Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (service brakes, ABS, rotors and pads, parking brake).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2008 Dodge Ram 1500 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The ESP/BAS warning lights came on. I had the truck diagnosed and the Automatic Braking System has failed. Chrysler/Fiat has discontinued the parts necessary to repair the vehicle and they don't appear to be available in the US anymore. If it cannot be repaired, this poses a dire crash/accident risk to me and my family. I can't imagine a manufacturer not providing parts for such a significant safety risk. Thanks for your time.
The brakes on our 2008 Dodge Ram 1500 failed on 2/5/2016. As I was in motion headed straight when the truck's brakes failed and I hit the vehicle in front of me. I was traveling straight on a city street about 20-30 MPH when I lost the use of the brakes. The truck kept traveling forward about 50 yards after I hit the other vehicle and I wasn't sure how I was going to stop the moving truck when I remembered to use the emergency brake. The vehicle stopped after that in the center turn lane and I remained there until the police arrived. When the officer arrived I explained to him that the brakes on the truck failed even after I had been running errands and picked up lunch just minutes before the accident. A police report was made and I took pictures of the brake pedal and internal brake components immediately after the accident. …
Tl* the contact owned a 2008 Dodge Ram 1500. While driving 55 MPH, the brake pedal traveled to the floorboard when it was depressed. The contact continued to pump the brake pedal until the vehicle slowed down. As a result of the failure, the contact rear ended another vehicle. The air bags did not deploy upon impact. There were no injuries and police report number: sp19360029 was filed. The vehicle was towed to an independent body shop and declared totaled. The contact was unaware if the manufacturer was notified of the failures. There were no recalls associated with the failures. The dealer was not contacted. The cause of the failures was not determined. The failure mileage was 108,573.
On 1/19/17 I made a 7 mile round trip drive, returned to our house and parked on the street. About 10 minutes later after making my lunch I opened facebook to see a notification that a truck was on fire on my street. I walked out my front door to see what was going on only to find the leander fire department putting out the fire involving my Dodge Ram. The assistant fire chief believes it started by the master cylinder.
I was getting off work and going about 25 MPH on the street when I was involved in a head on collision, I had seen the light change when I pushed on the brake pedal, I heard a crunching noise and no brakes. All I could do was hold on to the steering wheel. The seat belt did not lock up and the air bags did not deploy, with me ending up hitting the steering. Wheel.
My wife and 2 kids (4yr and 6yr) were driving over railroad tracks at about 25 miles per hour when suddenly the car turned off. Power steering and brakes were suddenly no longer available and my wife steered in the middle of an intersection before she came to a halt. Luckily nothing happened. She switched the transmission into p, the car started flawlessly and she parked it to call her mom to pick her up. I then got to the car and wondering what might have happened. Reading about ignition locks causing this symptom, I lightly tugged on the ignition key while idling. The car turned off easily. Knowing my wife puts whichever car key she needs on her key chain, I suspected that this May have been the problem. I tried it out and -sure enough- repeated the event. She normally drives her 2013 Jeep wrangler which has the identical type of ignition switch. …
In April 2016 while driving my truck started to vibrate badly in the rear. I was driving on the highway at 70 MPH. As I slowed down to pull over, the truck started to jerk like I was pumping the brakes. As it stopped, you could hear a tire skidding. Not steady, but like I was trying to break hard.I didn't have my foot on the brakes. The right rear wheel was smoking and extremely hot. I had it taken to a Dodge dealer where they diagnosed a sticking caliper. They replaced both rear calipers and bleed the brakes. The truck drove fine after the $570.00 repair bill. In July 2016 while driving on a two lane county highway, the truck started pulling strongly to the left into oncoming traffic. I stopped and the left front wheel was extremely hot. You could not touch it. I let it cool and idled home on the shoulder. …
Tl contact owns a 2008 Dodge Ram 1500. While driving approximately 40 MPH under rainy conditions the brakes were applied but the vehicle did not stop resulting in a crash. The air bags did not deploy. A police report was filed. A passenger in the other vehicle was reported injured. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer to be repaired for the body damage. The vehicle was not examined to determine the cause of failure. Nine months later while driving approximately 40 MPH under rainy conditions the vehicle began to veer to the left and right. The contact lost control of the vehicle and was involved in a single car crash in which the air bags did not deploy. A police report was filed and the driver was injured. The vehicle was destroyed. The vehicle was not examined to determine the cause of failure. The failure mileage was 20,000 and the current mileage was 35,000.
On 6 nov. I filed this complaint (case #[redacted]) and have not received a response. On 12 nov., the anti-lock brake system again did not function properly when I had to aggressively apply the brakes for a changing stop light. It's ironic that I was on my way to court for the "failure to control speed" ticket that I received for the accident on 6 nov. As I stated before, the investigator that Chrysler sent to inspect my vehicle found nothing wrong. Since my brakes still do not function properly in a panic stop and the investigator was 3 hours late, I question the quality of his inspection? Your assistance would be greatly appreciated.
While attempting a sudden stop for stopped traffic ahead of me, the brakes got firm and then soft, not allowing me to slow down and miss the vehicle in front of me. I believe the anti-lock brake system did not function properly. I contacted Chrysler (case # [redacted]) about this and they performed static inspection and found no defects. The inspection apparently did not attempt to duplicate the actual stopping conditions. The road was asphalt, and the weather was approximately 80 degrees and dry. The tires are factory size (275-60-r20) with 7/32 tread and fairly even tread wear.
Brake complaints in other Ram 1500 years
Frequently asked questions
How common are brake problems on the 2008 Dodge Ram 1500?
NHTSA has 27 complaints about the brakes of the 2008 Dodge Ram 1500, 5% of the model year's 554 complaints. The component named most often is foundation components › master cylinder (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2008 Dodge Ram 1500 brake problems?
No. NHTSA lists no brakes recall for the 2008 Dodge Ram 1500, though it has 5 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 2008 Dodge Ram 1500 brake problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 44,000 miles, and 26% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 6 crashes, 1 fire and 2 injuries to brakes 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.