2004 Dodge Ram 1500 Airbag Problems

368 owners have reported air bags problems with the 2004 Dodge Ram 1500 to NHTSA — 33% of all 1,099 complaints for this model year. The typical failure happened around 102,000 miles. That ranks #3 of 18 Ram 1500 model years for airbag complaints (a typical year has 61). 3 related recalls have been issued.

368complaints
102ktypical miles
3related recalls
48crashes
5fires
52injuries

Which parts fail

  • Frontal
    13
  • Frontal › Sensor/control module
    1

Components named in complaints (front, side and curtain air bags, sensors and inflators).

Mileage when the problem started

  • Under 25k
    912%
  • 25k–50k
    68%
  • 50k–75k
    1215%
  • 75k–100k
    1013%
  • 100k–150k
    2026%
  • 150k+
    2127%

Owner reports

Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2004 Dodge Ram 1500 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).

The contact owned a 2004 Dodge Ram 1500. The contact stated that while making a right turn into oncoming traffic, the vehicle rear-ended a semi-truck in front, where it came to a stop. No warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the air bags failed to deploy during the collision. Additionally, the seat belts became inoperable and failed to restrain the contact, causing the contact to strike the windshield. The contact sustained a 2-inch cut that required 15 stitches, an eyelid injury that required 7 stitches, multiple bruises, and whiplash injuries, and was transported to a local emergency room for medical treatment. A police report was filed. The vehicle was destroyed. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 200,000. The VIN was not available.

200,000 miles · Oct 2025 · crash · 1 injury

Vehicle: 2004 Dodge Ram 1500 I was the driver and sole occupant of my 2004 Dodge Ram 1500 and was wearing my seat belt. I was traveling westbound on [redacted], shortly after passing [redacted], when I was involved in a three-vehicle collision. The first vehicle stopped abruptly, resulting in the collision. I was traveling approximately 50-55 mph before the collision, and my truck sustained a significant frontal impact. Despite the frontal impact, the driver's frontal airbag did not deploy. There were no passengers in the vehicle. The component/system of concern is the driver's frontal airbag and Supplemental Restraint System (SRS). Prior to the collision, I was not aware of any airbag warning lights, warning messages, or other symptoms indicating that the system was malfunctioning. The exact reason for the airbag non-deployment is currently UNKNOWN. …

Aug 2026 · crash

On 3/24/2022 my mother, Helen Mallazzo was involved in an accident in Queen Creek, Arizona. Police were called and a report was filed. When this accident occurred the seatbelts failed to restrain her and her dog and the airbags did not deploy, resulting in both of their heads hitting the windshield and leaving two large cracks in the windshield.

Mar 2022 · crash · 1 injury

TAKATA RECALL PARTS DELAY - MANUFACTURER REPAIR FAILURE.I am filing this complaint because Chrysler/FCA and its authorized dealer network have failed to provide the necessary remedy parts for an active, critical safety recall within a reasonable timeframe.My 2004 Ram 1500 is subject to the urgent Takata airbag recall. I contacted the manufacturer's official recall helpline and multiple local authorized dealerships to schedule the repair. I was formally informed by all parties that they are experiencing severe supply issues sourcing the required replacement parts.The last communication I received from the manufacturer regarding this issue was on July 1st, 2026. …

Jul 2026

I am the owner of a Dodge Ram truck that is currently under an active and urgent Stellantis "Stop-Drive" safety warning due to the defective Takata airbag inflator recall. I am writing to file an official complaint regarding the manufacturer's failure to provide a remedy within a reasonable timeframe, as required by federal law.I contacted an authorized dealership to schedule the recall repair. I was initially told the wait for the replacement part would be two weeks. It has now been over three months, and the dealership still has not received or provided the necessary repair parts.Because of the official "Stop-Drive" order issued by the manufacturer, I cannot legally, safely, or responsibly drive my vehicle. However, I am still forced to pay ongoing auto insurance premiums for a truck that has been rendered completely unusable for a quarter of a year due to this parts shortage. …

Jun 2026

Takata Recall. The contact owns a 2004 Ram 1500. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 16V352000 (Air Bags) and 15V313000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact was concerned about his safety because of the "Do Not Drive Warning," and the vehicle was unable to pass state vehicle inspection due to unrepaired recalls. The dealer and a second dealer, Royal Chrysler Motors, Inc. (3961 Waverly Rd, Owego, NY 13827), were made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.

May 2026

The contact owns a 2004 Dodge Ram 1500. The contact stated that the vehicle failed an inspection because the VIN was included in NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 16V352000 (Air Bags) and 15V313000 (Air Bags); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. Four dealers were contacted and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repairs. The manufacturer was notified of the issue, but no assistance was provided. The contact had not experienced a failure.

Aug 2026

The contact owns a 2004 Dodge Ram 1500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V352000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available, even though the recall stated that parts were available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and stated that the part for recall repair was not available, nor was there a service center to perform the recall repair.

Sep 2026

The contact owns a 2004 Dodge Ram 1500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V352000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The dealer was contacted and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact was informed that parts were on back order for the recall repair. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.

Mar 2026

The contact owns a 2004 Dodge Ram. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Numbers 16V352000 (Air Bags) and 15V313000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted; however the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.

May 2015

Related recalls

Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module

NHTSA recall 16V-352 · May 24, 2016 · 4,648,270 vehiclesDo not drive

Chrysler (FCA US LLC) expanded the affected population to include 73,712 2005-2009 RAM 2500 trucks produced at the St. Louis North Assembly Plant. With this change, Chrysler is recalling certain model year 2004-2008 RAM 1500, 2005-2009 RAM 2500, 2006-2009 RAM 3500, 2007-2010 RAM 3500 Cab Chassis, 2008-2010 RAM 4500 and 5500 Cab…

Remedy: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicle until the recall repair is complete. Chrysler will notify the Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and RAM owners. Mitsubishi owners will be notified by their company.

Air bags › Frontal › Driver side › Inflator module

NHTSA recall 15V-313 · May 26, 2015 · 4,077,169 vehiclesDo not drive

Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain model year 2005-2009 Dodge Ram 2500, 2004-2008 Dodge Ram 1500 and Durango, 2006-2009 Dodge Ram 3500, 2008-2010 Dodge Ram 4500 and 5500, 2007-2008 Chrysler Aspen, 2005-2010 Chrysler 300, 300C, 300S, and SRT8, 2006-2010 Dodge Charger, 2005-2008 Magnum, 2005-2011 Dodge Dakota, and…

Remedy: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicle until the recall repair is complete. Chrysler will notify the affected Chrysler and Dodge owners and Mitsubishi will notify the affected Raider owners.

Air bags

NHTSA recall 14V-770 · Dec 3, 2014 · 250,896 vehicles

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 geographic locations associated with high absolute humidity.

Remedy: 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, and the U.S.

NHTSA investigations

Air Bag Inflator Rupture

NHTSA investigation PE14016 · opened Jun 11, 2014 · closed Mar 2, 2015 · led to recall 13V-172

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 service life, and were equipped with inflators produced by Takata, a tier-one supplier of automotive air bag…

Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture

NHTSA investigation EA21002 · opened Sep 17, 2021 · open

From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant to burn too quickly when ignited.

Air Bag Inflator Rupture

NHTSA investigation EA15001 · opened Feb 24, 2015 · open · led to recall 14V-668

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 service life, and were equipped with inflators produced by Takata, a tier-one supplier of automotive air bag…

Airbag complaints in other Ram 1500 years

’95’96’97’98’99’00’01’02’03’04’05’06’07’08’09’10’11’12111024636141844645836837519316916534141380
Airbag complaints per model year, Dodge Ram 1500.

Frequently asked questions

How common are airbag problems on the 2004 Dodge Ram 1500?

NHTSA has 368 complaints about the air bags of the 2004 Dodge Ram 1500, 33% of the model year's 1,099 complaints. The component named most often is frontal (13 mentions).

Is there a recall for 2004 Dodge Ram 1500 airbag problems?

Yes — NHTSA recall 16V-352 (inflator module, May 24, 2016); NHTSA recall 15V-313 (inflator module, May 26, 2015); NHTSA recall 14V-770 (air bags, Dec 3, 2014). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.

At what mileage do 2004 Dodge Ram 1500 airbag problems start?

Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 102,000 miles, and 12% before 25,000 miles.

Is it dangerous?

Owners linked 48 crashes, 5 fires and 52 injuries and 1 death to air bags 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.