2004 Ram 3500 Problems, Recalls & Reliability
276 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2004 Ram 3500, alongside 7 recall campaigns and 8 defect investigations. It scores 38/100 on the trouble index — a below-average year for this model. Transmission & drivetrain leads the reports, typically around 16,695 miles.
Below average
Where 2004 sits among all 3500 years
What owners report
“Pe04039 is an exact description of what happened to my my 2004 dodge ram 3500 cummins turbo diesel with automatic transmission. Witnesses saw me get out of the truck, enter a store, and then saw my truck go into reverse long after i was in the store. When i exited the store, my truck had run into…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2004 3500
“I have had 3 appointments to get the recalls taken care of and each time the dealer calls and tells me they do not have the parts to take care of it. This has been going on since may 2015”— owner report to NHTSA, 2004 3500
“When driving on the highway i hit a series of bumps at 60 mph and my truck began to shake violently. I then had to slow down to 30mph to regain control.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2004 3500
“My dodge trucks violently wobbling out of control at highway speeds.while driving at about 60 mph, i hit a minor bump in the roadway and the truck started shaking violently. The only way it stopped was i had to reduce my speed to 10 mph, the problem was i was in the express lane, i was in front of…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2004 3500
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 183 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 76,591 miles. Half of those reports fall between 28,000 and 115,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (7)
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.
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
36 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on engine and body & structure — are on file for the 2004 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 2004 Ram 3500 reliable?
The 2004 Ram 3500 drew 276 complaints in federal safety records — a below-average year for this model. Its trouble index is 38/100, scored against the model's worst year (2018).
What are the most common 2004 Ram 3500 problems?
The top reported problems for the 2004 Ram 3500 are transmission & drivetrain (66 complaints), airbags (43), and steering (41).
At what mileage do 2004 Ram 3500 problems show up?
Owners most often report 2004 Ram 3500 problems around 76,591 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 28,000 and 115,000 miles.
Does the 2004 Ram 3500 have recalls?
7 recall campaigns apply to the 2004 Ram 3500. 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.