2003 Ram 3500 Problems, Recalls & Reliability
330 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2003 Ram 3500, alongside 9 recall campaigns and 6 defect investigations. It scores 31/100 on the trouble index — a middle-of-the-pack year for this model. Airbags leads the reports, typically around 102,250 miles.
Typical
Where 2003 sits among all 3500 years
What owners report
“Takata recall i have received 3 recall notices,i have called the dealer and they say that there are no parts available for this repair last call was on 3/2017”— owner report to NHTSA, 2003 3500
“There are stripes of melting plastic on the back of the right side mirror and on the back of the front seats”— owner report to NHTSA, 2003 3500
“When driving the truck around 65 mph & i hit a bump i get a severe death wobble. This has happened several more times & it's very dangerous”— owner report to NHTSA, 2003 3500
“The contact owns a 2003 Dodge Ram 3500. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, there was a clunking sound coming from underneath the vehicle. The contact who is a certified mechanic, inspected the vehicle. Upon expecting the vehicle, the contact determined that both upper control arms…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2003 3500
“Had to replace carring bearing and sleeve bushing on drive shaft had a lot of wable in steering”— owner report to NHTSA, 2003 3500
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 191 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 79,168 miles. Half of those reports fall between 45,600 and 116,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (9)
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain model year 2003 Dodge Ram 1500, 2500, and 3500 trucks manufactured August 29, 2002, to July 25, 2003 to address a safety defect in the passenger side frontal air bag inflator which may produce excessive internal…
Fix: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicle until the recall repair is complete. Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the remedy is completed. Chrysler will notify owners, and…
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.
CERTAIN HEAVY DUTY PICKUP TRUCKS, THE ALUMINUM WHEELS MAY HAVE EXCESSIVE POROSITY IN THE CENTER HUB AREA WHICH CAN CAUSE A WHEEL TO CRACK.
Fix: DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE WHEELS AND REPLACE THEM IF NECESSARY. OWNER NOTIFICATION IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN JUNE 17, 2003.. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON…
CERTAIN PICKUP TRUCKS, EQUIPPED WITH CUMMINS DIESEL ENGINES AND MANUAL TRANSMISSIONS, MAY EXPERIENCE AN ELEVATED IDLE SPEED AFTER EXTENDED CRUISE CONTROL USE.
Fix: DEALERS WILL REPROGRAM THE SOFTWARE IN THE CUMMINS ENGINE CONTROLLER. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN ON MARCH 10, 2003. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE…
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:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade,…
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 05V462000.
Technical service bulletins
30 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on engine and body & structure — are on file for the 2003 Ram 3500. 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 2003 Ram 3500 reliable?
The 2003 Ram 3500 drew 330 complaints in federal safety records — a middle-of-the-pack year for this model. Its trouble index is 31/100, scored against the model's worst year (2018).
What are the most common 2003 Ram 3500 problems?
The top reported problems for the 2003 Ram 3500 are airbags (80 complaints), body & structure (53), and steering (38).
At what mileage do 2003 Ram 3500 problems show up?
Owners most often report 2003 Ram 3500 problems around 79,168 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 45,600 and 116,000 miles.
Does the 2003 Ram 3500 have recalls?
9 recall campaigns apply to the 2003 Ram 3500. At least one carries a do-not-drive or park-outside warning — check your VIN before driving.
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.