE DRUMS/SHOES FAILED.
PASSENGER BUCKET SEAT FRAME BREAKS AT THE BRACKET THAT HOLDS THE SEAT TO THE FLOOR (ANCHOR), SEVERAL TIMES.
WHILE WORKING ON VEHICLE NOTICED THAT THE FRAME AND STEERING BRACKET CRACKED. *AK
WIRING HARNESS TO THE HEAD LIGHT SWITCH IS INADEQUATE CASING THE SWITCH TO GET TOO HOT AND SHORT OUT RESULTING IN LIGHT FAILURES.
HEAD LIGHT SWITCH FAILED.
PROBLEM WITH WHEELS CAUSE VIBRATION AT CERTAIN SPEEDS.
THE HEADLIGHT SWITCH HAS BURNT OUT AS A RESULT OF THE CONNECTION TO THE TRAILER LIGHTS. *AK
WHEN TURNING THE STEERING WHEEL THERE IS LOT OF PLAY, CAUSING A LOSS OF CONTROL OF VEHICLE. *AK
STEERING GEAR BOX IS LEAKING STEERING FLUID, DEALER WILL REPLACE GEAR BOX. *AK
STEERING GEAR BOX BROKE AWAY FROM THE FRAME, WHILE DRIVING, REPLACE STEERING BOX AND NEW BRACKET. TT *JB
ABS BRAKE SYSTEM FAILED, RESULTING IN LONG STOPPING DISTANCE. TT
THE LIGHT SWITCH FAILED AT 23,000 MILES IT FAILED AT 6,000 MILE LATER ONLY HAVE THE HEAD LIGHT BEAM . TT
RADIO AND SPEAKER DON'T WORK . TT
NOTICE ROUGH VEHICLE. TT
ABS BRAKES INTERMITTENTLY DOES NOT PERFORM PROPERLY, SOMETIMES INOPERATIVE. PLEASE DESCRIBE EACH INCIDENT(S). TT
2ND TRUCK NOTICED A LOT OF VIBRATION IN VEHICLE FRONT END WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH AND UP, ALSO REPLACED FRONT TIRE TO NO AVAIL, IN FOR SERVICE 9 TIMES. TT
ABS BRAKES FAILS TO STOP VEHICLE EFFECTIVELY WHEN APPLIED CAUSING EXTENDED STOPPING/INOPERATIVE. REPAIRED ONCE. PLEASE DESCRIBE DETAILS.
HEADLIGHT SWITCH HAS GONE OUT THREE TIMES. TT
20 of 20 complaints, reproduced as filed.
Across model years
Worst on record: 2012| Year | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Deaths | Assessment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 366 | 9 | 8 | 0 | Above average |
| 2011 | 225 | 5 | 5 | 0 | Above average |
| 2010 | 150 | 9 | 4 | 0 | Do not drive |
| 2009 | 105 | 5 | 2 | 0 | Do not drive |
| 2008 | 173 | 11 | 14 | 0 | Do not drive |
| 2007 | 210 | 14 | 14 | 0 | Do not drive |
| 2006 | 257 | 11 | 4 | 2 | Do not drive |
| 2005 | 196 | 7 | 6 | 1 | Fatalities reported |
| 2004 | 214 | 7 | 4 | 0 | Above average |
| 2003 | 286 | 9 | 1 | 0 | Do not drive |
| 2002 | 44 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 2001 | 130 | 1 | 3 | 0 | Routine |
| 2000 | 58 | 1 | 5 | 1 | Fatalities reported |
| 1999 | 104 | 1 | 6 | 1 | Fatalities reported |
| 1998 | 105 | 1 | 10 | 0 | Routine |
| 1997 | 125 | 1 | 12 | 0 | Routine |
| 1996 | 124 | 1 | 10 | 0 | Routine |
| 1995 | 108 | 1 | 6 | 0 | Routine |
| 1994 | 70 | 1 | 7 | 0 | Routine |
| 1993 — this page | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 1992 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 1991 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
Reading this record
No unusual pattern of severe incidents in the complaint record.
Complaint counts track how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road as much as they track quality. A common model from 2013 has had a decade to accumulate reports; a rare one from last year has not. The signal worth weighing is in the severity columns, in whether the same component keeps appearing, and in whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.
Most recent recall on file: none. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.