2004 Ram 2500 Problems, Recalls & Reliability
759 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2004 Ram 2500, alongside 9 recall campaigns and 8 defect investigations. It scores 25/100 on the trouble index — a middle-of-the-pack year for this model. Steering leads the reports, typically around 94,972 miles.
Typical
Where 2004 sits among all 2500 years
What owners report
“Violent shaking in front end at highway speeds when hitting a hole or expansion joint. Also the ride is terribly hard on this vehicle.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2004 2500
“Today stalled again while turning into intersection. Failure of power steering and brakes almost caused accident. 6th time in last 2 months. Dealer flashed computer 2x and replaced map sensor per damler chrysler engineers. Still not fixed.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2004 2500
“My truck has death wobble. When i drive on the highway under normal driving conditions and hit even the slightest bump just right, my front end will shake violently and will not stop shaking until i slow down to under 30 mph. It has been happening for 2 years now and there isn't a sure fire fix for…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2004 2500
“Takata recall possibility of danger due to defective equipment to driver and passengers”— owner report to NHTSA, 2004 2500
“The 7 pin plug has never worked right the left turn and left brake light do not work nor have they ever”— owner report to NHTSA, 2004 2500
“Engine stalling; start vehichle, drive less than 1/4 mile, engine stalls occasionally. There is no warning to this problem. This has happened several times.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2004 2500
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 535 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 75,000 miles. Half of those reports fall between 40,000 and 120,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (9)
Chrysler Group LLC (Chrysler) is recalling certain model year 2004-2005 Dodge Ram 1500, 2500, and 3500, 2004-2005 Dodge Durango, 2005 Dodge Dakota, 2005 Dodge Magnum and 2005 Chrysler 300, 300C and 300 SRT8 vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in…
Fix: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. For vehicles that were sold, or are currently registered, in Florida, Puerto Rico, Hawaii,…
Chrysler Group LLC (Chrysler) is recalling certain model year 2003-2008 Dodge RAM 2500 4x4 and 3500 4x4, model year 2007-2008 Dodge RAM 3500 4x2 Cab Chassis and model year 2006-2008 Dodge RAM 1500 Mega Cab 4x4 trucks manufactured February 12, 2002, through…
Fix: Chrysler notified owners and launched its recall campaign in January 2014. Owners may contact Chrysler at 1-800-247-9753. Chrysler's recall campaign number is N62.
CHRYSLER IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2008-2011 DODGE RAM 2500/3500 4X4, MANUFACTURED FROM FEBRUARY 14, 2008, THROUGH MARCH 28, 2011; MODEL YEAR 2008-2011 DODGE RAM 3500 CAB CHASSIS 4X2, MANUFACTURED FROM FEBRUARY 14, 2008, THROUGH MARCH 28, 2011; AND…
Fix: DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE TIE ROD ENDS FOR RELATIVE ORIENTATION AND REPLACE THE LEFT OUTER TIE ROD AS REQUIRED AND PERFORM A FRONT END TOE ALIGNMENT AS NEEDED. THIS SERVICE WILL BE PERFORMED FREE OF…
FABTECH IS RECALLING CERTAIN AFTERMARKET REPLACEMENT PITMAN ARMS, P/NOS. FTS93001 AND FT44039, INSTALLED FOR USE ON CERTAIN 2003 THROUGH 2008 DODGE 2500 4WD, 3500 4WD, AND 1500 4WD MEGA CAB VEHICLES. THE PITMAN ARM CAN FRACTURE AND BREAK AWAY FROM THE…
Fix: FABTECH WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND AUTHORIZED INSTALLERS WILL INSPECT FOR DEFECTIVE PITMAN ARM AND REPLACE IF NECESSARY FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON MAY 24, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT…
CERTAIN CURVED TEMPERED REPLACEMENT GLASS MANUFACTURED BY HANGZHOU SAFETY GLASS LTD AND SUPPLIED TO SAFELITE BY AUTO TEMP INC., IDENTIFIED AS DOT-430, AND SOLD FOR USE ON CERTAIN DOMESTIC AND FOREIGN VEHICLES MAY NOT BREAK INTO SMALL PIECES AS EXPECTED OF…
Fix: SAFELITE WILL NOTIFY ITS RETAIL CUSTOMERS AND REPLACE THE GLASS FREE OF CHARGE. RETAIL CUSTOMERS CAN CONTACT SAFELITE TOLL FREE AT 1-888-843-2906. SAFELITE WILL NOTIFY ITS WHOLESALE CUSTOMERS AND…
CERTAIN LKI ENTERPRISES, INC., BRAND NAME SUPERLIFT SUSPENSION, PITMAN ARMS SOLD AS REPLACEMENT EQUIPMENT FOR 2003-2007 DODGE RAM 2500 AND 3500 4X4 LIGHT TRUCKS. DUE TO INADEQUATE HEAT TREATMENT DURING PRODUCTION, THE AFFECTED PITMAN ARMS MAY DEVELOP CRACKS…
Fix: LKI WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE PITMAN ARM, IF NECESSARY. THE RECALL BEGAN ON MARCH 12, 2007. OWNERS MAY CONTACT LKI AT 1-800-551-4955.
ON CERTAIN PICKUP TRUCKS EQUIPPED WITH DIESEL ENGINES AND AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONS, IN AN ATTEMPT TO EXIT THE VEHICLE QUICKLY WITHOUT SHUTTING OFF THE ENGINE AND REMOVING THE KEY, THE DRIVER MAY INADVERTENTLY LEAVE THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION SHIFT CONTROL IN…
Fix: DEALERS WILL PERFORM A SOFTWARE MODIFICATION TO EQUIP THESE VEHICLES WITH AN OUT-OF-PARK ALARM. OWNERS MAY CONTACT DAIMLERCHRYSLER AT 1-800-853-1403.
THE VEHICLE CERTIFICATION LABEL ON SOME PICKUP TRUCKS LISTS INCORRECT TIRE, WHEEL, AND RECOMMENDED INFLATION PRESSURE INFORMATION WHICH DOES NOT CONFORM TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 120, 'TIRE SELECTION AND RIMS FOR…
Fix: OWNERS WILL BE PROVIDED WITH VEHICLE CERTIFICATION LABEL OVERLAYS CONTAINING THE CORRECTED INFORMATION RELATIVE TO VEHICLE TIRE AND RIM SIZE, AND RECOMMENDED INFLATION PRESSURE. THIS RECALL BEGAN ON…
ON CERTAIN PICKUP TRUCKS, THE TRANSFER CASE TO TRANSMISSION ATTACHING FASTENERS MAY NOT BE TIGHTENED CORRECTLY. THIS COULD CAUSE THE TRANSMISSION ADAPTER OR TRANSFER CASE HOUSING TO CRACK AND LEAK FLUID.
Fix: DEALERS WILL RETIGHTEN THE TRANSFER CASE TO TRANSMISSION FASTENERS. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN ON DECEMBER 22, 2003. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT DAIMLERCHRYSLER AT 1-800-992-1997.
Federal defect investigations
Still open as of the last data refresh. An investigation is not a recall; it may close with no action. All open investigations →
Component: AIR BAGS
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE14-016 in June 2014 based on six inflator rupture incidents involving consumer owned vehicles produced by five vehicle manufacturers.All six vehicles were operated in Florida or Puerto Rico at the time of the rupture and for the majority of their…
Led to recall campaign 13V172000.
Led to recall campaign 14V795000.
Led to recall campaign 05V462000.
Technical service bulletins
40 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on engine and electrical — are on file for the 2004 Ram 2500. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
Complaint history for this model year
When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.
Questions buyers ask
Is the 2004 Ram 2500 reliable?
The 2004 Ram 2500 drew 759 complaints in federal safety records — a middle-of-the-pack year for this model. Its trouble index is 25/100, scored against the model's worst year (2018).
What are the most common 2004 Ram 2500 problems?
The top reported problems for the 2004 Ram 2500 are steering (143 complaints), transmission & drivetrain (115), and suspension (114).
At what mileage do 2004 Ram 2500 problems show up?
Owners most often report 2004 Ram 2500 problems around 75,000 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 40,000 and 120,000 miles.
Does the 2004 Ram 2500 have recalls?
9 recall campaigns apply to the 2004 Ram 2500. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.