Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (struts, shocks, control arms, ball joints, springs).
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).
Dt*: the contact stated that the vehicle presented on going problems with the steering. Prior to steering failures, the warning was uncontrollable steering and pulling on normal road conditions. The vehicle was taken to dealers twice for alignment readjustments. The problem persisted causing an accident when the vehicle hit a pedestrian. The vehicle was checked by independent mechanic who observed a grove near the tire. The nature of the failure gradually became worse. The insurance company inspected the vehicle and determined that the problem was caused by a manufacturer defect. The bolt in the front shock absorbers extend over without safety stop and cuts into the bead of the tire right above the rim on the inside of the tire. The manufacturer was contacted and refused to replace tires and repair the vehicle, which was still under warranty. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 Dodge Ram 1500. While driving at approximately 60 MPH, the front of the vehicle shook. The contact stated that it was difficult to steer and control the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the upper and lower control locks and pull joints were rusted and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 37,000...updated 10-06-15
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 Dodge Ram 1500. While driving 55 MPH, the rear pinion nut and driveshaft detached from the vehicle causing the rear wheels to lock. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence and was inspected by an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the pinion, driveshaft, and rear of the vehicle needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 120,000.
The fabricated attachment points that hold the control arms, track bar, damper and springs to the front axle rust to the point of being unsafe. I have replaced my front axle once, and will have to do so again shortly. Fortunately this problem was detected before the axle fell out of the truck, and that is what would have happened! The manufacturer simply did not protect these critical parts from corrosion.
When I had my truck serviced the technician told me my left tire had been rubbing on the shock absorber bracket. The tire had a smooth spot where it had been rubbing on the bracket, and there was a second tire on the back with a smooth spot. The tire in the back had been rotated from the front to the back at the last oil change. I took the truck to the dealer and they welded a extension on to the stopper to keep the tire from turning into the bracket. They told me my tires were to big for the truck, I put 245/75/ r16 on the truck in June 2003 and have had no trouble out of them. The truck was at the dealer in February 2004 to get the front end checked, this was eight months after the tires had been on the truck, I believe if the tire was rubbing the technician would have noticed. I will not have to replace the tires because the rubbing was caught early. …
Vehicle started exhibiting steering problem at 3000 miles. The original dealership did a realignment of the front end, installed new shocks, we replaced the tires even though the original tires were not worn out, and the problem continued to get worse. We had the shocks replaced under the warranty twice without any difference. We had the front end realigned at our expense three times without any difference. The local dealership replaced the pitman arm and tie rod end sleeve, and realigned the front end to the tune of $345.00, and said this would solve the problem. When the truck hit a bump or uneven place in the pavement at freeway speeds it will start to shake uncontrollably, but this is not consistent. It doesn't happen with every bump, and there is no predicting when it will happen. …
Just purchase my 2001 Dodge Ram the day before, took it for a drive to neighboring town. Was going 45 MPH and the road was somewhat bumpy, the vehicle began to shake violently and very bouncy. The town was 10 miles away. Arrived, turned vehicle off and went into market for approximately 20 minutes. Drove back home with the same thing happening(violent shaking and very, very bouncy) all the way back. Very scary and definitely not right. Steering was difficult due to the bounce and shake. Interestingly my father drove this vehicle 300 miles to bring it to me the previous day with no incident of the shaking or bouncing. A friend told me about the "death wobble" and after looking it up on the internet, I cannot believe this issue has not been resolved, either by a recall or Dodge! Not even a concrete fix for the problem? …
Dt*: the contact stated that the vehicle's steering was very loose and there was difficulty in keeping the vehicle straight. There was a distinct pull to the right. After the vehicle was taken to the repair shop for realignment, the vehicle began pulling to the left. The repair shop realigned the vehicle again, and determined everything was aligned to specifications. While at another repair shop where the brake rotor and alignment were checked, they determined that the castor was off and aligned the castor. After this service, the problem still persisted. The vehicle was taken to several repair shops who could not determine how to repair the vehicle. The contact inspected the vehicle's tires and found that the tires were getting chewed up on the inside right above the rim. The insurance agency determined that the tires on the vehicle were oversized and recommended that they be replaced. …
I own a 2001 Dodge Ram 1500 quad cab 4x4. When you hit a bump or pot hole at 50mph or faster the whole truck shakes violently so bad that you barely have control of the vehicle. It does not stop until you can slow the truck down..which is almost impossible. It happened to me 3 or 4 times on a major highway had to slam on the brakes to slow it down causing people around me to almost get in to accidents trying not to slam into me because in had no control of the truck. I have put in upper and lower ball joints,trac bar .steering column..nothing has fixed the problem and Dodge wants to know nothing.someone is going to get hurt or killed if this nproblem isn't fixed by Dodge. There are all kinds of complaints on the internet and also from mechanics and people I have talked to. Everyone who owns a Dodge truck can tell you about the "death wobble". …
From aug 08 to present at speeds of 40 MPH and up my 2001 Dodge Ram 1500 4x4 when hitting a bump the front end develops the "death wobble" have had to two different Dodge dealers and have paid to have all ball joints, tie rod ends, steering box etc replaced and problem is still there now I start looking online and I see I am one of many out there with this problem. Something needs to be done to have Dodge come up with an actual fix for this it is very dangerous and I have personally had this happen on the pa turnpike and numerous other roads and been very close to some deadly accidents with it. I have actually bought another vehicle and truck is sitting in my yard. The answer I get from Dodge is trade it in if it is such a problem but I refuse to put another family in that position. So I sit here listening to my money in the yard waste away.
Suspension complaints in other Ram 1500 years
Frequently asked questions
How common are suspension problems on the 2001 Dodge Ram 1500?
NHTSA has 69 complaints about the suspension of the 2001 Dodge Ram 1500, 6% of the model year's 1,112 complaints. The component named most often is front › control arm › upper ball joint (15 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2001 Dodge Ram 1500 suspension problems?
No. NHTSA lists no suspension 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 suspension problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 48,000 miles, and 11% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 2 crashes, 0 fires and 1 injury to suspension 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.