Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (doors, hood, frame, rust, paint and trim).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2001 Dodge Ram 1500 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Where the sway bar is bolted to the chassis has completely deteriorated causing sway bar to completely detach from both sides of the frame. This has caused it very difficult to steer and nearly impossible the more MPH the vehicle goes. I own another vehicle nearly exactly the same but a 1998 dodge ram 1500 vin number [redacted]. It to has the same exact problem. I believe that the quality of steel used in manufacturing the frame of these vehicles was not up to standards.
I believe I purchased the vehicle into thousand two and in approximately 2006, they dashboard started severely cracking and falling apart in pieces. I purchased a dashboard cover to try to hold the dashboard in place and prevent chunks of the dashboard from flying loose and hitting either myself or a passenger in the vehicle. On December 23, 2017, I was driving and a chunk of the dashboard flew out of the air conditioner vent and hit me in the eye. Luckily I was not hurt but I am very concerned this will not be the case next time. I don't have another vehicle to drive and I got an estimate for $1500 to replace it and I don't have the money to do this, neither should I have to replace it because I've done research and it was a major faulty defect on the manufactures part. Please contact me asap to resolve this issue so that I'm not injured or a passenger riding with me is not injured. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 Dodge Ram 1500. The contact stated that the dash assembly for the instrument panel failed and caused the controls to collapse inward into the dashboard. In addition, the air bag on/off switch was attached to the panel, the headlamp switch, instrument cluster, and other controls. The contact was concerned that the failure could cause electrical issues and prevent the air bags from deploying or operating correctly. The dealer was no longer in business. The contact stated that the failure has been occurring since 2009 and was initially informed that it was a cosmetic issue with the vehicle. The manufacturer was informed again of the failure and stated that since the vehicle was sixteen years old with 240,000 miles, it could not be serviced by them. The failure mileage was 110,000. The consumer stated the failure had been ongoing since 2005. …
Purchased a 2001 Dodge Ram from local dealer, and didn't have it 6 months and noticed the dash cracked and came apart. Took it to the local dealer several times and asked to fix. They refused, stating it was not a recall and it was due to sun. I tried to tell them that the windows are tinted and it is garage kept when not in motion, but they refused to answer. Now it is on several automotive blogs and sites all over the us with hundreds of people with the same issue with the same year truck package. It is now broken so badly its causing failure to defrost the front windshield and several electrical issues including the headlights going out while driving, speakers cutting off and interior lights going out randomly. It has now cracked so that the heat and air is no longer routed correctly and is causing poor driving conditions. My wife backed into another vehicle because of this... …
Last November on my way to school, I was involved in a rollover accident while getting onto the highway. The roads were bad and extremely icy. However, I lost control of the truck while getting onto the highway, put it into 4x4 and corrected myself, then the 4x4 went out (which commonly happened), lost control, hit the median sideways, and rolled the truck. The problem was during the rollover, 1. I had to push myself back into the seat to engage my seatbelt, and 2. The back two in roof roll guards broke. I was only going about 20 - 25mph when I rolled and the back window smashed down several inches. The collapsing of the roof should not have happened as bad. The median had over 6" of snow in it. If a person was sitting in the back seat, he/she would have been seriously injured. Truck is considered totaled. …
The dashboard of my 2001 Ram 1500 pickup recently started cracking for no apparent reason. The cracks were straight line cracks from the screw holes on the passenger side and not the spiderweb type that result from exposure. Yesterday a piece broke off over the ventilation intake and fell into the dash and suddenly black smoke began pouring out of the vents. A travel fire extinguisher had to be emptied into the vent system to keep the cab from becoming engulfed. Chrysler says there is no recall even though I have found hundreds of complaints about this same problem. If one of my friends did not have the extinguisher in their car this might have ended with loss-of-life - mine. The vehicle smells like smoke whenever it is started and I am concerned that it will catch fire again if I attempt to drive it.
Over the past couple of years my dashboard in my truck has gotten progressively worse, to the point where it is now in pieces. I am worried that other problems will start occurring because of the fragmenting of my dash and falling down inside the dash. The screws along the top of the dashboard are now only holding on little pieces of dash and are no longer serving in purpose to my knowledge. I have heard that this could lead to problems with the air bags suddenly deploying or not deploying at all. I am also concerned with the many other things that could happen as a safety issue for myself as well as my passengers. I know there are many other thing that go on inside the dash that could cause many problems if they fail.
Every second generation Dodge Ram truck has this issue. The dashboard falls apart and shatters into sharp knife-like pieces of plastic that can and do blow into your eyes while driving or cut you while driving or stationary. I fear that if my airbag deployed the sharp pieces of plastic that would be sent flying could injure me or even be fatal. This is a very common problem that is very well documented. The fact that something this common and dangerous hasn't ended in the result of a recall or replacement is astonishing. I love my truck but I am so afraid to drive it. Thank you for your time.
The hood latch behind the grill broke or failed. My hood flew up as I was driving down the road and shattered my windshield. The hood and hinges are bent. It felt like I hit a brick wall. I could not see anything. I gradually got to the side of the road. I could not pull the hood down. A gentleman stopped to help me and we got the hood down but it would not close. The hood had to be secured with a bungee cord. My truck was towed and is currently in the shop. They will be replacing the hood, windshield and hood latch. This was a dangerous situation I was put in from a faulty hood latch.
I, like many others are experiencing cracked dash problems. I have had my 2000 Ram 1500 and now my 2001 Ram 1500 dashes crack and fall apart. The dealerships tell me that Dodge does not support repair or replacement of the dash. They no longer stock and back orders are ignored the dash and the instrument bezel that cracks over a short period of time. This is a safety issue as the 2000 truck was totaled in a wreck and I was injured by the dash debris and not the accident.
Body complaints in other Ram 1500 years
Frequently asked questions
How common are body problems on the 2001 Dodge Ram 1500?
NHTSA has 548 complaints about the body & structure of the 2001 Dodge Ram 1500, 49% of the model year's 1,112 complaints. The component named most often is body (46 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2001 Dodge Ram 1500 body problems?
No. NHTSA lists no body & structure recall for the 2001 Dodge Ram 1500, though it has 2 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2001 Dodge Ram 1500 body problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 75,000 miles, and 4% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 6 crashes, 2 fires and 19 injuries to body & structure problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.