2010 Dodge RAM 1500 problems

POWER TRAIN

During unrelated work, a mechanic discovered the retaining ring for recall N08 (rear axle pinion nut) was not installed and the pinion nut was loose enough to turn by hand. He stated the recall had either been performed incorrectly or not at all, and that the vehicle was unsafe to drive. The recall shows “completed” in 2013, but the defect is still present. I contacted Stellantis Customer Care, submitted photos, and they confirmed in writing that if the defect still exists, the recall must be performed free of charge regardless of age, mileage, or ownership. I sent the photos of the missing ring, screenshots showing the recall marked completed, and Stellantis’ confirmation to the dealership before having the vehicle towed to verify coverage. The truck was towed to Time Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram of Portland. My initial contact was [XXX] at that location. However, all recall decisions and communication later came from [XXX] , who works at a different dealership. Over the next month, the dealership repeatedly stalled the recall, saying they were waiting on approval from the district manager and then from the recall department, but no action was ever taken. Despite having Stellantis’ written confirmation and clear photographic evidence of the unresolved defect, the dealership refused to perform the recall. They insisted on treating it as a “warranty” issue and cited reasons such as mileage, age, and not being the original owner—none of which apply to safety recalls. They then stated that teardown and diagnosis “would run $1000,” even though the defect has already been documented by both the mechanic and Stellantis. All communication, including photos, the mechanic’s findings, Stellantis’ confirmation of coverage, and the dealership’s refusal, is available upon request. The truck has now been sitting at the dealership for over a month with an unresolved safety defect. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA complaint #11700012 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

Was just driving and the engine shut off and a check engine light came on and won’t start again believe timing chain failed

NHTSA complaint #11697784 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

2010 Dodge Ram 1500 truck purchased used late May 2025 with 57000 miles. Late August 2025 with 60000 miles rear axle fell off when driving on Freeway at 60 miles per hour. Very serious accident was narrowly avoided as could not steer vehicle.Truck was serviced at dealership for recall of a pinion nut coming loose at 36107 miles in September 2013. Per this recall, the loose pinion nut can cause the axle to fail. The recall maintenance done in September 2013 at 36107 miles only lasted 24000 miles and serious safety issues reoccurred. In my opinion, on my vehicle the recall did not fix the problem. Now I am stuck with a $5000 repair on a vehicle with known recalls and safety issues that was supposedly fixed.Perhaps a second recall should be considered regarding this issue.

NHTSA complaint #11687346 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

Me and my husband were driving down the road to go see a friend and all of a sudden the wheel hub assembly broke in half causing us to have to slam on our brakes and keep from crashing. The wheel almost ended up under our truck making the truck look like it was kachowing like Lightening McQueen from the movie Cars

NHTSA complaint #11683820 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

WHEELS

Me and my husband were driving down the road to go see a friend and all of a sudden the wheel hub assembly broke in half causing us to have to slam on our brakes and keep from crashing. The wheel almost ended up under our truck making the truck look like it was kachowing like Lightening McQueen from the movie Cars

NHTSA complaint #11683820 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

SUSPENSION

Me and my husband were driving down the road to go see a friend and all of a sudden the wheel hub assembly broke in half causing us to have to slam on our brakes and keep from crashing. The wheel almost ended up under our truck making the truck look like it was kachowing like Lightening McQueen from the movie Cars

NHTSA complaint #11683820 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:INSTRUMENT PANEL:SPEEDOMETER/ODOMETER

Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2010 Dodge Ram 1500. The contact stated that while attempting to obtain an auto warranty from Car Shield, it was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a dealer sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 125,526 and at the time of registration, it was discovered that the mileage was 228,863.

NHTSA complaint #11669377 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

took the vehicle to the dealer on 2/27/25 on invoice # chcs169951 and they have refused to fix the issue. i was given a proof of correction paper without doing any or the work and told that they are no responsible to fix the issue because it is an older vehicle. I have been trying to register the vehicle but am unable to because it will not pass the brake and light inspection. I was told that it would take 2-3 weeks to update the system and has now been close to 2 months and still no update.

NHTSA complaint #11656752 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

POWER TRAIN

The contact owns a 2010 Dodge Ram 1500. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormally loud sound coming from the rear of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that the rear axle differential pin retaining bolt had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but was not yet diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 160,704.

NHTSA complaint #11656516 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:INSTRUMENT PANEL:SPEEDOMETER/ODOMETER

Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2010 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while attempting to register the vehicle, it was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 173,840 and at the time of registration, it was discovered that the mileage was 301,000.

NHTSA complaint #11654175 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Ignition,key fob will not correctly start engine. Engine dies going down the road , will not stay running after you start engine it just dies and kicks the key fob out to the floor. Trying to retrieve the fob and restarting the engine, and not crashing is a serious problem. Have nearly been in major crashes because of this .

NHTSA complaint #11635175 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL

Ignition,key fob will not correctly start engine. Engine dies going down the road , will not stay running after you start engine it just dies and kicks the key fob out to the floor. Trying to retrieve the fob and restarting the engine, and not crashing is a serious problem. Have nearly been in major crashes because of this .

NHTSA complaint #11635175 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

SERVICE BRAKES

We have had our truck taken to Nyle Maxwell in Taylor Texas and they have were suppose to check the truck because two lights came up on the dash board which dash ESP ABS and traction control light.The shift stick was stuck in park. They towed it to there shop but the lights were off and the gear shift was working. I drove off the lot had to stop at a light and my truck veered left sharply. They have looked at this problem twice. They are not finding anything but it is my truck I drive with my kids. We need so help. They also had to fix the ac and the serpentine belt because that broke while I was driving after they said it was good and safe to drive.

NHTSA complaint #11629770 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

While driving my 2010 Dodge Ram 1500 Quad Cab, the key fob (FOBIK) has fallen out of the ignition while actively driving. The key can be removed from the ignition while actively driving with little to no effort. Upon this happening, the vehicle sometimes remains fully operable, at times it remains driving but looses speedometer, wipers, heat/ac, running/brake lights and turn signals, or the vehicle will completely shut off, losing all function and drivability to include power steering. In one instance, the vehicle remained driving but lost wipers and lights during a night time storm. On another occasion, the vehicle lost all drivability traveling at a high rate of speed at night with traffic on a highway in a rural area with no streetlights. This defect has provided for a multitude of highly dangerous events while driving. There IS a recall (recall ref K08) describing this exact issue, however my VIN was not included in the recall and is not being recognized and or honored for recall repair by local Chrysler Dodge Dealerships or by Chrysler Headquarters. Chrysler Headquarters customer service communicated it is the responsibility of the NHTSB to add my VIN to the recall in order for the repair or replacement of the faulty WIN module along with replacement and programming of key fobs to be covered. This repair is estimated to cost $2500.

NHTSA complaint #11590737 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

While driving my 2010 Dodge Ram 1500 Quad Cab, the key fob (FOBIK) has fallen out of the ignition while actively driving. The key can be removed from the ignition while actively driving with little to no effort. Upon this happening, the vehicle sometimes remains fully operable, at times it remains driving but looses speedometer, wipers, heat/ac, running/brake lights and turn signals, or the vehicle will completely shut off, losing all function and drivability to include power steering. In one instance, the vehicle remained driving but lost wipers and lights during a night time storm. On another occasion, the vehicle lost all drivability traveling at a high rate of speed at night with traffic on a highway in a rural area with no streetlights. This defect has provided for a multitude of highly dangerous events while driving. There IS a recall (recall ref K08) describing this exact issue, however my VIN was not included in the recall and is not being recognized and or honored for recall repair by local Chrysler Dodge Dealerships or by Chrysler Headquarters. Chrysler Headquarters customer service communicated it is the responsibility of the NHTSB to add my VIN to the recall in order for the repair or replacement of the faulty WIN module along with replacement and programming of key fobs to be covered. This repair is estimated to cost $2500.

NHTSA complaint #11590737 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

WIN module failure. When driving down the road/highway, the vehicle will turn off with no warning of any problems. The key can be removed while the vehicle is still running. The vehicle will start up with the key cranked diagonally but when released the vehicle dies making it more difficult to start the vehicle after it dies while driving down the road/highway. When a bump is hit in the road the key moves and the vehicle dies. We have spoken to the local Dodge dealership who confirmed that it is a WIN module issue while servicing the vehicle due to other recalls as well as several locksmiths.

NHTSA complaint #11573257 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Wireless ignition module fails and will stall out the engine. This can happen at speed or stopped. Wireless ignition module will intermittently fail and cause a loss of power at speed causing no power steering or power brakes

NHTSA complaint #11551725 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

STRUCTURE:BODY

The frame has rusted thru, the fuel tank strap has failed and the fuel tank has dropped. If this had happened while driving, it could have killed him and many others. Upon researching for information, we found recall U04/nhsta 18v-160 which stated this document replaced service bulletin TSB# 1400218 - all for this exact problem. This was a regional recall/extended warranty and was not issued for vehicles in our region. But this document does state that should any vehicle meet the criteria described (make date range, model year, and problem) that that vehicle should be covered. My fathers truck meets all 3 criteria. Upon calling FCA (Fiat, Chrysler Automobiles), who issued the document, we were told that we aren't able to be included in this issue, since we don't have a recall listed and also because the recall turned from a recall to an extended warranty that expired in 2022. If this is a known issue why is there an expiration date on the repair of it? My father's truck only has about 67,000 miles on it, which is probably why the problem is only presenting now. And if we had known there was a possible chance that this could happen, why weren't we informed to check it? He is the original owner of the vehicle and we are appalled at the FCA repsonse. The document in reference is attached.

NHTSA complaint #11520746 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

This incident has happened several times while driving on the road. When driving at slow speeds, approaching a red light, or slowing down to make a left or right turn, the vehicle shuts off without warning. The power steering and brakes stop working, making the car hard to handle. I have to put it in neutral, restart the vehicle, and start it back up without any problems. This is a very well-maintained vehicle and a daily driver. The car has 172000 miles on it. I have done internet research on this, and it seems to be a very common thing with Dodge Ram Trucks.

NHTSA complaint #11504586 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

STEERING

[XXX] My truck sway at 65mph, like a drunk person driving. Scary. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

NHTSA complaint #11503317 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.