Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (wheels, lug nuts, original-equipment tires, TPMS).
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).
The spare tire cable snapped quite possibly causing my spare tire to fall out on the road while driving. I do not know where or when this happened. I last checked the spare tire in nov 2015 and noticed it gone in April 2016. All that remains is a splintered cable. In talking to people in the automotive business they tell me this is a common occurrence. In my case if it did indeed fall out while driving I can only hope that no one got hurt. I do not know if newer vehicles are still equipped with these cables. I think there should be some sort of secondary system to prevent the tire from falling out should the cable snap as I have now come to understand to be a fairly frequent occurrence.
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 Dodge Ram 1500 equipped with Goodyear tracker 2 series tires, size: p265/70r17 (na). While the vehicle was stationary, the tread on all four tires separated. A dealer was not made aware of the failure. The contact sent an email to walmart's store manager via the corporate website, but did not receive a response. The contact also sent an email to the manufacturer and did not receive a response. The vehicle failure mileage was approximately 125,000. The tire failure mileage was unknown. Consumer only had about 2,000 miles on those tires before replacing updated 9/21/18
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 Dodge Ram 1500 equipped with cooper dakota mt (na) tires, size lt285/75r16 (na). While driving approximately 70 MPH, a noise was heard coming from the front passenger wheel and the vehicle pulled to the right. After stopping the vehicle, the contact discovered that the tread separated from the tire. The tire was examined by the manufacturer who indicated that the failure was caused by age, dryness, and wear. The VIN was unknown. The vehicle and tire failure mileage was 80,000.
My front end rim and tire locked up at 59 MPH-causing a severe swerve to the left/right-then I swerved into an 18 wheeler;air bags did not deploy;seatbelts were not unlatching prior to accident so not usable at the time.
5/19/05 I had to replace all (4) tires due to a defect in the tire. The tires were coming apart around the crown on every tire. I was told that they could blow at anytime and it was best that I replace them all. I bought the truck they were on used (2001 Dodge Ram 1500), it had 27,291 miles on it when I bought it and the tires were new. I now have 66,556 miles on it. The tread on all tires was good to go for another 40-60,000 miles. But because of the defect and the fact that I travel a lot I had no choice but to replace the tires. I have kept one of them as proof should someone want to see it. The point being that I should not have had to purchase new tires at this time. I have heard of recalls you have had on tires and don't know if this was one of them or not. The number on the tire is 255/70r16 and they were all in a very dangerous state when replaced. …
The under the bed spare tire assembly cable broke at the junction of where the cable ends and the holding metal assembly begins. The spare tire came loose and hit the highway bouncing off of the pavement and becoming airbourne behind my truck . At that time it became a hazard for any vehicle especially a motorcycle behind me. My spare is a 16 inch tire and weighs over 35 pounds. I got off the interstate at the next exit and tried to find the tire but could not locate it . I suspect it went off the road and down a steep embankment. No cars behind me struck the tire and no was hurt. After inspecting the spare tire crank assembly I found the cable was rusted and suspect the holding nut assembly was too. I have not used my truck for off road use only to travel back and forth to work and to haul material when needed. …
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? …
While changing the oil, noticed a severe grove in the inside side wall of each front tire. (severe enough for imediate tire replacement) discovered that the groves had been caused by rubbing against the lower a frame (found shiny areas where tires had rubbed). The intended stops to prevent this from happening were not engaging early enough in the steering turn to prevent this. We checked two other pickups of same model year and make and found identical problems. When we checked 2003 trucks at a local dealer we found this area had been redesigned. This looks like a major design flaw in the wheel area for this model year. I have 79,000 miles on this truck but only 25,000 miles on the tires, which were otherwise in very good shape. This is going to start killing people as other trucks milage increase. These tires could have blown at any time under normal driving.
Have 2001 Dodge Ram pu upon which continental contitrac SUV 265-70x16 tires were mounted dot a3723jj1103. Tires had approx 29,000 miles on them (60,000 mile warranty) while traveling nb on ih35, just south of hillsboro ,tx, left rear tire exploded, about 15 mins after strange vibration was felt. Tread separated from sidewall. Entire tire was recovered and taken to discount tire co in grand prairie ,tx. Was inspected by manager who also inspected remaining tires. Manager insisted upon immediate removal of all continental tires after finding evidence of impending tire separation on remaining tires. Left rear was sent to continental for inspection who reported that the tire was damaged previously by unknown impact. Failed to report on remaining tires. There was no previous impact and there was no puncture prior to tire failing. Continental refuses further comment.
While I was on my way to work one day, my first indication was a high vibration from the left front tire at certain speeds, and a slight pull to the left. When I arrived at my destination (about five minutes after I first felt the vibration) my tire blew out all the air instantly. After I got the tire changed, I inspected it, and found several sidewall cracks running from the edge of the treads progressing down to the sidewall about 2 to 3 inches in length. They ran at an angle that matched the rotation of the tire. There was no impact to the sidewall at any time. Some of the other tires show small lines that could develop into cracks. I have not taken the tires to the place of purchase because I want to make sure if it is a defect I want the public warned and prevent any tragedy. Thank you.
Related recalls
Tires
On certain 4x4 pickup trucks equipped with the snow plow preparation package, the tires supplied on some vehicles May have gross axle weight ratings that slightly exceed the maximum tire load capacity as defined in federal motor vehicle safety standard no.
Remedy: Dealers will provide replacement p245/75r16 tires to meet the load carrying capacity specified on the vehicle certification label and accommodate the addition of a commercially available snow plow and hardware.
Wheel & Tire complaints in other Ram 1500 years
Frequently asked questions
How common are wheel & tire problems on the 2001 Dodge Ram 1500?
NHTSA has 37 complaints about the wheels & tires of the 2001 Dodge Ram 1500, 3% of the model year's 1,112 complaints. The component named most often is tread/belt (4 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2001 Dodge Ram 1500 wheel & tire problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 03V-504 (tires, Dec 10, 2003). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2001 Dodge Ram 1500 wheel & tire problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 77,000 miles, and 10% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 2 crashes, 0 fires and 2 injuries to wheels & tires 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.